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.

Dengue Fever...is that you?

How is it possible to learn so much in such a short amount of time? I thought my brain would be full by now, but no! I was in the ICU again yesterday and was able to watch an interesting procedure. One of the patients had nephrotic syndrome which advanced to renal failure. In order to receive dialysis, Dr. Hau placed a stent/catheter in her femoral vein. A procedure like this in the States would probably be low-key but in Vietnam it's a whole other story. I watched the procedure along with Kelly (another girl on the trip) and about 15 other people. This included med students, nurses, nursing students, and residents. It was a packed house. The pressure was on for Dr. Hau. After 2 attempts, he was finally successful. Talk about pressure! I know I wouldn't want 15 people watching me as I tried to place a catheter into someone's vein. Sheesh.

Today I was on the GI unit and the infectious disease floor for a bit. What a treat! I worked with Dr. Luong this time. His method of teaching is so great. He basically brings you into the room and says, "okay now, assess the patient and figure out what is wrong with them." Luckily another student was with me and we worked together to determine that one patient had Dengue Fever and another had measles. Two diseases that I may never have the opportunity to see in the States. Dr. Luong provided translation for us as we interviewed each patient, got a history of their signs/symptoms, and did a physical assessment. It's amazing to read about a disease in a textbook one day and see it in the hospital the next.

This afternoon we are going to learn more about IMCI (integrated management of childhood illness) and how to use it properly here in Vietnam. IMCI is a diagnostic program designed by the World Health Organization so doctors, nurses, etc. can easily diagnose and distinguish between a variety of infectious diseases in children. Tomorrow morning we will be in the emergency room in order to use IMCI to diagnose patients. Love it!

In other news: Last night we went out to eat at a new restaurant. Caitlin and I decided to be adventerous and order some Vietnamese delicacies. She ordered the eel and I went for the frog. When in Rome, I guess. As you can see from the picture below, we cleared our plates and went home happy.
Hope you're all doing great. The trip is almost 1/2 way done. I can't believe it!

Comas, Scalps, and Orlando Bloom?

I think we're finally back in the swing of things here in Hue. I will be working in the pediatric ICU for the next couple of days. It is such a different world here when it comes to medicine. The ICU is quite different than what you would see in the States. I was able to take care of a number of babies this morning and I loved it. These kids had a number of problems including heart defects, pneumonia, cleft lip/palate, bacterial meningitis, kidney failure, and one girl was in a coma after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. I was paired with another student, Kelly, and we worked with Bac Si Hau. He is a very busy physician, but took the time to explain the disease process for many of these kids. Again, the patience and kindness of these physicians is astounding.

I was able to clean the scalp of a 5 month old boy this morning. His head had never been washed before and it was covered in a lot of dead, crusty skin. This is a common practice in Vietnam as many of the people believe that if the baby's head is washed, their soul will blow away. Very interesting. The cleaning process was sorta gross, but he looked so much better afterwards. One of the many delightful battles we face in nursing...

The past few days have been pretty low-key. It was raining and cold here for a while, but I am a-okay with it. I think everyone else wishes it was warmer, but as you're aware, I do not do well in the heat. It finally stopped raining today and is a bit warmer. I'm hoping this weather holds-out until we leave for the villages next Sunday.

In other fun news: we went out to eat at the most amazing Pho restaurant last night. They had the best food I've had in Vietnam to date. They had these fried pastry dumplings filled with various (and unidentifiable) food. It was a place where only the locals hang out except for one other tourist guy. I swear it was Orlando Bloom! He looked just like him but everyone else disagreed with me. But I will stand by my celebrity sighting. Why wouldn't he be here? I mean, Orlando needs a vacation too, right? Sheesh.

Okay...that's all for now. Wish me luck in the week or so ahead. This begins our marathon hospital and village time. Non-stop, 7 days a week. We won't have another break now until mid-March. Should be fun!

