Vietnam-Cambodia 2010

I am finally back in the US with my family after a whirlwind tour of Vietnam and a medical/dental mission to Cambodia in the last 3 weeks. I usually write my blog as I travel but this time there was just no time for that. So this blog is a little late but …

I am going to start first with the most memorable part of this trip, the Cambodia dental medical mission which was organized by Father Toai and his team, under the sponsorship of  the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation. We, a collective bunch of friends/colleagues/volunteers first talked about a medical mission earlier this year with several sites considered ( Mekong delta, Cambodia, Central Highland of VN) but Cambodia was chosen. With roughly 36 people from different backgrounds and ages, a team was put together to include 6 dentists, 3 medical doctors, 2 pharmacist, 1 physician assistant , a nurse. There were several younger members ( teenagers, college students) and parents volunteering for this as well. As different as we all were, we worked very well together with everyone putting in their work with sweats and muscles.  Click on the link below for some pictures
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Traveling from Saigon (SGN) to Siem Reap was a long 12-hour bus ride with beautiful scenery rolling by with water buffaloes, vast streches of green rice paddies dotted with rustic homes, Thot-Not trees and an occasional Buddhist temple against the backdrop of a warm , cloudy morning. Most of us were quiet in our own thoughts, some were catching up on much needed sleep. Since the trip was arranged by a tour company, most of the paperwork required to enter Cambodia was taken care of as we made a short stop at the Moc Bai border stop for processing before hopping back on the bus to continue our journey to Siem Reap. Along way, we made pit stops for you-know-what and to sample local delicacies including deliciously seasoned fried tarantula ( the legs tasted like soft shell crabs, by the way, I did not dare to try the body) and crickets ( which I did not sample)
For a real dinner, we were treated to a buffet at a beautiful restaurant in Siem Reap that most of us voted as the best Vietnamese foods outside of Vietnam. The elegant setting with soft lighting, beautiful decorations complemented the delicious spread of banh khot, banh xeo, bun rieu, plus many more. Desserts were just as scrumptious with strong hint of coconut flavor in most of them. I already have it down as a must-go-eat place if I am ever back to Siem Reap. But sadly, we were not there just for eating so a quick meeting was called to organize our group into teams in preparation for the next day’s mission before checking in our hotel for the night.
The next day came early as we departed by bus to the port where we boarded several small motorized boats that were also loaded with our equipments, supplies and medicines. We formed a human chain stretching from the bus to the boats to get them on board. We arrived at the site after a 20 minutes ride in the muddy river, passing many floating homes with some barely larger than a small kitchen that were shelters to families of 6-8 people. Along the way, we were met with many curious looks as we were not the typical flotilla of tourists that passed by their windows every few minutes or so. Our hello gestures were met with a few reluctant wave of hands in reply. Many children were stark naked, few were embarrassed enough to take cover away from our curious gaze. As poor as the community was, it was a functioning one completed with school, church, repair shops, mobile phone card store, small groceries and even a community clean water station ( courtesy of the USAID).  Click on the link below for more pictures…

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We arrived at the floating school and church that served as our work sites. We divided into a dental and medical sections with the former occupied a more airy room with large windows looking out into the busy river. After a frantic hour setting up our equipments, organizing the pharmacy table and exam stations, we welcomed a steady wave of patients with variety of ailments. As it happened to be the day of the Vu Lan festival with many people visiting Buddhist temples, the crowd of people was smaller than we had anticipated which gave some of us an opportunity to mingle with the villagers to snap a few pictures and chat with them about their living situations. Most of these villagers have been living here for many years or even generations after drifting from Vietnam, few were trying to escape the communist regime on foot to Thailand but never made it there. Slowly, they formed a community of about 400 families; a community of illegal aliens as they have not been recognized by the Cambodian government. So, no paper, no country to call home, they make their living on the big lake Tonle Sap as fishermen. They are allowed to do net-fishing during the fishing season, but only able to catch fish with rods during the off-season. So life can get particularly difficult for them during the off-season as they have to borrow money to buy food, then work to pay back these debts later. Others ( usually women, girls) sell knick-knacks, foods and even their body to earn a meager sum to survive. There were a few young girls who contracted HIV while working as prostitutes to make a few dollars a day, according to Father John Toai.  Most of the villagers are illiterate even in Vietnamese since education is not a priority as survival takes precedence. We met several teenagers who were  just starting school but even then their education can be sporadic as they have to help their families with daily works. It is not uncommon to see a family with 5,6 children. I met a 33-year-old mother who had 10 children, 2 of whom had died young, but she was unsure if she was going to have more baby with contraception methods sorely lacking. Surgery such as tubal ligation is prohibitively expensive, and I assume that vasectomy is not a widely popular option either. So, what do you do after the sunset as everyone gets inside the mosquito nets, with no electricity or TV to entertain? It is not as easy as you think.

