Tis the season to not be a jerk

Listen to me now! Physical gifts are great, but really, who needs more stuff? Unless you're buying at a nice local shop (which I strongly encourage), most likely you are giving your money to China or an old white man who sends that money to people clamoring to take your rights away. This is why, to avoid headache, the best gifts are ones that will make your money DO GOOD!

Gavin and I like to use the holidays as a time to wrap ourselves in weighted blankets of guilt and remember to contribute to a few charities. It's tax deductible too! Here are some personal favorites:

The Markham-Nathan Fund: This one is blatant nepotism on my part. Let me tell you though, this is a small organization that does big work. All of your money will go towards serious justice.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: If you don't know the importance of this lil bit'o water, get learned.
Conservation Fund: Preserving natural heritage in America so that it doesn't just become a quaint (boring) story we tell our kids.
Environmental Working Group: I don't do anything without consulting them.
Democracy Now: Amy Goodman is my co-pilot!
Center For Biological Diversity: "Works through science, law and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction." WHAT IS BETTER THAN THAT?!
Earthjustice: The Perry Mason of the natural world.
Conservation International: "People need nature to thrive". Tell me about it!
Any and all local animal rescues. This year I dropped a money bomb on PPAWS, right here in Phnom Penh.

As you can see, I am more interested in plants and animals than people. Now you know. For those of you that are a bit more geared towards humans, there are tons of great initiatives all around you. Give them money and you will live forever! Well, probably not, but at least you'll feel better the next time you buy the same shoes in multiple colors... I hope the eight people that read this will also share some of their favorite charities/organizations in the comments.

I guess this concludes the "Gavin and Leah Holiday Card, 2012"! Love and miss you all. Do us proud out there!

The day Gavin didnt die

This weekend we went to Siem Reap for the 17th annual Angkor Wat Half Marathon and 10K. Gavin registered for the 1/2, and I signed up for the 10K. We have been trying to train, against Phnom Penh's best efforts to keep us inside and on the couch. The main obstacles have been the total lack of green space and "sidewalks", the heat, solid concrete roads, and the exhaust from congested streets. Despite all that junk, we've done some good early Sunday morning runs and made a couple of trips to Olympic Stadium. To be honest though, and this comes from the President of the tidy ranks of the Gavin Ford Fan Club, I really didnt feel good about his chances of staying alive through 13 miles of running. More about that later.

Beyond Gavin ultimately not falling apart at the knees and dying (spoiler alert), I was surprised by how much we loved Siem Reap. They have done a very nice job of keeping the city green and inviting for tourists. Under the guise of being Olympic athletes, we spent all non-race time being super lazy and "saving our legs" for the big game. We got two days of massages for $10 or under (I really dont know how we'll ever move back to the States), had delicious cheap food, took lazy walks, and sat by the pool. Our hotel was, true to Cambodia style, not perfect. Every hotel here has to have some imperfection, usually in the form of a drain issue or toilet that just smells like pee all the time. Ours had both, but also had a sweet staff and bangin pool setup. Trade offs.

Race day was fantastico! A tuk tuk picked us up at 5:15am to head to Angkor Wat, about 20 minutes away. The ride there was almost worth the whole day. A caravan of hundreds of tuk tuks in the pitch black morning zooming up to the temple grounds, which is one of the few places in Cambodia actually protected from deforestation and general destruction. Super-fun-giddy time! As we pulled up and walked to the main race area, the sun had begun to rise over the main temple of Angkor Wat. Pretty awesome way to start the day. Gavins race took off at 6:30, and mine followed at 6:40.

Here's what I'll say about the racing. Running is the worst. It's really terrible stuff. I did the 10K, didnt walk at all, and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible feeling of running with close to 2,000 other people around one of the worlds most magical places, but my body wasn't thrilled about it. Regardless, I finished in a respectable time and had a great day. Gavin also made it! For a guy that hasn't run more than 5 miles in at least three years, to just knock out 13 in under 2 hours was pretty impressive. I will keep him as my bread winner.  

Lots of other stuff is happening as well, but I cant remember any of it. I think I'll have a job one day! Maybe the title of that blog will be "The day Leah was voted President of an island off of coastal Cambodia". The possibilities are endless.

Pictures! Disclaimer- most were taken from phones, sometimes while running so they aren't the greatest...    

Only in SE Asia

King of Dinner

Crappy shot of our nicey nice pool

Sign advertising a raging bacterial infection.

Race map! 

Really? 8? I simply call it "assault".

Our porch. 

Cute hotel. 

This guy got in my picture of the pool. 

I fit! 

Shaky tuk tuk picture.

Line of tuk tuks miles long. 

Sun rising. 

Angkor Wat!

Not bad. 

Clouds pretending to be Angkor Wat. 

Johnny Triceps meeting up with his NAMRU2 teammates. 

The elite four of the 21 NAMRU2 runners.

Getting ready. 

Gavins lineup! 

First leg of the 1/2 starts at the water. 

So cool.

Not new buildings. 

Team NAMRU2! 

8am and blazing hot. 

Yay! 

Winner feet. 

Trees filled with bats! It's hard to see them, but you can hear them.

Thinking about getting pooped on by bats. 

Folded lotus flowers.

Tree cover! 

Old.

All smiles.

The end! 

Interview With a Former Vampire

I’ve told a number of people how great our time here has already been, in large part because from a situational standpoint this may be the most stress-free Gavin and my time together has been. Previously, we’ve spent the past six years either in med school, working multiple jobs, or in residency. Since we’ve gotten here we spend every weekend together, and each evening it's dinner and plans just like normal people. It’s been pretty fabu, to say the least. So with that in mind, I thought I would turn full attention to my cool as a cucumber, footloose and fancy free for the first time in nearly a decade, husband.  The following is a forced interrogation about some of the key points of his life right now:

(Ed. Note—There was a lot of “bickering” involved in this process.. Who knew that a guy who is naturally uncomfortable talking about himself wouldn’t want to be interviewed?)

Leah: Gavin, are you happy to be doing this interview?

Gavin: Moderately. 

Off to a good start! 

L: What did we do today?

G: We woke up, made some phone calls, made breakfast, and then took a tuk tuk to play soccer with a bunch of people including us that cant play soccer.

L: What about that kid?

G: There was an 8 yr old there that may or may not have gotten the better of me.

3 ft tall and winning.  

L: Do you remember what you were doing a year ago? Because I do.

G: No...

L: You were getting beasted in residency. Tell me about your quality of life now.

G: Quality of life is very good. My weekends are free, and…. (this is where we had a little argument about proceeding with this interview)

(G resuming): I’m just trying to enjoy and appreciate how things stand now, before going back to training when we leave here.

L: What has been your least favorite thing about PP?

G: Sitting in traffic breathing in the bad air. It gives me a headache. (ed. note- makes him crabby)

L: Not to dwell on the negative, your favorite?

G: Probably the people. The people are very friendly and fair.

L: Tell the fans a little about your work. Give us a rundown of your average day, saving all the lives.

G: I don’t save any lives. Our workday is from 7-4.  The bulk of NAMRU2’s work is in Infectious Disease surveillance in Cambodia, basically trying to figure out what people are getting sick with by enrolling them in studies; getting samples from them when they present with a fever and consent to participate. Currently the focus is on Malaria, Dengue fever, Influenza, and Chikungunya. But there are many other infectious diseases that are tested for more sporadically.

L: So what do you do?

G: Currently I am the lead investigator on our largest study called “The Febrile Illness Surveillance Study”.

L: Really?

G: Yeah. It doesn’t mean much. This study has been going on since 2006, with no foreseeable end date. It’s been challenging being thrown into such a large ongoing project. I’m slowly starting to understand it more.

L: Do you look at a lot of poo?

G: Only when the mood strikes me. I am also a co-investigator in a Chronic Wound study. Chronic wounds are a big problem in Cambodia because people get injured in a lot of different ways and due to poor access to care and few means to pay for it, they often go untreated until the injury is pretty advanced.

Declining. 

L: What about clinical time?

G: At this point, my clinical time is limited. I round at a charitable surgical center once a week, and take informal consults on patients if they have Infectious Disease or other non-surgical type questions. I’ll also be serving as the Assistant Medical Liaison Officer for the Embassy during the next several weeks around the time when the President and Secretary of State visits happen in November. I’m also waiting to hear back about some volunteer work at a charitable hospital in the city.

L: Why don’t you tell us a little bit about “the hole in the fence” as we call it, since it’s become such a significant part of your life.

G: The hole in the fence is just as the name suggests. There’s a little street corner restaurant next to our building that we share a wall/fence with. At some point, somebody cut a hole in the fence, ran some string that goes to a bell in the kitchen, and then somebody squeezes through a small space and takes your order.

L: And then what do you get?

G: I order vegetable fried rice, with two fried eggs, for $1 and it’s probably the best fried rice I’ve ever had.

L: Would you say it’s a highlight?