Back in Hue

The break for Tet and New Years is still in full swing in Hue. We spent our New Years Eve at the Citadel in Hue. Honestly, it was one of the craziest, scariest, and most enjoyable experiences of my life. We walked about 1 mile from our hotel to get there along with thousands and thousands of other people and motorbikes. I have never been in such a large group of people and bikes before. It was touch and go for a bit as we tried to make our way through the crowd. It was like Times Square on New Year's Eve times 10! We survived, however and eventually made it back to our hotel around 11:30 pm in time to watch the fireworks from the balcony. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Our group traveled to Hoi An on Sunday because everything in Hue closed down. They even discharged all of the patients from the hospital except those in the ICU. Hoi An was about a 3 hour scenic and gorgeous bus ride from Hue. I saw the countryside, oceans, and moutains along the way. Once we arrived in Hoi An I knew I was in for a treat. It is an ancient town with small buildings, beautiful bridges crossing the river, small narrow roads, and it's even near the ocean. Oh....and there were a ton of tourists too. We spent our first morning (Monday) taking a bike ride along the river to the ocean. And by the way, the bikes had adorable little baskets on the front. Obviously. We then frolicked in the waves and enjoyed the warm sun. We biked back to the hotel mid-day and headed into town for some shopping and site seeing. If you ever come to Vietnam, Hoi An is the one city you MUST see!

On Tuesday we made our way back to Hue. We made a stop at a place called Marble Mountain. Not to be confused with candy mountain ;). It was a large moutain near the sea. We paid our entrance fee and then walked up about a billion steps to the top. What a view! 360 degrees all around on a sunny, clear, breezy day. The ocean in front of us and the mountains and rice fields behind. It was beautiful. I wish I could upload some pictures but I'm having technical difficulties here....sad day. Marble Mountain is also famous because of its many caves. Inside these giant caves there are alters and large carvings. It is a sacred site here in Vietnam and I'm so glad we got the chance to see it.

We are back to our normal routine now in Hue. A lot of places are still closed for the holiday, but we are making the most of it. We head back to the hospital soon and I cannot wait! After Tet, the hospital gets very busy with patients. Hopefully, I will have some great stories to tell. Hue is our home-front for the next week and a half. It already feels like home here even though I haven't been in Vietnam that long. The hospitality and friendly nature of the people here is unmatched. I cannot imagine future where I do not return to this amazing country.

I hope you are all doing well too! I am unable to check facebook or other email accounts while I am here. So feel free to email me at my gmail account or comment on the blog. I would love to hear from you. Here is a link to some more photos from our trip that Bob Catherman has been taking: http://picasaweb.google.com/medrix.robert/VillageMarket?authkey=Gv1sRgCIy5ieG81ayelQE#
Take a gander if you like.

Also: Quick shout-out to my wonderful roommate Melissa who is recently engaged to her boyfriend Jeff! Congrats to you both and I'm so thrilled for you. I cannot wait to get home and hear more about it! Another shout-out to my sister, Brooke because I found the Vietnamese Walmart yesterday. What a treasure. I know you love Walmart so much ;) That's all for now! Until next time....

Army Hippopotamus: The Mirror of Fashion

My blog title today refers to a t-shirt we saw here in Vietnam. It was incredible. Some things just get lost in translation I guess? Since we spotted that shirt, I've been searching endlessly for one of my own. What a treasure!

So I had one of the most amazing experiences this week. Totally a top 10 moment of all time. On Friday, Julianne (a fellow nursing student) and I finished lunch early and decided to walk to the post office to make our first call home. It was a warm, blustery afternoon around 12:30pm. As we walked down the street the wind began to pick up a bit more and there were leaves and other various debris flying about. Suddenly, I found myself blinded by something. A piece of fabric was covering my face completely and I could not see. I quickly removed the object only to discover it was a pair of men's underwear! What are the chances? One in 10 billion perhaps? And why was men's underwear flying around the city and falling on my face? Only in Vietnam...underwear to the face. We laughed and laughed for a good 4 blocks.