We wrapped up the first day at about 5 PM and left the site by small boats back to the dock. Most of us were exhausted and   overwhelmed by what we saw. Had our lives been different, anyone of us could have been those on the rickety boat houses, as one of my friends reflected. He was one of those who escaped to Thailand by way of Cambodia on foot and eventually ended up in the US to start a new and successful life as a pharmacist.

The next day brought more humidity, bright sunshine and a lot more patients . Father Toai and a few volunteers went to a different, more remote village 2 hour driving away so we were a little short on personnel. But as usual, everyone stepped up and performed their duty without complaints. We chipped in wherever it was needed ( usually the pharmacy with too many prescriptions to fill). Despite the stifling humidity and sweats soaking our shirts, we all managed a few smiles and jokes. The wave of patients seemed endless and monotonous after a while as everyone presented with the same complaints ( headache, dizziness, stomach pain, decreased appetite..). We had to turn away patients at the end as the supply of common medicines ( pain, antibiotics, stomach-related medicines ) ran out.  In total we saw over 400 patients that day with the dental team treated about 100 ( on day 1 we treated altogether 300 patients). We also distributed about 4 tons ( 4000 kg ) of rice to about 400 families , each with 10 kg bag with a bottle of soy sauce, thanks to the generous donations from several individuals in the US.  ( Click the link below, again, for more pictures..)

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Totally exhausted, we said good bye to the villagers helping on site, packed our equipments/medicines and climbed aboard the boats to go back to the hotel. The cool breeze brought a welcomed relief as we all sat quietly on the boats taking in the sights and sounds of the floating village for the last time. Along the way, the familiar faces that we saw earlier appeared with friendly smiles and waves of good-bye. We plan to return here some day on a  similar, but hopefully better, mission to see them again. By then, may be with the increasing awareness of their condition, the living situation hopefully will improve. I just pray and hope that it will be the case. Siem Reap, in general, is a must-see destination if you are ever in Cambodia with all the impressive and amazing ancient temples ( Angkor wat, Angkor thom, Ta krom…) but please do not forget to visit the floating villages and the people living there. Be sure to get off that tourist boat to visit them; do not just click away with your cameras from a distance because if that is all you want to do, the Siem Reap zoo would be a better place to see.

Below are some more pictures taken from my friend’s ( the pharmacist)  camera with shots of the delicious food from our favorite restaurant in Siem Reap, the night market and the mission. Enjoy ( but not the fried crickets) !

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My brief Malaysian experience

