Stung Treng 2, feeling homesick

Then Channa and me went to the Bank to open a bank account for both of us. Unfortunately on the copies of my letters ( that I work with VSO and in the RTC), they didn’t spell my first name right. Instead of Katja they wrote Katya. So I need to get it changed on the letters and try again tomorrow. Also there were fiddeling with my passport and couldn’t work out if it is a real document or not, because it is a German passport, mostly in German. So when they pointed at the word: Bundesrepublik, they asked me: Budda? Budda?
Channa succeded in opening his first bank account. He told me, that no one in his family got one, so he still can’t pass money on to his family via bank transfer. He still has to give it to somebody else, because his family lives in another provinz. But he seemed happy. He has to be there for me for 2 days and a half per week and earns $105 per month. I learned today, that in Stung Treng RH a nurse working fulltime earns $30 per month.

We then went to see the Regional Chief Nurse. He makes a good impression and his English is very good. First we went into a room with 5 patients, having malaria. They were lying on metal beds, quite close together. They looked ill. Mostly family members with them, trying to keep flys away. The ceiling fans were off. They also had a drip.
The room next to it was a room for nurses. 7 people in it, laughing, looking at a paper. A big fan in the corner. Apparently nurses and doctors. So I asked Seltil why the nursing room has a fan and the patients not? He then asked somebody and the answer was that the ceiling fan in the patients room are broken and they wait for the repair.

Then we saw other wards, not big ones. Maybe with max 10 patients. There is also one nurse there for mental health problems. Seltil asked me what drugs we give to patients in the UK to patients with mental illnesses. I said to him that there is a variety we use. He said they have there only a choice of 3, everything else is too expensive.
We went to see a ward with patients who have HIV, and then I asked about the nursing documentation. He showed me a few papers hold together with a paperclip and said, that’s what they do. He explained that it is very poor documentation and he is unhappy about it but can’t do anything about it. People are not motivated enough to do their best they can I suppose and nobody is checking anyway.
The Maternity ward is together with the Eye clinic. I’ve seen the small room were women deliver their babys on a wooden birthchair and just next to it are the women, who have diliverd. Usually they have to stay for 3 days in hospital before they go home. So they must hear everything each time from the delivery room.

There is a british aid organisation called: CRY, who gave money last year to build a women waiting house at the RH. Shortly before women are about to deliver, they go there. It is really nice. But already the fans are broken and the bathroom is blocked. VSO supported this project also, but now, I think they stopped supporting. And that is a big problem.

A big dark wooden house we didn’t go in was for TB patients. Then I’ve seen a small surgical ward and we went into a small theatre, were a man just had an operation on his arm. Seltil told me that in his free time, he’s doing anaeshetic work as well, because he is a Anaesthesist. Next to that building there is a big new building to come. A new big surgical and maternity ward. Finished maybe next year?

We’ve been to the Drug store building, were nurses get their drugsupply for the day from. Infusions on the floor, lots of loose paperwork around and two people behind big desks.
Then we went to the Childrens ward. There were swings out of steel, making an awful noise and a steel slide ( can imagine that that gets really hot in the sun) infront of it. Sponsord by an aid organisation. There weren’t many children around. One young very thin boy had a drip, he had malnutrition.They score the people with a Nutritional scoring system. I also saw Delia, who is from VSO and works there as the Nutrition Advisor.

I was really greatful for having the opportunity of seeing at least a small part of the Health System. I didn’t see really critical ill patients or something really shocking.
I’ve seen a women, cutting gauze and folding it into little squares. I then asked about sterilasation, and the have good machines for that. But otherwise I have the impression that nurses there just do the absolut minimum. I’ve seen no handdesinfection or soap, bearly sinks to wash hands, I haven’t sen one nurse having actual contact with the patient. So when there are student nurses around, I can imagine, that they can practise certain skills, but that it is also difficult to keep up the standards, they learned in the RTC.
When I was about to go, I noticed, that my sunglasses I left on the Chief Nurses desk were gone. Stolen. I’m over it now.

Yesterday morning me and Hor went househunting, and I looked at different ones. The first one had lots of dogs and a poor family lived still in, no moskito screens and no proper toilet. The second house was too far away, the third house was a villa and the last one just about right. And it is also in front of the river, a wooden house. I can move in next week on Thursday. Hor is going to complete the contract with them.

In the afternoon we had VA interview. 3 out of 4 turned up. Hor first gave them 15 min time to translate a medical text (in writing) and then we asked them questions.
Somehow all three wanted the job so desperatly and it was really difficult to decide for me. But then I thought I just have to take the one with the best English skills. And at the end I decided for Channa.
He is 26 years old and works also as an English teacher in a local school. He is quiet, but I think that with the time, he’ll gain more confidence. I hope that we can also teach each other. He Khmei to me, Me Denglish to him. He is very shy and I hope that he’ll still tell me, when I’m wrong and so on.

Thinking about beeing here is strange. I was so homesick over the last few days. Even now I feel like crying, gosh am I weak. I just miss everybody so much. And it feels very far away. Fortunately I have Helen. She is so lovely. She told me when she feels homesick, she does something she normally doesn’t do here. For example she puts perfume on. I tried it out. It doesn’t work for me.
And when I listen to my music or look at my pictures, it makes me even more sad.
I need company. But I am difficult with new people and don’t open up that quickly.
Hopefully my homesickness will fade. I feel like a baby.

I also can’t see yet why people, Volunteers love it here so much. I think I’m also in the position of not having started in a big group and spent 2 month together in PP at the beginning. So maybe I’ll have that in September with the new bunch of Volunteers.

I feel very sorry for the cats and dogs here. It really gets me.

This afternoon I’ll go and tidy and clean the office. Hor has to do the financial report and tomorrow I’ll write a report about the workshop for Kadoorie.

The Internet situation is a real nightmare. I think I need an expert who knows to connect my laptop properly.

written by  katja-horsch on May 23, 2009 from City, Zimbabwe
from the travel blog: Stung Treng 2, Thursday
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