2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Candice Rose, Graduate Nurse, Class of 2011
We shall call this entry: the bus drive through the Twilight Zone!
Made it to Ratanakiri, finally. Ms. Taplin told us it was only going to be a 9 hour drive, well twelve hours later we climbed off of the bus, bones aching and sore butts!
We should go back to the beginning of the day first… We climb on the bus at the crack of dawn to venture on this grand trip across the rugged roads of Cambodia. When everyone had finally piled on the bus we set off. Taplin had been informed that the roads were in decent enough to travel, so there should have been no problem, right?! Wrong…
We found ourselves at the mercy of the bus driver for the entire trip. The seats in the back of the bus are bigger, so – having not sat back there before, I decided it would probably be best to sit back there since it was going to be such a long drive… BIG MISTAKE! The back of the bus was like riding on that amusement park ride that you first think is awesome but soon realize if you stay back there much longer you might puke! There were times when my butt came at least 6 inches (if not more) off of the seat! Guess that is what I get for trying to take over the “good” seats!

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Bettis, Pharmacy Class of 2013

Today we checked out bright and early at 6am for a nine-hour trip to Ratanakiri. We stopped along the way for a chance to stretch our legs and eat some authentic Cambodian food. Much to one of the nursing student’s surprise, there aren’t many roadside rest stops so when you have to use the bathroom, the side of the road is your best bet! The dirt roads proved to be incredibly bumpy and the trip ended up taking twelve hours, but it was twelve hours of singing, laughing, and fellowship. Throughout the bus ride, it was apparent how connected the nursing and pharmacy students had become over the past two weeks. It was dark when we arrived at our destination, and as our road-weary group piled out of the bus we realized that the primitive bungalows we had been expecting to stay at were actually more comparable to a resort seen in a movie. After a delicious feast prepared by the hotel staff, several of us donned our swimsuits and hopped in the pool for an evening swim. Now we are all headed to bed for an adventurous day of waterfalls and hiking tomorrow.

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Dan Myslakowski, Pharmacy Class of 2013
“Same same, but different” is a common saying for English speaking people in Cambodia. That is, the English word “same” sounds very similar to the Cambodia word for “different”. Many t-shirts have thus been produced for Americans, such as myself, to help remind ourselves how hard it can be to communicate ideas to other people. Today, after a 7 hour bus ride back into the city, our group went to a place known a “S-21”. It used to be a high school, but during the last regime was converted into a torture prison and death camp. Over 25,000 prisoners were recorded to have entered this prison. Less than 30 years later, only 12 survivors are known. It is very hard for me to convey the emotions and history behind this prison. No person could accurately convey the emotions that you feel when walking through this place of death. I have posted pictures taken by both Candice Rose and myself to convey with images what I cannot in words. I have also added some more inspiring pictures from other days (besides this one) as well to lighten the mood.

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Belinda Hong, Pharmacy Student
This morning started off with something we’d been looking forward to the minute we researched this trip: visiting Angkor Wat. After the beautiful sunset we had witnessed the evening before, we knew seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat was an absolute must. Niron suggested we leave for Angkor Wat around 4:45 a.m. in order to arrive before the sunrise. After our long trip and the many hours spent stimulating the Khmer economy at the Siem Reap Night Market, this task was a bit harder than expected. We ended up arriving just in time to see the sun cresting over the temple. This magnificence can only be experienced and never accurately described by text or photo.
Afterward, we explored the temples of Angkor. I was astounded by the beauty and majesty of Angkor Wat. I can hardly believe that nearly 3,000 years ago, the Khmer people moved thousands of enormous stone blocks—which weigh several tons each and originate from the mountains—to create the largest religious structure in the world. As we moved through Angkor Wat, intricate carvings lined nearly every inch of the structure. My favorites were the beautifully detailed aspara dancers, representing an ancient form of dance that is characteristic to Cambodia.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Diana Perricone, Nursing Student
Cambodia Day.. I don’t even know anymore:
Our adventure into Ratakaniri was interesting to say the least.. We had to travel for nearly 12 hours by bus through the Cambodian jungle to get to our destination. We took a full bus over bridges made of nothing more than large, uneven sticks over bodies of water of which are probably infested with who-knows-what. It was a bit nerve-racking, but completely worth it in the end.
Our hotel here has full electricity and air conditioning. They have a pool and a spa, and a remarkably good restaurant. I feel like since we arrived, we have been on vacation!

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Pamela Wong, Pharmacy Class of 2013
Today I woke up at 5 in the morning to be on the bus by 6am. We had another bumpy bus ride heading back towards the city. We stopped at Women’s Development Center in Stung Treng. There was a kindergarten nearby that we visited there, where the kids there are the first of their generation to get an education. Most of the people in that village don’t speak Khmer; instead they speak Lao. At the Women’s Development Center, we saw how they produced raw silk into beautiful silk clothing. I thought it was cool to see the color of the cocoons be yellow because I’ve only seen them white. Then we saw how they dyed it and how they made cloth out of the silk threads. Afterwards, we ate lunch there and then arrived at our new hotel, the Golden River Hotel.
In the afternoon, we went to see a nursing school. It was a big one but it was kind of empty because the students had exams and so class did not start until the following week. I thought it was cool that they can provide housing for up to 100 students for free (because some of the students come from far away). But they have about 400 students.
Later, as we were looking for a place to eat dinner, we made a pit stop to take pictures of the setting sun over the Mekong River. It was quite a beautiful sight. It was a definitely a great way to end the night.

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Cody Chlasta, Nursing Student
May 23
Today we ended our trip to Siem Reap and began our 7 hour bus ride back into Phnom Penh. As you may have read the temples we were able to see during our time in the province were unimaginable. I could not explain to myself how an ancient people were able to construct such magnificent structures. I do not think I have the words to describe what I saw. As for the trip back that was a little more forgettable, I thought a 14 hour plane ride complete with my own personal entertainment system was bad but try sitting in the back of a bus over the most uneven roads you have ever been on.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Daniel Stirling, Pharmacy Class of 2013
An early morning rise took us on a bus ride to Siem Reap. We are accompanied by Niron and Wataana, fellow members of Phnom Penh Church of Christ, who served as our de facto tour guides on the trip.
Moving out of the bustle that is Phnom Penh allows me to take a breath and appreciate the full beauty of the Cambodian countryside. The palm trees sway gently in the flatland with glistening lakes and rivers dispersed between. This embodies the peacefulness of an earlier Cambodia, juxtaposed to the beautiful chaos of the capital city. We then stop for a quick snack of fried spiders, crickets, and other interesting culinary delights.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Suzanne Hutson, Nursing Student
Today was one of my favorite days! I spent my morning in the surgical floor in the HOPE clinic. I have not felt as much love from people I do not even know ever before. I was baffled by the instant connection I felt after meeting the nurses, patients, and family members for the very first time.
Chak Riya was an instant friend. She is a young nurse who has very good English. She took me under her wing right away and taught me! I was starting IVs, drawing blood for labs, prepping patients for surgery and taking vitals with her. We talked a lot and bonded in the first few hours I was there.
I also met Rom Channy and Hun Chanse. Chanse says hi to the 2010 team-(he asked for Chelsea and Kim’s e-mail addresses. He has your pop account addresses). His smile was remarkable, I will never forget it!

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Painter, Nursing Student
Today was my day to go on a HIV home visit. We took a tuk tuk to the hospital and to our surprise the traffic was not all that bad. When we got to the hospital we met up with the social worker and walked over to his office. Everyone introduced themselves as we stood waiting for our driver. While standing there he asked us to donate some money to buy some fish sauce to take with us to give to the families we were visiting. When they visit these families they are bringing porage mix to them to eat.
The families we were visiting live at the dump site for the city. They all are living in small shacks and do not have much room at all. The first family we went to visit was a mother and her children. Her daughter was 7 months pregnant and was there while we were visiting. They both explained to us how they were doing and living. They were literally staying in a small room that had a tin roof and plastic on one side for a wall. She was very delighted to get the things that we brought her.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
Michael Seamon, Nursing Student
After an awesome and extremely busy weekend in Siem Reap where we saw the temples of Angkor Wat, shopped the day and the night markets, had a sort of art crawl- Cambodia style (6 people to one tuk tuk going hut to hut visiting the artists themselves and buying paintings), and saw traditional Cambodian dancing at a buffet dinner theatre, it was time to head back to Phnom Pehn. Today was good to help digest all we had seen and also gave me some time to reflect on things thus far. Seeing the temples of Angkor Wat at sunrise was an amazing experience. People from all over the world gathered in this one place and stopped and quieted themselves for just long enough to take in the beauty of the day beginning over this ancient architectural, cultural, and spiritual wonder.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Painter, Nursing Student
Our trip started out early Saturday morning to Siem Reap. We loaded the bus and got ready for a five hour bus ride. Little did we know how bumpy this ride would be. The roads in this country are driveavble, but not as great as we are used to back in the states. Also, the Cambodian people do not drive like we do. They are in a hurry to get there as one might describe it.
We stopped at a market on the way to use the restroom, buy water, etc. As we pull into the parking lot to park the bus. We are surrounded with small children and some women. As we get off the bus they instantly start asking us to buy things from them. This is a very over whelming feeling, or at least it was for me, because so many of them are arround and your not so sure what to do. When I finally made it off the bus I was greeted by a young girl. I am not sure how old she is because in Cambodia you cannot really tell their age, due to the malnutrition in children here. She was very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions. She wanted to know where I was from and what I was doing here. She also wanted me to buy some pineapple :).

