Category Archives: Southeast Asia

SHAME ON US

Posted on 08/15/2021 by Jorge Medico

SHAME ON US! I am angry, and I’m deeply ashamed. I just turned off the news (which I watch with decreasing frequency, as it seems designed to make me fearful, angry or both) showing scenes of the fall of Kabul, … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Death and Dying, Ethics, History, Honor, Lies, News and politics, Politics, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Vietnam War | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Memorial Day Poems

Posted on 05/31/2021 by Jorge Medico

Today is Memorial Day. Having attended an all-boys school during the Vietnam era, I lost a significant number of friends and classmates during that war. Many years later, after the Vietnam Memorial wall was built in Washington D.C., I still … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Death and Dying, History, Honor, News and politics, Poetry, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Vietnam War | Tagged | Leave a comment

JOY

Posted on 08/15/2020 by Jorge Medico

I slept and dreamt  that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. – Rabindranath Tagore My other favorite quote from this wise Bengali poet: You can’t cross the sea … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Health and wellness, Poetry, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Southeast Asia – Bali – Chapter 7

Posted on 07/06/2020 by Jorge Medico

Flying with Garuda Airlines can be an adventure in many ways. Knowing its issues with reliability, the day Marjorie and I were scheduled to fly to Bali for a weekend R&R, I asked Barun, our driver, to wait until he … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Family, Food, friendship, Happiness, Humor, Medicine, Religion, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Southeast Asia – Chapter 6

Posted on 07/05/2020 by Jorge Medico

My work week in Solo rapidly became an established routine of bedside rounds in the morning, followed by lunch, then didactic sessions in the afternoon, using the slide sets of medical topics I brought with me from the States. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, friendship, Happiness, Humor, Medicine, National Parks, Religion, School, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Southeast Asia – Chapter 5

Posted on 07/04/2020 by Jorge Medico

Shortly after arriving in Solo, I asked the team at the hospital regarding personal safety, and how safe should I feel walking around the local streets by myself, especially at night. Having an armed guard outside of the bungalow where … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Family, friendship, Happiness, Health and wellness, Religion, School, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Southeast Asia – Chapter 4

Posted on 07/03/2020 by Jorge Medico

While Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world by population, it has sizable Hindu and Buddhist minorities. In the 1970’s, these groups all peacefully coexisted. My new radiologist friend and co-worker in Solo, Marjorie, turned out to be … Continue reading →

Posted in friendship, Health and wellness, Medicine, Religion, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Southeast Asia – Chapter 3

Posted on 07/02/2020 by Jorge Medico

I was discovering I had a lot to learn in my role as teacher to my new medical colleagues in the regional hospital in Surakarta (Solo). The hospital system operated along rigid guidelines laid down by the local bureaucracy, and … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Death and Dying, Food, friendship, Happiness, Health and wellness, Medicine, School, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Southeast Asia – Chapter 2

Posted on 07/01/2020 by Jorge Medico

My first night in Solo, I must confess, was not a restful one. Like a child, I ended up sleeping with the light turned on, as I kept hearing noises I wasn’t used to, and the idea of sharing my … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and Dying, Food, Happiness, Medicine, School, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Southeast Asia – Indonesia Chapter 1

Posted on 06/30/2020 by Jorge Medico

Garuda is the Indonesian national airline, and the change in amenities it provided on the flight from Bangkok to Jakarta was a stark reminder that I, like Dorothy, wasn’t in Kansas anymore. My memories of that trip are like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Happiness, Health and wellness, Humor, Medicine, News and politics, Organizations, School, Southeast Asia, Thoughts & Musings, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments