A Day in the Life

I arrive at the drug information center at 8:30am every day after grabbing a hot espresso from the coffee shop on the first floor of the hospital.

In the morning, Apple and I go to the neonatology unit for morning rounds. Before entering the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) we must take off our shoes and put on special sandals for the NICU. The neonatologists and residents are sometimes willing to do the rounds in English for me; otherwise Apple or one of the brave residents translates to English.

Me, Apple, NICU Nurse:

Dr. Namtip teaching me something about our "golden baby:" Me with Dr. Naa, one of my favorite doctors:
Me giving a presentation to a few nurses about preventing catheter associated blood stream infections:

After eating lunch either in the cafeteria or at a local Chinese restaurant with the other students, I research drug questions in the drug information room with the Thai PharmD students and pharmacists.

Every evening when I leave the hospital, I walk through the middle of an aerobics class held at the hospital... After work, the other PharmD students and I grab dinner (my favorite place is Connections Restaurant) then relax (shopping or watching movies).

Health Promotion

I am currently participating in an event at Buddhachinaraj Hospital to promote health. The hospital is encouraging everyone to walk around the pond next to the hospital. If you walk at designated times, you will receive one stamp per lap on your lap-card. If you walk 81 laps before October 10th, then you will receive a free T-Shirt. The hospital chose 81 laps because that is the age of the King of Thailand. I was surprised at the high turnout everyday (even the weekends!) of all the hospital employees and patients who are walking.

Getting stamped for walking a lap:

Walking around the pond:

Me (and the King!) with all of my stamps:

This is not the only health promoting event I have seen at the hospital. All hospital employees are required to submit their BMI (Body Mass Index). Employees with BMI's over 23 are encouraged to visit "BMI Camp" where they learn about diet and exercise. The best part of all this health promotion is that no one complains or opposes at what Americans would probably call an "invasion of privacy."

A Weekend In Phitsanulok, Part II

On Sunday May, Jeng, Hong, M, and I headed down to the River, Mae Nam Nan, to watch the last day of boat racing in Phitsanulok. As we were looking for a place to sit, we saw my landlord who was sitting in the VIP booth. She ushered us up and we got to watch the boat races in style! We were sitting under a tent, with a fan, and just a few seats away from the president and vice president of Phitsanulok. We were even on TV!

After the boat races we stopped by a couple of wats:

Everyone prayed while I photographed the rainbow:

We ended the weekend with shopping at Topland Plaza and dinner at Blue White:

A Weekend In Phitsanulok

On Saturday Song, May, and I visited the Sergeant Major Folk Museum. We learned about the history of Thai living, farming, cooking, and crafts. Next up we visited the Thai Bird Garden, where we got to see the birds of Thailand, including some endangered species. At the garden, we learned that there are 9,672 types of birds in the world and 946 kinds of birds in Thailand.

Next up we visited Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, the home of Chinnarat Buddha. This Buddha is the most beautiful in all of Thailand. At the temple we also used a traditional fortune teller where you shake a cone full of wooden sticks (see photo of Song below) and number on the first stick that falls out matches with your fortune. I got fortune number seven, which was written in Thai of course; I'll keep the translation a secret!

Outside the wat I tried a delicious drink made from sugarcane, which I drank out of a plastic bag with ice:

A Night Out

Friday night the other PharmD students and I decided to check out one of the pubs on the university campus. We had a great time. One difference between the Thai bar and bars in the US, is that in Thailand you mix your own drinks. You can order either a bottle of whisky, vodka, beer, or coke. Then they bring you glasses, ice and let you do the mixing. In Thailand, you drink beer in a glass with ice…which means that I had to drink my beer really fast before the ice melted! I think my favorite part of the evening was when a Lady-Boy got up on the stage to lip sync “I will survive” with a bendy-straw in her ear acting as a microphone!

Nice to meet you.

On my first day of clerkship rotation P-Kik picked me up and brought me to Buddhachinaraj Hospital, where I will spend the next eight weeks. I met my preceptor, Apple, who is a wonderful pharmacist specializing in neonatology. Apple took me all over the hospital and introduced me to everyone. At first it was difficult to learn all of the Thai names (nicknames, actually), but I think I am getting better. A couple of pharmacists traded off taking me on tours of all of the different pharmacies in the hospital. Apple is excited for everyone at the hospital to practice their English with me. Everyone here has been unbelievably friendly and nice. Pharmacists and Pharm.D students have been so kind to take me out for meals, take me to the supermarket, walk me home, show me around Phitsanulok and offer useful advice about Thailand and Thai culture. I am very lucky to be in such good hands here!

Song, Ann, Pao, & Me...We are working hard at the drug information center:

The hospital consists of many buildings that are connected with outdoor pathways (with covers because it rains a lot). Before entering many of the rooms in the hospital you must remove your shoes and either go barefoot or put on another pair of sandals. Some parts of the hospital are open to the outside (no doors, no glass/screen in windows). The hospital is nice and it is not as hot & humid as I had anticipated (that is in the hospital, it’s even hotter and more humid than I had imagined when I am walking around the city).

Part of the hospital:

Ba-Ouwan (the Director of Pharmacy), P-Kik, and P-Yoo have invited me to join them this Saturday to visit Petchaboon, a city that is two hours away from Phitsanulok. They are having a meeting in Petchaboon later, and we are going to check out the hotel, participate in adventure activities, and shop in the market…but more on that later!

Pharm.D students: Ann, Song, Me, Pao

The Pink Room

Mission accomplished. I have a home in Phitsanulok. I rented an apartment just blocks from the hospital for less than $100 a month.

P-Kik and and P-Yoo (two pharmacists at the hospital), took me around Phitsanulok Monday night and helped me pick out a suitable place. On our quest, the apartment I ended up choosing was dubbed “The Pink Room.” The Pink Room has pink walls, a pink floor, and a pink ceiling... The Pink Room was the least expensive apartment we viewed, but it was the only one with all of the things I wanted (air-con, fridge, & TV). Most apartments lacked a fridge, which is crucial to my hydration status. Here are some delightful photos of the place (which unfortunately do not show the color very well):

The wonderful view from my balcony:

"Sawadee-ka Thailand!"

"Hello Thailand!"

Well, I made it here all by myself in one piece! Getting to Phitsanulok was by far the longest trip I have ever made. My flights here were uneventful, no celebrities this time... Somehow though, I lucked out and never had to sit next to anyone. For all four flights I had anywhere from 2-4 seats all to myself.

When I finally arrived at the Phitsanulok airport, Kik was there waiting for me. Kik is a pharmacist who works with Apple at Buddhachinaraj Hospital. She was nice enough to take me to an affordable, brand new hotel (Rattana View Hotel, phone: 055-221999). I've got a king size bed, amazing bathroom, mini fridge, TV, balcony, pool, free wireless and free breakfast all for under $20/night!

In an effort to relax after a grueling 36 hour journey, I decided that I needed a massage to help my body recover from being cramped on airplanes and sleeping on airport benches. I got a one hour Thai massage for only $5. The Thai massage, however, is nothing like massages I have had in the U.S. It involved a lot of pulling, pushing, bending, and pounding. The massage was great, but I have to say that I was relieved that I didn't opt for the two hour version.

My next mission is to find a home for the next two months...wish me luck!