I was invited by my friend ,who is working in Kuala Lumpur, for a quick visit. I love Asia ( or Europe ) for the fact that you could hop on a plane ( or train, as in Europe) and in a matter of a short movie’s time, you are in a totally different cultures with delicious cuisines, interesting sights and occasionally smell. I booked this trip prior to my arrival to Vietnam on a cheap, no-frill airline Air Asia that is based out of Malaysia. For 126 USD round trip fare, I got to sit on a plane but that was it, everything else had to be bought ( air is still free). After a brief 1 hour and 45 minute flight, I arrived at the Kuala Lumpur airport which was a good 30 minute car-ride from downtown KL. The airport itself was not impressive but the scenery, roads, and KL were. Malaysia in general is very green with many tropical rainforests as it sits closer to the equator than Vietnam, with a population of about 22 million inhabitants of Malays, Chinese and Indians. It is very advance in term of developments when compared to Vietnam with many highways, skyscrapers one of which made famous in a movie is the Petronas towers ( Petronas is an oil and gas company), public parks and shopping malls. For a relatively small country, it surprisingly has 3 lines of automobile that are actually not bad looking, unlike the Yugo or Traban. It is a sad reminder to me that in a matter of 20 years many Asian countries, benefitting from peace and open economic policies, have surpassed Vietnam in leaps and bounce. I am sure Vietnam will make it there some days but the question is when.
I spent my only full day in KL going to a national rain forest park there with incredible view of the downtown KL when we got to the top ( the canopy). The trek up there was not too bad but required a good pair of shoes. Along the way I discovered many lost soles ( not souls) as shoes simply died from the many slippery steps. We passed by many small water falls and streams, large tropical trees and a few colorful bugs. Thankfully, the leeches were on vacation that day as I had been warned to look out for these blood-suckers. Once we reached the canopy, there was a line of people waiting to get on the suspension bridges made up of wooden planks and ropes. As terrified as I am of height, I summoned my courage and took small steps gingerly across while praying that these wooden planks would not decide to retire early that day. From the top, the trees and the rainforest ground were a few hundred feet below but enough to make me hold on tightly to the rope railings. We made our way back down to the base, made more treacherous by the falling rain with the slippery ground but we managed to keep our bottoms dry. We had some interesting Malaysian snacks and coffee at the restaurant there while being entertained by nature with the soothing sound of millions of rain drops falling on the forest around us. Simply relaxing!
My friend and I then did a quick tour of Chinatown, hitting the local landmarks including some old Buddhist and Hindu temples, the open market and the central market with some good bargains before sitting down for some more Malaysian coffee and tea. Shopping there, surprisingly for me as I am not a shop-o-phile ( my made-up word), was quite enjoyable with many interesting art pieces, home decorations, fabrics for sale relatively cheaply, provided that you haggle the price. One of my many goals on this trip was to look for bargain pieces for our next fund-raiser and I may have found a place to return for more.
For dinner, I was treated to a Thai-Malaysian restaurant that nestled in a rainforest setting completed with a man-made waterfall. This place is 1 of 5 restaurants there, including Italian and Indochine cuisines, inside a large complex on a hillside that was just spectacular in terms of designs and ambience. We dined in large hut, next to that waterfall, overlooking the dark forest. The menu was extensive but we opted for mostly seafoods including river lobsters ( never knew such a creature existed!) and one of my favorite desserts, sweet rice with coconut milk and mango. The dishes were delicious and not expensive as dinner for 4 including wine, appetizers, entrees and desserts came to be about 156 USD total. Certainly more pricey compared to street foods but the atmosphere itself was worth every penny.
The next morning, my last day in KL, we took a stroll around the Petronas towers, taking in sights and sounds of the beautiful grounds, public parks and swimming pool. We visited a shopping mall which to me was the same as any in the US and had a quick dim sum before going to the airport. I was back on the plane to Vietnam and before long I was riding on the back of the motorbike crisscrossing the bustling streets of Saigon.
I have to put down Malaysia as the next destination for visit and to shop, along with Singapore as well as Bangkok. This time, I will bring my wife ( a certified shop-o-phile) and a large shopping bag. There are many more rain forests to explore and I heard there are some beautiful beaches to see, I just have to find the time !

http://picasaweb.google.com/beautran1234/MalaysiaTrip?feat=directlink

 

My country

During my recent trip to VN, I had several interesting conversations that made me realize again what a wonderful country the US is. Certainly it is not perfect as there is no such thing, but it is pretty darn good. On this Thanksgiving day, I have many things to be grateful for including my big family, all the fortunate things that I have experienced and this great country that has afforded us the opportunity to pursue our goals/dreams.
I was asked by a family friend if it was OK for us ( Americans of all stripes) to protest, voice our disagreement or approval of the government including the president of the US (POTUS). Initially it struck me as a somewhat odd question but then I realized that I had been taken for granted the freedom we have, particularly the freedom of speech. I have forgotten how it can be difficult, if not impossible, for citizens of some other countries to be able to speak out against their governments without risking jail time or even a swift execution by a bullet to the head. I was asked if it was OK to protest in front of the White house. My answer surprised the inquirer that it was, provided that you do not pose any physical harm to the POTUS. I went on to elaborate that the US government was established on the basis of people-centrist ( of the people, by the people and for the people), and it was designed to work as a public servant. The White House is the people’s house and we, Americans, have every right to voice our opinions. The family friend then murmured how wonderful that concept was. Can’t agree more!
Have a happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the family/friends you are with and be thankful for what you have.