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Abby Turnham, Nursing Class of 2012
I have already experienced so many miraculous and extraordinarily beautiful things since I have arrived in Cambodia. From the lovely children on the streets of Phnom Penh selling me Cambodian bracelets and roses to the ancient and legendary temples visited in Angkor Wat, I truly feel beside myself. There is such a sense of humility and hospitality when you walk down the streets and enter different areas. My favorite part about today was watching the sunrise along the edges of the famous Angkor Wat temples. Although waking up at 4:30 am is a huge stretch for me, I truly experienced a sense of serenity I couldn’t have found anywhere else on Earth. I was surrounded by many different languages of astoundingly gorgeous people from cultures all around the world. It was nice to sit and enjoy the peace of nature. There is such joy in establishing the common ground of respect amongst people you have never met before.

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Pamela Wong, Pharmacy Class of 2013
Today, was our 2nd day at the hospital. We rode the tuk-tuks there. These are super fun to ride in although it can be dangerous considering the way Cambodians drive. (Although there are traffic signs/laws in place, you will often see people going against traffic and driving super close to each other.) Anyways, in the Sihanouk hospital, I was in the main pharmacy with two other pharmacy students, Rachel and Dan. We learned about the pharmacy work flow process. It was quite interesting to learn that there was an actual messenger that would drop off printed labels to the pharmacy from the Community Medical Center (CMC), which is another hospital across the street. He would then pick it up to deliver it back to the pharmacists at CMC to dispense. In addition, we learned that everyone in the pharmacy is a pharmacist so there are no pharmacy technicians. They are in school for 5 years. There are only 2 pharmacy schools; one is taught in English, and the other in French. In the pharmacy, there is also a separate section of the pharmacy that had medications for only HIV/AIDS patients since that is prevalent in Cambodia.

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Suzanne Hutson, Nursing Student
It is Friday night here! We are leaving for the temples in the morning and I couldn’t be more excited for our weekend trip! I named this entry BEAUtiful because all I see here is beauty. The people, the country, the river, the sky, the smiles….EVERYTHING. I enjoy watching and taking in all of the beauty around me. Whenever I get the chance I just watch. Today I was especially taken by these beautiful people. We did check-offs at the hospital today for the nurses. We sat and listened to them tell us various nursing procedures in English. This is not an easy task especially with words such as catheter and manometer! The nurses look forward to this every year and are very anxious and excited. I am so grateful that I got to participate.
I fell in love more and more with each interaction with the Cambodians. They are beautiful inside and outside. I told Mrs. Taplin that I had not seen a single Cambodian who did not have a captivating, precious smile. She said that this was the land of smiles and it sure is! The people are accepting, genuine, welcoming, warm, loving, smart, and beautiful! Not only did I appreciate the time we had to serve the Cambodian nurses today with check-offs but I am so thankful for our time in the clinical setting. While waiting on patients we get to sit and talk. The nurses know some English and are always eager to learn more. They are so smart and I have learned so much from them. Drawing blood from someone who does not speak English was painful for me. I kept asking the nurse to make sure she was ok! You make instant friends with the people and when I see them a second time we hug and they say, “hi Suzan”, as I try to discretely look at their name tag to attempt pronouncing their name. So Dina and Navy say hi to the 2010 team!
Lastly I will add that they are a very expressive people. As we ride to the hospital in the mornings on the tuk tuks I see such a wide range of expressions. I end by simply saying that I am in love with these people! I LOVE CAMBODIA!

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Candice Rose, Nursing Student
Up at 5 am. . . . It is amazing how busy the streets are with the Cambodian people at 5 in the morning! It seems to be a normal part of the culture to get up and exercise. There were people walking, jogging, practicing martial arts, and my favorite – jazzercising! It is refreshing to see a culture in which exercise is a daily norm and people seem to enjoy it thoroughly. I wish we saw more of that in the States.
The day of arrival is like some strange fog out of a dream that you can’t quite remember. Ms. Taplin walked us down half of her running path and it almost killed me. I am embarrassed to say that I could not keep up if I tried. It was beautiful and exotic all at the same time. The smell of spice was thick in the humidity and the stream of people rushing around on every side of me felt quite overwhelming at times. I have no words really that can describe how surreal it all seemed. No sleep + power walk with Taplin = sleep deprivation and hallucination!
Now to the important and gruesome stuff. The second day we were off to the hospital for a “tour”, well that turned into a full day’s work in the clinics and Post-op – and thank God for that because I got to do some awesome wound care!!

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Blair McKown, Nursing Student
(click images to view larger size)
Wow. Everyone that has been on this amazing trip promised it would be life changing and they were right. There is a magic here that extends from the people to the architecture. This morning we went to the government hospital. It was shocking how poor the conditions were. There are several people to a room, no bedsheets, under the beds cooking pots served as bedpans, and no air conditioning in any patient areas. The nurses work 24 hour shifts and if a patient wants better care, in some cases, they have to bribe the nurse for it. The patients at this government hospital are taken care of by their families. When a patient goes to the hospital, it is the family members who do the bathing, turning, and feeding – not the nursing staff. I observed a nurse administer two injections for pain on separate patients, during which she did not wear gloves or sanitize the injection site with alcohol. There was a room dedicated to polio patients…it never occurred to me that polio was still a disease that is prevalent in other cultures.
Never get on a moto…never get on a moto…never get on a moto. 99% of the patients we saw had been in a moto accident. We aren’t talking about a bruise or a scraped hand…these patients have compound fractures and severe head trauma. One of the more interesting patients found himself in a fight with the wrong guy and was attacked by a Samari sword!! Part of his left hand had been chopped off and there was a large laceration to the back of his head. They might not have guns here but they have swords.
After finishing rounds we returned to Hope hospital. It was a breath of fresh air. The nurses are rock stars. I followed two ED nurses for several hours. One nurse is responsible for 4 patients in a room the size of an American closet. They are fast and accurate. One of their main concerns is keeping cost down for the patient and they will do anything in their power to help facilitate cost reduction. A patient came to us with heart failure and the nurses told me it can cost up to $5 dollars a month to treat it. When I told them it can easily cost thousands of dollars back in the States, they just looked at me in disbelief. We had a slow moment and the nurses seized this opportunity to quizzed me on drugs. They wanted to know what the drug did and the class it was in! Thank you Dr. Buckner and Dr. Adam because I got them all right!
I am really enjoying my experience here. It will not only make me a better person, but a better nurse.

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.

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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.

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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!).

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
Hi everyone…..we are here and are getting exposed to the closeness of the equator and how that relates to the feeling of sun on our skin. Which translates to IT’s HOT. Depending on how hot it gets and how long we continue to go without sleep, we may have disturbed thought processes related to fluid volume deficit and sleep deprivation.(okay, so these are nurses writing this brief entry)
In all seriousness we are here and doing well. Our goal is to stay awake until around 8PM, then rise early for a run and then off to the hospital. You will get more details later. Thanks for all your prayers.

2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
by Dan Myslakowski, Pharmacy Class of 2013
Getting to Cambodia is not quick or easy; it costs a small fortune and takes more than a day of flight, airports, taxis, and Tuk-Tuks to arrive to any hotel. However, we had a great time doing it! On our first day, a group of around 30 students, professors, family, and even the dean of pharmacy took over the front of the Nashville International Airport. Traveling was a breeze! A thirty-something or so hour breeze… I don’t know if it was because of our group size, our smiles, or my safari hat… but our group slid, like butter on a hot pan, through every airport security checkpoint. It took less time to get through security as a large group then it ever has for me as an individual. On the plane ride from California to Hong Kong, we ate, watched movies, ate, slept, played games, and ate (at least I did). I have to mention that a majority of the pharmacy students played a game of “trivia” on the airplane and that I was able to beat Dan Stirling in Trivia. Normally, this never happens… so I have decided to blog about it so that he does not forget anytime soon. : )

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2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
For the fifth year, students and faculty from Belmont University’s College of Health Science will travel to Cambodia during the next two weeks with their annual mission trip. This year’s team will depart on Sunday, but in preparation for their departure, they greeted a Cambodian high school student on Thursday from Stratford High School who came to Belmont with three fellow students and a sponsor. The students had recently conducted a fundraiser, selling snacks at their school, to raise $125.35 to support Belmont’s student mission to Cambodia this year. The Cambodian student, Savut, and his classmates had opportunity to meet several of the students going on the trip, while inviting the group to attend an International Festival at Stratford High School.
School of Nursing professor Keary Dryden met Savut at her church just a little over a month ago. When he found out about the Belmont trip, he organized the fundraiser at his school, enlisting the help of friends. Dryden said, “We will take the money with us and use it when we identify needs.” She added, “Last year we used donated money to help sponsor a rice drive which provided rice and other food supplies to a group of people who had been displaced from a slum into a very desolate rural area that had few resources. We’re not sure where the money will go this year, but $125 goes a long way in Cambodia!”
To stay up-to-date about the Cambodia Mission Trip, subscribe to the Health Sciences at Belmont University blog.