Final Post!

What a journey this has been. I arrived safely in Seattle this past Wednesday after our long flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei. The last few days in Vietnam were relaxing and wonderful. We had a few team meetings where we "debriefed" a bit. It was a wonderful time to share our feelings and impressions of Vietnam together. I want to thank all of you who have read my blog along the way. I appreciate your support and interest in my trip. My expectations were greatly exceeded. I'm having a hard time being home again and keep waking up wondering where I am. I've posted some pictures and videos below from the trip that are some of my favorites. I have plenty more if you ever want to see them!

Here is a picture of me in the ICU:

This photo was taken along the river in Hoi An:
This is another shot from Hoi An:

This is a photo from the Nam Dong region. So gorgeous!

This is a picture of Julianne and I along with Bac Si Thuan (the cardiologist):

Another picture of us in the hospital with Bac Si Thuan:

Water buffalo!!!

Picture with 2 of my favorite Vietnamese nursing students - Thuy and Suong. Caitlin is also pictured on the right. This was taken at the hospital in Khe Tre.

Picture (from left) with Angie, Vu, myself, Duc, and Annika.

Shot of the beautiful beach in Da Nang during our last few days in Vietnam.

Picture of a market in Ho Chi Minh City:

Last but not least, a shot of me with my wonderful de-worming medication: Fugacar. It cures what ails ya!

Here are 3 videos I took on the trip as well:

This is a video of some preschoolers (around age 4) singing and dancing for us. This was taken at a school in the Truong Long village.

This video is of a bus ride into central Hue, Vietnam. Notice all the motorbikes and general craziness!

Finally, this is my favorite video. We were walking in the Huong Giang village area to make a home visit to a new mother. The scenery was spectacular!

I would like to sum up my entire trip with one of my favorite passages of scripture. For me, it describes the lives of those who live in Vietnam as well as my experiences there. I hope you enjoy and thanks again for reading my blog!

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8: A Time for Everything

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

On the Road Again

I forgot to update you on one of my top 10 moments in Vietnam that happened on Thursday! It was incredible. The group I was with decided to make a home visit to a new mother in the Huong Giang area. The baby we would be visiting was 15 days old. Who doesn't love a newborn? On our way to the house, the "moment" happened. There I was, walking arm and arm with my Vietnamese friend Thuy walking along a rugged old road in the middle of nowhere Vietnam. Surrounding the road were rice fields, small irrigation canals, water buffalo, and people working in the fields. It was earlier in the day so everything was calm, quiet, and still. The fields were enclosed in a beautiful valley. The hills and mountains around the valley were lush and tropical. It was such a magical moment that I don't think can ever be recreated. Sigh. It was the Vietnam you want to picture in your head that you hope actually exists.

We left yesterday morning for Hue and survived the treacherous road! Wow-za. I don't think the army corp of engineers would approve of that road at all. Just sayin'. It rained the last few days in Nam Dong so the road back was a muddy-slip-sliding good time. I kept telling myself I was on a roller coaster and I was safe. It worked for a while. But all was well in the end and I spent a wonderful day in Hue on Friday.

Since it was our last full day in our "home" city, we all made the most of it. I did all my last minute souvenier shopping and sight-seeing. This included heading to my favorite dress store (where they make custom-made clothing) and the Dong Bau outdoor market. The market is a hoarder's delight, let me assure you. They have everything and anything you can imagine there. I even found a cute little boulangerie near the hotel. We sat on the rooftop and watched the sunset while enjoying our iced coffee. So delightful.

In the evening, we joined the Vietnamese nursing students one last time for dessert at a local restaurant. No karaoke this time, but lots of wonderful conversations and laughter. I made a short speech to the group along with our other team leader, Betsy. Then it was officially time to say goodbye. Many many tears were shed. My dear friend Suong made me cry the most when she grabbed my hands and told me she loved us all so much and asked that we never forget her. We hugged and hugged and blew kisses and finally parted ways. While I may have many experiences like this in my life, this is a rare occurence for most of the Vietnamese students. I think they all love having new American friends. I even received an email this morning from Suong with one last goodbye and a request to "stay in touch." If and when I ever return to Vietnam, I know I will have many friends here waiting for me.