This morning at breakfast I also had another delightful moment. Our fearless leader LaRelle (founder of Medrix) purchased some delicious local fruit for us to try. Quite the variety. I decided to try one called "Mother's Milk." What a name! Anyway, I began to enjoy this new fruit along with some other students. I was almost finished with mine when I glanced down and noticed a small, crawling larva of some sort. Just a little extra protein in my diet for the day. What a treat.

On a more serious note: This week has been amazing. I have learned so much more about nursing and medicine. I was paired up with Bac Si (doctor) Luong for 2 days and Bac Si Thuan for the next 2. Bac Si Luong was the hematologist and oncologist on the unit. Bac Si Thuan is the cardiologist. He was amazing! He taught me how to distinguish between the severities of heart mumurs with my stethoscope. A new skill! Love it. We saw many patients with heart defects that are unable to receive surgery because it is so expensive. It was pretty hard to see. The upside? I was able to sit down with Bac Si Thuan for a couple hours and just talk about his life and learn about his country. We are now friends and plan on staying in contact after I leave. He is an amazing and accomplished physician. All of the doctors here are so hard working and so humble. I've never met a finer group of gentlemen.

Today (Saturday) we took a boat ride up the Perfume River to a Buddist pagoda and then to the emperor's tomb site. 2 amazing sites! So much history. The river cruise was so beautiful. It's so surreal for me. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't on the jungle cruise at Disneyland. It sounds nuts, but I kept waiting for the mechanical hippos to pop up at some point. But no...it's real. There are people who live on the river in small boats. It's incredible. I don't think I can begin to describe how different, but great things are here. I'm in love with this country.

Tet begins tomorrow so today is crazy in Hue! It's like Christmas Eve. Everyone is out and about shopping for last minute items and the whole city is decorated with lights and flowers. It is gorgeous. Each family buys a mum plant for their home. It would would be like our xmas tree. If you want to see some pictures, you can view them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/medrix.robert/Report1?authkey=Gv1sRgCNb28OzN0_vuuQE#. Bob Catherman (the co-founder of Medrix) took these photos. So lovely. They have a huge fireworks display at midnight because it's the lunar New Year. We are going to watch from the top of our hotel. So excited!

So Happy New Year everyone and Happy Valentine's Day!

Wow.

Am I a medical resident here? Perhaps.

Oh wow you guys. Things here are incredible. I don't even know where to begin. I have already seen and done so much. I spent the last 2 days in Hue central hospital in the pediatric unit. I worked with Dr. Luong who is a hemotologist and oncologist. I worked patients with thrombocytopenia, leukemia, chronic anemia, bone marrow failure, and even some cardiac patients. I saw one girl with tetrology of fallot with severe clubbing and cyanosis. So unique. I can't believe I'm seeing so many amazing things. Tomorrow I switch preceptors and I will be working with the cardiologist. I think I will be seeing patients with congenital heart defects and rheumatic fever. Even though I don't speak the same language as the doctors I am working with we are still able to communicate quite clearly. Medical terminology seems to be the same no matter where you go. I was even able to diagnose a patient today with viral pneumonia. Who am I? Diagnosing patients? Really?

We were able to celebrate Tet (the New Year) with the staff of the hospital for lunch. They setup 2 alters in the hospital. One at the entrance and one on the 3rd floor. The alter was a huge table with food, drinks, fake money, gifts, and incense buring. All of this is for their ancestors. The incense filled the whole hospital with smoke. This is something you would never see at home. I can't imagine a whole hospital (4 floors) filled with incense and thick smoke. After the 'offerings' were made we had a huge feast with traditional foods. Everything was pretty tasty. The only 2 difficult things were the gelatanous squid dessert and the bean curd & tobacco leaf custard. Wow. I was trying to be so respectful, but it was a challenge to get those 2 down.

Aside from all of that, I have been able to enjoy Hue to it's fullest. We've been eating the most amazing food and seeing the incredible sights. Hue is so much larger than I anticipated. Bigger than Boise...if you can believe it. However, no matter where we go we are a giant spectacle. We are so much taller and larger than the people here. We get stared at non-stop. We were out for coffee once and a woman just walked up and stood there next to us. She just stared and watched. I mean, why not? I would stare too.

