Week 1, day1-3

After nearly 48 hrs of flying and wandering around international airports, I finally made it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia! The plane landed around on Saturday at 11:30pm and nearly an hour later, I obtained my visa, collected my bags and made my exit. I have long shedded my sweater, winter coat and scarf that I had brought along for the transit tour of Seoul, Korea.  I needed them in Seoul, but not here in Phnom Penh. Even with only one layer of t-shirt, I could feel the stifling heat and the sweat rolling down my back as I made my way to the guesthouse.

A few days later, I found my way to the technical office, where I was given my schedule for the month. This first week, I will be spending my days with Infectious Disease specialists. Day 1, I saw patients with diarrhea and fever.  Some were  suspicious of dengue fever.  Although the season for dengue has been over for several months, there have been some isolated cases. And living in the tropics, dengue is always in the differential for diarrhea and fever. After rounding with the physician, there was a presentation by an intern about hypoxic  ischemic encephalopathy.  The PowerPoint was in English, but the presentation was in a mixture of English and Khmer.

The next day followed similar pattern.

8am: preround on patients
9am: rounds and teaching  with physicians
10:30am: PowerPoint presentation by students
12pm: break for lunch

The afternoons have been very flexible.  Most afternoons,  students have lectures at schools and the physicians have their own meetings or they are the ones giving these lectures.

Only a few days into the first week and I feel like I'm learning so much,  about how medicine is practice here,  about how medicine is taught here,  and the pathologies that are seen here.