2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Bettis, Pharmacy Class of 2013
Greetings friends! Or as we would say in Khmer, “sues ‘day!” We woke up today feeling refreshed as we are finally adjusting to the twelve-hour time difference. The morning began with an early trip to the hospital by tuk-tuk in order to arrive in time for rounds. We split off into groups so that we could get an in-depth look at the dispensing processes used by Sihanouk; Dan M. and Dan S. went to the warehouse, Norman, Belinda, and Dr. Franks stayed in the central pharmacy, and Pamela and myself went to the CMC.
While in the CMC, I ran in to Sineth, one of the women we met at church last night. She immediately recognized me and greeted me with a hug and a smile. We began speaking about the differences between Cambodia and the United States which turned into a conversation about God and how he works in different ways. I told her how moving it was to attend the Phnom Penh Church of Christ. The second we walked in the church we could feel God moving within the people. In the United States, it often seems like we think we need to attend a big, fancy church with a state-of-the-art sound system in order to be a good Christian. However, I personally do not believe that God can be contained within any sort of walls and therefore church can be anywhere- be it a church like the ones seen in America, a modest building in the heart of a city, or even a field. The members of this church seem to understand this concept much better than me; I have never felt such a sense of belonging during my first visit to a church, especially one in a foreign country! After my visit with Sineth, I joined the pharmacy and nursing students and faculty for yet another delicious lunch at the hospital.
Daily Archives: May 18, 2011
First Looks
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Norman Mang, Pharmacy Class of 2013
We awoke at 6:00 this morning, our feelings a mixture of jet-lag and adrenaline-fueled excitement. After a traditional Khmer breakfast of noodle soup, we all piled into the van and headed to Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope (SHCH). We braved the infamous Cambodian traffic and arrived at our destination—a completely charity based hospital—a shining beacon of humanity and God’s love, right in the heart of Phnom Penh. Our tour of the hospital grounds was beset every step of the way by smiles and hugs from the Khmer people, excited to see their friend and former colleague, Susan Taplin, return to Cambodia yet again. We were shown the surgical and medical wards, the HIV clinic, and the pharmacy department. Our next stop was the pharmacy’s base of operations, a warehouse across the street from the hospital. It was filled to the brim with donated medications from around the world. At the CMC & Jeremiah’s Hope, another branch of the hospital system, we met Cambodian physicians who were trained by various teams of doctors that had come to serve over the years. In particular, we were introduced to Dr. Tisopheap, a renowned Cambodian cardiovascular surgeon. We spoke with him at length about various projects and opportunities pharmacy could participate in. This was very exciting and we sincerely hope this serendipitous meeting will bloom into an amazing relationship.
First Day in Cambodia
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Diana Perricone, Senior Nursing Student
We landed in Phnom Penh at about 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 17th. It was very weird to realize that we left on Sunday, and just completely skipped Monday altogether. I could tell by looking out of the window of the plane while we were landing that this is certainly not like any place i have ever been. From the plane you could tell that about 90% of the roads here are dirt roads. We got to the hotel by two vans which was only about 10 minutes away.
Driving through Phnom Penh was very surreal (and terrifying considering traffic laws appear to be completely non-existent). I have never seen so many abandon buildings in one area in my life. Then, I realized that they aren’t abandoned at all…they are fully occupied homes, businesses, doctor’s offices, etc! So many of these buildings look like something that would be deemed unsafe, and condemned in the US. Some of the names are pretty funny. For example.. I’d probably avoid the “Sour Dentist.”. Although so obviously impoverished, Phnom Penh is beautiful. There are many stunning buildings that look like stereotypical Asian palaces and temples (and for all I know at this point they are!).