Tour of Korea

Today during our layover in Korea, we took a tour of Seoul. Here are some pictures!

We're getting on our flight home in about 45 minutes. I am ready for a shower and to see everyone!

Xoxo

Day 9 (Last Day in Cambodia)

Yesterday when we got to the school at 7am to see how their breakfast program works, the whole school was lined up on both sides of the entrance--what a greeting! My friend Kim presented them with $150 to purchase a generator for the library so the children will have a cool and enjoyable place to read. Ms. Lucky, a teacher a Ta Pang, gratefully accepted the donation. As we walked through the lines of students, they began clapping and saying thank you and as I type this, I am still moved to tears. To me, what we did for them seems so small in comparison to what they have done for me. My perspective on life is forever changed and a piece of my heart will be in Cambodia forever.

The mothers from the village rotate making breakfast for the children and we helped serve them. They finish everything on their plate; no ifs, ands or buts. The rest of the morning, we went to each classroom and passed out toothbrushes, toothpaste, books, stickers and clothes. The pre-dental people taught the kids how to brush their teeth and the psych majors did English lessons. We had the toothbrush holders hung in each classroom with their names on the slot for their toothbrush. This is in hopes that they will keep it at school and brush their teeth at least twice a day. Most of them only brush once a day and their teeth really reflect the truth about that. I have never in my life seen such tooth decay.

I spent the afternoon at the Ampil Health Center which was pretty uneventful. The morning shift saw the birth of a baby which of course I am super envious about. I did get to see the beautiful baby girl though.

We then went for a group massage. It was unlike any massage I have ever had. First, they lay strips of cucumber on your face. They use their whole body to massage you (clothed) and they also do a type of cupping that sounds like they are slapping us. We were all laughing at first, especially the guys but were then able to enjoy it for the most part. They give you tea afterwards which was really nice.

We were given money for dinner of our choice and I went with two of my friends to a Mexican restaurant. It was suprisingly really good and we even got our cocktails to go! I rode a tuk tuk for the first time and we shopped a little more at the night market. We were offered cocaine as we walked down the street which caught me off guard a bit. We also witnessed several children that were put to work, some of them even carrying babies asking for money or formula. Sick people drug the kids and babies and watch from a far as they beg for money or anything they can sell back to the market. It was extremely disturbing and sad.

This morning I was up early to donate blood at the Angkor Hospital for Children. I was really nervous but knew it was something I really wanted to do while I was here. They draw a small amount of blood first to test your iron, etc. Mine was fine so I went first. It wasn't bad at all and I felt fine after I drank a Coke and relaxed for a bit. It was when my friend was donating blood that I saw the size of the needle and was glad that I didn't see it before I donated--it was huge (sorry Dad and Amanda). It made my trip knowing that I did something that will save a child's life.

Afterwards, we had a free day. I packed and then went out with some friends. It is probably the hottest it's been since we've been were. We found a nail shop with fans so we got manicures (for $4)! We are now heading out for dinner then showering and heading to the airport. I am not looking forward to the flight and leaving Cambodia but I am looking forward to the tour in Seoul, South Korea and getting home and seeing everyone!

Prayers for a safe and comfortable flight appreciated!

Love you all and thank you for coming on this amazing journey with me! Xoxo

Day 8

I'm too tired to blog after our last night out and I have to be up early to donate blood at the children's hospital but here are some pictures from today!

Xoxo

Day 7

Today I did the morning shift at the Ampil Health Clinic. I was shadowing the nurses with another girl in my group to see how many people came in, what they came in for and how they were treated. We only saw 3 patients in the 3 hours I was there, including the kid who fainted yesterday at the dental clinic that was still being monitored but is doing much better. There were a bunch of children there that we gave stuffed animals to. Once there were no more patients, I gave soap and toothbrushes to the mother in the postpartum room and her family as well as passed out toothbrushes to other people hanging around the clinic. Then we worked on the toothbrush holders that were made for the school. We put tape on each slot so that the kid's name will be on it and they can have a place to keep their toothbrush at school. There were several children from the village hanging around the clinic so we ripped pages out of coloring books and passed them out with crayons and stickers. They all sat on the floor coloring for almost an hour and really enjoyed it. The youngest boy that was there wasn't interested in coloring so I played trucks with him and he kept saying, "vroom". It was a really nice first half of the day! Even though it didn't seem like much, these kids hardly get individual attention so I know it really meant a lot to them.

Then we were invited to visit one of the teacher's home. This teacher is so amazing! She is teaching herself to read and write English and also teaches a literacy class on Sundays. She is very driven to help her community and is very proactive. She has a nice home in the village and her mother lives with her. Her mother has a shaved head because she is a widow. We learned that older women chew on something called beetle nuts and leaves which is a mild narcotic. It makes their mouth red and is addictive. The older men smoke cigarettes. The teacher had coconuts picked and ready for us with straws. The coconut water was pretty good (much better than Zico). Then they cut them open and we ate some of the inner white part of the coconut.

After lunch, I did the PM shift at the Ta Pang school that we were at yesterday. We performed more head-to-toe assessments today on the 7th graders. They speak a little English so it was nice to be able to communicate a bit. We are learning some basic phrases in Khmer.

We had dinner at The Nest which is a really nice restaurant. I called in an early night because we have to be ready to go by 6:30am tomorrow plus my roommate is really sick so I wanted to make sure she was okay. We have the opportunity to donate blood on Saturday for children with Dengue fever. I really want to but I'm feeling a little nervous about it even though I've already been to the hospital and it is very safe. I hope that I am able to go through with it and that someone else will do it with me.

Love you all! xoxo

P.S. Sorry this post took so long, wifi was down last night.