The waiting room was in the school barn; the cow having been displaced to the corner of the school yard. She seemed happy with the move and she didn't seem to mind the duck and the ducklings that ran about her feet.
Today we saw only about 200 patients, not many considering we've seen up to 400 per day on previous trips. What made this day so interesting though, was the look of the village we were in and the fact that today is Valentines Day. The village was a series of small plots of land, each with a fence of branches delineating the border of the property. Most had very skinny cows grazing on the little bits of grass that were available. The yards were mostly dirt, maybe a quarter acre in size. No one seemed to have a car, this was not a wealthy village; we did see the ever present motorbike. The homes themselves were made of well weathered wood with shutters instead of windows and wood or metal roofs. If the house was on stilts a hammock would be suspended in the shade beneath the house. But what was most notable about this neighborhood was the tall shade trees. I'm told that prior to the civil war, this country was filled with shade trees. Today it's rare to see a forest or a tall tree.
It being Valentines Day, schools and Government offices were closed. In Cambodia it is traditional to give your sweetheart a rose. Cards, chocolates and jewelry are not part of the Khmer celebration. Today was a day for families to get together have a family meal. In the background, the local monastery played a recording of a comedy routine between and man and a woman that sounded like a Khmer version of the Honeymooners. The soundtrack was blasted over speakers and could be heard at least a quarter mile from the monastery. It made for a bizarre backdrop to our work. A sort of laugh track that accompanied the extractions.
Yesterday, our patients were timid probably because they live in a dangerous area of the city. In fact we had a few 'runners.' We do our best with these kids but sometimes we just can't win them over. Our patients today were 'country folk'. They were outgoing and eager to try out their English. Nowadays, they learn both English and Chinese in their schools.
We are planning a large goodbye dinner this evening. Tomorrow night we'll begin the 24 hour journey home. Tonight we'll say goodbye to our friends from England, Germany, Australia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minnesota and Seattle.
Purobi is a tough leader, demanding our best at all times; but maybe that's part of why we come. To see if we can measure up? But we can't let up yet, tomorrow we visit Happy Land orphanage. In my office I have a picture of a student there whose jaw dropped and eyes grew large when she saw a picture of my 165 lb Bullmastiff, Wilson. I know I shouldn't have a favorite, but I can't help it....
