In heaven in Bangkok

We are here in a beautiful guesthouse in Bangkok, feeling that we might as well be on the moon compared to where we were only yesterday!  Our last two days in Lahore were jampacked as usual.  We did a little shopping, Dan spent lunch with the board of United Christian Hospital, I got food poisoning or something and had to miss a very fun dinner, Dan did more shopping and delivered his last presentation to a large group of family practice doctors at a very nice club, we went to see the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, and the Old City and heard an incredible, spine-tingling call to prayer.  We also got stuck in the world's worst traffic jam in the Old City.  It took us 1 and a half hours to travel 2 kms. and we missed our planned shuttle to the airport to catch our flight.  A very stressful way to end our stay.  We made it to the airport in plenty of time and I was so happy to go to the restroom and change into normal clothes.  I have had enough of these shalwar kameez for a while.

Our friend Tip had recommended this guesthouse in downtown Bangkok and it is simply perfect.  We want to stay here forever.  But, instead, we will be flying to LA very early Tuesday morning and will be even happier to see our kids in California.  This trip has been totally incredible for both of us.  Thanks for following along!

Julie & Dan

Thursday in Lahore

Thursday in Lahore

Okay, this day was completely beyond belief.  I will attempt to capture the highlights here.  We were picked up by the wonderful Dr. Nighat Ahmad at our hotel and driven to Fatima Memorial Hospital where Dan gave a presentation to the medical staff.  I was able to escape to a private office and work on a project for the lecture I would give later in the day.  Dan was very happy to tell me that after the lecture one of the older doctors (I think it was Dr. Arif Amir Nawaz, but Dan isn't here so I am not sure) came up to tell him that he knew Dan's father and had worked with Bill and Dr. Williams at UCH in 1965.  He was very happy to see this returning Lahori son, as have been many, many people. 

Dan did some other medical consults and then we were driven to meet with Dr. Bhutti at United Christian Hospital.  This was a sad, sad experience.  This hospital, the work, home and playground of the Sagers, Bowes and Dunlaps for many years, is in a very bad state.  Although there are staff people and doctors in attendance, there were only a handful of patients.  Many areas are closed off and non-functioning and one of the 3 houses had actually been burned, only the bricks remain, a hollow shell of a house.  The one positive is a Eye clinic that is operated with a Korean charity and was in good condition.  Dr. Bhutti invited us to his home (the middle of the three houses) for lunch.  We met his sweet little mother, his Phillipino wife and her visiting sister.  Of course the food was amazing and we had our first chapatis, but we were in a complete rush to leave.  


Dr. Mira Phailbus, former president of Kinnaird College for Women in Lahore kept calling to remind Dr. Bhutti that she was expecting us at 2:00.

The traffic at that time of day is impossible, so, of course, we were late.  We later found out that Mira had almost been late herself, due to the traffic standstill.  We were warmly welcomed with two bouquets of huge gladiolas (see picture).  Mira is much loved at Kinnaird, which she ran for decades.  We later toured a beautiful dormitory and amphitheater which were dedicated to her.  I didn't really know what to expect at Kinnaird, but thanks to this connection through Sue & Bill, I had been invited to address the English Language Teaching graduate students.  Many of them are already teachers.  It was a full classroom and Mira and Dan also stayed on.  I gave a complete overview of the way I teach reading, all of the factors that can make it difficult to learn to read English, etc.  I think I talked way too long, but everyone was very engaged and they didn't want me to stop.  It was definitely one of the highlights of my professional life.  Afterwards we had tea with a small group and the whole event was very enjoyable. 

Next we drove to Mira's beautiful home in the Lahore Cantonement.  One of her daughters is an architect, living in New Zealand, and she had designed the house, which featured multiple exterior patios and 15 foot tall windows.  We met Mira's sister, Neva, who is retired physician, also living in New Zealand.  In addition, Mira's sister-in-law came over to meet us, she lives 5 doors away.  We were impressed to find pictures on the wall that showed Dr. Phailbus meeting Princess Di, Mother Theresa, Benazhir Bhutto,  Hillary Clinton, Archibishop Tuttu, President Zia and others.  Wow.  We had a very nice dinner, dessert and coffee and can't say enough about these inspiring women.  Funny how this part of our trip has been so dominated by women!  But our evening was not over.  We went back to our hotel, I put on a borrowed shalwar kameez and we were picked up by Dr. Samaira to attend a pre-wedding party set up in huge (embroidered) tent at Forman Christian College.  The saris and shalwar kameez that the women were wearing were unbelievably beautiful, there were some really fun dances performed by the wedding party, henna painting was happening, lots of food, etc., and finally a musical performance by a Sufi band (I am forgetting the name of this).  Samaira translated the words they were singing and it was very, very worshipful singing, very devout, but very joyful.  I think Sufis really have figured it out.  Dan would have stayed forever, but we finally made it home by 2 a.m.  I cannot even remember the last time we have been out past midnight!