 

Quy Nhon

After a quick hop to Malaysia for the weekend ( more info to come later), I met Father John and the team of volunteers to catch an overnight train to Quy Nhon to the flood-ravaged areas. There were 4 physicians, including myself, a physician assistant ( Father John), 2 nurses on this team that was formed after several phone calls made by Father John several days prior to this mission. Originally, we were going to visit the Kon tum area that was hit with a typhoon several weeks ago but our plan changed when we were asked by the church in Quy Nhon to visit the flooded areas there instead. This region was hit with a typhoon just 1 week before my arrival in Vietnam. According to the official report, this was the hundred-year flood that was the result of heavy rain causing the overflow of many hydro-electric dams. Some of the dams’ water was release to prevent the overflow/bursting of these dams, which quickly engulfed the surrounding low-lying villages with little warnings. In total, there were about 100 deaths with several villages completely wiped out along with the live stocks and future rice crops. Stories of families being torn apart literally with children washed away by the powerful storm or body of a young mother with her hand tied to her two children’s found in the muddy aftermath were heart-breaking.

Father John was able to obtain some donations for medicines, school notebooks as well as blankets, mosquito nets and paid for the rest of the supplies. A truck carrying  most of these left that morning ahead of our departure. We spent about 11 hours on the train, sleeping most of the time in the sleeping quarters. There were 4 beds to a compartment which turned out to be not as uncomfortable as I had thought. The shaking noises and the rhythmic humming of the engine became the lullaby song after a while as we slowly dose off. The morning sun brought out some spectacular scenery of rice paddies, distant mountains, and occasionally small villages along the way. As we were getting closer to our destination the road became more treacherous with the train crawling gingerly over the recently damaged tracks. The devastation from the typhoon became more visible as well with flooded fields, ruined homes, straws and drift woods hanging on top of the power lines marking where the high water marks were.

We hopped on a van after reaching the Dieu Tri train station the next morning to travel another 2 hours to the regional Catholic church in Dong Tre. The trip there was as bumpy as a roller coaster ride with many large pot holes, washed-away roads becoming more prevalent as we approached the church. Some of us, unfortunately, left their breakfast in that van but we did arrive in 1 piece. After a quick lunch, we proceeded to load the van with medical supplies and split the team to go to 2 different sites for medical examinations. The supply truck went its separate way to different locations to distribute the blankets, mosquito nets, school notebooks.

We were greeted immediately with a sizable crowd waiting for us as we later found out that this area had not had a visiting medical team for many, many years. Quickly we set up our stations for triage, medical exam, and prescription/medication dispensing. This was my first experience with a relief medical mission so it took a few patients to get used to the pace. Certainly, the rule of patient confidentiality went out the window as the crowd grew quickly with no privacy whatsoever. The different language dialect and expressions were also both amusing and slightly frustrating as I had some difficulty understanding the patients’ complaints. Lucky for me, however, they all seemed to have the same complaints of headache, back pain, leg pain, insomnia, stomach issues and cough. There were a few that presented with chronic illnesses that I did not have anything to treat with, including a 91 year- old woman with basal cell carcinoma that had eaten half of her nose, so vitamins became my medication of choice for these patients. For that afternoon, we ( 2 doctors and 1 physician assistant) saw over 250 patients in 4 hours with many turned away at the end as we were completely exhausted. The other team saw a similar number as well. I regret that I did not have a chance to find out more from these patients about their specific situations but most had lost their homes, belongings and livestock in the flood.

That night, after another delicious meal at the church, we all had the most restful sleep with a cool fan blowing and no mosquito to bother us !  The crowing roosters woke me up from the deep slumber to realize that I was the only one left in the room as everyone had gotten up early for the church service ( I am not catholic, FYI).  We split the team again to 2 different locations but this time not as crowded with patients as there was a visit 2 days earlier from another medical team. We managed to evaluate the patients in a much more orderly fashion and wrapped up after about 4-5 hours. All together we saw about 900 patients. There were other villages that we did not have time to visit but were told that they would have supplies delivered to them.

We got back to Quy Nhon just in time to grab a quick bite before boarding the train for another overnight trip back to Saigon so everyone could go back to work the next morning. It was sad for me to say good-bye to them as I had gotten to know some wonderful, caring individuals on this trip that worked well together as a team to deliver relief to the needy. They always smiled even when exhausted, without complaints or any thoughts about themselves first. We made plans for more missions next year hopefully to the Mekong delta areas. Our thoughts and prayers are for those we left behind as the next 6 months will be a challenge for them with no food supply and the continuing rainy season ( in that part of the country) may produce more flooding.

