back on the T/B border

Oh soo wah my peoples? (that means how are you)...I'm back in Thailand, it's great, as usual. Am here to facilitate a couple workshops and help with some data (1. malaria control - implementing a new artesunate based combination therapy and 2. program planning/mortality/human rights data collection training). It should be interesting given the recent flurry of military aggressions against the ethnic minorities, particularly the karen, since the junta moved their capital away from Rangoon to a city farther north (and closer to karen state). I've been pretty swamped and haven't had much of a chance to write. I actually just got back from a village that I can't disclose the name of b/c the village is 'inside"... plus, Judy C was out here and we totally got to bond during our 4 hr truck ride that went from "what fun sitting back here with the wind blowin in our hair" to "what the fuck. it's raining and we have to keep each other warm with body heat." Because of all the rain, we rode a tractor into the hills as far deep as we could go thru corn fields and then walked the rest of the way. There we did some survey pretesting with the villagers and reviewed their malaria control program, in addition to teaching yoga to the entire village, after which we had a big longan fruit ceremony where they clinic staff sang their village theme song. I'm excited for this new survey b/c we'll be getting some new information - like the total goiter rate, and whether or not an area is endemic with filariasis. (that's the parasite that causes elephantitis of the balls, legs, arms. apparently, you only need to find 1 positive to consider an entire area endemic. we tested out the diagnostic tool on a couple folks here in mae sot and found 2 out of 6 were positive. scary.). I will definitely have to take a treatment course to rid my body of any filariasis worms. A little DEC+the good ole albendy. Did I mention the trauma workshop where the medics used pigs that were injected w/etomidate and then suffocated as subjects to train tracheotomies and other things that these backpact medics have to do due to landmine explosions and other jungle-related injuries? other than that, life is pretty quiet here - no dog attacks, no streets flooding. i've been eating great a ton of green papaya salad. i'll be heading back to LA soon where i'll have to continue my job search, probably go back to my old research place and kiss some butt. speaking of which, i made out witha couple boys in LA before i left. hot. omigod, i gotta continue some translation work...sawadeeKAAAA!!!