Vietnam is amazing. The culture is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Totally different in so many ways. I can't even begin to describe it. And have I mentioned the heat? Oh wow...seriously intense. I'm a wreck most of the time. Just sweating. That's probably why I'm such a spectacle. They can't figure out how or why someone would sweat that much. It's nuts.

That's all for now. Miss you all!

I'm here!

After 3 flights, 2 upgrades to business class, 1 tour of Ho Chi Minh City, 8 bottles of water, and 0 nights of sleep...I have arrived. If you think my suitcase was the largest one of the groups, you are correct. If you think I packed more than anyone else, you are correct. If you think I'm sweating more than anyone else, you are also correct.

So how can I sum up the last couple days? I'll give it a go...
The flight from Seattle to Taiwan was just fine. 13 1/2 hours of delightful sitting. We switched planes there for Ho Chi Minh city. When we landed there it was crazy. There was a sea (thousands!) of people outside the airport. Next week it Tet, which is their new year. It's bigger than Christmas. Seriously. So the airport was jammed with people. We made our way through the crowd to hop on our tour bus. A giant, hot pink tour bus. Needless to say, we were not blending in at all. We took a tour of the city and stopped for lunch. We also went to the Vietnam war museum. What an interesting experience. Very sad. Our day there was short as we had to head back to the airport for the flight to Hue. We all got bumped to 1st class and got to go the 1st class lounge. There we were....hot, dirty, sweaty, and gross wandering around this uber-fancy lounge. Kinda embarrassing, but still delightful. We arrived in Hue around 6:30pm on Sunday night. We were all exhausted. We dropped off our stuff at our hotel and grabbed some dinner.

That about sums up the trip so far. It's Monday morning right now (I think). We have a free day today. I plan on going to the Hue market with some of the girls. Should be fun. Tomorrow, we begin our work at the pediatric hospital about 1/2 mile from our hotel. I'm so excited for that.

Please keep in touch with me and I will do the same. You can email me at summervandam@gmail.com Take care!!!

Leaving Today

I've got about a million little errands to run and things to do today. Our flight leaves tonight from Seattle. I am experiencing mixed emotions right now. Excited, anxious, fearful, happy, and overwhelmed probably sum it all up for me.

Luckily, I have the most supportive friends and family in my life. Last night I was able to spend time with all my friends (i.e. my "Seattle family"). They had a bit of a going away party for me and I had a blast! I received cards, hugs, and even small gifts. My awesome friend Cameron packed me a travel bag with magazines, gum, snacks, and hand sanitizer. I also want to give a shout out to Malia for her friendship bread and sweet card. You made me cry! And just a big "thank you" to the rest of you who came out. I'm going to miss you all so much.

That's about it for now. Gotta go prepare myself for the 13 hour (!) plane ride tonight. Byyyyyeeee!!!!!

Friday!

I'm leaving this Friday. Wow. I've been talking and talking about this trip for soooo long and now it's finally here! I can't stop reading over our itinerary...so I thought I would share it. I mean, why not? Here are our travel plans:

1. Taipei, Taiwan. I'm obviously going to count Taiwan as a country I've visited. I don't care if I'm just in the airport for a layover. It counts!

2. Ho Chi Minh City. We'll spend a day there enjoying the sights, I believe.

3. Hue. We'll spend most of our time here working in the pediatric hospital.

4. Hoi An. Two day side trip. See pic below. Looks incredible!

5. Nam Dang. This is where we will work in rural clinics providing health care to one of the minority groups in Vietnam, the Katu people.

6. Hue. Again.

6. Da Nang.

7. Ho Chi Minh City again for debriefing before we leave.

I just know this trip will go by too fast. Don't they always? I will update again once we're settled in Hue. Hopefully I can give you some info by next Monday or Tuesday.

Wish me luck this week as I finish my finals and cram my brain full of as much information as I can on pediatrics and community health care before I go!