Going home.....

After a month-long dream, it's time to go back to the US. My last weekend in Cambodia was like this:
Friday - long day of work with meetings and a visit to Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh. It was fairly clean but the hallways still smelled like chlorine or something. Left work to go home and pack and get ready for the night. Also went to the gym to pick up my racket I forgot. Marlin and I met up with some friends from the TWG meeting and it is hilarious watching a 40+ year old man shake it with such vigor and enthusiasm. Went to Riverside lounge (club), Pontoon club, and White club. Riverside played "Low" 10 minutes in a row, so we went to Pontoon, this club on a barge/boat. It's quite nice but only techno, so we left for White, ahhhhhhhhhh. More spacious, air/con, good music. Home around 3 AM.

Saturday - woke up at 6, 7, 8, and again 9 AM to the sound of construction next door. I pack some more, run errands, mani/pedi, lunch with Dory for the last time at Garden Center Cafe. I ordered a Khmer beef sandwich and small Caesar salad. The salad came out watery with weird bacon bits on it. The beef baguette was not 3-4 inches like I thought. It was a full 12-inch sandwich!! I ate half and gave the rest to Dory for her dinner. Then Marlin and his fiancee came to pick us up to go to the zoo. His fiancee is quiet and pretty. I felt really happy for them and wish I could attend the wedding. Khmer weddings are supposed to be very extravagant and quite the celebration.
On the way to the zoo, we had to drive down a long stretch of sandy road flanked by wooden houses and emaciated people begging for money. Some people threw water on the road, as if to clear the dust that the car generated to get money. Another couple dressed up in really tall costume get-ups. There were too many people begging - you couldn't pay them all. The zoo was called "Phnom Takeo Wildlife Sanctuary" - endangered and other animals are taken into this area for protection but this was unlike any zoo I've ever been to. There was walking but we had to drive from one section (Monkeys, lake, birds) to the next section (tigers, bears, lions) and we would've gotten totally lost I think, if it hadn't been for these kids (actually teens and men in their 20's) didn't accompany us the whole way selling us coconuts to feed the animals. They explained each animal and gave a little story. Like how the monkey carries the better-loved baby monkey on her chest and the lesser-loved baby monkey on her back,... except the sad irony is that the baby monkey on the chest drowns/dies when the mother monkey goes swimming. So the mommy monkey is left with the lesser-loved baby. I also saw crocodiles and baby crocodiles. There was a white and red squirrel - the red one moved too fast for photos. Deer and something like it walked around freely and Marlin tried to capture me with it on the camera. Finally, time for bears! The whole trip, I've been wanting to see a sun bear and elephant. The sun bear is called that because it is black, except for a golden U branding on its chest. It kept snorting and panting as soon as it saw us. "Lady? Buy a coconut for the bear?" one of the boys asked. I nodded and said ok. He threw the coconut over the fence and the bear grabbed it deftly and with one quick CRACK, the thick coconut shell burst open under its sharp claws and the bear started licking the juice out of it. It must be hungry. We moved over to the next cage and saw these black bears clawing at this metal tunnel thing that turns - there's food inside for the bears. Then one bear caught my eye - it looked like a lion/bear. The mane was golden and reminded me of Simba or something. Its name was Brandy, which Marlin found to be a really pretty name. We then moved on to the tiger and it was a beautiful Bengal-looking tiger just prowling in his corner. Then the elephants. I've never seen an elephant so up-close before. The eyes were surrounded with wrinkles and the trunks moved up and down displaying its emotions. More coconuts abound. The elephant swooped the coconut into its mouth, bit down hard, and drank the juice. Through its long trunk, it was able to pick up the coconut shells and eat the entire thing. Then it was a long drive back as it began to rain - I believe only the 5th or 7th time I've seen it rain during this "rainy" season. We dropped Dory off and then I was dropped off and I began packing again. One hour later, everything was jammed into 1 large suitcase and 2 smaller suitcases. Buddha and Bruce helped me carry them down the 2 flights of stairs (59 steps, I counted one day). I went out to dinner before Marlin and his fiancee came to pick me up to go to the airport. I ordered my last Khmer dish, fish amok, and this pumpkin w/ coconut cream and tapioca dessert, and a green mango shake. The shake was ok, the fish amok was too garlicky, and by the time I was done with that, Marlin called to say that they were there at my house. So I paid the bill, left with the uneaten dessert for Marlin & his fiancee, and headed home. 10 minutes later, all suitcases were packed in the Honda CRV and I said goodbye to Buddha, his brother, Bruce, Buddha's wife, some other friends, and got in the car. Once at the airport, I was supposed to give Marlin back the SIM card I'd been using from the WHO but we both forgot. I said goodbye to the couple and wished them happiness. And then waited in line for a long time before I got to the counter to check in my bags. A man in a uniform behind me was so impatient. He grabbed my carry-on bag - I said that was mine. He cut in front of me and slapped the passport on the counter - I said I'm in line here. He replied in Khmer and I have no idea what he said. Finally the agent was ready for me. The rude man behind me helped me put my suitcases on the scale - I was good at 38 kg. whew. Somehow the airport guy next to the agent thought one of the suitcases belonged to the man behind me, seeing how he kept touching my stuff and putting his passport on the counter while I was waiting, so I narrowly missed a mistake in bag transfer and the man would have ended up with a lot of female clothing, medicines, and toiletries. The woman sitting next to the agent asked if I was Japanese, the fifth time in 48 hours. Then I realized that I still had the SIM card. I called Marlin and he knew immediately that we had both forgot. He has a friend who works in the Customs department, so he called his friend to see if I could give the SIM card to him. After checking in through security, I asked to leave the SIM card for his friend, who was not working that night. The x-ray security guy looked at me blankly. I called Marlin and handed the phone over to him. The phone was passed back to me and Marlin told me to give the phone to the customs guy, who ended up being the guy sitting right in front of me but showed no recognition or acknowledgement despite the fact that I had said customs several times. I handed the phone to him and Marlin chatted with him. Finally, phone back to me and Marlin said it was all ok. I handed the customs guy the SIM card and for hopefully the last time in a VERY long time, the man asked if I was Japanese or Korean. Chinese-American I replied. "Ahhh Chinese-American." At that, I said thank you (aw-kuhn) and walked away.