Quy Nhon relief trip 11/09

 

Harsh reality

I spent most of the 2nd morning ( 11/09)  in Saigon walking from the hotel all the way to the main tourist area in Le Loi St/Nguyen Hue St, stopping along the way for a a bowl of pho bo ( beef noodle soup) at a street corner stall that actually was quite tasty and authentic for less than 1 USD ( 15000 VND). I discovered new or previously unknown streets that had wonderful stores including one near Ham Nghi St ( I forgot the name) that sold antiques that I am sure will not pass custom. Some were quite large pieces such as a bell from a Buddhist temple. I was sure some were not authentic, just replica, but I realized later that these true antique pieces should remain in VN to preserve the heritage/culture of the country instead of collecting dust in some foreign countries. I later went on to meet my friend to go for coffee and lunch at his house, then more coffee..( can you tell that I love coffee?)

What was truly an eye opening experience for me occurred on day 3 when I again accompanied Father John to visit the Mai Tam house to spend some time with the kids there. The current house ( 1 of 2 houses for the 60′s kids and 25 mothers) will be moving to the new house in about 2 weeks. I got a chance to see it as it was being completed with a few remaining items such as the glass panels to be installed over the balcony railings. The view from the terrace was terrific with the Saigon river in the near distance and the surrounding neighborhood. The house has 4 stories , not including the terrace, with 2-3 kid-accessible bathrooms on each floor, with  bright, sun-filled rooms including classroom, many bedrooms and a large kitchen to accommodate the future occupants. All the kids were every excited about this; they kept asking Father John when the move would be.

Below pictures ( clock-wise): The new Mai Tam center( land donated by a doctor living right next door), the first floor front/reception room, view of the Saigon river from the terrace, the new spacious kitchen

Father John took me to 2 clinics for the adult HIV/AIDS patients operated by volunteer physicians ( they receive a meager stipend about 100 USD a month) , priests/nuns and staff  including former HIV residents of the Mai Tam house. These were bare-bone medical offices that happened to operate in the dark that morning due to an unexpected power outage. There were patients already in chairs, beds and in the waiting room ( i.e the roadside cafe next door). Many patients were quite ill with a predominance of AIDS/tuberculosis co-infections. Some of them presented at the late stages of the disease due to lack of medical care, money and likely awareness. They had to jump through several hoops to get the diagnosis, then treatment plan from different clinics/hospitals as each place specialized in different condition. We happened to walk in to the second clinic where a young mother, newly diagnosed AIDS patient, was being evaluated by the staff . She appeared to be quite ill, emaciated with abdominal pain , fever and vomiting for several days. She was brought there by her husband and the youngest son ( 4 year old). Her 2 other children were home under the care of a neighbor. Father John and I examined her condition with a conclusion that she needed to be hospitalized immediately. So a mobile unit was organized with her being sandwiched between a Mai Tam volunteer driver and her husband to take her to the hospital.

Most of these HIV/AIDS patients were former intravenous drug users, some were infected spouses. All were too poor to receive regular medical care. In order to be seen at a hospital, they had to pay an entrance fee of 30000 VND ( 1.5 USD) with everything else to be supplied or paid for by the patients/families. It does not seem to be a lot of money but for someone who peddles lottery tickets, 30000 VND can be a prohibitive sum. Some patients were lucky enough to carry some form of public insurance that paid for a portion of the bill, but many were not. Some of the stories told to me by Father John, patients and others were difficult to comprehend as to how cheap a human life could be. There are many abandoned patients, many infants/children included, left to fend for themselves at the hospitals as their families could not afford to pay or care for them. I met a grandmother at the Children’s hospital who was caring for her two-week-old grandson who was abandoned by her drug addicted mother. She recounted how she had to decide between taking time off from selling lottery tickets and giving him up to the mercy of the hospital. ” How could I walk away?” she lamented, ” he is my grandson!” She had to borrow high-interest loans to cover for the expenses ( she received a bill of about 700000 VND or 35 USD every few days) as she was not able to make any money selling lottery tickets while caring for him full  time. Or a story about Th., a diminutive 4-year old girl with AIDS and tuberculous meningitis, that was left at the Children’s hospital by her mother 5 months ago in terrible shape. Th. has since made a remarkable gain in weight under the care of Mai Tam house but she still requires many hospital visits for recurrent seizures . These scenarios, as I am learning, are happening everyday all across the city.

