Frog legs.

I ate frog today.
My life is now complete.
Enough said.

Dwight Schrute and Dog heads

Well, it's Sunday night. And I've had a very happy and FILLED weekend!

E. and I made our way on a little motto to Toul Kork to visit our Canadian (Regina/Calgary) friends to watch the new Office episodes. It was dark, around 7pm, while we tried to find their house so it made it a bit more difficult. You see, in Phnom Penh, NO ONE knows street numbers or house numbers or numbers, really, at all! It's about land marks. So when our friend tells us a street number it means nothing to anyone else except little E. and I.

So we had to turn around a lot and re route and say sorry over and over to our poor, confused motto dop! BUT we found it. They live on the second floor of an apartment. And right outside their apartment is a little restaurant. And guess what they sell? Dog heads!! Yep. We had a little sneak peak of the meal too! E. was pointing it out and I couldn't really believe it until I saw it. So I walked up to this very smelly and hot stove/fire pit and I saw it! A dog's head that was roasted and I think skinned. It's teeth were bared and I don't remember any eye balls or ears cause all I could focus on were these teeth!

We had to walk through the third world practically to get up to their apartment and we watched the three new episodes!! FUNNY. They made cookies for us too by frying the batter in a pan. We have no ovens so this is the way!

Then on saturday we went to the gym/pool and to a foot ball game! Cambodia vs. Brunei. Cambodia won! AND....I gave my phonenumber to a Cambodian sweet heart!! I know I know. Why would I do that? But to tell you the truth; he just sucked me in. He's 23 and goes to uni. And I will never see him again...even if he texts me late at night saying he is lonely!! Shame shame.

Then we went later to a photo exhibition near our home. The photographers were children from the Stung Meanchey landfill. Gorgeous and moving photos from the eyes of children! Of course seeing how it was a combo of Stung Meanchey, Photography, and children...I was in my element. AND E. picked up a kitten and we petted it!! It felt like my birthday I said. .....we love cats. Obv.

Then we went to Church today. The morning and evening service. I have no words to express to you the encouragement I have received from the New Life Church. There are a couple church's here by that name but this one is on St. 318, if you know the city...which I know some of you reading do;)

I am learning of the power of our God and the sadness He holds for Cambodia. He revealed to me that when the rain comes it is His tears flowing down; it is His love. He sends His heart and peace to us everyday to reveal to us that He has not forgotten Cambodia. He is aching and He is crying. He also revealed to me while watching little girls dancing and jumping in church tonight that we are His children. And that when the rains of Love pour down, that we are not just to walk and run for shelter from the wet...but we are to jump in the puddles...we are to be drenched in His love.

We are seen. We are loved. We are free.
Now go and live the Life He has prepared for you!

Ponder Ponder Ponder Ponder...

Ahhh....!
Sometimes I just feel like I am going to explode! Today our three month anniversary of being in Cambodia. And it feels like it's been longer and at the same time I just am floored to think that it's been three months already!! Ahhh!

I thought that by this time I would have everything figured out. You know; the poverty bit, or the cultural shocks, or knowing where I fit, or, well...I don't know. But...tah ta da dah! I DON'T!

I am more torn as the days go by. Questions such as:

Why and how can this kind of poverty exist?
What does God think of this?
How do I, personally, make sense of it all?
How do I go home now after all this?
How can we live so obliviously to it in Canada?
What should I do when June '09 comes around?

I'm all by myself at the clinic now. Nurse Ruth has her family here for the next month and a half so I am the chief Nurse at Daughter's clinic!! Me?! Kimmy bimmy simmy?! Oh dear. And I've already had quite a week! I'm back from Dengue Fever Hell and I am faced with the area we work in in P.P. again. The stink, the filth, the dead chickens, the smelly children, the brothels, the scary men who say 'sexy lady' to me in my sweaty-ness!!

Like today for instance. My patient's consisted of:

1. infected rat bites. They bite her while she sleeps. I had to pop her with antibiotics!!
2. incomplete abortion. She's decided the baby really wants to stay so she'll let it. Her words.
3. genital herpes. enough said.
4. domestic violence. He's African. She's Khmer. She tried to hide it. I questioned further.
5. back pain, headaches due to insomnia, nautious pregnancies, etc.

The list goes on.
BUT...I love being here still! Weird! I love being 'in' it. Hearing the stories and fighting back this innate sense to keep it at a distance. I love the challenge of stripping away my Western views and looking right in the eyes of these girls and realizing, really knowing, inside this little heart, that this is reality. This is not a movie. And what can I do for them?

It is draining and inspiring and invigorating and...obviously I'm a bit tired at night! I worry about not being enough. About not being a good nurse for them. Will I make it while Nurse Ruth is gone?

I took two girls to get a scan of their unborn babies today at RHAC! 11 whole dollars. One little boy is due 12/12/2008 and a little girl is due on 11/02/2009!! I wish you all could've seen the mother's faces when they saw the ultrasound of their babies! It was like it was all worth it. I got a little choked up myself. of course. These women have no idea. They are carrying a life b/c they have decided to let it live. Amongst all the babies that die everyday by abortions...they are the lucky babies. I think about these babies and who they will be. Will they be the future generation who will DO something about the poor area we work in? Will they love God? Will they even survive?

I should just stop myself now...my ramblings could go on...

I see rats, giant gecko's and bats everyday! And instead of getting thicker skin...I am more terrified of them as the days go on! I am....pathetic.

Hugs,
Nurse Kimberly....aka Srey Kim.

Dengue Fever

Okay. So it looks like I have Dengue Fever. It's spread through Mosquitoes and they still have no vaccine for prevention.

No need to get worried. Thankfully I seem to have contracted the mild version. My symptoms are textbook though. It's weird reading signs and symptoms for an illness and having every single one of them!