We can't say enough about how welcoming people have been here.  But, everyone is so sad to see all of the changes that have happened here in the last 10 years.  Samaira said that their religion has been highjacked and she compared it to the Ku Klux Klan in that what has happened to Islam is that it has been used as an excuse by a fringe group.  She asked us how we would like it if all of the world thought that the Ku Klux Klan represented Christianity and didn't believe there was any other way to be a Christian.  That is what Al Kaeda and the Taliban have done to Islam.

Okay, enough!

All our best,

Julie & Dan

Lahore exhaustion

We literally haven't had time to write, it has been so crazy.  Dan has delivered two very well received lectures at two different medical schools in Lahore.  The first was an all-women's medical school and the audience and their welcoming reception were truly amazing.  He said it was one of the best groups he has ever addressed and they seemed very appreciative of his presentation, our willingness to come to Pakistan, and Dan's personal history in this city.  Dan put up a picture of himself, Mary, Amy and John standing in front of a Pakistani haystack when he was about 7 that they were very touched to see (and it actually tied in to his talk).

Tuesday afternoon we were also given tea and a tour of the most impressive school I have ever seen, a two year old, private pre-school though high school called Learning Alliance.  The two women who met with us had a lot of interesting things to say about Pakistan, politics, recent reaction to the assassination of the governor of the Punjab and the Raymond Davis case that is, of course, huge in the press here, etc.  Lots of food for thought.  Later, we were taken shopping by our host doctor's sister-in-law who has just returned to Lahore after three year of her husband serving as the ambassador to Italy, living in Rome.  These are very impressive people we are meeting here.  All three of their children are also Australian citizens and do not feel very Pakistani.

Wednesday, after Dan's lecture, he was asked to consult on some difficult patients at the rheumatology clinic.  As the patients were presented to him, about 10 other doctors and students gathered around to listen.  I only had to object to his diagnosis once (he was being very vague in a dispute between a very upper class couple about how much she should exercise!).  After pizza hut lunch in the hospital president's conference room, we went to a charity clinic where a few patients had also been lined up to see the American expert.  Even though Dr. Nighat Ahmad has the same training as Dan, she is so open to his opinions and expertise and is a delightful person.  This was tested further when she took us to a handicrafts store owned by a friend of hers and she patiently waited while we looked at every carpet and they didn't commit to buying even one!  Meanwhile, we were already an hour late to meet for dinner with the family of Khushee, the Christian gardener, sweeper who worked for the Sagers and became part of the family while they were in Lahore.  When we finally made it there, they had prepared a very nice dinner and we got to know the 7 children and six adults living together in two rooms on the campus of Forman Christian College.

Oops, we have to go now!

Julie & Dan

We are in Pakistan!

Monday, Feb. 7 in Lahore

We had a last day in Phnom Penh, going to tour the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.  The floors are actually made of silver and there is a life size statue of Buddah made entirely of solid gold and encrusted with thousands of diamonds.  Cambodia was doing okay in the early 1900's when this was all constructed.  Then some weak kings, a long French colonization, a short Japanese occupation, the Vietnam War, and Pol Pot have pretty much left them starting over from scratch with nothing.  But they are very hard-working people and have made a lot of progress.  Hopefully, things will continue to improve.

We are now in Lahore, Pakistan!  This is Dan's first hometown, although it has changed considerably in the last 40 years.  Dan feels that it seems to have lost its charm, although the people have not, they could not be more friendly or charming- so far.

We had a bit of drama getting here yesterday:  Our flight out of Phnom Penh was delayed two hours and our layover in Bangkok was only 2.5 hours.  When we landed in Bangkok, the amazing Bangkok Airlines people went into overdrive to help us catch our plane.  They whisked us away in a van and an agent accompanied us all the way to our gate, communicating ahead on her walkie-talkie.  Very impressive.  The plane took off exactly when scheduled and we were on it.  Unfortunately, our luggage didn't travel as quickly and we are without our clothes!  We managed to buy another shalwar kameez for me today after a good hour of hunting at dozens of shops at Liberty Market.  Most women choose their fabric rather than buying ready made.  We finally found a cute cotton one at "Maim Saab."  Now Dan is at the nearby mall buying some underwear and a shirt for tomorrow.  $7 for a very well made cotton dress shirt is pretty reasonable.  The concierge tells us that our bags will be arriving tomorrow night at 11 p.m.  We sure hope so!

We also drove to UCH (United Christian Hospital), and peered into the back garden area where Dan remembers playing as a kid.  The walls around the compound are literally falling down as the hospital continues its decline.  Sad to see.   We went to Forman Christian College as well and found #8 where the Williams family lived during the Lahore years.  We also found Forman Christian Chapel on campus where Dan has lots of happy memories.  It was very hip architecture at the time it was constructed.  (See photo below.)  We also met an American bio-chemistry instructor and got his take on the college and Pakistan.  Not too positive on either count, he is especially disturbed by the "brainless" people who intermittently are led to protest by their mullahs, blaming America for everything, regardless of how little America has to do with internal Pakistan problems.

