Friday, September 28, 2007

Tom Wolfenden: Brighton & Sussex Med.School UK

I’ve had a brilliant time here in Phnom Penh and especially at Chey Chumnas. Life here is pretty relaxed, but once adjusted really enjoyable, you certainly get more from the experience if you just go with the flow. Initially I was a bit concerned about being on my own out here, but staying in Phnom Penh has allowed me to make so many friends out here. Dr Sarom has been a star, relaxed and easy going and always keen to point you in the direction of another department if you’re not enjoying where you currently are. I’ve spent time in both surgery and paeds now. Despite being really keen on surgery, it is paeds which I enjoyed the most. It’s certainly been a great learning experience. All the doctors on the paeds ward speak good English, which is something that can’t always be said for other departments. Yesterday I ran my own paeds HIV clinic. A pretty daunting task at first, but by the end I was quite happy ordering investigations and writing prescriptions for anti viral drugs (all done through a translator, my Khmer still isn’t quite up to scratch!). All the kids I have met have been amazing, they’re so well behaved.


During my stay in PnP I have been staying at teh Bhoddi Tree guesthouse. It is opposite Tuol Sleng, which is probably the most famous of Pol Pots prisons. Over 17 thousand people were “processed” through there, and indefinitely ended up going out to the killing fields. The actual guesthouse is so charming, it is set back from the road surrounded by a patio garden with large tropical plants sheltering you from the sun. Even if you don’t stay here it is a nice place to go for a quick coffee or a smoothie. The staff here are great, really accommodating and will bend over backwards to help you out (even organising sim cards for mobiles). Prices here can range depending on your budget, you can live it up with air con and an en-suite for around $23 dollars or settle for a fan and shared shower for around $12. The way I worked it out was I got them to do me a deal as I was spending a more prolonged period there compared to the majority of their guests. There are plenty of mottos outside the guesthouse to take you wherever you want and generally they speak fairly good English. Expect to pay around a couple of to get to the hospital in the morning and a dollar back. If you don’t use berrang mottos then you can certainly arrange your fair for cheaper, but they will be a walk around a corner from teh tourist hot spots.


PnP has a really large ex-pat community probably as a result of the number of NGO’s operating out of here. Consequently there are some really great places to go meet people away from the hassles of flower sellers and beggars. If you fancy a bagel and a coffee for lunch why not go check out the Garden Centre (on st57), Java (nr independence monument) or The Shop. All have loyal regular customers and the food is really just what you need if you’re tired of noodles and rice! In the evenings I’ve been eating in a plethora of places, from venders selling noodles on the street, to quite extravagant restaurants and sushi bars. There is a place to cater to everyone’s needs and budgets. Road 63 is a good one to go exploring in search of food, both berrang and Khmer eat here alike.


After super if you’ve had too much chili in your noodles then you would probably want to go and wash it down with a few glasses of Angkor (the local brew). There are loads of ex-pat bars where you don’t get any hassle like you can in Siem Reap or over the boarder in Thailand. I’ve been frequenting Equinox and Rubys wine bar fairly often. Another place to go meet people is Gasolina, there they have regular dance and martial arts classes in the evening. I’ve been going to Capoiera (a brazilian non contact martial art) its something that I would never do back in the UK, but has been really good fun and I’ve met so many friends there. Good bars to watch the sun set are Guesthouse number 9 at lakeside and Snowy’s bar on the other side of the river.


The hospital is pretty relaxed and you can normally take Friday afternoons off. As a result the weekends provide the perfect opportunity to get out of the city and go exploring. If you come to Cambodia you must go to Siem Reap to go the temples at Angkor. There are regular bus and boats, or if you don’t fancy 6 hours in a bus there a regular half hour flights. I bought only a day pass on Friday evening which entitled me entry to the park after about 4ish, which allowed us to go and see the sun set over the temples. We then got up early the next day to watch dawn break over Angkor Wat, if you make the effort it is one of those moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life. There is a real aura about the whole place at this time in the morning. Siem Reap is a rapidly growing town as a result of the numbers of visitors going to see the temples, I stayed at the Merridean purely because it was one of the nearest to the temples, but there are cheaper options in town. The nightlife in Siem Reap is pretty good, and there is a great bar called Angkor What? along a strip of bars and restaurants known to the locals as bar street.


We also have had weekend excursion to Udong, to see yet more temples. After which personally I was a bit templed out. SO the following weekend we went to Kep and stayed on the hill, just below Veranda bungalows. Kep doesn’t really have a beach as such, so we took a short boat ride across to Rabbit Island. It was pretty peaceful and we had the beach to ourselves.


Overall I’ve had such a great time out here, if your prepared to go with the flow and be outgoing you’ll have an amazing time here. If anyone wants to know more about what clinical skills/experiences I think I have gained from this elective please drop me a mail. My address is t.p.j.wolfenden@bsms.ac.uk

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