Th., a four-year old girl

 

It can be overwhelming to listen to these stories but it gives me a valuable insight into the inconvenient truth, to borrow it from Al Gore, that underneath all of that glitz that is Saigon there exist so many human tragedies that go unnoticed if not for the efforts of Father John and many other nameless and faceless angels.

 

Day 1, again.

After a long flight from the US, I returned to Saigon last night (11/6/09). I was pleasantly surprised that there was no overt sign of the swine flu hysteria at the airport here. Sure, there were a lot of people in face masks coming off the plane but I did not see the infrared thermoscan  device to detect fever in the arriving passengers. I did not even have to pay to pass through the passport counter or the luggage check.  A small progress, perhaps? Probably not, it was just my lucky night.

Father John picked me up at the airport and delivered me at the doorsteps of the Xuan Loc hotel, a brand new ( 3 weeks old) small hotel on Le Anh Xuan St that is cheap ( 30 USD/night), clean, comfortable with a nice bathroom. It even has free Wi-Fi, hence the blog I am writing now. It is about 2 blocks from Ben Thanh market, an easy walk of less than 5 minutes. I took a taxi to the Ben Thanh market last night ,after unpacking my things, only to find out that it was very close. It was past midnight but there were still some stalls opened for business at the night market, a good thing since I was starving for some food. A bowl of banh canh and a cold Heineken ( all for 55000 VND= 2.95 USD) on the quiet street in a clear but slightly humid night were near perfect event though it would have been more fun had I arrived a few hours earlier. I went back to my hotel and did manage to sleep for 5 hours straight.

I joined Father John and the Operation Smile volunteers at the Dam Sen water park early in the morning as the kids were treated with a day of splashing, swimming and in some cases, wrestling each other, at the park. The morning sky was clear blue but the air was humid without a whiff of wind except from the passing motorbikes as I walked in the children’s swimming pool to be greeted by joyous laughters from the Mai Tam kids. There were 51 of them plus many adults  including the volunteers and some Mai Tam mothers. This was a treat for them as they get to go the park about once every couple of months.

After several hours of splashing fun ( for me too!), it was lunch time with fried egg and BBQ pork. All the kids were well behave with almost no pushing, shoving or any words of consternation from the Mai Tam mothers. They seemed to enjoy their meals that were made fresh at the restaurant there with a group discount I might add!

We departed the water park after all the kids were lined up, counted again and again , loaded into taxis and van and off they went back home for the afternoon nap. Several of us then got on the motorbikes and headed for Hai Ba Trung St to a restaurant whose specialty was Hue’s dishes. It located right across from my old middle school so for a moment I was brought back to those lazy hot afternoons when we would sneak out of the school gate to grab a snacks much to the dismay of the nuns. This restaurant foods were good with authentic Hue flavor, but not excellent, and moderately priced ( about 20 USD for 4 bowls of noodle, 1 sampler dish and 3 Heinekens).

Bun bo Hue

The Sampler dish - 2 USD

Father John could not join us for lunch as he was getting ready for his daily home visit to an AIDS-stricken young woman. I accompanied him as we made our way into her neighborhood with alleyways barely passable for the motorbike. We walked into her house, or more aptly described as an one-room shack on stilts where one could see the ground through the large gaps on the floor; clean and airy with a humming electric fan on. She was diagnosed with HIV 2 years ago at age 24 when she developed a paralysis from the waist down. Her mother, now the sole breadwinner, had to provide for her paralyzed father ( from a ? stroke), her brother ( also HIV positive). This young woman apparently contracted HIV through sexual contact as did her brother. Her existence now consisted of a thin mattress on a hard wooden floor, totally dependent on others for her care and bodily functions. As a complication of being paralyzed, she developed multiple large bed sores, some have healed, but several have been difficult to eliminate. All the wounds were large and deep but mostly clean. Father John brought along his supplies in a large plastic bag. I was a little shocked and sad to see how he had to make do with the limited supplies; some absorbent gauzes were home-made and then sterilized. I had brought with me some wound care supplies but they were not the exact type that he needed for her condition, so I made a mental note of what were missed to send to him after I return to the US.