We leave for Da Nang this morning. I'm glad we'll have some time to relax and reflect for a few days before we return. Our quarter is officially over now and I have handed all my assignments in. Yes, we did have homework and papers to complete here.

I cannot wait to share with you all in person more about my experiences here. Vietnam is an amazing country and I hope you get to experience it for yourself someday firsthand. Pictures and stories can never do it justice. If you ever (ever!) want to discuss Vietnam and it's amazing people more in detail, let me know. I would love to talk with you!

Tam biet for now!

So Long, Nam Dong

Wow. What a week it has been. We leave tomorrow morning (Friday) to return to Hue. Today was our last day working in the clinics. It has been such an interesting experience staying and working in such a rural area of Vietnam. I think I have seen an area of the world that many people would never be able to experience. So where do I begin? I'm not even sure what to say about my experience. I will do my best, but I will fall short of describing what life is like here.

I think the people in the Nam Dong area have a difficult journey in life. They work hard and struggle to make ends meet. I have met people that live in tiny wooden houses that look like they can barely stand. I have made "house calls" to women caring for infants in the most rustic conditions I have seen. I have worked alongside midwives who know every single woman in the village and how many children they have. I have taught a classroom full of children who wear dirty clothes and cannot afford shoes. I have seen physicians struggle to provide appropriate care for people because of limited resources. It's been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences.

Along the way, I have had the full support of the amazing Vietnamese nursing students. I am proud to call these women colleagues and friends. I learned so much about Vietnam and their culture through the experiences and stories of these ladies. Together, we examined many patients in the clinics and taught community health education courses to women and children. This past weekend, we spent 2 days working in the local hospital providing supportive care to patients. My rotation was in the emergency room and I was able to care for many people, young and old.

There have been some fun moments too! Despite working for 12 days in row without a break (!) all of the students found time to play cards, teach each other games, and dissect the English language together. We even went on a hike in the afternoon on Sunday to a local waterfall. There we were, in our scrubs, frolicking and swimming in the water together. The Vietnamese students got a big kick out of me, I think. See, I have a tendency to be quite dramatic at times. The girls experienced this firsthand when I attempted to use the infamous "squatty potty." One of my new friends, Thuy, had to show me exactly how to use this difficult toilet. I conquered in the end, overcame some fears, and was the entertainment for the afternoon (to say the least). It was a hoot.

I have so many more stories to tell, but don't want to go on forever. I only have 1 more week in Vietnam. I'm getting quite sad about this. I wish I could stay for another 6 months!

In the Jungle...the Mighty Jungle

It's Friday! The internet is working! So many things to be glad about.

Each day we eat breakfast outside on a patio overlooking the jungle and a river. In the distance are mountains and you can hear the monkeys off in the distance. I leave my cabin/room each day and am greeted by the frog who seems to be stuck in the lamp outside my room. His name is Rupert and I believe he is protecting me from all the spiders and snakes that want to harm me. Jungle living is extreme. We are in such a remote part of Vietnam. I don't think tourists would ever make it to this part of the country. It's pretty crazy when I think about being in the middle of nowhere in Vietnam. Nuts, right?

I spent this week working in very rural clinics. The first 3 days I was at a clinic in Trung Lo. We saw many patients, treated them for whatever ailed them, and also did our best to educate them on prevention of diseases and illnesses. It has been incredible. Public health nursing is so wonderful because you have the opportunity to sit down with patients, talk with them, answer their questions, and learn their life story. Yesterday and today I was at another clinic called Houng Ho. We met a woman with heart palpitations and insomnia. When she began to tell us her story, she began crying. These women have such difficult lives. By the end, we were all very touched and crying ourselves.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to the local "community center" near the clinic with 4 other students (Vietnamese and SPU). The center was literally an oval shaped hut on stilts. As I ascended the stairs, I realized what an honor this was. I was welcomed by a room full of Katu women, a minority group in Vietnam. Nearly 60 women were present to hear us teach on prenatal care and pregnancy. My fav! We were able to teach them about nutrition, hygiene, and the danger signs to be aware of during pregnancy. We aslo received feedback from them. Apparently, it is common for the Katu to bathe in green tea when pregnant to avoid disease. A lot of the women shared their concerns for nutrition as well. Their main sources of food are rice and some vegetables. Becuase so many of them are very poor, they are unable to afford meat and fruit. It is always difficult to know what to say in these situations. We offered the best advice we could.

