Indelible Roots

On the night of the 6^th I received a call from Meggy seeing if I wanted to join her to a Khmer party out in the countryside the next day. It turned out that January the 7^th is Victory From Genocide Day and almost all of Cambodia is off except for CSC. It celebrates liberation from the Pol Pot regime. Needless to say, I texted Samath saying I wasn’t coming in to work and that he shouldn’t either. [read on]

As I was leaving work Friday a new patient arrived needing muscle and sensory testing of the lower extremities. This man walked in awkwardly and his body was typical of a person with spinal cord injury, disproportionate with short legs and a squashed together look. Looking at his x-ray, there was an almost ninety degree bend in the spine. I was amazed that he was able to walk and asked him what had happened and when. He replied with a smile that as a very young child he was maliciously thrown to the ground by the Pol Pot regime. He said he doesn’t know how old he was then, but that he could only say a few words at the time, mom and dad. He is two years younger than I. I was humbled by his smile and happy demeanor, and decided it was time to visit Tuol Sleng. [read on]

On the 30^th Dave and I rent a moto from Bora, the guy that has been organizing all our transportation needs, to go to the temples with Dave’s friends from school as they rode in the tuk tuk. Not sixty ... [Continue reading this entry]

On Saturday the 29^th Dave and I take a tuk tuk to the Land Mine Museum, deciding to visit the bigger sights tomorrow when three of his friends from school arrive from Malaysia for a visit. We talk the driver ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Aussies, Dave and Meggy, decided to spend New Years at the popular tourist spot in Siem Reap called Bar Street. It’s a block of restaurants and bars near the creek and the street gets closed off and is heavily ... [Continue reading this entry]

Today was no different than any other day at work. I saw several patients, improved my dynamic splint, and left early. I did refrain from eating at the local noodle shack for breakfast and the CSC kitchen for lunch. Rice ... [Continue reading this entry]

I took Friday off via a text message to Ath saying I wouldn’t come in the next day. Early Friday morning I took the bus to the popular seaside town of Kompong Som at a cost of $5 and several ... [Continue reading this entry]

1. Don’t try to help out the woman of the house, you’ll just get yelled at: On many occasions I tried to help out my aunt Meang out of politeness. When I tried to ... [Continue reading this entry]

I spent Sunday looking for a motor scooter within my budget and performance requirements. The near misses and mild fender benders the past week make riding uncle Chheang’s old scooter somewhat of a liability. Of course, being so old and ... [Continue reading this entry]

This week has consisted of half days worth of work followed by afternoons trying to stay awake with the fans on high, but still sweating and uncomfortable. There were some interesting patients to see, my western approach to pediatric ... [Continue reading this entry]