Enjoyz It!

For students of Sonadezi College Part 7

2009-02-15T02:13:00.001-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 6

2009-02-15T02:09:00.000-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 5

2009-02-15T02:02:00.001-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 4

2009-02-15T01:56:00.000-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 3

2009-02-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 2

2009-02-15T00:52:00.000-08:00

For students of Sonadezi College Part 1

2009-02-15T00:46:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Post Vietnam Soiree

2009-02-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

We would like to invite you to visit our gallery to view all pictures of Post Vietnam Soiree. Enjoyz it !

http://gallery.me.com./randymaebo

The Tooth Brigade: Mike, Dr. Maebo, Jolene, My and Jimmy

Post Vietnam Soiree

2009-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Hello to all of our family and friends. As you may have noticed, we are continuing to post pictures, etc. on our blog.

Last night Randy hosted a wonderful post-Vietnam party at his office in Bellevue. The party was meticulously thought out and everyone in his office helped prepare for it. It was an evening filled with food, wine, and friends. It was nice to spend a Saturday night all dressed up and sampling various wines. Approximately 80 people were in attendance and all had a great time hearing about our adventures. Randy and his crew had set up several computers around the office with slide shows showing all of the pictures that were taken on the trip. I think all of the members of the Tooth Brigade enjoyed looking at them again too. It brought back so many incredible memories!

We partied until midnight and a few of us had a bit of a wine hangover this morning, but it was all worth it. In a few weeks we will gather at Jolene's home to view all of the video footage we shot during the trip. FYI, I have viewed most of them so far and some of them are incredibly funny: Randy's first (and last) durian experience, a hotel we stayed in next to a very loud construction site, and the post interview of the sh@/&*t incident; just to name a few. This party will be much more casual and will undoubtedly involve playing the drinking game we learned in Vietnam with the chicken head. I only wish our Vietnam friends could be here to enjoy it with us.

We continue to hope to one day see each other again.

Take care everyone; especially our friends in Vietnam. We thank you again for all of the memories that we will treasure of you and your country.

Mike, Randy, Jimmy, My, and Jolene

Our FAVORITE coffee

2009-01-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

Better than our own Starbucks.

Somebody is going to miss these!!

2009-01-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

Our Last Night in Vietnam

2009-01-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

On a river boat ride drinking coffee and sodas.

New Years Day in Vietnam

2009-01-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

My, Khan (My's brother), and Jung (My's sister-in-law).

Khan, Jung, My, and her former students are working hard to prepare for the New Year's Feast.

People are gathering for the feast. There were about 40 people so it was definitely crowded and fun. The food was terrific.

Everyone worked hard to provide this wonderful meal. It was all sooo good.

Mike, Jolene, Dr. Maebo, My, and her former students take a final goodbye picture after the feast. We would leave early the next day and would not be able to see them again.

Pictures of the Dong Nai Community College

2009-01-20T23:31:00.000-08:00

My stands before Mr. Dat (a former colleague of My's) and his class, teaching everyone about oral hygiene. Mr. Dat is a very smart man, probably the best English speaker that we met in Vietnam. His students adore him, and we all liked him a lot!

The students of Mr. Dat were very polite and professional during My's lecture.

Mr. Dat, My, and Mr. Pho(the director of Dong Nai Community College). My said she has always wanted to be the director at a school so her dream came true when Mr. Pho allowed her to sit in his seat. How nice!

Another one of Mr. Dat's classes that we were able to speak with the students about oral hygiene.

Somethings to remember...

2009-01-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

Coming back Vietnam, I met again my family, relatives, friends, as well as my former students. I was profoundly touched by their warmth. Although living far away from the homeland, Vietnam is always in my heart. Vietnam is developing day by day. Many new buildings are springing up like mushrooms after rain. The number of motorbikes and cars are increasing rapidly. Vietnam today is experiencing tremendous change.

Growing up in the countryside (not far from Bien Hoa City center), I remembered the smell of rice on an open fire and the sounds of rooters waking people up in the morning. Giant banyan trees, fresh water wells, bamboo hedges, lands of farms and orchards created a colourful and picturesque view of my village. You could smell fresh cut rice and see drying hay along roads during the harvest season. Those are Vietnam in my memory and I wish to keep intact the beauty of the past. My family has grown up in this village for many generations. Unfortunately, my village is gradually vanished in front of my eyes. Half of the village has undergone change as the result of urbanization. The vast rice fields, orchards, clean air and peaceful life were replaced by new buildings and noisy roads. Half of the village is still under the urbanization process. The villagers no longer want to take care their lands and orchards. A deep sadness penetrated in my heart when I saw this scenery. My family had to move our ancestors' resting places to a new location. The picture of my grandma's tomb that Jimmy took is possible last one before we move her remain. Hopefully, their resting places won't be disturbed in the future.

Jimmy and I walked three nights on the roads that I used to go to my middle and high school. I nearly got lost because of new roads and Jimmy directed me how to go back my brother's house. What a shame! The urbanization process brings serious environmental change. Many motor vehicles are constantly discharging toxic gas into the city 's atmosphere. The town is so polluted and noisy.