Finally, I boarded at 10:30 PM and passed out as soon as I got on the flight. I landed in Korea at 6:10 AM and I have a 4.5 hour layover in which I spent over an hour looking for an internet lounge. The staff here don't know English that well and I ended up using the maps rather than asking questions like is the KAL lounge for economy class too? (It's not - just first class).

At 10:10 AM, I board for Dulles airport and arrive at 11:25 AM Sunday morning, a 13+ hour flight.

Mon., Aug. 3, 2009 - Day 10 - Fri., Aug. 7, 2009 – Day 14

Some pics on the way to meetings. I saw this fighting deer sculpture thing in the National Museum too.


Lunch that the housekeeper made for me. Quite yummy. I gave her $20 to buy food and make whatever she wants.




This week was my second week of work.

Monday - I am no longer in the corner of Nemo’s office. I have my own desk, chair, and desktop computer and I’m sharing the office with a nice woman – we’ll call her Aussie. I’m still working on the monthly report and waiting to obtain data from different people. I met with a guy in charge of one of the surveillance systems and it turns out he’s interested in MPH in IT in the US. I am still in search of gyms here. I visit the gorgeous Cambodiana hotel gym w/ swimming pool and tennis courts and they are offering a 1-month membership for $56. I’m only here for 2.5 more weeks. Himawari gym is $75 per month and I didn’t even take a look at the gym – too rich for my expenses. I walked slowly home and accidentally hit upon a mini shopping mall for the native Cambodians. It reminded me of the huge Shanghai underground mall that had individual stalls selling clothing, shoes, jewelry, although the Shanghai one was much better. The one here is much smaller and they don’t offer a lot of varieties. I stopped at a first one and saw a skirt that might be good for work. They only sold small sizes, but their small sizes here are like girl sizes. They literally sell clothes that say 12 or 14 from The Children’s Place to adults. So I look at the pile and the woman takes one look at me and says no big size. I was slightly offended for a second but then remembered that I am in a country where most women are very small and for the first time in my life, I’m towering over them and I’m almost the same height as all the men here. So I will admit to my non-Asian hips and accept the fact that I can never fit into a small bottom (pants, shorts, skirts) in Asian countries. I continue walking home to the sound of “moto” and “tuk tuk”?

Tuesday – Dory and I go to the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia to go over data. Pasteur has its headquarters in France but has sites all over the world. The one here is responsible for a lot of virology and bacteriology data, such as sub-typing the influenza viruses into H1N1, H5N1, H3N2, etc. Their data is confusing and I meet with several individuals, but the person in charge of the data has left and another person in charge is on vacation. So we are left with one person who is compiling data using an equation/program that someone left behind without much idea as to how the data is generated. Dory and I finally leave with a potential of obtaining data the following week. That night, I went back to the VIP sports club in hopes of getting a cheaper gym pass. It is raining and I ask Mr. Lam (same last name as mine!) for a ride, he is the housekeeper’s husband and works as a moto driver. I don’t remember the ride to the gym being so long but in the rain it seemed like forever. Mr. Lam leaves and I try to bargain my gym membership. I gave him 8000 Riels, about 4 times more than what I should’ve paid but I got so confused with the big bills and it was raining. A woman listens to my story (I’m a student interning for free, with only 2.5 weeks left, and I plan on paying extra for tennis lessons) and asks a man (prob the boss) if there can be a discount. I also say that the Russian girl I met also signed up at the gym recently b/c of my recommendation. So they drop the price for a full membership from $40 to $30, Monday – Sunday, free access to gym, pool, and tennis courts. Except tennis lessons are $5 and I need to pay $5 for lights after 6 PM. So I’m happy about the price, even though it took 2 visits and a lot of pleading. I work out for 20 minutes and am about to have a heart attack on the treadmills b/c the machines are so old, many buttons don’t work, and the entire machine shakes when I run. So I leave the gym and bargain with a moto driver for a ride home. $3. No, 1500 Riels. $2. No, 1500 Riels. Lady, 1000 Riel takes you back to the gym from here. 2000 Riels. 10,000 Riels. I leave him and continue walking. Here is the great irony of this country. When you don’t need a ride, every man on earth asks you and holds up the index finger to get your attention. When you do need a ride, they are not paying attention to your waves. I flag down a tuk-tuk driver and begin the process all over. To Independence Monument – how much? $3. No, 1500 Riels. 10,000 Riels. No, 1500 Riels. OK. So I hop on and am excited to go home. When he lets me off, I give him a 1000 and 500 Riels bill and he looks confused. 10,000 he says. I am surprised. What? I said 1500 Riels and you said ok! He says Noooo. 10,000 Riels. I say that I took a tuk-tuk all the way across town for $1 so this is halfway. He says no, 10,000. I say that I told him I didn’t bring that much money to the gym and told him that if he met me at the gym the following day, I would give him an additional 500 Riels. He laughs nervously and I suggested that he repeat the customers’ prices just to be sure in the future. The motor for the tuk-tuk is loud and he’s wearing a helmet so perhaps he didn’t hear me or maybe this is a gimmick to get more money out of me. I’ve heard these misunderstandings happen a lot. I get in and Buddha suggests that Mr. Lam takes me to avoid these situations. I happily agree.

Wed. – I go to lunch with Aussie and she takes me to the Living Room, a cute place for lunch that offers free wifi and outdoor patio seating arrangements. I order this plate of meatballs with tomato sauce, hummus, bread, and salad, for just $6. It was so delicious. Aussie works with emergency pandemic influenza preparedness, which just sounds awesome. GW is actually revising their plan, which is good b/c it needs improvement. Aussie tells me how she used to be a midwife and worked for MSF (Doctors without Borders) in Rwanda and other conflict-ridden areas for months on end. She interrupted these experiences with 2 Master’s degrees in Ireland. There is 1 story that stood out to me. She was in Rwanda during the genocide and working in refugee camps. The many organizations there carved out a makeshift map of the camp and divided their personnel and services in the camp. There were many deaths and after months of no clean water, there was finally a point when engineers devised a system to bring water into the camp. Another day, she asked the director how many deaths occurred overnight (I guess they kept mortality statistics every morning) and he said zero. She kept asking the question, getting annoyed. And he kept saying no deaths. She was so amazed that the death toll finally became zero and I could tell that it was still an emotional experience over a decade later when she told me the story. I cannot fathom what it would be like to work in those conditions. And she didn’t even stop there. She went on another mission working in dire conditions and then decided that she wanted to switch. So now she works as a short-term contractor for the WHO to work on emergency preparedness. She also asked me a lot about my family and America, especially about med school and loans. Everyone outside of the US is always astonished when they hear how expensive school is in the US. In the UK & Canada, much of the tuition is subsidized and/or very low. Why the US can’t do the same, I don’t know, but luckily, schools like Harvard are offering to cover students who can’t afford their tuition.

Thurs – I visit NAMRU2, the United States Naval Medical Research Unit number 1, detachment Phnom Penh (based in Jakarta, Indonesia). It is in the facilities of the National Institute for Public Health. Turns out I’m using their data but I didn’t know that when Dr. Navy originally told me about NAMRU2. Dory and I go and I meet the Director, a Lieutenant, and a woman (secretary?). They ask me about my schooling and everyone says a MD/MPH is a great thing to do and they wish they did it at the same time. We finally get around to the data and they are all very helpful in enumerating the number source and even gave me an article providing background of their system. I go on a tour with the woman and Lt. of their labs. All the patient data is kept locked b/c of HIPAA regulations. Interesting – HIPAA extends all the way to Cambodia. I also find out that people can’t be hired as permanent staff at NAMRU2 without Congress approval/funding. So they have a lot of Cambodians working not as permanent staff. Quite interesting although I haven’t had microbiology yet so some terminology is lost on me. We take a picture b/c they capture everyone who visits the lab.

