One year ago, I was in Cambodia. The first time going, I read books, and received shots, and took every precaution I could. I had no idea what to think or what to expect. This time traveling back, everything was different. I had been there. I knew people. Its comfortable there. People are kind and generous and just nice. I was so excited when Global Dental Relief asked me if I could go for 2 clinics from January 22 to February 11, 2015. The issue was I left my job in October, and went to Nepal to volunteer in November 2014. I was not in a position to plan another trip. But then I thought about it.. I got a few donations. I had enough money saved for my airfare, so I booked the trip. Id rather have experience than money. I was so happy to be going back.
January 22 and 23rd, I flew from Denver to LAX to South Korea to Cambodia. I arrived at 10:30 p.m. their time.. 14 hours difference from my time. Also, my luggage didn’t make it yet. So we got into the van waiting for a few of us, and headed to the Shinta Mani. I stayed here last year, and was beyond excited to be back. This place feels like home. Plus my roommate is a friend I have met on previous trips. So we head to bed. Its dark and I have been sitting upright on a plane for 2 days, so all of my really good details are not happening yet.
January 24th - I woke up really, oddly early. Went to go for a walk and at the front desk was my luggage! Yay!!! I wheeled that back down the outdoor halls to the room. Little chin-chucks are all over the walls and ceilings. Being excited about my bag returning, I headed back out for a walk. It’s 5:30 a.m. and all I hear are roosters and dogs. Not too much traffic.
To explain it, would never make it look or feel like it did. The bicycles, scooters, tuk-tuks, and a, actual vehicle or two. The pop-up food trucks open and full of customers. Women sweeping the store fronts. Everyone getting ready for the day. I just needed a real pop. So I walked to a store for Dr. Pepper, knowing I would leave without it. I got a Pepsi Twist. Walked around some more and headed back for our morning village tour. I sat on my patio catching up on emails and taking it all in. I am here to do amazing things! J
The entire volunteer group finally meets, ( except the ones who hadn’t made it in yet) we walk around the villages we’re going to be serving. As soon as the van drops 14 ish of us off on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, children start running out from homes. Soon, there are 8 little ones surrounding us, giggling and peace signing for pictures. We see how they live, how they get their daily water, and how life for these people is far from anything I’ve ever known. It begins to put every little thing into perspective.
We continue the walk to the school we will call home for the next week or two. A brief look at our clinic then food. We had a catered lunch, then there was a briefing on the clinic and how it will operate. At the briefing, a few gentleman that volunteered last year with East Meets West waved and gave me a hug. They remembered me from a year ago. I don’t think I am memorable at all, this blew my mind, and brought me to tears. After the briefing we went back to the hotel for dinner. One of the waitresses remembered me from last visit. She brought out her wedding photos and shared those days of her life with me. I get chills thinking about how lucky I am. Lucky to know these people. How wonderful it is to be remembered.
I had horrible dreams and didn’t sleep much this night.. Luckily…
January 25th - This day was on a Sunday. Children aren’t in school on Sunday, so it was already our day off. The group went to a temple for the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Out the door at 5:30 a.m., to see the sunrise. J
After the sunrise, we had a picnic lunch, then walked around Angkor Thom. We toured Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrance of the Lepers, and Ta Phrom. All of these, I had seen before. But they are so amazing I couldn’t pass up being in awe again. We drove to a little cabana for lunch of rice and curry, then fresh fruit. Its just a simple, off the road hut, outside. Nothing huge and fancy, just nice and quiet. The temples are very busy, lots of lines, lots of selfie sticks.
After all that temple touring, some went to tour some more. I went back to the hotel. Mary and Dr. Jeff were there, hanging by the pool without me. So I joined in! We all caught up and talked until the sun went down. Then we went to a local Made In Cambodia market right in front of our hotel. A sling shot was purchased.. This will come in handy later! It was a long, hot day and tomorrow is the first day of clinic so we called it an early night. Returned emails. Wrote. Read 2 whole books at this point.
January 26 - First day of first clinic, I got to assist Dr. Jack. He is a great dentist and I was so happy to have worked beside him. Extractions were a breeze. Every child right before lunch, was crying, in some degree or another. Putting myself in their shoes, these children are so brave. More on that as we go.
We go to lunch at a restaurant, 5 minutes away about every other day. It is by a river, under cabanas, and outside. So relaxing. Rice and Fish or Chicken for lunch.
We came back from lunch and I really noticed how beautiful this clinic was. There were tents, coloring books, balloon animals, and bubbles. These children were having a good time.. At the dentist! We worked until 4:30 p.m., went back to our hotel for dinner at the Shinta Mani Resort next door and the circus. First, we sat 4 to a swing bed, over a river. Then we went to the Cambodian circus. It was more like Cirque De Soleil. It was very impressive what these children can do. We got back late, work tomorrow!