They include: fatigue, joint pain, a persistent headache, back pain, poor appetite, a red rash that begins on the legs and chest, fever and... cough cough...toilet issues. And apparantly symptoms last for around 7-8 days.

Ruthie has encouraged me to get my blood examined to confirm that I do indeed have a mild case of the illness and not the Hemorrhagic strain. She has advised me to stay home this week as well. So....it's Wednesday last time I checked and I can't wait for E. to get home from work. I've been watching The Office reruns and I'm beginning to scare myself with Dwight Schrute impersonations.

Oh dear.

Hip Hip Horray!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

E. and I were invited to a Canadian families house for Thanksgiving last night. We gathered all the Canadians we knew for a special "family" dinner! It was great. (E. and I brought buns...lame...but very important!) It was nice to have English filling my ears ALL night. Our new Canadian friends from church also were there. Lot's of laughs and funny discussions about "The Office"...they are also fans. I tried to do an impersonation of Angela but I think I can blame my awful performance on the fact that I am ill....(it involved apple cidar)

On our way home from the event my bag was almost stolen. A man on a motto drove up behind us (E. and I were doubling on a motto) and grabbed it while I was pointing to something (probably a kitten;)). I quickly pulled it back and he was unable to get it! It had my wallet, camera, phone and keys in it! The strange thing is that he was a MAN! And I'm Kimmy...with pipes the size of, let's say; a smokey! How did I do that? And how could I be so quick to react? I am surely THANKFUL!! My heart was a poundin' when we got home!

This week has been extremely difficult for me. E. and I have both started to feel ill beginning on saturday and I have gotten worse. On Thursday a dear little 7 year old girl came to me in the clinic and said her tummy hurt. Thank goodness my translator was there to ask more questions. She went on to tell us that not only did her tummy hurt but also her vagina. She told us that in the night three "ghosts" that looked like men took her from her home and held her down by her neck, hands and legs. She said that worms were on her. I have a couple ideas what they could be. She was so scared when it happened that she kept her eyes closed and didn't see who it was. I was able to do a rape assessment on her and confirm that she was indeed assaulted.

We were able to have her gramma agree to give her to us and to make a long story short, we have found her and her older brother a lovely place at Place of Rescue to live, with Marie Ens!!

This was very hard for me. She is an innocent, gorgeous little girl who shouldn't have to worry about things like this! She was very distraught and sad when she first came to me. Chantrea, my translator/counsellor and I took her to the counselling room and we were with her all afternoon. Chantrea got her to use teddy bears to explain what had happened to her. I wasn't able to understand what she was saying in Khmer but by watching the actions of the teddy bears alone, I was able to get an idea. I watched her little mouth moving and high-pitched sweet voice speak and I wanted to take this all away. This day will go down in history as a day of pain AND freedom for her! "Out of ashes, there is beauty"....

I started to pray for her. I prayed that her pain would be taken away. And that if it was possible, I would shoulder her burdens. At around 3pm I started to feel awful. My back and legs ached tremendously. My head pounded. Even my jaw was tight. Another counsellor named Elizabeth from Switzerland told me that often caregivers who pray for physical pain to flee their clients will sometimes begin to feel that same pain in their bodies. I was exhausted when I got home. And teh next morning I woke up with a terrible migraine and I was fevered. I had to stay home from work.

I still am not 100% again but I am sleeping well at night and resting as much as possible.

I am amazed that what I thought were my own small plans for a Cambodian Adventure were actually all part of a bigger plan. And I am so thankful that my little girl could trust to come to ME and share with ME such horrific things.

My prayer is that not only am I placed on this earth to live, but to help other's to survive...

Love your Shy Birdie X

Wish I were there...

Hello. I know this a bit late but E. and I have taken a video greeting for Aaron and Juanita on their wedding day! We truly wished we were there to share in the celebration so we had one of our own...oh and please be easy on us ladies. It's a bit embarassing making a video like this;)



Well, I haven't shared since our holidays to the beach! It was lovely, wet, and an adventure for sure! It's the rainy season so of course it rained EVERYDAY...but we managed to get a tan, eat good food, go bush wacking and make new friends!

This past Saturday some staff from Daughter's and I took 10 children to a water park! We piled all 10 of them in a tuk tuk and then the rest of us traveled by motto. It was so much fun!! Some of the kids had never swam before and they tried their hardest but drowned frequently. I was the nurse/lifeguard with Nurse Ruth and we definetly had our hands full! Children drowning left and right was not part of our SAturday Outing plan..but oh well, we managed to pile them back into the tuk tuk and got them home in one piece for their Mama's!! (Just to add; they laughed hysterically at my bathingsuit! It was a tankini for goodness sakes!)

There is a wonderful school called Luxton School in the north end of Winnipeg that my nephews went to for a while. They have this family center that the mom's and their younger children can hang out in and wait for their children to be done for the day. Of course I popped in every once in a while and became Aunty Kim to all of the little kids! I thought of them today as I had to babysit a 3 week old baby girl and our little Caleb (11 months old) while their mom's worked upstairs and while I oversaw a cocconut/christmas decoration making class I run every tues/thurs. I pretended I was in Winnipeg and that the baby who just peed on me was Vicky's little Graham!! They call me Ming Kim here. Ming means aunty! Ahhh....I like the sound of that!

Here's a small pic of a meal some of us shared at FCC, it is a Western run restaurant/bar down by the riverfront. It is a very historical site for westerners in Cambodia. This is where the UN came to take all of the westerners out of the country during the Khmer Rouge. I think a helicopter was involved and a lot of scary moments too....

Ruthie on the left, then E., Charlotte (our new friend from UK) and me!