Left to right: Secretary woman, lab person, me, Dory, Lt., another lab person.

Fri. – I sit in on a United Nations meeting called to order by Nemo. It’s so funny b/c they were preparing for a huge influenza pandemic and ordered tens of thousands of gloves, antibacterial solutions, face masks, etc. So now with all the extra stuff, they may donate it to the Cambodian Ministry of Health. I met people from UNDP (UN Development Program) and UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund). I tell the UNICEF coordinator that I have been raising money for them via the Trick-or-Treat program since high school and I get some more business cards.

I am nervous. Today is the Technical Working Group meeting at the Ministry of Health with people from the US NAMRU, US CDC, and other organizations interested in pandemic influenza. Nemo gives a quick background and I ensure my scientific poster presentation mode. Everyone is given a copy and I go through the report. The guy sitting across from me offers data from Angkor Children’s Hospital (which Marlin suggests I do an away elective 4^th year there). Afterwards, I meet with Dr. P of US CDC and he tells me he did peds residency in Hawaii and did the Epidemiology Intelligence Service with the CDC and lets me know that they offer a 6-8 week elective for 4^th year med students too. He offers to put me in touch with people and I am meeting him next week to talk more about this. I have no idea what I want to do in the future, so all advice helps.

I get home and go out to dinner with my housemate, Belle. We eat pho by the riverfront for $2.50 while children and adults come up and beg us to buy their books/DVD’s and ask for money. It is so sad. I order Angkor beer, which tastes pretty dilute but was actually pretty enjoyable. She ordered Anchor beer. It was so good!!! Well worth the $2.50. We went shopping at the night market by the riverfront and it was so crowded with lots of Cambodians. I bought a dress for $2.50 and a mini cupcake (but really a sponge cake) for 1500 Riels (less than 25 cents), and a sugar cane drink for 1000 Riels. We go home with Buddha’s friend who is a tuk-tuk driver and pay him well ($6) for a few hours of service. And then I pack for my flight to Siem Reap to see the temples!!

Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 - Day 9

I woke up late Sunday and Buddha and I headed to the Royal Palace, one of the must-see sights of PP, after he drove by the river to show me the sights. The river was cloudy brown, and it looked cholera-inducing. Moments later, we arrived at the entrance gate of the Royal Palace. I paid $6.25 per ticket, or 25,000 Riels per person. I gave Buddha his ticket after he parked his motobike and he kept staring at it. He says "this is too much. I am Khmer. Maybe it's cheaper." So we go to the ticket booth, and he says in Khmer "I am Khmer. I need to exchange tickets." (At least that's what I think he said). He gives me back my $6.25 and I pay 1000 Riels (about $0.25) for his ticket. Foreigners pay either a lot more or pay when Khmer don't have to pay. (For example, my trip to Siem Reap this coming weekend will cost $40 in 2 days admissions but it is free for Khmer).

I need to get my guidebook to label each building here. This may take awhile as I am not good with directions =).




The prince used to open these golden gates and overlook the river. I think Washington's view of the Potomac was grander.





Napoleon III Pavilion. It is in need of a new paint job. I couldn't go inside.




I don't know what this was but it was scary-looking...

Ganesh, the Hindu god.


Oooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm........

Interesting flowers in the courtyards...


Buddha!!
Prince riding a horse.

Beautiful wall paintings that are now colorless...




Miniature of Siem Reap's Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world. The prince used to live here. It is surrounded by water... like moats of castles. Will see the real thing this weekend.

Fishes galore!



I thought this table and bench were made out of a real tree but it's artificial.

Maps!!!!!!





They love elepants here.
Payphone...

Family of elephants...
My left-over Indian naan bread that they sealed in this baggy, along with the tikka masala sauce!

Later that day, I walked to the Russian Market, like the Central Market, but geared towards tourists. I started walking at 4ish PM... and got there around 5 PM - I walked too far and had to backtrack. I got there and was unsure where it was so I got lost for a bit before I realized the market was really a makeshift square with TONS of little shops crammed side by side. I was not ready for this. And then I realized I drank a lot of water. I look for a restaurant to grab a small bite to eat and the first place I sit in at does not have an English menu. So I get a Khmer menu and I hoped that there would be pictures.... no such luck. I asked for a small plate of mixed fruit and am told they don't carry that. Now 2 waiters and 2 waitresses are waiting on me and someone sets a glass of water down for me. They are all confused and another girl comes over and says "You know Chinese?" We converse in Mandarin briefly and I leave b/c they only sell entrees. But they were nice. I walk around a bit more and hit another mini restaurant. They're closed. I walk around another block and about 100 meters down (I finally understand what distance that is now, b/c I'm so used to feet and miles) there is this cute coffee shop selling sandwiches and dishes. I sit down and read the English menu =). I look at the specials of the day and order mixed fruit for $1.95 and fried chicken for $1.95. I am so curious about the fascination with fried chicken here. So I sit and wait and read my tourguide book and figure out the best plan to attack this huge market with at least 6 different entrances selling electronics, clothing, bags, school supplies, food, books, etc.
My meal comes and an orange smoothie is set down, along with a piece of chicken leg and wing. And hot sauce in packets. I exchange the hot sauce for ketchup and am confused about my mixed fruit. Turns out mixed fruit was missing the word "shake." And the fruit salad on the sign is what I was actually looking for (but I thought it meant mayo). The waiter apologizes and I drink my really good shake. He brings me the check and only charged me $1.50 for the shake.

So I am ready to conquer the market. ... Almost everything is now closed. What rotten luck... or good luck for the wallet. I walk into the first shop and look at lots of suitcases, backpacks, purses, etc. I finally settle on a real-looking North Face backpack and Le Sport Sac shoulderpack and the woman says $21 for both. She goes down to $19 and I say $13. She says $17 and I leave. I walk around and all the stores are closed or closing. I hit a couple more shops to see how much their bags are and it turns out her price of $13 for the backpack was similar or less than what others were asking. So I go back and say $15. She says $17. I say $15. She says $16.50. I say $15.50. I should've argued in Riels... then we both really would've been doing this for a while. We finally settle on $16. She puts everything into a black bag and I start walking but I have no idea where I'm heading towards home and it's dark. There was a group of tuk-tuk and motobike drivers near the store but their comments earlier to me passing by made me get as far away from them as possible. So I start walking. And I realize the funny irony of this city. Whenever I feel like walking and don't need a ride, I am asked by at least 5 different people. When I DO need one, they are either busy/taken/or not searching for passengers. So I find one and he'll take me home for several thousand Riels after showing him my map and I pinpoint EXACTLY where I live b/c he doesn't understand English at all. He's so nice.

We near my house and I tell him where to go b/c by now, I finally know my neighborhood. Kind of. As we round the corner onto my street, the entire neighborhood's lights go out. It is pitch black except for a house that has a generator and still has lights. I give him the money and walk quickly home. I arrive at the gate and Buddha comes with a mega flashlight in tow. The lights are out!!!! He and Bruce are both chilling. I'm all questions. How long? How often? What now? What place has generators? I pull out the bug repellent spray and begin my daily shower of DEET, especially at nighttime. I stay outside with everyone b/c I'm afraid to be in the big house by myself. I finally leave to go read a book (The White Man's Burden given to me by a friend) at a nearby hotel/restaurant that definitely has lights.

I arrive there after a 3 minute walk and the restaurant is packed with ex-pats. The waiter says I could share a table with a guy reading a paper or sit at the bar. I grab a seat at the bar wedged between a white woman on a laptop sipping red wine and a white dude impatiently waiting for his food and tapping on his phone. I order a tropical fruit screwdriver. The bartender digs out the fruit, seeds included, adds OJ, and vodka in a blender and moments later, I have my first alcoholic drink in the country, on a Sunday night no less. After a few minutes, the man sitting to the left of the laptop lady begins smoking and the wind is, as luck would have it, directing the smoke straight at me. I ask for another seat and the restaurant is packed. The manager is stressed and says he has no 2-seaters available. I ask the man I was originally to be seated with and see if I can take one of his four chairs. He says of course. I set down my drink and begin reading. Moments later, I hear him talking to me.

We begin chatting and it turns out his friend is the director of Thailand's WHO CSR department, in influenza work as well. (I think, hmmm Thailand next??) He works for a NGO for wildlife preservation in Thailand, Cambodia, and elsewhere in Asia. He's from Australia but has lived in Thailand for the past 10 years and speaks fluent Thai and some Khmer. He also did his PhD at UCSD (San Diego) and drove all over the US. I bet anything that he's seen more of the US than most Americans. We chitchat for a long time about NGO's, America, Cambodia, his work, my work, etc. We leave after 9 and he pays for my drink after the waiter asked same or separate check. My drink was $2.50. We shake hands and walk in separate directions.

I arrive home and the lights are back on! Sweet.