In the class room

In the class room
Our day started a six AM getup and police van pick up at seven. From there on the day got crazy. We had expected opening ceremonies with top generals to be at a location other than Hope Hospital. When we were shuttled directly to the hospital we were lightly confused and knew our planned schedule was headed sideways. The Col. Explained to us that they had learned from last year how much time we needed for class and how serious about training we were that they had all but eliminated the opening ceremony’s to give us more time and would have the big formal event at the end of next week.

The feeling I experienced as we walked together, through the hospital grounds, all in our new pressed uniforms, past the hundred plus patients hoping the be seen in the ED today, I have a hard time expressing. The poverty and lack of basic health care was so sad. We take so much for granite.

We made our way to the class room and were met by very excited student returning from last year. It’s just so refreshing to see individuals so excited about a program. We have a total of 34 students, 30 returning and 4 new ones form a faith based NGO called “New Life”, All students seem proud to be a part of what we are doing.

We placed a lot of emphasis on how the students sitting before us are the pioneers of Cambodian EMS, along with explaining how only thirty years ago in the USA EMS was new and how far a system car go in just a few years.
There was a short opening ceremony that put us four hours ahead of schedule right from the start. We hadn’t prepared for Tue. classes that we were now teaching today. We did over come. I guess it’s like any EMT class anywhere the first day doesn’t ever go quite as planned, but it still works out fine. Vu did a great job of getting the class under way. Things defiantly move at a different pace in Cambodia that became real apparent in the class room. I had an opportunity to teach, Teaching using a interpreter is really different, (I can’t tell any of my jokes or dumb stories) Well I’m going to sign off so I can prep the cases tomorrow.

Andy and the OESP group