Second day at Kamping Puay

Sun, 20th Jan, 2019

It's 10.25pm but I'm too awake to go to sleep so I thought I'd do my diary.  The day worked out well although it's always worrying when there's nobody waiting for triage.  Inevitably, when we decide to go off and help in the different work places, people start to come so I have to chase around to find translators to tell them what is happening.  A group of ladies came and they said they were very nervous as they'd never been to a dentist before. Then another lady appeared and she said she'd been to our clinic three years ago and it was a wonderful experience so that helped the other people to relax.

We had lunch in one of the classrooms.  There was rubbish all over the floor, parts of the walls were missing and hens and cockerels kept coming in and out, hoping we'd drop something on the floor.  It was so strange to see advanced math on the blackboard.  I had no idea what the calculations were as they were so complicated, plus they were done without calculators.  It's exactly what the author of "The Outliers" has to say, it's not individual intelligence that counts but opportunity.  There are obviously children in this particular math class who are brilliant at what they are doing but sadly they won't have the opportunity because they are in a remote rural area.  In a recent English language newspaper there was an article about an excellent government school in Phnom Penh where students are able to participate in debates, they have computer classes and all sorts of modern educational aids.  What the article didn't mention is that this is available to about 1 percent of the Cambodian young population; the rest put up with what they can get.

Luc, who asked us to work in the area, came by and said he'd visit parts of the commune to let people know we were here.  He said that health workers do go around the community checking on people's health but, when he asked them to tell the people that they could have their teeth fixed, they refused unless they were given money.  It's the same in the schools. The teachers are so poorly paid they generally only teach half the curriculum and then the students have to pay their teachers for evening classes.  If there's an exam, the students have to pay for the exam paper.  In all school playgrounds you can find stalls, selling all sorts of educational supplies (pencils, exercise books etc) plus snacks, and they are all owned by the teachers' families.  It's an awful state of affairs but I can't blame them for wanting a higher salary.

After doing our work we packed up and left the school.  Tomorrow there's be 600 students so it's going to be a bit chaotic working in the environment with children running all over the place.  We had time, so I suggested we go to see the bats.  I don't know how many millions come out of a large opening into a cave and it's fascinating watching them.  I've taken the 15 dental groups to this place and we sit and have a drink and snack while waiting for the bats to emerge.  In this year's group some were concerned about rabies, which is something I'd never thought about.  I suppose it is something to be concerned about but sometimes we allow these medical issues to prevent us from enjoying ourselves.  

Around 6pm the bats started to come out.  In one second there are thousands of them and they are coming out of the cave for over half an hour.  I often wonder what's happening in the cave.  Do the bats have an internal clock that tells them it's time to leave or do they have one person with the alarm clock who makes the decision.  They stream out in a ribbon that weaves its way across the sky.  At some point they say to each other, "Well, I'm going off in this direction so I'll see you in the morning."  They all return to the cave in a ribbon of thousands rather than one by one.  It's fascinating.  

We went back to the hotel and had a shower and change of clothing and then we went for dinner.  Today was a scrumptious meal of mushrooms cooked in a sauce, a dish made with vegetables and very wide noodles, a Tom Yam soup which is a Thai soup and Lok Lak which is a delicious beef dish.

After dinner we took the group to a karaoke. Three or four didn't want to go so they stayed in the hotel.  Some of the group had never been so it was a lovely experience for them.  We had the enormous VIP room which had space for dancing and I made sure we had Cambodian music so the boys could teach the Canadians some dance steps.  It was a huge success.

One lady said she was enjoying the programme so much and she said I was an absolute - I don't think I'd better say as we were talking about dental egos and I might have to class myself in that group.  The lady is from Saskatchewan and her husband encouraged her to join the group because of the history in the area.  It's really great when people keep on thanking me and the boys for giving them a good experience. The trouble is that it makes the boys want to continue and I have to join them.  

First day at Kamping Puay

I had a good sleep but, as soon as Boroith started moving at 5am, I was awake. Later I saw a figure in the room and I thought it was Boroith. "Why are you back here?" I asked. It turned out to be Thornin who had been helping Boroith load all the equipment onto the truck; he wanted a shower.

