First – let me start with the disclaimer that Catherine is okay. Fortunately ingesting seeds rarely results in acute toxicity. One afternoon last week, I gave the girls each half of a Sugar Apple (also known as a Sweetsop or Custard Apple) as a snack. They’ve eaten these many times without incident but this time,…
Tag: Health
Dirty Money
I spotted this at the local grocery shop and thought it was an apt reminder that money is dirty (and not just in Cambodia). Remember to wash your hands after handling it!
Update on Charlotte’s Heel
I wanted to give you a quick update on Charlotte’s Bike Injury. We had a check-up at the Doctor yesterday and, as you can see, it has been healing well. There’s still some swelling around the ankle and one wound that’s still open. Charlotte’s been quite enthusiastic about physical activities since returning to school despite…
A Conversation with Charlotte
It has been a hard week but this talk with Charlotte is why it’s good that the girls are here. Growing up in Brazil shaped me, growing up here is shaping them. Charlotte: The doctor said that my leg might get cut off if there’s an infection. Me: Yes, but that probably won’t happen to…
Bike Injury
On Saturday last week, Charlotte and I had a lovely daddy-daughter outing around Phnom Penh. We stopped by the office on the way home to pick up a bike and, as the guard did some last minute maintenance on it, Charlotte took off her shoes. This is where I messed up – as we started…
The week of broken things
The last 5 days have been full of brokenness. It started last Friday. In my eagerness to set up the partner meeting, I moved a portion of the glass table by myself. My sweaty hands slipped and glass fell hard on my leg, cutting into my shin in two places, leaving spectacular bloody trails all…
Why do so many Cambodians have diabetes?
Cambodians have surprisingly high rates of diabetes. Why? Is it because they put a lot of sugar in their coffee? This is what one expatriate told me when I mentioned that I was excited to have Cambodian coffee again. To paraphrase “Be careful, you’ll get diabetes.” I normally drink my coffee black so it’s a…
Wounds take a long time to heal here
Wounds take a long time to heal here. A scratch on the skin of my strong and healthy children used to heal within a day or two in the United States. Here, it’s at least a week, sometimes more. Perhaps it’s the air quality as thousands of cars, motos and tuk-tuks pump unregulated toxins into…
So delicious – ស្ងោរម្រះ
Today is the monthly potluck Sunday at Plains Mennonite Church and I’m bringing something very special. Bitter Melon stuffed with Pork. When I lived in Prey Veng I was told that Bitter Melon treats diabetes, cures cancer, and lowers cholesterol. I was surprised to discover that there’s a basis for each of these claims! Bitter…