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Published: October 3rd 2011
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Good day everyone
Has been a while since my last post, but I've been pretty busy - honest! So, what's new with you? Here in Kampuchea, things are going very well...though the Rainy Season is in full effect - 24hr rainathons a regular occurrence. Thought you'd UK based family & friends would enjoy this knowledge, given that I'm in the tropics but you've just had the hottest ever recorded day in October!
In September I was in Phnom Penh for 2 weeks for extra language training, which was both great and awful! Great, in that I could catch up and see my friends whom I came in-country with, and spend some time with a special someone. Also, having ready access to steaks, cheese and red wine was pretty awesome! Awful, however, in that I was in a classroom every day for 4hrs learning Ka'mai. The language training is pretty intense, and for periods of it I just could not concentrate...leading to not only my murdering of the language, but also frequently making-up new words...not cool.
Though, in times like these it's always nice to be able to rely on your friends....especially my good mate Neil, who extended his
support and empathy by drawing a big dunce cap in the middle of my workbook!!! Suffice to say, our partner in crime Esther found this so funny she had to laugh out loud in the middle of the lesson. Alas, I found my groove though and started rocking the bejezus outta it!
It was great to be in the capital, but I found myself actually starting to miss my village, my hospital & health centre and the orphanage. So I 'twas back to Preah Net Preah from Phnom Penh with a happy heart.
At work, we've got quite a few exciting things either finished or now in the pipeline. Last time round I wrote about the new waste area we were having built - well, this is now completed and fulfilling it's intention! Which is great, as this has been a piece of work that has meant we can improve the management of clinical waste, create a safer environment for patients, visitors and staff, and also make a tangible difference to how the staff view their responsibilities regarding hazardous waste - all in all, winner!
Also at my hospital, another non-governmental organisation called RACHA (Reproductive And Child
First Class...
...the only way to travel! Health Alliance) is due to start constructing a new maternity building, complete with a delivery suite, maternity ward and outpatients department. When I first arrived in PNP in April, I heard about these plans but with a mooted construction date of "in about 2yrs time".....which as many other volunteers can testify, "in about 2 years time" in Cambodia terms generally means anytime between now and into the next decade!
But, after some careful investigation and support to get a meeting setup with RACHA, we've been able to bring construction forward to the coming months, which is ace! We've (Jon and I) been sent the building plans, and after talking with the maternity staff and other colleagues from URC, we have also been able to influence the design of the building to ensure more space and a better utilisation of the rooms. So, along with my role as a Hospital Management Advisor, seems I can now also add Architect to my CV!
Because my hospital is in a village in a rural part of Cambodia and the Wet Season is in full force, we have been having more admissions of patients with snake bites. There are quite a few
Jack of All Trades
Now, this is what being a Hospital Management Advisor is all about...digging a hole in some sand... venomous snakes in Cambodia, and more than a few non-venomous ones. The local knowledge of people in my area is that there are several venomous species living close by.....not that this has now made me paranoid about the buggers or anything! Perhaps well I should be paranoid, given that some of these snakes have such delightful names as the Banded Krait, King Cobra, Indo-Chinese Spitting Cobra, and my personal fav, Malayan Pit Viper! As well as the modern medicine approach to treating snake bites, Jon and I setup a meeting with a local traditional healer who specialises in snake bites - that's right, Jon and I were granted an audience with The King of Snakes!
Hoping that The King of Snakes (his actual name) would be a wild-eyed, crazy-haired, voodoo/shaman looking kinda guy, we were actually a bit disappointed when we rocked up to meet a normal looking old geezer in a shirt and trousers! We went through our questions covering types of snakes in the area, frequency of bites, etc, and then asked about his treatment regime. We were very intrigued in his methods, as we've come to learn that most people in the surrounding villages go to
Hail Thee, King of Snakes
Jon, The King of Snakes & me (l-r) beside The King of Snakes' shrine The King of Snakes if they get bitten, and do not come to the hospital.
He showed us the leaves and bark he uses to cover and treat the wound, and the methods for treating the patients. Now, for the cynics among you (of whom I was/is one), I refer you to this
WHO Briefing! Indeed, many modern medicines are derived from plants and natural sources - for example, aspirin is a derivative of salicylic acid, which comes from the bark of willow trees. And, let us not forget that opium is the source ingredient for a very long line of prescription opioids found in pharmacies (& also in many small baggies of illegal smack found on the streets of Brixton!).
So, whilst somewhat sceptical at first, I came round to the idea that if people are coming back to The King of Snakes for treatment, then placebo or not, as long as he's not making people worse then in my opinion, fair enough. That said, this reminds me of a patient we had in a few weeks ago with a pretty nasty head wound, who'd first gone to another traditional healer in the village. After a few
The Wat on the PNP Mountain
This is where the Orphanage kids and me had the picnic prayers and such, as treatment the healer proceeded to rub ground chillies and spices into the wound....erm, OUCH!! Suffice to say, the wound didn't heal and we ended up having to treat a screaming patient in an ER that smelt like a curryhouse.
However, an element of scepticism has been introduced into how much I can believe in The King of Snakes. Apparently, once after treating a snake bite by sticking into the wound a twig, The King of Snakes said a prayer, removed the twig and placed it into a cup of water....and then the water started to boil......riiiightttt. Mmm, whatever works for ya I guess, but I think if I get bitten I may just bypass the boiling stick approach and haul ass to Siem Reap for some anti-venom!
As mentioned before, in my spare time I also visit a local orphanage near my village. I really enjoy going to see the children, playing some footie and just hanging out and getting to know them; the Centre is a wonderful place & really well run by a great group of staff. I was invited to go with some of the children to a local Wat on
top of a hill in my village, where we spent the day exploring the Wat and hillside, talking to the monks, enjoying the views and, of course, eating rice! It was so nice to get out and see the little ones somewhere else other than at the Centre, and on a selfish level, traipsing around the Mountain with the kids also helped shakeaway my hangover!
Just on a personal note, I've a few good friends leave Cambodia recently, all of whom have headed back to the UK or elsewhere in search of something new – although I miss you all, I know that new adventures in work, study & life await us! Godspeed and goodluck Em, Dan, Laura, Oly & Katja, hopefully see youse in the not too distant future.
And so, I say goodbye for now. As has become a standard sign-off, please let me know how you are getting on, either through the comments/message function on this blog or via my email.
Take care,
Pete
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Adolf
non-member comment
Oh no! I've missed the King of Snakes!
Great story brother Pete! Laughed my ass off and really enjoyed the short mental journey back to Cambodia. Would have loved to meet the King of Snakes as well, haha! Things are sound here in Australia... just visited Fraser Island which was ace and will visit Whitesunday Islands tomorrow which hopefully is even better. Have nearly a month left for OZ and will then make a stop in Bali before i come to Thailand for the November Full Moon Party. I really DO miss you guys which is the reason why I really hope that you can make it to the Full Moon Party! As far as I have heard, Hannah and a friend of hers are in, Jon and his mses as well, I still try to convince Laura, so what about you? Dude........resistance is futile.. come to facebook! Krouty