Father John calmly proceeded to change the dressings after cleansing the large wounds. When he was done his shirt was soaked with sweats. As we were cleaning up, I was looking for a trash can to dispose of the dirty gloves and some gauzes when that young woman told me matter-of-factly to just throw them through that large gap on the floor. I looked down closely at the ground beneath and realized that she was not kidding. Luckily, Father John gave me a quick amusing glance and a plastic bag.
We hopped on the motorbike and raced back to the St Paul church complex where he and other priests held a mass for the deceased HIV/AIDS patients that was well attended by many family members, the Mai Tam kids/mothers, and the Operation Smile team. I was pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful the grounds and buildings inside that complex with many appeared to have been renovated. I took many pictures to show my wife who attended the St Paul school, including a group photo with Father John and the Operation Smile volunteers.

Father John in blue shirt/long pants with Op Smile volunteers and me

I had a chance to sit down at dinner later on with that same group, Father John and a few others at a big, crowded and noisy restaurant Ngoc Xuong that we visited last year (http://beautran.wordpress.com/2008/09/), I thought the food last year was better, may be it was just a selection choice this time. The hot pot ( lau ) was, however, quite good with a mouth-watering blend of sweetness and sour broth served with seafoods and noodle ( banh pho). Again, the price for a seafood dinner ( with several Heinekens and drinks) for 14 people was cheap compared to the US ( 115 USD). We said good bye to the Operation Smile Team as they had to get ready for an early departure to Dong Nai the next morning for their mission but I plan to join them for a day or two there if I could provide any service.
It was a fast paced first day back in Saigon , I did not have time to feel the jet lag. It feels good to be here with the Mai Tam kids and Father John as I will spend more time with these beautiful children, but first I have to fix the glitches that have prevented me to post pictures. I need my children’s help !

P.S- I think I got it!

 

Poverty and Vietnamese children

I came across this article in the Thanh Nien News.com, a surprisingly candid piece about the problem of child poverty in Vietnam. It is heart-wrenching to read about how poor families have to resort to selling their children for a meager sum to survive. It is not an uncommon scenario in many parts of the world but for me it is particularly hard to fathom when it hits so close to home. The article made a mention about the Maison Chance House that took in a teenager, Tinh, after he escaped his slave-labor existence a few years ago. We may have met him last year during our visit there.

http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=53192

I can only imagine now that with the global recession, the situation can only get worse, with more and more children being forced into slavery, selling lottery tickets, trinkets, and in some cases, their bodies as child prostitutes in places far away from their homes and loved ones. As we are all sitting comfortably in our own homes, let’s not forget these children. Let’s do what we can to make a small difference in their lives; what we can do is only limited by our willingness and imagination.

 

Getting ready for Vietnam, again.

I am set to depart for Vietnam this November pending my visa approval. I have postponed this trip once but look like it is a go this time. I am planning to spend several days at the Mai Tam House with the kids and Father John, hopefully by then they have moved to their new and permanent home. Coming also in November is the Operation Smile team to a remote location a few hours drive from Saigon so I may also join them for a day or two but I do not know if I could provide any service other than holding the retractor. I am planning to visit a few other orphanages outside of Saigon and possibly a facility housing HIV/AIDS adults, most of them formerly intravenous drug users, that is run by the Catholic nuns and Father John. I am a little leery of what I will experience there, but I am ready for anything.

Bringing with me on this trip are some medical supplies, mostly bandages, gauze dressing for wounds and wound barrier dressings since there are some patients with skin breakdown ( bed sores) from immobility, poor nutrition status and likely incontinence of bodily functions. In my experience, this is one of the most difficult things to take care of , even here in the US with modern medicines and specialty beds. I hope that this trip will give me an idea of what are needed there for future planning.

Well, if you are feeling sorry for me that this trip is all work and no play, I also plan a 3 day weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur ( Malaysia) to visit a high school friend of mine who is working for a French nuclear power plant company. Originally, I did not pencil in Malaysia as a destination to visit since I was hoping to go there next year with my whole family ( and friends) but my friend convinced me to do it now since he and his family may be moving to another location next year. That, plus a cheap round trip ticket of 126 USD for a 90-minute flight, sealed the deal. I still have to wait for my multi-entry visa to be approved before booking this.

I still do not know where I am going to stay in Saigon yet; the mini hotel recommended by my brother is just a tad difficult to get in touch with. In the worst case scenario, I will be sleeping in some hammock somewhere for a few bucks a night, just like the backpackers , provided that there is a clean bathroom  close-by. Not a good thing ! Hopefully my luck is better than that.

 

Interesting quote to live by

This is going to be a short blog, I promise.