January 27 - Today we saw 143 patients!! That is so great to say. We had lunch brought to the school. Worked some more. Went back to the hotel. The daily temperature is about 90 degrees and there is humidity. At the end of the day, everyone is exhausted. Luckily, there is a happy hour at our hotel. So a drink or two with my roommate and we went to bed. The dreams I keep having wake me up at odd times. Really killing my sleep.
January 28 - Back to work today assisting Dr. Jack. Today was a hard day. Seeing multiple 15 year old girls with almost every single tooth, gone. Or past the point of saving. At that young. It hurts my heart. One girl today did that. She needed 2 permanent teeth taken out due to infection. She really didn’t understand the severity of her situation. I had someone translate to her and she finally asked us to get them out. It was hard. On her and me. That evening, we all went to dinner downtown on Pub Street. I had a hamburger and fries and 2 ginger ale/Jameson’s. And it was so worth it.
January 29 - We worked a half day today so that those that wanted to, could go tour Angkor Wat. Those that didn’t, went back to the hotel. So 5 of us took a tuk-tuk back home. Once we got back, I walked around the town. Bought some gifts. Went to the markets. And never once did I feel scared. I feel very comfortable here. I mailed a card home today. Curious how long it will take to get there?!
That evening we watched a man climb a tree, cut down coconuts, and crack them open for us. We sat around the salt water pool and talked and talked. Besides seeing all the children we do, this is my favorite part of the trips. To meet all these people, and become friends and learn for everyone’s stories. I loved listening to Mary talk about life on our patio.
Today, at clinic, a spider the size of my head was in our clinic, on the wall! Oh no!!!! It was huge! The locals say, “it doesn’t bite, don’t worry.” I attempted to shoot the sling shot at it.. Someone else got it with a rubber band J
January 30 - Slept horrible. Bad dreams. But woke up and found out I would get to work with another doctor today. Its always nice to see how other people operate. It helps me to become a better assistant. The day flew by. Until a special 15 year old ended up in my chair. This girl, at her age, would only have 4 posterior teeth left. Now she’s not the only one, most of these children need extensive dental work. But this poor girl really touched my heart. Today, we were to remove all the infected teeth from the left side. And we did and she did great. I didn’t think I would ever see her again.
We returned to the hotel to prepare for the volunteer appreciation dinner. Group 1 would be leaving in the next couple days. So we have a celebration dinner for all that we have done. It was emotional and beautiful. But my heart was still thinking about that girl and a few other people. I called it an early evening.
January 31 - Last day of clinic with group #1. I woke up.. And the feeling from yesterday was still with me. Morning cappuccino, read emails… damn that feeling.
Went to work the last day as Dr. Jacks assistant again. The day went fast and everyone was excited and sad at the same time. Our very last patient, was the little girl from yesterday. She sat in my chair a day after we did what we needed to. She was back, and I translated how proud I was of her. She wanted to finish the right side. So we did. My very last patient. And after everything, I stood her up to walk her out. Again, I told someone to tell her how proud I was of her. She began crying and gave me the biggest, strongest hug. She is the reason I was meant to be there.
My emotional little heart was spent. The rest of the evening, I relaxed on the patio. Listening to my music, doing some writing, unwinding.
February 1 - At this time, everyone from group 1 is pretty much gone. Group 2 will start coming in now. So Mary, myself, and a couple others that signed up for 2 clinics, have a couple days off. Today, we venture to Kulen Mountain to see the waterfalls. A couple of the local helpers have offered to take us along. We left early in the morning. Drove for a hour or so to the mountain, then another half hour up to the waterfall. Once we got there, we walked across a shaky bridge and took of our shoes to get into the water. We all did. Took pictures. It was beautiful. Surrounded by trees taller than how tall we already were. We put back on the shoes and hiked down the waterfall. A couple people got in the water. I just stood there and took in what scene this was. And that I was getting the chance to be here, in it.
We had a picnic at the top of the waterfall, shopped around, then headed back home. The drive home took us through temples and places we had not seen yet. It was a beautiful and perfect day,
February 2 - Another day off, so Mary and myself, and a couple of the ladies from group 2, joined us for a village tour offered by the hotel we were staying at. The first stop was at the school. The school is a farm and is teaching the women self sustainable farming. It was amazing. Everything has a purpose and is repurposed. Then we were taken to an area that people have donated $175 to drill a water well for villages. We were welcomed into their homes, they were thankful. This is their life and it is great and simple. The wells are shared between many homes. We also got to see how cooking is done the real way. By far, this was one of the things I am happy I did. To see the real life, the real people, and to see their real reaction. They are happy. That’s it and that’s all. Today is also superbowl.. Which is not even a thought here in Cambodia. We ate whole fried frogs today also.
