In two weeks time I will fly out to Bangkok, then onto Phuket to visit the Rajaprajanugroh School (R35) for the first time. This trip is just for a week, to see what equipment and facilities are already at the clinic. I'm hoping this visit will enable me to begin to design a plan for the next two years and prioritise time & energy to get an effective dental clinic and volunteering programme up and running at the school by the end of 2012.
My understanding from Patty Walsh, founder of the Thailand Dental Project, US hygienist and all round good egg is that there is a small room at the end of the hospital wing within the school. There is already a modern dental chair with suction and spittoon installed although I don't have any details. There is also some kind of steam steriliser there, although no one knows how to use it so they have been using cold sterilising solution.
Over the next two weeks, I will share my hopes and fears as I head to R35 for the first time. I am feeling somewhat apprehensive at the moment, having never visited Thailand before. But another volunteer, Maile Busby will also be at the school when I arrive and she's very kindly offered to pick me up from the airport. Maile and her husband Brian have been volunteering at the school for the last three years. I am very pleased she has timed her visit to coincide with mine.
In an effort to ease my integration into Thai life, I felt learning some of the basics of the Thai language was essential. It's amazing what you find out about people once you start talking! ... My colleague Max, who I've known for a while recently told me his girlfriend Pascale spent four years living in Thailand and suggested I contact her for some tips and advice. Pascale has been fantastic; she's loaned me her Thai language CDs and some great books on the history, culture and language. We met up last weekend and she kindly shared some of her experiences with me about her time in Thailand. I am enormously grateful to her for all her support. So if you see me driving around, making silly noises and strange facial expressions - it'll be me learning Thai, not having a moment!
This weekend I've put some time aside to research some of the practical aspects of moving my life to Thailand. House insurance, bank accounts, healthcare provision and visa requirements are all proving more complicated than I envisaged.
So if anyone is looking for a lovely, friendly lapcat, please get in touch!
Cathy
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ReplyDeleteNice looking blog!
ReplyDeleteThe old sterilizer is more of a beauty salon sanitizer.There are few electrical outlets at the clinic and with the aircon overtaxed a fan runs for the kids in the infirmary where the 'sanitizer' sits. With few instruments- cold sterilization was the wiser choice.
Hi Cathy, I have a pressure cooker type steam steriliser which is working but I need to get a mains lead for it. I also have a Merlin steam steriliser which is about the quarter of the size of your SES 2000 machine. They both need a 240v supply so Im not sure if they are of any use, just let me know. Thanks . Pete
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