Wednesday 30 September 2009

God has blessed me in so many ways in my life. For 5 years I have been blessed with great friends, my manchester family.. the family I have away from home.


A special thank you to Rach, Mingwei, Yipei, Jian Hui, Ai Ling, Abdullah, Farah, Kang Loon, Wani and Ida for the wonderful coffee maker turned speakers ( they are the coolest EVER speakers I have ever owned!)

Thank you, WengHong, Paran and Mo for the webcam! ( i was really pleased to know that you've remembered that I didnt have a webcam previously, and bought me one just so that I can speak to my parents more often and they can see me! )^^


Thank you, Cass for the lovely doodlebook ^^ now i can doodle more 'artistically' when I'm bored.. rather than scribbling all over my notes!

Thank you, Melissa for treating me lunch, and the lovely poem and hymn =) you help me keep my faith in God, my dear sister in Christ.

Thank you, Charles and KangLoon my new found kind friends! The gifts and cards was unexpected, but of course I am pleased! and grateful ^^

Thank you my dearest pa, and mummy, who sent me a text wishing me happiness every minute of my life.

Thank you, Adrian for your yearly effort to visit me on my birthday! =)

Thank you, my bffs Helen n PP, for coming all the way from London and Edin, just to spend a 'birthday weekend' with me!

It may be the last birthday I'll be celebrating in Manchester, but it was certainly another unforgettable one.

Thank you, everyone. Love you guys muchie! xoxo




On another note, today was my first day at Ashton Outreach centre.. and boyy was I impressed with the facilities we have there! Digital radiography, excellent sterilising facilities,state-of-the-art dental chairs, intercom facilities, qualified dental nurses.. a dynamic community oral health promotion team.. you name it they have it! And they're blardy damn good at what they do too, apparently!

It still feels abit surreal, coming back to the UK to do dentistry, when not long ago.. i was in Cambodia, doing basic dentistry with basic equipment! The VAST difference between countries in terms of facilities, manpower basically EVERYTHING dental related just hit me in the face quite hard.

Yes I've done 4years of Dentistry, why the surprise now??

I guess becoz when we had this talk about 'inequality' in the type of treatment provided to various community 'classes' in the UK this morning.. I had flashbacks of the children in Kampung Speu.

Manns speak about inequality.. and human rights to gold standard 'healthcare'??

After which I had this strong urge to contribute to my own country's oral healthcare system.. hahaha speak about ambition!

I think it was a spur at the moment thought bcoz the team was really impressive in terms of their oral health promotion strategies and efficiency. The team leader who spoke to us was so motivated, I could tell she really believed that we could make a difference as health care professionals.. it was contagious!

Anyways, pictures from my amazing experience in Cambodia is loooong overdue! Here are a few =)


these kids in the orphanage we visited was cutting coconuts from their tree for us to quench our thirst ^^


this orphanage was as basic as anything that I've ever seen in my life



the kids in Kampung Speu childcare centre was much more priviledged, this is where they live


uncle sunny's impressive effort to educate the youngsters in the centre to be young entrepreneurs by buying them veggie seeds to plant and look after, after which the harvest is sold to get some money.they have cows too! and rabbits as pets =)


a fraction of the loveable kids, on our last night there. Yes we dentists inflict pain occasionally, but children hold no grudge. They even thanked us profusely, they had so much love to give, and want so much love in return, its heart breaking


hahaha and of course the unforgettable nerve wrecking 'oral health promotion' talk in front of almost 100students from the college nearby.. which we didnt even prepare for! yes spontaneity is the best policy ( or not) haha


i will always remember 'coconut hair girl' and her daily tight hugs that she gives whenever she sees us walking pass


and of course, our lovely helpers/ dental nurses/ friends from the centre! we bonded, over patients screaming with tears, and 'stubborn teeth and roots' that refuse to come out.


No this is not a colgate advert!

and yes, I cannot begin to even describe what an AMAZING experience doing dentistry in Cambodia was.. something I will never forget for the rest of my life!



2 comments:

joyce said...

PeiLian, Happy belated Birthday!!You had a great birthday yea, aren't you?=) Enjoy ur final year in Manc and with ur friends...=) haha...me too have to enjoy my final year over here dy...without all the pose in societies make me feel weird at first but thinking it will be a good year ahead cause i manage to spend more time with F.R.I.E.N.D.S...*_^ take care my dear..:)

Grace said...

hi there pl,
am glad your birthday was lovely :) it's also great to see your renewed rigour and passion for your career ahead. we are indeed blessed that the trials of our years have moulded us and built us to be more mature, better people.
May you continue drawing strength from The MIghty One for your journey.
love, mei lin