When we have meals at Thornin's wife's restaurant I always end up working rather than sitting and eating. Yesterday I'd taken breakfast orders so I had a good idea who had ordered what dish. There are 65 meals on the restaurant menu but I told the group I'd condensed it to 5. They enjoyed the food and also the coffee which is rich with condensed milk; one or two even wanted more sugar.

It takes well over an hour to get to Kamping Puay but today it took longer as we had to stop for supplies such as drinking water and drinks. We also had to buy masks. For some reason this group is running out of supplies right from the beginning of the programme. It's not their fault but the fault of those who pack the bins in Canada.

We expected to be working in a tent but there were no tables set up there. We eventually found Boroith in one of the small classrooms. He'd done his best to set things up but it was too crowded. It had been decided to work in the classroom because of all the dust and the fact that we'd have to move things in the evening. It was a Saturday morning so children were there and so we started triage and treating them. It was chaotic. One dentist had brought soccer balls for the children so she had them blown up and distributed. It was a lovely idea but the children ran off to play football. At 11am the classes ended so many children got onto their motorbikes and left. I was fretting and panicking that we'd have nothing to do.

We had problems with the generator and compressor so they had to go off for repair. The dentists commented on the fact that there were not many cavities in the children's teeth. When they were asked about it the children said they didn't have any money to buy candy, so being poor can have its benefits.

The group leader decided we didn't have enough for food for lunch so off someone went on a motorbike to get more. Noch, who has looked after our groups for many years at the hotel where she worked, came with her new husband. She's always had her teeth cleaned by our groups. He's from Victoria and a bit bombastic. They now run a bar in Battambang. He said Cambodia is his home now and he's full of praise for the people. On the other hand he suggested that my Cambodian friends might want to cheat me when fixing the machinery. I hope Noch has made a good choice as she's a nice lady.

We treated about 80 people so the group went back to town in a happy mood. We were just in time to see the streams of bats coming out of their cave but one day we'll go early and sit and watch the whole performance.

As usual, I didn't sit to eat with the group as I always have paper work to do at the end of the day. They all went off to have a massage but I decided to go back to the hotel. I was over the moon when I found a plug for the bath and so I filled it up and lay in it and eventually fell asleep. I was flabbergasted when I woke up as I'd been there for nearly 1 1/2 hours. It was lovely though.

On the road again

This morning I left the apartment at 7am and went to the hotel because our big bus had arrived and we needed to load up all the equipment. One of my problems with all the dental groups is that most people don't see the point in carrying their equipment from bus to guesthouse to tuk tuk to work place. That means yours truly has to do some of it, along with my Cambodian friends. All but one were on duty at 7am except Sarin who stayed in bed. I've been watching him and I'm not impressed. He's a sort of director at the children's home and I think he feels superior to the two lads who are helping because they live at the home. I've told my two main helpers to push him to work but generally they think it's easier to do the work themselves. As we say in English, "He's cooked his goose and I won't be using him again."

I had breakfast at the hotel, which I'm not supposed to do as I'm not staying there. Luckily I'm well in with the desk clerk, Bopha, and she just smiled and gave me a chit so that I could get past the tall Chinese chap standing at the restaurant door.

We stopped at a roadside place for a toilet break and then the bus driver decided to go to a garage as he sensed there was something wrong with one of the wheels. 45 minutes later he had it fixed. Buses come and go and it's not always easy to distinguish one from the other. I had to laugh watching Kim getting on the wrong bus. She soon realised what she had done when she couldn't find her own belongings on her seat. Because of the delay it took 6 3/4 hours to reach Battambang. Normally, I walk up and down the bus, giving people a guided tour of what they are seeing, but this time I couldn't be bothered. Most of them are either sleeping or using their mobiles so I thought I might as well leave them alone.