G: *nods* (tension rising)

L: On average, how many times per week do the ladies tell you you’re the most handsome man in Cambodia, if not SE Asia? Not counting my daily affirmations.

G: None yet. But I have heard I’m the most awkward.

L: Why am I so awesome?

G: *silence* …Because you’ve made a home for us in Phnom Penh, very quickly, and have integrated yourself very well. Babe, I’m not good at this!

My subject begins to revolt.

L: If Daisy and I were both drowning in a raging river, whom would you save? 

G: What kind of &%#$^% question is that?? You have to answer for me, before I answer that for you!

L: No! I like that it’s taking so long to respond though!

G: So, is that question generated in the same part of your brain that always thinks you or Daisy has cancer/worms/flesh-eating bacteria and are going to die?

L: Whatever. How about closing with a little “Goodbye, we love you!” or maybe just “Goodbye, we like you!” since we haven’t learned how to say “love” in Khmer yet…

G: I hate this interview.  Joom reap lia, yoon choulchet neak!

A shoe to make it all better? 

I watch terrible movies.

Sometimes one wonders where all of the movies with terrible trailers that come out and then disappear end up. Now I know. Crates of sloppily packed VHS tapes (possibly even BetaCams) are shipped directly to Cambodia where they are then beamed directly to my eyeballs. I watch them all, despite stewing in self-hatred the whole time.

So far I have seen (some maybe more than once):
Nowhere to Run- This is the worst movie that has ever been made.
Red Riding Hood- Brutal.
Country Strong- I am not ashamed to say I've now seen this one roughly three times and sometimes hum bits of the original score to myself.
Real Steel- When the son starts crying ring-side watching his father shadow box to inspire a robot, I want to jump off my balcony.
Law and Order Criminal Intent- This is on at least 22 hours a day in Cambodia. I black out and watch roughly 2 hours before my survival instincts kick in and I turn it off, so I'm listing it as a movie.
Sudden Death- Jean Claude VanDamme is the David Hasselhoff of Cambodia.

The good news is that this situation is making me watch way less TV, so I am becoming very smart and thin.

Sand, monkeys, and a visitor.

Our local market.

The past couple of weeks have been a little bit of a blur. I am going to keep this one short and full of images since pictures are the good part anyways. Plus I am really busy managing our staff. Make sure you click on embedded links!

Bullet points:
-Rudy from DC extended a work trip in the area and came to visit us in Phnom Penh for a day and a half and then she and I took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for three days of straight touristing. The only bad thing about her visit was the part where she left. That part was terrible.
-HCMC is now in my top 5 favorite cities. Vietnamese are some bad m-f'ers and no one can beat them at anything.
-Scary car ride to Sihanoukville with the Proutys will result in extreme relaxation, sunburn, and a scarier car ride back to PP 3 days later.
-Daisy had her 7th birthday! I also have learned enough Khmer to know that some old guys recently called her fat...

Here is our past two weeks in pictures:

We're taking Khmer lessons. Its amazing how many times you can say what your name is and that you need rice and still not say it right.

I just love this.

We did as much sightseeing in PP  as monsoon rains would allow when Rudy was here. One stop was Toul Sleng prison, where Khmer Rouge tortured men, women and children before they either died there or were taken to the Killing Fields.

Deep breaths. On to Vietnam!

Love this city. 

Seconds before we got kicked out. 

Awesome propaganda posters.

Ladies rubbing on my feets is exhausting.

Old school ride. 

We took the best moto tour. Helmets worn at all times, even at ATMs.

3/4 of these girls look cute.

Yeeey! 

The War Remnants Museum was intense. I'll spare you those pictures. 

A little time for working out.

Yar...

Rudzilla!

Be still my hippy heart.

Ho Chi Minh presiding over the Central Post Office

This man brought tears to my eyes. The tail end of a dying art. 

Notice the concrete square on top of the far building. This happened there .

This bad faced dude is the Buddhist St. Peter. You make nice with him, he'll find you a cozy room at the Inn.

Incense=intense.

The fertility room. Breezed through this. 

Turtle stew.

Lets go to the beach! 

Lots of paddleboarding. So fun. 

Beach face. 

Best friends.

Evening tiny-shrimps fishing crew. 

I'm wearing clothes. 

Daisys little hotel boyfriend. Total stalker. 

The life. 

The 12 year old I married doing creepy things to pool toys.

Pagoda monkeys! 

DAISY MET MONKEYS!

View of Sihanoukville.

No idea what this is. 

Naga! 

Thinking about Daisy.

Yay!