I was waiting to have blood draw at my doctor’s office when I looked up and saw this writing which I will paraphrase:

” Do not worry about things that you have no control over, since you can not do anything about it, why waste your time worrying about it?”

I have always tried to live by that motto, especially so after my bout with cancer. But what made me chuckled was this next paragraph which I never thought about:

” For things that you actually have control over, why do you also waste your time worrying about them since you do have control over them after all. So why worry?”

It seems like a circular logic but it makes sense to me.

 

Mai Tam House

( Blog started 10/4/09)

Well, we did it! Last night was the benefit gala for the Mai Tam House of Hope held at the Alexandria Hilton hotel with well over 400 attendees or angels with many faces old and new as we got together to raise fund for the Mai Tam project. As some of you may know, Mai Tam house is a home in Saigon for many women and abandoned, some orphaned, children  inflicted with HIV/AIDS through no fault of their own. Many children were left orphaned after their parents succumbed to the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS, some only a few months old, after they found no refuge in the society. Many have been ostracized by their neighbors, some even by their own families. Stories of a young girl or boy with HIV/AIDS  left at the doorsteps of a women’s shelter , a hospital, or a temple are not that uncommon in Vietnam. One 6 year-old girl came to a women’s center in Saigon from Hanoi with her father 3 years ago. She was left there that afternoon after her father had promised her that he would be back that day to pick her up. Just imagine her devastated feelings as she stood there waiting for her father who never came back , wondering what happened or when she would see her family again. This girl’s story was told by Father John Toai, the director of Mai Tam House, whom we met last year for the first time. Father John Toai established this center several years ago to provide shelter, a nurturing home with love and life saving medications for 60-plus children and 25 women ( the latest census). Some children have died since then but all have been given an opportunity to live in dignity with love and compassion. They have been discriminated against in every step of their lives but none apparently holds any ill-feelings. They willingly share their toys, treats and smiles with everybody around them even though they possess very little simple pleasures of life. Yearning for knowledge and friendships just like any child yet they can not share a classroom with non-HIV children as misguided fear, misconceptions and ignorance  pervade about HIV/AIDS . They have been threatened many times with eviction from the Mai Tam center as the disease’s stigma follows them.

From that meeting last November with Father John Toai sprung up a group efforts from many organizations ( Hope for Tomorrow, Operation Smile Vietnam Team Virginia, Global Community Service Foundation, Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped, Foundation for the Children of Vietnam) to build a permanent home for the Mai Tam Center. A piece of land was donated just outside of Saigon last year and construction soon followed. It is now entering the last phase and scheduled to open this fall. We celebrated the progress of this endeavor last night to raise additional fund to complete the construction and furnish the building which will also have a class room for the children. So many volunteers came out to help that taking a group picture required some engineering skills to fit everyone in the shot. It was an elegant setting , just perfect for an evening of  camaraderie, classy entertainments, delicious dinner and dancing to the music performed by Ms. Thu Phuong.   Some of the entertainers were pint-size but so talented with beautiful piano, violin performances, ballroom dancing , traditional Chinese instrument pieces. Unfortunately some of us were not able to enjoy the events inside the ballroom as there were silent auctions going on outside. Father John Toai travelled thousands of miles from Vietnam to deliver the  keynote speech to personally thank all the angels of hope on behalf of the Mai Tam children. He spoke eloquently of the efforts to change  the lives of the forgotten segment of the society from the tiny newborns to adult women. Listening to him, you forget the fact that he is just a young man in his early thirty; young but possessive of that quiet compassion and boundless  love for the less fortunate. We were introduced to one Mai Tam girl who accompanied Father John on this trip, most of us were shocked to see how diminutive she was for a 16-year-old; a sad reminder of the malnutrition and chronic disease that she experienced. She was shy, soft spoken and probably a little bewildered by the events of the evening. I could not help but drew a comparison between my children and this young girl as how blessed they have been. Why does an innocent child have to endure a fate that a few of us can only imagine? Sometimes life can be so cruel and senseless but it can also bring out the best in all of us as we all have rallied around the Mai Tam Center either through donations of money, time, or just raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS hopefully to dispel the many misconceptions and fears. Father John Toai and the Mai Tam Center are what is so right in this world and we can only hope that our continuing supports will extend a warm embrace to one more child, man or woman so he or she does not have to wonder what tomorrow might bring as that 6 year-old girl did 3 years ago.  So, in the near future, we will unveil more ideas and we hope that you will continue to be a shining angel of hope.