This time I announced to the group that it was "all hands on deck" as we had to unload everything at the hotel. As usual, the ladies left their enormous suitcases on the ground floor, expecting them to appear upstairs by magic - my Cambodian helpers carried them up. I have a tiny backpack and I can never understand why people travel with so much when everything is available here. They wanted to go on the bamboo train, which is a fascinating experience, so they said they'd be downstairs at 4.30pm. This is another thing I can't understand; why people need so much time to do anything. I told them not to change their clothes or have a shower as it was an outdoor experience, but they still wanted 45 minutes.

The railway was abandoned during the Pol Pot years but the practical farmers living along the track thought it would be good to keep it in use. They created platforms made of bamboo, built small wheels, attached an outboard motor and off they went, up and down the track, taking rice, vegetables etc to other communities. Later they decided to use it as a tourist attraction and it is very popular. What's fun is when one train meets another one coming in the opposite direction; the rule is that the one with the fewest people has to lift everything off the track so the other train can go by.

My room was on the third floor but, while I was carrying boxes, the desk clerk asked if I'd like a room on the ground floor. It was absolute heaven not having to walk up all those steps. I haven't told anyone which room I'm in as some were grumbling about being higher up.

We went to Thornin's home and met Serey, who was busy cooking our dinner. I'm all for keeping things simple but she always wants to do her best for the people. We had a Vietnamese sweet and sour soup, French fries, spaghetti with vegetables and meat and bbq'd chicken wings. Before people left I had to discuss breakfast with the group as we need to have most of the dishes cooked when we arrive so we can eat quickly and leave. There are 65 items on the restaurant's menu but I told them it was condensed into five choices. I'm slowly discovering that some of the group don't eat this or that so it get frustrating when I see people not eating. The group leader said I should just cook dishes and they would have to pick around them.

While everyone was on the train I decided to visit my friend Sivpheng at her family pharmacy. I thought I might as well buy some diarrhea medicine plus something to help those with jet lag. She gave me the medicine and then wouldn't accept any payment - it pays to have friends.

I'm told teachers don't listen but I also know dental workers don't either. We explained that we had to leave the restaurant at 7.30am tomorrow. As we came back to the hotel people were saying, "See you in the lobby at 7.30am." So let's see what happens tomorrow.

Peaceful Children’s Home

First of all I must apologise. I was reminded I'd skipped a day. I had completely forgotten; when the dentists are here each day blends into the next one. It'll be out of date order but nobody will notice the difference1.

Anyway.... our first day of work was with the children at the Peaceful Children's Home. It meant a one hour bus ride from the hotel to the home and I was happy to see the dentists on time. Boroith had left the hotel at 5am to set up the tables so everyone was impressed when they saw there were a lot of things they didn't have to deal with.

We work in one of the small classrooms so it's quite crowded but the dentists prefer to be together as it helps them to feel as if they are a group. We did a lot of preliminary work before going for dinner and to bed. The accommodation is mixed so some people found themselves in rooms with bunk beds while others had rooms with air conditioning. One lady was in a room and then the group leader popped his head around the door and said, "Can we join you?" So he and his partner joined her for the night. She was a bit befuddled but took it all in a friendly way.

I was in a room that meant showering in an outside room. I always find it fascinating because there are so many lizards glued to the walls waiting for mosquitoes and ants. In other years the ladies haven't appreciated using a "shower" that involves dipping a ladle into a large tank of water and chucking it over oneself. They insisted on using the showers in other private rooms. I told them the water was the same but it didn't encourage them to have a go. This year the group didn't mind so it makes my life much easier.

This year we had only 27 children to see because each year 1/3rd of the children must return to their home base. It's a totally insane idea by the government. Many of the children are orphans, some come from destitute families so there's no one to take care of them. They get poorer health care, education, food, clothing etc., so it's very sad. There are two special needs people at the home - one is 27 and the other an older teen. They are uneducable but there's no one able to teach them anything. We are now trying to get them into a centre where they will learn basic skills. One of them has a family but they don't want her.

We had a great day; people came from the village saw we saw around 76 patients. Some of them need a large amount of work done because they've never been to a dentist, so it kept the group busy. Many in the group this year are new to Kindness in Action so I'm happy it's a positive experience for them.

