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!