Dan is giving two talks tomorrow and is almost ready.  He is feeling better, but still feels green around the gills, especially when he smells rich Pakistani food!  Bad timing for that.

More later.

Julie & Dan

 

Down, Up and Down again!

Down:  Yesterday, Dan and I went on a tour of a hospital project for HIV+ people who live as scavengers at the city garbage dump.  It was a very difficult thing to do, the conditions that these people are living in is appalling and we saw lots of things that were very hard to see.  We did four home visits, the last one being a HIV+ woman with two daughters.  She is called the "abandoned woman" because her husband left, but she said he was physically abusive, so she does not want him to come back.  She is on the short list to receive a Habitat for Humanity house.  Right now she has a $120 loan on the shack where she lives and she is paying $20 per month in interest only, so she really needs a change.  She has a wheelbarrow that she takes out to the dump to collect scrap metal, plastic, etc. to sell to the Vietnamese recycler, earning $2 per day. Our tour guide said that the recycler is a very rich man.  At another "home," at the dump, which was the storage room at an open air school we saw some poor American or European Peace Corp type kid who was trying to teach English to 35 squirming, talking garbage dump children.  He just kept saying "He rides his bicycle" over and over again between giant yawns.  I don't think anyone was paying attention.  On the positive side of the experience, Dan and I were able to buy food for three families, including treats for Chinese New Year.  They were happy to receive it and of course we had to take pictures together, which was very uncomfortable, but seemed to be required.  We also took our pictures to the Habitat for Humanity office and is sounded like the "abandoned woman" was the subject of the conversation there.

Up:  This morning I went back to the Lakeside School, but because of Chinese New Year, only five students showed up.  We held class anyway, working on singing "Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and learning to answer the question, "What are you wearing today."  Then I passed out pencils and took pictures.  Very cute kids and teacher also.  They even said they were sorry I wouldn't be back on Monday.  Then it was off to the hospital to teach 4 English classes to adult staff, and since Friday is reading day, I was in my element and had a great time.  We read and talked about African Fattening Rooms (where girls go to get ready for marriage), the expectation that Cambodian girls learn to be extremely quiet when they walk, etc., and in another class, Albert Einstein, Nazi Germany, the atomic bomb, etc.  All of this was news to them, at least in English.  I would really love to come back and teach these students again, they couldn't have been more appreciative and sweet.

Down:  Dan is sick.  He was able to give a talk this morning to the medical staff, but by 10:30 he was hiring a tuk tuk to go back to the hotel.  He has some stomach ailment that is making him miserable.  We had to cancel dinner plans for tonight and an outing planned for tomorrow.  We just need to have him well enough to get on an airplane on Sunday.....   I am feeling great, but am covered in spots all over my calves.  Probably fleas from the Lakeside School.  When I got there this morning, someone was still sleeping on a hammock stretched over the desks.  I guess he is guarding the school, but he probably has nowhere else to sleep.  So, maybe he also has fleas.  Yikes.

We hope all is well back home with you all.

J & D

Abandoned woman in her shack,  Dan videotaping garbage dump school kids,  Lakeside students

Mid-Week Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is really starting to grow on me.  The first few days things were a bit overwhelming, but now I have my sea legs and I am starting to see what attracts Dan to this place.  Since I last wrote I have taught about 7 ESL classes and they have been very enjoyable.  Really fun, appreciative students, the kind that make teaching a pleasure.

Things have really slowed down in Phnom Penh due to the Chinese New Year.  The streets are much less crowded, the lines at the hospital much shorter and the Central Market was half empty this morning as most of the venders are Chinese Cambodians and they have left the city to go to the provinces to celebrate with their families.  When I ask my students about the Chinese New Year, many of them say that they themselves are "Real Khmer" and do not celebrate Chinese holidays.  Apparently, the Chinese are looked down upon by ethnic Khmer, and the Vietnamese even more so.  No matter where you go, people are always determined to divide and categorize everyone!  We just met with a 30 year old American Cambodian who Dan had met last year, who has been living here for a year.  Even though she is 100% Khmer, people here can instantly tell that she is not Cambodian, she carries herself like an American.  Because she can speak Khmer, she often hears people saying, "What is she?  Is she Khmer?" right in front of her, they are always shocked to learn that she understands them!

Last night we had a nice dinner out with a Cambodian doctor and his family.  The doctor has studied some rheumatology in Switzerland and is the closest thing to a rheumatologist that Cambodia has.  His 5 year old daughter, Pikun, is quite the character (see below) and speaks good English.

Today Dan had this first opportunity to do some formal teaching at the hospital and he had a great time and was very impressed with the medical residents and their level of understanding.  He is pretty psyched.

Julie

The Royal Palace:

Pikun: