Still alive in Cambodia!

I finally linked my android phone to my blog. My netbook died while at Wat Opot so I haven’t been able to update as regularly.

Quick update:
Overall our trip to Cambodia is going great. We’ve had some difficulties with our sponsor program, but things are workable. We’ve finished the day camps on Thursday. More on that later.

We want to start a nonprofit with a focus on therapeutic writing.

I update more quickly about Cambodia on my twitter account :
Twitter.com/jrjohnstone

Posted from WordPress for Android

First impressions of Phnom Phen

I have a post about Singapore, but it’s on my netbook and probably won’t be published until I get back to the states. I’m still trying to figure out what is the best way to get my thoughts out of my head. Should I write on my netbook and then publish when I get back or make it to an internet cafe? Or should I write everything down?

I may write everything down when head to Wat Opot. The government shuts down electricity between 9AM and 5PM there .

We’ve spent our first day learning Khmer and touring Phnom Phen. Here are some random first thoughts of the city:

Going from Singapore to Phnom Phen is like doing a 180. In Singapore, you could hardly see any trash anywhere. Driving on the streets is orderly and there is very little danger. Phnom Phen, however, has a lot of developing to do. Trash still lines the banks of their rivers, people wear masks to help ease the smell of pollution and urine.

When you read about the death rates for motorcycle accidents, they’re quite high. Anyone not from Cambodia would strongly discourage you from riding any motorcycle. I think those statistics don’t show how many motorcycles are on the road. Cars are on the road, but not in the quantity as most countries. Since most Cambodians cannot afford a car, motorcycle is the main form of transportation. You can forget any rules of the road here in Phnom Phen. Motorcyclist will drive on the opposite side of the road, on the sidewalks, and in-between cars.

Our main form of transportation so far has been a Tuk tuk.

While eating dinner with Brit, I told her I wasn’t sure what Cambodian poverty is like. Compared to American standards, there is stuff around that would be considered poor, but does that mean the people are poor? I’m reserving judgment until I see something that really strikes me.

Update before Cambodia

Brit and I are trying to finish a lot of things in Savannah before we head off to Cambodia. We have a cute apartment close to downtown Savannah, however, the AC doesn’t work. We have an HVAC crew coming to check it out on Thursday, so hopefully it will be fixed by then.

I’m trying to sort out my Financial Aid for Armstrong. My student loan debt will balloon from a nice 600 dollars to a lovely 12 thousand, per year. While I’m proud that I had very little debt from my undergrad, I actually feel comfortable taking on more debt for my Masters.

Before we leave, I’m going to buy one or two more books to read while in Cambodia. While I was in Alaska, I read Mountains Beyond Mountains. It was a nice mix of public health and medical related stories about Paul Farmer. He started Partners in Health in Haiti and has been a driving force for health care access to the poor. He has written several books, so I plan on reading one while in Cambodia.

I’ll try to keep this blog updated while we are in Cambodia. My goal is to write about various public health thoughts that I have while there. We’ll be working in educational camps for HIV/AIDS then working in an orphanage.

Random thoughts about my visit to Savannah, GA

My first impression of Savannah is it seems like it’s composed of smaller communities. Each community has its own personality. As the city grew to the south, the housing and road architecture reflects each growth period.

Hunter Army Airfield is a welcomed relief after living in Santa Fe for the past five winters. After growing up in a semi-military environment, it was an aspect that I missed in Santa Fe.

The downtown area is a very romantic area. Old city feeling mixed with corporate and independent stores. I stopped counting the number of bars/pubs in downtown Savannah at 7 because that’s 6 more than downtown Santa Fe. I was not able to explore much, but when I move in June, I will have Brittany with me, so it will be even more fun.

While visiting AASU, I somehow got roped into watching an MPH candidate’s research presentation on unsafe abortions in Ethiopia. The presentation consisted of a documentary about the subject and a brief overview of the research. I stopped watching half way through the documentary because of the women’s stories and their experiences were placing me out of my comfort zone. While I sat there trying not to read the subtitles, I thought about my future at AASU. I was thinking about that uneasiness I was feeling. It’s that uneasiness that I want to push out of me and confront with full confidence all sensitive health related topics.

I thought about what public health project I would like to carry out at AASU. Earlier this week, I thought about my FB Causes group, ALS Research, and the future of the group after social media/facebook becomes less prominent. I thought maybe turning the name into a full fledge nonprofit, but I know nothing of starting nonprofit or the legal aspects of it. More research and book reading is required.

A little part of me wonders what AASU sees in me that made them say yes to my application. When I met with the program director, he kept going on and on about my essay and how philosophical it was. I glanced down at my essay on his desk and I could see many check marks and exclamation marks in the margins. At SJC, I always thought that was a good sign when I received my papers back. I did write a better personal statement compare to the first time applying for an MPH slot. Because of my essay, the program director assigned me to a really great advisor. I met her briefly and she seemed really nice and welcoming. She’s the Co-Editor in Chief of The Journal of Bioethical Inquiry. I’m really exciting to work with my advisor because I started developing an interest in bioethics before I enrolled at SJC. While I was interning at Bassett, I talked to a few doctors about getting involved with bioethics. They either didn’t know or held the opinion that bioethicists did not know what they were talking about because they were not clinicians.

I never asked why the program director picked me because I don’t want to keep doubting my abilities. I need to move forward. I told Brittany once that I feel I just need someone in the public health academia to believe in me and give me a chance to prove to the community that I’m committed to the field. This is my chance.