Farewell To Our 'Sisters' In Indonesia

COUNTRY: Indonesia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Casey Samiotis, Edith Cowan University

Our second week was spent at Wangaya local government hospital in Denpasar. We had the opportunity to spend time on different wards including emergency, maternity, HDU, paediatrics & the outpatient clinic. With the help of our translators, we were able to observe some fascinating interventions.

Some of the highlights for us were witnessing births in the maternity ward and endless cuddles in the neonate nursery. We also encountered all sorts of medical and trauma cases in the small emergency department. It was interesting to see the ways in which the hospital differed from back home and also to experience the similarities - illegible doctor's handwriting is universal!

We were also invited for a tour of Stikes University campus and simulation labs where our translators are completing their nursing training. We have learnt a lot about nursing and about Balinese social and cultural influences in health care. All having left with a greater appreciation of the people and their impressive pain tolerance!

On our second last night we were invited to join our tour guide Wayan in his local village approximately 1 hour from Sanur, where we enjoyed a home cooked Balinese meal dressed in traditional Balinese sarongs. Children from the village entertained us all performing traditional music and dance.

Our last week of placement comes to an end and so the farewells begin. Tears flowed at the farewell dinner, where we exchanged gifts and said goodbye to our "sisters" (translators) after working so closely together for two weeks. We have made some lasting friendships and some unforgettable memories.

ECU Nursing Students Conduct Eye Clinics in Indonesia

COUNTRY: Indonesia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Casey Samiotis, Edith Cowan University

Life changing interventions amongst the most breathtaking backdrops: A different side to Bali life than most of us have seen as tourists and a unique and privileged opportunity.

The first morning after a late night arrival, we met our attentive and dedicated guide "Little Wayan" and our trusty support crew Dian, Anom & Rosa (3 nursing students from Stikes University to act as our translators) as well as our in country support Gonsalo & Wiwi.



The first 3 days were spent in Siangan village, approx. 45 minutes drive from our hotel. As we entered the village we were met with inquisitive and welcoming faces. Locals welcomed us in to their homes, where Wayan introduced us to the traditional Balinese way of living.

Experienced staff were conducting eye screenings for up to 300 people, and providing glasses and cataract assessments all free of charge. The first few days involved assisting John Fawcett Foundation (JFF) staff with eye tests and observing fascinating and almost unbelievable cataract surgeries from the bus-turned-mini-operating-theatre. Having undergone cataract surgery the previous day, some patients even rode their scooters in for their post-op assessment. Each day we have enjoyed delicious traditional food cooked and personally delivered by Wayan's wife. One of these days we were invited to eat in the family home of the chief of the community.

We also had the opportunity to work alongside a large group of Stikes University students conducting general health checks for local people from another small village. We hit the ground running quickly, learning the variations in assessment techniques.

We visited the JFF office where we were lucky enough to meet CEO, LeRoy Hollenbeck and founder John Fawcett. Here we learnt more about the foundation's history and proposals for the future. We were told that there was an increase in locals presenting for assessments after word got out that there were foreign nurses coming to the village. Everybody, from local students to the policeman, wanted our photo to remember the occasion.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in such admirable work for such deserving people. As John Fawcett explained, there are not many interventions that can be as affordable, fast, effective and life changing as cataract surgery.

We are looking forward to a weekend break and heading in to the next part of the adventure at Wangaya government hospital.

Link below to the JFF video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLeQYbTjp3E&feature=youtu.be

ECU students make big impact in Cambodia

 COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Edith Cowan University Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Pam Mercer

We had mixed emotions about returning home. We certainly wanted to see our families and loved ones, however there was so much more we had to offer and really did not want to leave. After the very busy weekend, where we tried to pack every bit of tourism and shopping into two days, we were very worn out. I'll give you a summary of our last week in Cambodia, even though I wasn't with the group for whole days due to my stomach bug.

Monday: The second week of our placement became much easier, as each group knew what was expected of them and were given clear briefs prior to changing locations. We all worked very hard this week. The joy in everyone's faces showed that not only the local people but the teachers, nurses, other aid workers and all the ECU students loved every minute of the work we were doing and we could all see the impact made by a little help. This evening was considerably more quiet and earlier to bed, probably due to the busy weekend and another hard day’s work.