After our presentation, the women sang songs to us in their native language and we sang a couple too! It was such a joy. One of those moments where you just have to sit there and soak it all in. I mean...there I am...in a hut in the middle of nowhere Vietnam having Katu women in traditional costume singing to me. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a blessing!

So yes, it's a billion degrees here with 150% humidity. And yes, there are bugs crawling all over my room. Yes, I'm dirty and sweaty and gross. But moments like that make it all worth it. I cannot believe I am able to do what I love in this setting, with these women, while working alongside Vietnamese nursing students.

The students by the way, are amazing. We are having so much fun together. I'm learning so much from them about their country and culture. The friends I made this week are Vu, Doc, Me, and Tui. I can pronounce them all too! Ha!

I'm off for now. The jungle awaits...

We're Soooo Not in Kansas Anymore

So gmail is not working here and the internet is on the fritz. When we send emails, it only sends the subject matter....so here's probably my one and only update while we are here in Nam Dong. I will try to maybe update another time, but if that doesn't work, I will update later. 10 days or so.

Anyway, so I'm in Nam Dong. Which should be titled "Tropic Thunder Mountain." This place is unreal. We are in the jungle. Straight up jungle. Big time. If you think I am totally and completely out of my element right now, you are correct. Julianne (another girl on my trip) expects to find me someday lost in the jungle like Ben Stiller from the movie "Tropic Thunder" complete with panda skin on my head, huddled under my In Style magazine trying to phone home on my ipod.

The road to get here was a long (long!), narrow winding road up this moutain. The road was under construction at some points and our little bus would be teetering on the edge of this dirt path. It was super sketch...not gonna lie. We made it safely to our little hotel/resort area. Most interesting and not like a resort you would think of. We are in little cabin type things in the jungle. I cannot emphasize enough how many bugs, insects, snakes, mosquitoesm frogsm birds, spiders!, lizards, and various creatures are around us. The spiders are huge! Huge! I have never seen spiders of this size before. There was a giant toad in one of the girls' bathroom and I had a fierce battle with a giant (giant!) cockroach last night. I have to sleep under a mosquito net too. Talk about an interesting experience. I keep waking up thinking I'm going to get all tangled in the netting. Oh...and the first night we got here there was a giant tropical rainstorm too. Amazing. Straight up jungle...what did I tell you. No tigers yet, but who knows?

Aside from all that, we also began our work in the clinics. I am at a clinic in an area called Trang Lo. I am there with 2 other SPU students, 2 Vietnamese nursing students, and one of their instructors. We have seen many patients including a lady with mastitis and lots of children with various illnesses. Today a patient received acupunture and I was able to assist the doctor by placing one of the acupunture needles! Yes, I can add acupunturist to my resume now. We also taught a lot of patients about appropriate hygiene and hand washing. Basic things in the States, but much needed here.

Okay...I better go now. There are so many bugs crawling on the desk and computer screen right now. Not to mention the mosquitoes buzzing around my face. Please remember me as you sit in your bug free environment. Yikes!