February 3 - Today is a special day here. Its Buddhas birthday. The volunteers in group #2 are here. They are walking the village tour and the rest of us went to the clinic to get ready for briefing and round 2. We do a quick briefing because there is to be a parade right in front of our hotel today that we were told not to miss. Getting back to our hotel, the streets were hand swept. Not a leaf one. Everyone got a bottle of water and a flower, not for us, but to hand to the monks and nuns. The parade started and kneeling in respect, thousands and thousands passed by. Chanting, praying, holding photos of Buddha, they calmly walked down the street. I am so happy that I was present for this moment. At one point, a nun waived me to her tuk-tuk, handed me her photo of Buddha, then touched my head. I was one of those quick moments that will never leave me.
February 4 - First day in clinic with group #2. I am working with Dr. Liliana. Her and her husband are retired dentist for close by. I get to meet so many people doing this. We mostly worked on composite fillings. These are the white fillings on the front teeth. They are exhausting and difficult to place in these conditions, but that’s what we did. The day went quickly. Dinner was at the hamburger and whiskey place, so of course I went.
February 5 - The doctor I worked for yesterday ended up being sick this day. So I got to work with Bic and or anyone that needed help. A little girl vomited in my hand today. Very busy day. All day, it is an emotional thing. Its also hot and sweaty. It gets exhausting in all honesty. By the time we get back at night, you just want to relax. Mary and I sat on the patio and talked and talked and talked tonight. I admire her and love that I have had her for my roommate for 3 weeks.
February 6 - Dr. Lili was back today so it was back to composites. Also a strange and horrible music began loudly playing today. There is going to be a 2 day celebration because of the end of the rice season, in preparation for a bountiful crop next year. Music and tents and speakers. All while we are trying to do dental work! Fun!!
February 7 - Today is a full on party at the school where the clinic is. When we got here, people had already been cooking, setting up shops, and dancing. This was a very big celebration. We did our best and worked through it. For lunch, we walked to a nearby hut and ate. By the time we got back to the school, the music had gotten much louder and a lot more people were dancing. Eventually, sure enough, each of us we pulled into this “conga line” that was going on under a tent. It was so much fun! It was noon and 90 degrees, and people are just outside dancing and enjoying!! A nice couple even invited me to eat some chicken heads with them, I didn’t. I was at work ;) More children showed up after lunch. We worked on the last group and went home to quiet.
It was already a weird day, and things weren’t looking promising back home, so a few of us went to happy hour. Then a few of us went to Pub Street. That’s where we ate snake on a stick and a spider. We ended up at a dance club with about 10 of our volunteers! It was random and so much fun. We just danced and laughed. Then went home. What a strange day.
February 8 - Today was my last day off before going home. I had seen all the things I wanted. I needed to pick up some last minute gifts. I attempted to watch a Cambodian dental clinic in action, but it was closed due to the holiday. So my day off, I walked all around Siem Reap. Ate some Pho by myself for lunch. I did a lot of writing about this trip today. This is one of the most memorable and important trips I have been on. So lucky to have had all this time here.
February 9 - I got to work with Dr. Darshani for the last couple days here. She has been so much fun. But these last nights are meant for saying goodbye and taking pictures. Tonight is the farewell dinner for this group of volunteers. During work, we are busy and its hard to find a minute. But I was able to ask a class room to help me take my “thank you” photo. That meant a lot. Everyone of those children was thankful!
We had wine and appetizers next door, then our thank you dinner at our hotel. We got a poem and a song played for us. It was a beautiful evening. I couldn’t be more happy with the decision I made to come here.
February 10 - Today is the last day of clinic and I go home!!! Work today was finishing up all that we could. That’s a great feeling. To take care of all the decay in a childs mouth and hopefully have taught them how to make better choices. After the last patient, we tore down our makeshift clinic and went back to the hotel. One last time packing up, one last happy hour. One last patio sit with my friend Mary.
A car came to drive me to the airport.. That was a hard thing… but I made it there. I got to my gate, and was very sad to be leaving. I don’t want to. Cambodia will always be my heart. I will never know a more beautiful, kind people that treat everyone as they want to be treated. I am so thankful to have been there.
The remainder of the trip was 16 hours in South Korea, in the airport. Then LAX, then home. To my Dr.Pepper. My dogs. My life.
I got to share my heart, my time, my time away from the things I love, to do this. I take back with me so much more. From everyone I meet and their stories and their lives, to every child that just opened their mouth and trusted, I am honored by you all. Thank you!
( I have so much more to share and say about this trip. I will articulate it a little bit better before I post it.)
I still owe $990 to Global Dental for going on this trip. They needed help, and I didn't have the money. Money will come and money will go, I needed to do this. I don't regret it. I will pay it off.. But it would be awesome if anyone wanted to help donate towards it.