Tuesday: All rotations were desperate to participate in a birth however no babies were born whilst we were there. Many students were lucky enough to go into the communities to give Vitamin A and worming/parasite tablets to the children who seemed to appear from everywhere. We combined the vaccinations with teaching the children games and they taught us a few that I hope to introduce in Australia.

Our Khmer improved every day and all the Cambodian people smiled and giggled at some of our pronunciations. When the clinics were quiet we decided to clean the birthing suite and treatment room. We arrived with buckets, scrubbing brushes and cleaning products and proceeded to scrub walls, floors, windows, bedding and instruments. It was not long before the local nurses joined in and again we saw how a simple task can change a future by preventing the spread of disease.

We decided to spend our evening at the circus. They were incredible, and our eyes were popping out of our heads watching their tricks and precise balanced moves. We had the opportunity to take several pictures with the performers. It made us very happy to hear that the circus was creating opportunities for acrobatically talented children to pursue another working avenue.

Wednesday: With Megan leaving today we had all started to talk about how quickly the placement had been moving and there were only a few days to the end. We had distributed as much of the supplies as we were able to take with us and with the assistance of Vichai found good distributers of medical equipment and medication to ensure sustainability until the next ECU group arrive in these locations. We were also able to identify areas that needed immediate attention and set about changing curtains to washable ones, bedding that was torn and full of insects were replaced and after meeting with the teachers we were able to increase equipment they required immediately. Our interpreters were wonderful, and our ability to work with them had improved immensely during our time with them. We seemed to be all part of a big family. We felt sadness at the loss of our team member, but wished her well for the preparations and wedding of her sister. For me I found the evenings lonely with Megan gone as we always chatted about our days and analysed how we had worked and what we could do better, giving each other suggestions for our groups to make placements flow correctly.

Our evening was filled with many different things; some girls went for well-deserved massages, others just dinner and bed and of course there was always time for shopping. New road rules had also been introduced and the streets were filled with police trying to enforce them. Hopefully their next rule will include helmets.

Thursday: As usual, our wonderful hosts had our breakfast ready for 6.30am so that we could leave for our placement. They were always so accommodating, it felt like home and I know we will miss their outstanding treatment. We were all part of the team now, knowing what each clinic or school expected of us and setting to work straight away. The locals seemed to love us being there and had also started to try to communicate with us. When the interpreter was busy, sign language and pictures seemed to do the trick. We could not get over how people with so little were always greeting us with a great big smile.

We were amazed how our interpreters seemed to suit each group, it was almost as if it was planned that way. Khan, Phiran & August are fantastic, not just with their interpreting skills but also as individuals. I believe they went above and beyond the requirement of an interpreter and could be relied upon every minute of the day for work related issues and personal issues if required.

Tonight was the farewell dinner, which was sad but also an excuse to dress up. We were glad for the chance to show our appreciation to Billy, Vichai, Khan, August, Phiran and our minibus driver. We gave them all Aussie T-shirts and caps and then proceeded to have a wonderful dinner in a restaurant called The Nest. Vichai stood up and gave a speech, advising us that we were the best group he had had the pleasure of working with; we all felt so special. Katelyn spoke on behalf of our group and thanked everyone for their outstanding work. The dinner was followed by a little bit of karaoke and then time for bed to be ready for the next day.

Friday: As it was our last day, we were finishing at lunch time to collect all our new stores and distribute them as a group. There were over 800 toothbrushes, toothpaste, sports equipment, books etc. for the schools. There were batteries to last the year for all the new medical appliances that we had trained the nursing staff on. And there was also soft mattresses for the weighing scales, new washable curtains, and I managed to arrange to have the maternity bed newly upholstered with wonderful waterproof material. We also gave Aussie T-shirts, our own stethoscopes, nurses watches and uniform to those that wanted them as a souvenirs.

We were awarded certificates of appreciation, coconuts and pineapple sticks from our respective schools and clinics, as well as plenty of hugs, tears and goodbyes. We then had the hardest goodbye even though we knew we would see Carol again. We learnt so much, she had a wonderful way of making us all feel comfortable and provided great feedback on a daily basis to ensure we improved and got the most out of our placement. I personally will aspire to be like her when I receive my registration.

Most of us leaving on Saturday did our last minute present shopping, had massages and booked hair appointments for the morning so we could feel beautiful for the flight home. Then we had dinner and reminisced on all the amazing things that we had experienced. We had mixed emotions now, excited to be going home and sad to be leaving as we had so much more to offer.

Saturday: Khan, Erin, Tayla & I got up early to rush the new upholstered bed to the clinic. It was great to see that the nurses had already put up the new washable curtains and they were very grateful for the new bed. A big thanks to Khan for taking extra time out of his day to help us. We left for the airport at 2pm, said our goodbyes, gave gifts to Jasmine Lodge and promised to return with our families next time.

Billy and Vichai came to the airport and we said goodbye. There were more tears and overwhelming feelings as we hugged them both for their fantastic efforts in making our experience better than we could ever imagine. Our lives have been touched by the beautiful Cambodian people. We have all grown and changed in some way.

A magnificent thank you to Antipodeans Abroad for arranging all the behind the scenes hard work and selecting amazing people in Cambodia to work with us. This was an experience that we will never forget.

Edith Cowan students begin eye-opening nursing placement

 COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Edith Cowan University Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Megan Stoney

Our first impression of Siem Reap, Cambodia was that it's HOT! The first morning consisted of an introduction to the country and the Khmer language, given by the translators and our in-country partners. That day we visited one of the villages where we saw a temple and spoke to an elder. In the evening a welcome dinner was provided, and we got to see some traditional Khmer dancing.

On Monday we attended a talk about child protection in Cambodia, it was very interesting and opened all our eyes. Night time in Siem Reap has been called the Las Vegas of Cambodia. During our first week of training and learning here we taught health education lessons about hand hygiene, brushing teeth and first aid. The other groups of nursing students were at the health clinics.

The school and clinics were minimal standard and had minimal supplies. The school did not have enough classrooms, supplies or sport toys. One clinic that delivers a lot of babies had no electricity at night and so pen torches were used to deliver the babies! Unbelievable.

Dinners were lovely and exploring Siem Reap at night was fun and interesting. We walked around a lot of the time, but used Tuk Tuk’s to get to places further away. Our first week was exciting, exhausting and a real eye-opener to what Cambodia is like. I am looking forward to the weekend exploring temples and shopping and next week’s learning experiences.

Clinical placement begins in Siem Reap for ten excited Edith Cowan students

 COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Edith Cowan University Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Zoe Martinovich


DAY ONE: Friday 25th October, 2013

Ten excited students and one equally excited supervisor arrived early at Perth Airport one Friday morning ready to head off on the adventure of a lifetime, a two week international community clinical placement in Siem Reap, Cambodia. 3 planes, 2 stopovers and one bus ride later and we had finally arrived. Tired, excited, nervous and hot! We met Billy, Kaann, Siphuong and Bunthoern who will be guiding us and acting as translators for us while we are here. We headed back to our accommodation, the Ta Som Guesthouse, and after a brief introduction and orientation we retired to our rooms and settled into our new home for the next two weeks.

DAY TWO: Saturday 26th October

Our first full day in Cambodia! We started off with a getting-to-know-everybody session, meeting some of the others we will be working with while we're here and then a quick introduction to the Cambodian culture. Cambodian people have very conservative dress, and so despite the heat we needed to swap our usual singlets and shorts for trousers and shirts that covered our shoulders. We learnt about the poverty in Cambodia and were given a brief history on the people, their beliefs and values, and the Khmer Rouge and the direct impact it has had on their lives today. We then walked down to the Angkor Childrens Hospital where we were given a tour and told about its history. The ACH was started after a man was taking photographs of the Temples and came across some children nearby, including several who were missing limbs from landmines. He was struck by what he saw and the lack of adequate healthcare for the local Children and he has worked tirelessly to develop the children’s hospital. The hospital was originally run purely by donations and international support, however with time, education and experience, the hospital is now running more independently and the project has become far more sustainable. ACH is considered one of the best children’s hospital in the region and families will travel great distances to get there, passing other clinics and hospitals on their way. The hospital is now working to teach and try and improve the other facilities as often the children are too sick by the time they arrive but would have survived if they had stopped at the earlier clinics, especially if their facilities and level of care was better. It was a bittersweet experience, as whilst it was amazing to see the work they are doing, when compared to the Australian hospitals and clinics we are used to back home, there was still so much that needed to be done!

After this we went for lunch and sampled some of the local cuisine, then we had a brief walk through the markets before being picked up and taken out to the floating villages. We took a boat out to the water filtration centre where we were taught about how they filter their water to provide fresh drinking to the communities. After this we headed home and were treated to our official 'welcome dinner' where we had a buffet of traditional Khmer food and watched a traditional Khmer music and dancing performance.

Such an eye opening day with so many amazing sights and sounds to take in. Looking forward to what each day will bring over the next two weeks and getting out into the schools and clinics next week!

DAY THREE: Sunday 27th October

Today we all enjoyed a "free day" which gave us all a great chance to get out and explore the streets of Siem Reap. Markets, massages, riding in tuk tuks and finding relief from the heat in some local swimming pools were just some of the activities the city had to tempt us with. Later in the day we all met back at our guestrooms for a language lesson with our wonderful translators, learning some important phrases we will need for our work in the classrooms and clinics next week. After this we ventured back out and enjoyed dinner at the Home Cocktail Restaurant then tuk-tuk'd it back to our hotel for an early night ready for our early start tomorrow.
What a great way to spend our first weekend in Cambodia!!

DAY FOUR: Monday 28th October

Today we met Davvy who has been running volunteer programs with Antipodeans for six years. She met us at our guestrooms and together we walked to a new part of the city where we were to spend the day learning about child protection and how it relates to the communities here and the work being done in Cambodia to ensure the many children here are looked after. Whilst we are all familiar with the phrase "Australia has an aging population", it’s quite different here with Cambodia's youth accounting for over 60% of the population.

And so we arrived at ConCERT, which stands for Connecting communities, environments & responsible tourism (more infohttp://www.concertcambodia.org/). We were greeted by Michael who is an English expat who now works to promote child protection and works with NGOs and volunteers to provide education and advice to make sure that volunteered time and resources go to proper programs and are used in the best ways possible. We discussed child abuse and exploitation, but also considered the cultural differences that exist in the opinions of Westerners and Khmer people. We were also given a brief history lesson on Cambodia and its people, including the Khmer Rouge.

This 8 hour day was broken up by a wonderful lunch provided to us by the staff at Haven. Not only was the food amazing (and possibly the best we've had so far!), the real magic about this place is that it is a trainee kitchen setup to teach young adults from orphanages and remote rural areas lifeskills, a trade they can use in the future, and to allows help with community integration after growing up in an institutionalised environment. (definitely worth a quick read here: http://www.haven-cambodia.com/en/about-haven/). Amazing idea with yummy food, a beautiful location, and lovely staff.

A few more hours at ConCERT and it was time to say "lee-a hery" (goodbye) and head back to our guestrooms. After a quick freshen up most of us ventured back outside to explore more of this beautiful city. We tried some new restaurants for dinner and then some of us ventured to the night markets for some shopping. The night markets are just like the markets during the day, except somehow the lights and the darkness make it so much more appealing! A few hours later we arrived home, proudly showing off our goodies to our tutor Sue. Slowly everyone started heading off to bed ready for an early start tomorrow. Myself and Sue however found ourselves giving impromptu English lessons on our balcony to the locals who are trying to teach themselves!

Such a wonderful and insightful day, now to try and get some rest before tomorrow morning! Visiting and getting orientated at all our workplaces, should be very interesting to see the schools and clinics in person.

A goodbye and an elephant trek for Edith Cowan University students

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Edith Cowan

After a long week in the villages, the volunteer group were all excited to head back to Luang Prabang. Our drive back was a long one as we were held up for an hour and a half by road works. Nevertheless, the volunteers arrived at our home away from home in good spirits and covered in layers of dust. We all had our much needed showers and scrubbed up nicely for dinner in town. Some of us put to use the laundry service at the hotel . . . I opted for hand washing the entire contents of my backpack in the hotel sink and used various items in our room as a washing line. At dinner we all found that we were craving much needed pizza or burgers. We enjoyed the break from rice and wandered through the night markets. We were all excited for the next day as we were going elephant riding!

We got picked up from our hotel and made our way to the elephants! We took a boat over to the natural swimming pool which was absolutely gorgeous. The international volunteers enjoyed a swim and relaxed a little. Some of the braver ones opted for the zip line experience. This involves flying across the forest at terrifying heights and abseiling down the trees. We then had to trek about 45 minutes to the elephants.

Let’s just say there was a lot of sweat, puffing and complaining. Our group of volunteers finally made it up to the beautiful elephants and it was all worth it. After a quick lunch of rice (yes, rice again) we hopped onto our elephants for the beautiful trek back down. Maddy found her calling as the elephant whisperer. It was definitely the best choice to spend our free day at the elephant village, we all loved it.

The next day we prepared ourselves for the journey back to Sop Chaek. Surprisingly, this was one without any delays. As we arrived we found out that we were to swap houses with the other volunteers, so we could have a different experience. I was surprised to find that my new home stay was very different and I actually felt safe walking across the room without the floor breaking.

Volunteering in the clinic was great and so rewarding. All of the volunteer group enjoyed them thoroughly. Halfway through the week we moved from the village to the lodge and stayed in groups of 5 and 6. We had our first night of silence and slept very well. It was our second night when we woke up with a fright as Jenny had been stung by a scorpion.

Our savior Chipseng came to our assistance at 2 in the morning and reassured us that she would be ok. That was a very restless night for all of us. The next night all the creepy crawlies decided to come out and we all were glad that the next day we would be heading back to Luang Prabang.

For our departure the village had a Basi ceremony which is a traditional Lao ceremony of well wishing and involves tying white cotton strings around the wrists of participants. It was so beautiful and touching. The volunteer group are all so thankful that the village has accepted us into their homes and so grateful that we survived this adventure. After our good bye we headed towards Luang Prabang.

We stopped for lunch at a floating restaurant and took a boat to Pak Ou caves. We climbed a whopping 200 stairs to the caves and even though we were dripping in sweat and puffing it was all worth it. A beautiful boat ride took us to the paper and lantern village where our whole group brought out the entire contents of the shop. We headed to New Daraphet Villa which was our accommodation for the last night in Luang Prabang. We all scrubbed up and headed out for our last dinner as a group.

The next morning we packed up and checked out and had our last group lunch together. Goodbyes were exchanged and we all reflected on the highs and lows of our adventure. This has been the most amazing journey and I’ve come out of it with 10 beautiful friends and experiences that will last a lifetime.

Laos Homestays for Edith Cowan University

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Edith Cowan

It’s been an eventful week for the volunteer group in the communities in Laos. The start of our real adventure began when we left the comfort of our hotel for our homestay village (Sop Chaek). We were all excited and nervous about what awaited us, we had an idea about what was coming and nothing could have prepared us.

The drive started out fine, we cruised along a tar road laughing and chatting about our experiences so far and intrigued by what was coming. We then arrived at the dirt road. We were informed by one of our guides that the drive should only be one and a half hours as there had been significant improvements to the road since last year. Well I don’t know what the road was like last year but I’m unsure as to what the improvements could have been?! After about an hour of bumping along we came to quite a large hill. About half way up the hill the truck we were riding in decided it couldn’t go any further and began rolling backwards. We piled out into the hot afternoon sun and began to walk up the hill as we believed it was due to our weight.

At the top of the hill in the sweltering sun we found out that no, it wasn’t our weight, the truck’s clutch was broken. So back down the hill we came, all the while in the sweltering sun. By this stage we were feeling pretty hot and bothered and decided it would be a good idea to walk to the closest village for shade and cold drinks. But to our amazement the truck started driving up the hill. Miraculously it had fixed itself! So back up the hill we walked. Suffice to say we were not overly thrilled by the whole situation. Three hours later we arrived in our village (so much for one and a half hours)! The volunteers were warmly welcomed by the village mothers with beautiful flowers and we began to take in our new surroundings.