Bittersweet Day

Well...we've reached the series finale for life at "Hue Central Hospital." The rest of this past week was unreal. We witnessed 2 patients coding and the response of the medical staff to the situation. It was my first time seeing a patient code. It is a very difficult experience to watch. The doctors and nurses were great and luckily both patients were fine afterwards. I had the opportunity to see many more patients and teach a number of mothers about breastfeeding and appropriate nutrition for their children. It was wonderful. The doctors continued to be amazing. I was paired up with Dr. Ha on Thursday and Friday. He specializes in oncology and when I met and assessed his patients it was clear how much they loved him. He is one of the most caring individuals I have met here. He also took me down to the infectious disease unit (my favorite) and I saw another case of Dengue fever. He told me that the name Dengue does not come from the scientist that discovered it or the location where it orginated. Instead, the disease was named after a Brazilian dance which he gladly demonstrated for me! It was so funny. We even got him on film doing the "Dengue Fever Dance." Classic moment.

This morning (Saturday) was our last day in the hospital. I worked with Dr. Tan for a short about of time on the GI floor learning all about diarrhea! What a joy. We also got a quick tour of the maternity ward including the labor, delivery, and post-partum units. I was pushing all week for us to get a tour. Ask and ye shall receive, right? It was so great to see all of the mothers and their newborns. Sigh. In the postpartum unit, all of the mothers are in the same giant room together with row after row of beds. It's an incredible sight. After our tour we met up again with all of the doctors that worked with us over the past few weeks and presented them with home-made cards and flowers. As the team leader, I said a few words of gratitude. These doctors have all impacted our lives and we will never forget them. We all exchanged email addresses and decided to stay in contact with them and let them know our plans after graduation. I know that if I ever come back to Vietnam, I must visit some of them. We took a lot of pictures together and then said our good-byes. Some tears were shed (truly!) and many "thank yous" were exchanged. It was such a touching moment.

I spent the afternoon enjoying a little rest and relaxation with some of the other girls at a nearby pool! It was one of the hottest days ever here. We had to pay an entrance fee but it was well worth it. And don't worry...I wore sunscreen and I'm not burned. Everyone else on the trip seems to be so concerned about my fair skin here. But I'll be careful. I promise. Tonight we are going to dinner with the Vietnamese nursing students who will be with us for the next week in Nam Dong. In Nam Dong, we will travel into various villages with the students and work togeth in the clinics there. So tonight is our "getting to know you" night. Should be fun.

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Nam Dong with the entire team and the other nursing students. I am so excited to see what this next week will bring. I can only imagine...

Oh IMCI, how I heart thee

More updates this week because I'm able to see and do a lot more. I spent yesterday afternoon learning about the IMCI program which is sort of a triage and diagnosis process for various illnesses and diseases. We had a lecture from one of the doctors after lunch. The culture here is so great because in the middle of the lecture people kept coming in and out of the room to retrieve things, ask our 'lecturer' questions, and he even stopped at one point to answer his cell phone. I've learned to adapt to this and even enjoy the constant interruption. So typical of Vietnam. A few of us got a tour of the main hospital building after that. We have only seen the pediatric hospital up to this point, so it was nice to see where the adults were being treated.

This morning I was paired up again with Bac Si Luong to practice the IMCI program on actual patients. We were followed by approximately 20 other medical and nursing students. It was overwhelming. We would crowd around 1 patient's bed and do the exam. Can you picture this happening back home? It was also intimidating for me as I had 20 sets of eyes watching and analyzing my entire examination. Now I know what Bac Si Hau felt the other day when he did the catheter placement. After we saw 3 patients, I was paired up with Bac Si Chi who is an endocrinologist. She was doing outpatient visits and I saw 4 patients with her who all had Grave's disease. So interesting! These patients all had large goiters and delayed growth and development.

This afternoon we head back to have a tour of the adult ICU and then I will spend time on the pediatric nephrology unit. I'm hoping to see some more kids with nephrotic syndrome and glomerulonephritis. I will keep you updated on how that goes.

This week is a long one and I think some people on the team are beginning to feel it. We have long days at the hospital followed by afternoons of homework and then team meetings in the evening. We don't really have much 'free time.' That has been a challenge for me, but I'm adjusting okay. Luckily, I am surrounded by many encouraging and uplifting women who are in the same boat. We can do this, right? Whatever the situation, I am still completely grateful and overwhelmed to be here each day. What a blessing to wake up in Vietnam every morning and head to the hospital to provide care and education to the people here.