In the evening we went back to Phnom Penh so the group was happy to be in a room with air conditioning and a proper shower. We took them for a boat ride on the Tonly Sap and Mekong River. While on the boat, one of the older ladies came to me and said, "We've been trying to figure out how old you are; are you older than I am?" I looked at her and knew she was far younger than I was - she was 71. It was nice to know that she thought she was older than I am.

The group kept thanking me constantly for giving them a variety of experiences so it's a great relief. I now know all their names and lots of information about their past lives. I'm hoping they spread the word that Cambodia's a good place to visit.

Another day with the tooth fairy

The day started off well. I got up at 6am and didn't find a mouse in the trap. Boroith left the hotel at 5am to set up the tables at our next work place. That meant I could go to the hotel and have his breakfast. The restaurant is a totally different place now the Chinese have taken over. We have to get a chit from the hotel desk whereas before we just wandered in and ordered a meal on trust. A man stands and does nothing except collect chits. The frazzled lady cooking the eggs doesn't speak English so it's hard to order anything other than omelette as that's the only word she seems to know.

As usual, things have gone wrong with the equipment, so three of the group had to leave separately to visit a dental store. It took us nearly 1 1/2 hours to reach our destination because of the traffic and stopping for water, ice etc. Boroith had done a great job of setting up so the dentists just have to place all their equipment where they want it. For a few days I've been trying to reach Father Ou Chang, who is the Korean director of the centre. When we arrived I learned that he'd been back in Korea for two months and there's now an Indonesian Jesuit running the place with a young man from Vietnam.

Triage is always interesting at this place, which is for mentally and physically handicapped adults. They come to the centre for almost a year to learn a trade and then they return home to set up a business. The Catholic church runs the centre and they also follow the young adults when they return home to help them get established. Nowadays, they take in the mentally handicapped and they live side by side with the physically handicapped. In the villages they are ignored but at the centre they live happily together. They learn how to do simple tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning floors etc and so, when they return home, they become appreciated.

I think I went off topic for a while! Triage is fun because people come in their wheelchairs; some have amputations and hop around on one leg or they wear artificial legs. There are people with various stages of cerebral palsy, spastics etc. The mentally handicapped seem to control how we work because we have to work around them rather than our own schedule. They are examined, given a bib and then they disappear. We tell them to sit in a particular area and then they get up to join a friend in another group. I got a translator to tell them, "If you move to that section you will get all your teeth removed as that section is for extraction." They quickly move. One man with Down's Syndrome said he couldn't be examined because he was a VIP and he had to wait until his guru came. I've learned to treat them as ordinary people and I often ask how they lost a limb. I had to laugh at a church helper who has no fingers on one hand. Everyone automatically thinks the accidents are with landmines but he'd worked at a sausage factory and he lost his fingers in a machine.

It's amazing how independent they are. They climb on and off the tables, even though they are missing limbs. While waiting for their turn some play football and crutches are flying in all directions. We stopped for lunch and today a village kitchen brought us some fried vegetables, chicken, rice and fish. The fish was the head with the portion just behind the head. I took the whole thing and it was delicious; I didn't bother about anything else.

The group gets along really well and there's a lot of laughter and fun while we are working. It's interesting how they arrive and some are friendly while others are a bit reserved. Gradually, they start to feel comfortable, they relax and eventually everyone is having a great time.

This evening we took them for a boat ride for an hour and then to a restaurant called Shabu Shabu. Each one of us has our own pot of broth, made from different things such as Tom Yam, the spicy Thai soup, a pork broth etc. Then food goes by on a conveyor belt and you just take a plate and add it to the broth. There's also a sushi section, other kinds of food, ice cream and soft drinks - all for $12 per person and as much as you can each. Buffets are a lost cause for me as I never eat my money's worth but the Asians in this group definitely made up for what I didn't eat; they were still eating half an hour after I'd finished. It was nice to be thanked so many times for the work, meals, trips etc; it makes it all worthwhile.

I can't sleep at the hotel as I've given my bed to a translator. I had to pick up my bag from the translators' room and I came home with an armful of laundry for the lads. It'll take over an hour so the first job in the morning will be to hang out the laundry.

So now I'm off to bed, basking in the glory of being appreciated!