The toilets and showers were the first things to be checked out. Let’s just say that they are definitely not five star facilities. Squat toilets were our first obstacle. A few of the girls had already used them but most of us hadn’t. It’s an interesting concept and takes a bit of getting used to but once you have your aim right and your feet in the right positions you only sometimes wee on your feet (lucky for us urine is sterile right?). We were then introduced to our host families and taken to our homestay house (I’m using the term house very loosely).

A few of the volunteering girls got lucky and snagged a house made out of bricks but most of us ended up in wooden shacks (one of the houses even came with its own wasps nest in the bedroom ceiling). Our host families were absolutely lovely though and were sure they were so happy to have us there, even though they didn’t speak one word of English!!

With our use of the Laos language limited to mainly “hello” and “thankyou” conversation was raging. Our meals were all prepared for us by cooks in the village and were absolutely delicious. But after 5 days of the same thing I’ll safely say that if I ever see another grain of rice again it might be too soon. Nutella on our toast in the morning was great though! On our first night in the village all the children sang songs for us and showed us their traditional dances. Then without any prior warning we had to perform a “traditional” song and play some games with the children.

Only song we could think of at short notice was waltzing Matilda and unfortunately we could only remember the first verse and chorus! The villagers are probably going to get very bored of that very quickly. Duck duck goose was the game we decided to play and we thought it would be good if we found out the words for duck and goose in Lao. What we thought we heard was “pet” for duck and “han” for goose. The children thought it was hilarious and we were so proud we had used the Lao words. Later on though we would find out that “pet” is not actually the word for duck but that “bet” is, “pet” means spicy! No wonder the little boy at my homestay laughed hysterically when i pointed at a duck and said “pet”.

The river was our saving grace. It is not only our washing machine, bath and relaxation but also sometimes (in Lesley’s case) our toilet. We all know if she floats out to the middle of the river to avoid that area for a while. Lucky the river has a strong current. Not only do we enjoy the river but the village children also enjoy watching us. Once we stroll down to the river lo and behold all the children miraculously appear. Apparently its hilarious to watch 11 western women bathing fully clothed and screaming at everything we step on.

Our actual health clinics are the best part of the volunteer work placement. All of us enjoy them so much and feel as though we are making a huge difference in these communities that have next to nothing. It’s also amazing to see how happy all the people are. Always smiling and welcoming and the children are always laughing. We work so well alongside the health care workers and the translators and have all become a really good team. Not only are we passing on our knowledge but we have also learnt so much. Our clinics have all run very smoothly and we have an excellent system of getting the villagers through. We have many different stations the first being reception.

Doing reception really helps develop your Lao terms. And by the end of the day I was feeling almost fluent (yeah right). We then have a waiting area which is run by our team leader. The two most important terms for the team leader are “nyup pi” move down and “nuang ni” sit here. After a while “nyup pi” turns into “pi,pi,pi,pi” which is move, move, move, move. The villagers think its hilarious hearing us speak Laos. We then have three assessment stations and then a pharmacy. Thank goodness for the translators because without them none of this would be possible. They are absolutely amazing. So patient, kind and hard working. They must be exhausted at the end of everyday. With every village we visit we get further away from the city. We have noticed that the healthcare of the people becomes poorer and poorer. The next week should be very interesting! We shall keep you posted!!

Edith Cowan University update from Luang Prabang

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Edith Cowan

The international volunteers arrived in Luang Prabang, after a somewhat questionable flight over the beautiful terrains of Thailand and rural Laos. The volunteers were escorted by our lovely tour guides to what was to be our main mode of transport for the following weeks to come... a truck with a cage on the back equipped with two horizontal wooden benches. Can’t wait for the three hour car trip into the Seuang Valley. Everyone else brought a pillow, I must have missed that memo. Our guides loaded our combined 175kg’s of donations onto the top of the truck in 2.5 seconds. They make their men real strong in Laos.

On the first day, the volunteers were given a tour of the temples and introduced to the Laos culture and cuisine. We were wined and dined at a delicious restaurant, again for about 4 bucks. We went to the night markets, bought some cool stuff. A special mention to Jen for spending stupid amounts, didn’t realise that was possible when you’re paying with kip. Ate a crepe covered in chocolate - Amazing. In Perth, consecutive white lines painted on the street generally mean pedestrians have right of way. In Laos it means drive faster and turn harder. We found this out the hard way.

We woke up fresh on Sunday morning. Today we were visiting the waterfalls. Well that’s what I thought anyway. We arrived at our destination and apparently we were actually in heaven. Quite possibly the most beautiful scenery I have witnessed in my humble 20 years. The volunteers spent the morning swinging off ropes into unknown water and scaling rocks to stand below breathtaking waterfalls. Luckily no one got injured because apparently insurance doesn’t cover this. I hold Lesley (Mumma bear) responsible, she was definitely the instigator. Gotta watch those mature aged students! Saw the bears, was the cutest thing and if customs would allow it, I’d bring one home. He looked at me with his big brown eyes. We shared a moment. Then I realised he just wanted one of my potato chips. I obliged him and moved on.

We ordered some fried potatoes. The group was rather underwhelmed when they tasted just like fried potatoes! Got home and a small group decided to take a bike ride around Laos. Saw some cool stuff. Felt like a local negotiating the insane, unpredictable traffic. Kept forgetting they drive on the right hand side here. I wasn’t fooling anyone. Found a cool bar. Happy hour was 12am – 8pm. Made a mental note to return there later. Successfully returned bikes to hire shop and unsuccessfully searched for the other seven members of our volunteer group. The only thing we were sure of was they were somewhere in Laos...
Returned to earlier mentioned bar. Two for one cocktails. That never happens in Perth.

Let’s just say we made the most of it. Made friends with tourists from other corners of the world. Didn’t realise Laos was considered a party nation until now. After only a short time here I have come to the conclusion it may just be the happiest place in the world. First day of prac starts tomorrow and can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Until next time, lagorn.

Edith Cowan University arrive into Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Edith Cowan

Sabidee ya’ll,

Leaving Perth airport was filled with mixed emotions. Barbara got frisked, then she lost the documents containing all the contact details, frequent flyer numbers and passport numbers (sorry, about all your hard work Fiona). After much commotion, finally we got onto the plane. Thought we were in for a treat upon boarding, until we realised we were only passing through the ‘first class section’. Moving on back to economy, we took our seats. The window seat is great, for the first couple of hours.

Until you have to turn to the attractive stranger in seat 49C and reveal to him you need to pee. One night in Bangkok. The airport was huge, we got lost. Twice. Left the airport in peak hour. Hello massive culture shock. They say people in Perth can’t merge.... we got nothing on Thailand. Hotel was beautiful, equipped with fully functioning toilets, much to our delight. Our bags were escorted from the bus to our rooms, we felt like royalty. Then the awkward moment, crap... how much do we tip? Furthermore, do you take US dollars?

Headed out for a night on the town. Ate at My Darling. I had two drinks and a main meal. I think it cost me 150 Bhat. That’s about $4 Australian Dollars. I am probably going to return home with a couple of extra kilos. Shopping on Kao San Road. People eat bugs there. We played a game, it was called spot the lady boy. Leslie won. Saw some cool bars, one was called ‘very strong cocktails, we do not check ID” .. you can imagine our astonishment, compared to tame Perth. We ordered a bucket.

Few of us had access to alarms. So one person was in charge of providing us all with a wake-up call. Except this person did not realise her phone was still set to Perth time. We were up an hour early at 5:15am. Look, I’m not going to mention any names, but I’m pretty sure it was Simone. She wasn’t that popular for the first half of the day. Made it to Bangkok airport. Check- in was somewhat complicated without our vital documents. But, our Australian charm prevailed and got us through the terminal.

Boarded the aircraft to Laos. Sorry no, the helicopter sized tin can with a couple of propellers attached. Thankfully after a 2 hour flight, a delicious meal and a substantial amount of turbulence we arrive in beautiful Laos. Keep you posted on the weekends adventures!