Reflections

Chloe Goh

A 2 hour flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh, an 8 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Battambang. Our first day in Cambodia was a long day of travel, but distance so often rewards with perspective. Before the trip went into full swing, I reminded myself not to fall prey to the “saviour” mentality,  to not go into this new world haughtily, thinking that we would do it all this good. We might (and I believe we did), but what we give is always something that is first given to us. We have benefited greatly from our upbringing in Singapore and now, the only right thing to do is to pay it forward for those who might not have been as lucky as us. 

I began my journey with Sothea tampering my expectations. I knew that there was great need but I was also acutely aware of our limitations, both financial and in expertise. We were M1s  who had scraped together basic knowledge of the Cambodian health system and the people we were to serve in a measly 4 months. I wondered if we were the right people to be doing this work. However, there is a need for it, and so try we must. 

During the health screenings, there was a seemingly endless number of villagers with medical problems and yet, we could only afford to send a handful of them for referrals each day. In the face of all that need, I felt helpless. It was one of the referral cases that broke that train of thought. A little boy who came for our health screening had completely fractured his arm. Without our health screening and referrals, he would never have had access to surgery or a proper arm splint. Our presence there that day had made a difference. Because Project Sothea existed, he would recover well, grow up and forget that he had ever even fractured it. 

In many ways, my experience in Project Sothea is a good parallel for Medicine. Even once I become a fully qualified doctor, it doesn’t mean that I will be able to heal every hurt and cure every patient I meet. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. 

I learnt that we should celebrate every small victory amidst the many failures, celebrate even one life helped amidst the many we cannot save. If we choose to focus on everything we cannot do and all the people we cannot reach, we will end up doing nothing at all and helping no one. We are limited, who can say that they are not? Cognisant of this, we will continue striving to do as much good as we possibly can. I believe that Project Sothea encapsulates this mentality, reminding us that even if we cannot change the world, we must continue to do ー “small things with great love”.

Project Sothea isn’t just a group of 28 medical students. It is the Cambodian students, partners, sponsors, mentors and our families. It is every single person who has put faith in us to make a difference in Battambang. The journey is hard and often discouraging but let us never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.