Chameleon

A view from the trg point close to my parent's house

Presenting in BKK 

It's been a while since my last post, I guess the reason is that I've had trouble finding the head space to think about what to write.... I've had a few wee adventures since the last post. On the work front I've snuck over to Bali for the International Association of Dental Research meeting then Bangkok for the world dental congress. In both conferences I presented a little bit of the work that we are doing to some good critical feed back... I have to say that I was a little bit emotionally fatigued by the time I got back to Australasia where I did some army stuff and managed to get covered in a sufficient amount of mud whilst riding my trusty mountain bike!

View of Melbourne from my morning run 

With a little bit of mental reprieve I was able to reflect on some of the riches of life; being able to hang out with my long suffering friends is right at the top of that list. In Auckland I saw my mate Bakes... I was a little bit exhausted and I totally mumbled my words but she knew exactly what I was saying, what a relief after months of clear deliberate speaking. In Melbourne I got to hang out with RG and delve into 100 different ideas and conundrums... A practice we've engaging since we were 8 or 9 years old! In Brizzy I got to celebrate birthdays and argue with one of my BFFs... in a good way... (you know who you are :-p). In Wellington my dear CB made a trip up especially so we could be a little bit dorky together... Pauline opened her house and shared her trampoline, Razya found time despite sick kids and imminent field exercises, Monte put up with my driving while we tried to find a climbing spot, AK especially went out of her way to deliver a birthday package to the little sister,  Dors cooked a great curry, and the parentals lent me the car and made sure that my favorite feather pillow was available for sleeping! There are countless others that I ache to see, my friends, you thank you so much for still being there! you are truly the jewels that adorn this lifestyle that I have chosen.  

This lifestyle where I posses the qualities of a chameleon... Its in the way that I dress and the speed that I talk and the activities that I undertake. I can still put on my military uniform but in Cambodia I wear skirts. I can still talk at 100 miles per hour but in Cambodia no-one will understand me. I can still dance badly but I need to do it more often...  I guess I'm still getting used to adapting my life across Cambodia (work) Australia (study) and NZ (home) but I'm getting there... 

So whats coming up in the next few months?

- In December; the new graduate dentists from my private practice will be presenting at their very own conference, we'll collect the follow-up data on our new Sealant Protocol, I might take a few days off for Christmas

- In Janurary we have alot happening; two more groups kicking off with the 'Healthy Kids' Strategy making a total of 3500 participating children, the babies in my pilot study (for my PhD) will be 12 months, we'll have sealed 60,000 children and my head might fall off!

- In February I'll need to head back to Melbourne to confirm my candidacy for my PhD... 

A trip like no other: PP-SFO-MELB-WELL-MELB-PP

It's the beginning of a new era for me. I've begun my PhD and I've bought a folding bike named Earl! To kick it all off I tied in a trip to San Francisco to hang out with the team I worked with in Ecudador and to speak on a 'voices from the field' panel at a UC Berkley conference. This was mind boggling for me because in the space of just a few days I got to meet some of my true heroes in public health dentistry *swoon* I got to actually talk to them and get a feeling for their opinions beyond the print of the journal articles that I had read (for some reason it didn't seem right for me to get them so sign a copy of my journal... Go figure?!). It really brought home to me how phenomenal it is that America can create such think tanks where minds such as these can come together... It is a reason that I would consider returning... That and the wonderful hospitality of my friends, I was overwhelmed by their generosity and it felt incredibly normal!

From San Fransisco I managed to be in both Melbourne (to start the PhD) and Wellington (for a short conference) within 7 days... Interesting that these three cities are often compared as being quite similar in terms of life style. I reckon all three are liveable cities and there were plenty of great bicycles to perve at so I'll go with that ;-) Regardless of similarities, It was incredibly gratifying to be able to pop home for a wee bit and see some (but not all) of my favourite people on the planet. It was also nice to be home with a purpose and very settling to know that with my work/study in Melbourne then it will be much easier to nip over for birthdays, and weddings, and just because! I even managed to sneak over to go kangaroo hunting with the nephews in Canberra... Pretty cool!

Through out my time in Melbourne I have been using 'airbnb' which has worked out well. The first place had bombed out cars in the front yard and expletives graffitied on the toilet wall but the dude was a genuinely lovely, intuitive, and a great host. The second place I stayed was with Jacki, her lovely wife (a guest who was staying after her husband had written to make the booking for his 'lovely wife') and her lost girlfriend (an ex boyfriend chased her all the way from Germany to win her back, he didn't succed but the 'lost girlfriend' decided that she quite liked his lodgings and moved in after he left). The final place that I stayed was with a Australian/Indian couple. He had won her from her auzzie boyfriend when she went on an OE to India. Three kids and eight houses later the rest is history!

So there it is: my life in the last month or so. I just wanted to finish by saying that it wasn't Pepsi who came up with the idea that we have to live life to the max. Good ol' JC had that squared away a long time ago (John 10:10) and for that I am grateful every day. Not that it is roses and butterflies, this lifestyle can be lonely and frustrating at times! It's more that I feel like I'm where I should be... and for the next few months that is Phnom Penh!

Some things change some stay the same

It's been a while since I've taken to the blogosphere... I guess I didn't quite feel ready... Since my last post I've been and gone from NZ but I haven't yet started my PhD! It's been a bit of a journey, one of the strange things about going home is realising the small ways that I had changed. Yes there are more kilometres through the legs and a few more wrinkles on the face but there is more. It's the way that your thinking changes when you move from one phase of life to another. It's funny how going back can make you realise how you have moved forward.

Once in kiwi-land I made my way from South to North via bike, bus and boat. It really wasn't long enough and I just wanted to spend about two more days at each place. It was unsettling knowing that a lot of these beautiful places and beautiful faces I might not be able to see for a while. When I think back I can't believe how far away I am as I write this. I had a blast!

Now, back in Cambodia things are ticking along ok. The early childhood caries program which is to be the topic of my PHD has been going for two months now. The midwives seem to be doing well and they are telling me that the mothers are happy to be part of the whole thing... Early days but I'm almost letting myself be a little bit optimistic. I'll go to Melbourne for the first time in May (via California) and I'll begin the grunt work or should I say 'geek work'. It's all a-go!

In other news, I've got a few other things brewing in the back ground; a school based health program in Takeo, lecturing at the university, running a new graduate program for the junior dentists at my private practice, pushing through with the Seal Cambodia project and still trying to string a sentence together in Khmer! No rest for the wicked as they say! 

So just incase you are wondering... Big invitation is still wide open so hopefully see ya-all here or in Melbourne!