so, this whole past week we have been doing the tourist thing. we went to the markets, and went out to eat, discovered the glory of sticky rice and mango, rode in the infamous touk touks, played in the rain, and shopped shopped shopped. however, considering cambodia is quite different than what we all used to, i think all of these activities were vital. It allowed us to get a feel for the culture before entering the hospital and interacting with patients.
wednesday was our first day of “work”. a few of us woke up early for a morning run through the busy streets, the group met for a quick breakfast and then it was time to leave at 7 am for the hospital (which really means 7 30 am in cambodian time) after a tour of all 25 beds it was time for the group to split up. half went to go visit the HIV patients in their homes, and the rest of us remained in the hospital. those of us who stayed went on rounds with the doctors in the medical ward. it was nice because the rounds were done in english. we got to ask a lot of questions and learned a lot from the doctors. one thing i noticed is that what they see here in the medical ward is MUCH different than what we would see in our medical wards back home. diseases here are often left untreated for long periods of time, so that when the patient finally comes to the hospital, the disease is in its extreme stage.
it is great getting to work beside these amazing people. many of them have incredible stories on how they survived pol pots regime and why they are here now working at HOPE. they have all been been so willing to teach us and so thankful that we have come to help. it has been very rewarding and inspiring. and there is still more to come.