29.06.-06.07.09

Hi guys! How are you?

I am in my second month far away from you and familiar environment.
So far I can say that it is great and I’m really enjoying myself.
The language is still a problem though, I need to crack on and find a teacher or learn myself. I can go to the market and understand numbers and am able to have a conversation with hand and feet, but it is still too little and some people who know me now a bit find it quit frustrating not to be able to communicate properly.

hello my handsome

This week not much happened so far. I applied for the money ( $ 40.000) from an organisation called ‘ Guernsey Overseas Aid Committee. I cross everything I have, to maybe get funding to build a new building for student accommodation.
Without your help David, the proposal wouldn’t have been so good and neat. So thank you for your help and commitment and I am sorry for a sleepless night. For my purpose you went to your workplace office because the internet didn’t work at home, just to e-mail me my draft back. And that was at 3 o’clock at night and you had to work the next day. I won’t forget that! You are a star star star!

Cambodian style bedshapes

Also I’m preparing myself for 2 supervision trips in the next two weeks. Next week we will go again with the Regional Chief Nurse to Kratie and the week afterwards to Chhlong for a couple of days each. After Chhlong I’m going straight to Siem Riep to attend to the Health Sector Workshop. So there are exiting weeks ahead.
And that means also planning.

Work goes slow this week. Although I should train the teachers, they are all very busy. I think they make funny excuses because they don’t want to have more work. One or two are really nice and seek help and advice all the time.

Today, Thursday, one teacher wanted me to help him performing a class demonstration on Friday, on wet-to-dry dressing. Yes that’s how it is called.
This one skill performance, as they teach it in the RTC to the students, is from America and has been translated into Khmei language by the RTC teachers a few years ago. There are 27 of those Checklists and the teachers train the students how to do it and how to follow from those checklists in the RTC first. Then the students have to transfer those skills into the hospital. The preceptors responsibility is to make sure, that the student follows always the guideline/ checklist with whatever they do.
Those checklists have a very high standart.
The problem is, that the RTC teachers are actually not quite sure about what certain things mean on the original. So some points are very unclear translated and the result is dodgy teaching and make the students confused.
The next problem is in the hospital. Because the checklists involve a lot of material use, the ward can’t provide that material because it’s just not available. So the students can’t perform the way they should and get bad marks or even fail on assessment. Also some preceptors have never done some procedures as the checklist instructs so they are confused about it.
I discussed that problem with some teachers and they can see the problem but don’t know what to do about it.
I talked through the wound dressing procedure whith the teacher and clarifyed all unclear points. Then I demonstrated the dressing on a pillow on top of a dummy with some teaching material from the RTC. I asked him beforehand if no other teachers did it before and he said, yes they did but they are also not sure how to do it following the checklist.

promotion van passing by

We have July now and the time flys. I start to be part of this town and country. Think less and less about my ‘old life’. I don’t know if that is normal but it might be.
Two years seemed endless at the beginning, but now I start to realize that I don’t have much time left.
I really love my house, relaxing in my hammock and watching the palmtrees and the sky. I love the rattling noise of the palmtree leaves when wind shakes them. Thinking about things. I never really had time for that. I realise that now. It’s great to go with the flow and make things for myself. That’s what I always wanted. To have an easy life and be happy. Only that there are a few things missing to make it complete.
I am also inspired by the book I’m reading at the moment. It’s called: “Yes, man”, by Danny Wallace. There was a film out but I didn’t watch it. The book is really good and I laugh a lot.
I also sleep a lot. Every night more then 8 hours. Have I ever slept so much in my life? Not in the last 10 years. I usually go to bed around 9 pm and wake up at 6:30. I also have sometimes a nap during my lunchbreak. Mostly because of the heat.

my great alarmclock, but always too early!

But of course I also miss familiar environment, close friends and family. At the moment I can’t imagine how it would be to live again at ‘home’ in Oxford. It feels so far away. It is like having a barrier in between. I feel close again when I receive e-mails or letters.
I guess what I miss most are my nieces Matilda and Sophia. Matilda is now 2 years and 10 month old and she speaks English, German and now even some French! Sophia is now 6 month old and is the the sweetest baby on earth.
Am always in my thoughts with you!

nice view from the bridge

Carmi, you are crazy. I’m fully equipped now with series 1&2 from the ‘Inbetweeners’ on DVD and another UK magazine to keep me up to date. I hope you come and visit me over Christmas as you said. That would be absolutely amazing. At this time is also the yearly ‘Ankor Marathon’ and I will find out about what date it is exactly. It is basically running a marathon – 5, 10 or 20 km through the ruins of Ankor Wat. I’d like to try it as well, although you are much more in form then me. I’ll find out!

Yesterday on Sunday we’ve celebrated Delia’s Birthday one week earlier because she is going to Austria in a couple of days and won’t have her Birthday here. So we organised a surprise party for her, actually Helen did. Everybody brought great food and Helen even made an ice-cream chocolate birthday cake

the pre-B-D girl

and her absolutely delicious pizza. She also prepared punsh with self-made wine! That’s why I feel slightly hung over today. We had great fun from 5 until 9pm. We also danced because I brought my laptop with speakers.

The plans for this week have changed. I’m not going to Kratie anymore due to no Clinical Instructor is available. So one more week in ST and the RTC. The following week I might also not go to Chhlong, but defenitely to Siem Riep for the Health Sector Workshop.

I am exited to know that there is a family reunion in France this week and I wanted to let you know that I am strongly thinking of you and will try to contact you this week.
Hopefully we will be able to skype with camera and all that. Wished I could be there.

Take care everyone! Yours Katja

cycling on top of the bridge again

a travel blog by katja-horsch

29.06.-06.07.09

Phnom Penh, Cambodia