I had a great opportunity to visit the School of Deaf and Blind, Orphanages, Community Colleges and Dental School. It was such a good experience. The smiling and happy faces of children and students will stay with me forever.

I would like to sincerely thank you to Dr. Maebo, Jolene, Mike and Jimmy who stepped out of their comfortable zones to make this adventure with me. Thank you to my family, friends supported me to make the trip possible. I don't want to close the chapter of our adventure because it has just begun. Hopefully, we will be back Vietnam next two years.

Smiles and hugs from my family, my friends to welcome us home and drops of tear to say farewell to us are always in my memory. Good bye and see you again!

Chao tam biet va hen gap lai ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoPX2JejUTg&feature=related

Pictures to My's orphanages blog Part 3

2009-01-14T23:31:00.001-08:00

Le and her husband in their house. They were so kind to drive us everywhere, invite us for a spectacular lunch at their nice home, and help us run errands.

My and Le at their home. Le is a former student of My's when she taught in Vietnam.

Le's home.

Pictures to My's orphanages blog Part 2

2009-01-14T23:23:00.000-08:00

An orphan who had been living at the pagoda since the age of 5.

My with an orphan at the pagoda.

Le, the head nun, and My with some orphans at the Long Thanh Pagoda.

Teaching the young orphans at the pagoda how to brush is My Nguyen.

One of the bedrooms at the pagoda. Two children to one bed.

Pictures to My's orphanages blog Part 1

2009-01-14T23:06:00.001-08:00

One of the garden where the residents of the Long Thanh Pagoda grow their own vegetables to eat.

Some of the orphans at the Long Thanh Pagoda, and there is a nun in the upper left hand corner.

An orphan who cooked Bahn Xiao (Vietnamese pancakes/omlettes) and a lady who lives at the pagoda.

A male orphan of the pagoda who paints wonderful work.

My and Le bowing with incense sticks at the pagoda.

Visiting Dongnai College of Education

2009-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 30th and 31st, Jimmy and I visited Dong Nai College of Education where my brother teaches English. We were welcomed warmly by the staff and students. We visited three classes to present various topics such as tooth anatomy, caries, gingivitis, periodontal disease and proper brushing and flossing technique. The students were interested in the topics and participated in our presentation by asking many questions. Their politeness, respect and appreciation made us feel very happy to be there. We really enjoyed the atmosphere when the students stood up to welcome us. They raised their hands and stood up when asking and answering the questions.

I would like to thank you Mr. Khanh, Mr. Pho, Mr. Dat and Mr. Han who gave us an opportunity to visit school and to have the presentation. Thank you Jimmy for being such a good teacher assistant. We had a wonderful time !

The orphanages in Bien hoa and Long Thanh

2009-01-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

Xin chao! We are back in Seattle for a week and have just recovered from jet lag. On Dec. 29th, Jimmy and I visited Disabled Orphanage in Bien Hoa center. Many of the kids at this center are disabled. They include autism, mental retardation, deaf and blind. After visiting the campus, we gathered around children to give tooth brushing instruction. We donated many toothbrushes and toothpaste to the center.

In the afternoon, my friend Le and her husband took us to another orphanage in Long Thanh, half an hour drive from Bien Hoa. The Dieu Phap pagoda/orphanage is not only the place to worship Buddha but also home of the orphans and disabled elderly people. Most of the children were abandoned at the foot steps of the pagoda. The kind hearted nun provides them a family shelter and helps them to receive an education. Many children have grown up, graduated from high schools, colleges and universities and become the useful citizens to society. Some of them are back the pagoda to help the nun to raise other kids. In addition, the pagoda has a nursing care for disabled and poor elderly people. Most of them have no family and suffer from serious illness.

We brought some items such as rice, noodle, oil, toothbrushes and toothpaste to the pagoda. We also spent our time to give oral hygiene instruction to young kids. On Dec 31st, we visited this place again to give more items : thermoses, bowls, spoons, chopsticks, rice, noodle...

Jimmy will upload the pictures of these orphanages very soon !

Dai Nam Cultural - Historical Park (Disneylandish Place)

2009-01-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 28 , Jimmy, my friends and I visited Dai Nam Cultural- Historical Park that is located about 40km from Saigon. Jimmy called it "Disneylandish place". Covering an area of about 450 hectares, the park has been under construction for the past 10 years and is expected to be a biggest park in the country by 2010.

This park displays historic images of Vietnam's 64 provinces and cities, replicas of the wonders of the world (the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Angkor Wat, Thailand's Golden Pagoda, and the Kremlin), the zoo and the wide ranges of recreational activities. Dai Nam Quoc Tu (Temple of Four Gratitudes), the most important temple in the park, is used as a worship place for people who helped to build the country such as the Lac Long Quan, the Au Co mother, The King Hung .... Near the Dai Nam Quoc Tu is the Ngu Hanh Son (The Five Mountains). The Five Mountains symbolize the five elements of the universe: mental, wood, water, fire and earth. Inside the mountains are exhibits history of Vietnam from Lac Long Quan and Au Co eras to the Nguyen Dynasty, the 1975 liberation of the south...

Visiting this park, my friends and I reviewed many legends, stories and history of Vietnam. Jimmy and the kids got bored when listening to all stories but they had a great time while riding roller coaster.

Dec. 28 Continued

2009-01-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

Breakfast at the cafe with My's former students.

Outside the main temple at the Disneylandish place are My and a former student Le.

5 dragon structure at the Disneylandish place.

A group picture at the Disneylandish place.

Inside the main temple where there are gold colored statues of Buddha, a Vietnamese king, Ho Chi Minh, and som other figures.

Dec. 28, the third day Dr. and company are gone

2009-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Our group went to the Disneylandish place.

A roller coaster that a small group and I went on. It was a blast!

Some pictures of the structures in the Disneylandish place.

We are standing on a bridge with a gate behind us at the Disneylandish place

The Great Wall structure that surrounds the entire Disneylandish place.

We met with more of My's former students today, about 8 of them. We met for breakfast at a cafe and afterward, some of them and their family members came with us to a very big and nice Disneylandish place. On the outside, it looked like the Great Wall of China and there were many Asian looking temples inside the walls. Also located inside the walls were a zoo, a theme park, many statues, and lots more.

Dec 27 Continued Pics

2009-01-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

Quang teaching My how to ride a motorbike

My's Grandmother's resting place

My cleaning the bathroom

A shot of the temples where the Anniversary was held.

Dec. 27 Continued

2009-01-04T22:02:00.001-08:00

Asian Dragon and Lion Parade

Our group of people that went to the Anniversary

From left to right- Teng, My, Quang, and Quang's little brother (sorry forgot his name!)

The main temple in the back

My and Quang's little brother

Extremely crowded (shoulder to shoulder crowded) street of people coming and going. We were trying to leave and it took us half an hour to walk half a mile!

Dec. 27, second day Dr. Maebo and company are gone

2009-01-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Today we did quite a bit of traveling to visit some of My's relatives (her cousins and aunts on her mother's side). My went to her grandmother's and ancestor's resting place to visit. When we got home, Ngie and My's sister-in-law Jung had a nice meal prepared for us. Afterward, I helped Jung wash dishes while My partially cleaned the bathrooms because she lost a bet to me (but I dont think she did a good enough job so I had to go help her lol). That evening, My's cousins Quang and his younger brother took us to a temple for a celebration of the 310 Anniversary of Dong Nai province. It was very festive, crowded, and a wonderful experience.

Dec 26. Continued

2009-01-04T21:36:00.001-08:00

Buddha statue inside the main temple

The main temple of the pagoda

Food being prepared for a big ceremony

Cooking area in the kitchen where Ngie volunteers

The kitchen area

Dec. 26, first day My and I did stuff without Dr. Maebo, Mike, and Jolene

2009-01-04T21:24:00.001-08:00

Well, Dr. Maebo, Jolene, and Mike left at 5 in the morning on this day, and they had quite the stressful morning. I think Jolene may have already posted what happened so please read hers about it. My and I went to breakfast at a nice cafe with 3 of her former students, Duc, Tuen, and Ngie. Afterward, My, Ngie, Tuen, and I rode motorbikes for about 40 minutes to a pagoda in the countryside. Neat experience. On the way back, it rained and hailed like crazy and I was completely soaked when I got home because I had refused to buy a rain coat. How dumb I am.

Breakfast at a cafe. From left to right- Tuen, Duc, Ngie, My, and Jimmy

My and Tuen are on their motorbike driving to the pagoda

In front of the main temple at the pagoda

Sorry!

2009-01-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well everyone,

I apologize for the delay for my comments. After Dr. Maebo, Jolene, and Mike left, I did not have access to internet so I couldnt post anything. The following several comments are short summaries of what My and I did while Dr. Maebo, Jolene, and Mike were away.

2009-01-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Xin Chao!

We arrived home safely last night and are happy to be back. The temperature change was quite a shock.

Please keep checking our blog as we will continue to upload pictures, etc. Also, Jimmy and My will now have the opportunity to post their blogs about what they did while Randy, Mike and I traveled.

See you soon,
"The Tooth Brigade"

What is that smell??!!

2009-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

OK. Since the picture of me was posted, I will have tell you the story. But please indulge me as I set it up first. I truly hope I can do it justice without completely grossing you out or offending you in the process.

On Tuesday the 30th, Randy, Mike and I decided to head into Saigon to visit some tourist sites. Randy also really wanted to see the new Park Hyatt hotel which was just finished within the year. The hotel is 5-star all the way and is absolutely stunning; even for American standards. We quickly found the bar and restaurant on the first floor. I am also happy to report that the bathrooms were just as stunning; complete with hot and cold running water and actual toilet paper which, we had very quickly ascertained in the early days of our trip, are not widely available in any public facilities. Ugh.

We were in heaven here. The service was impeccable and the food and wine, divine. We snuggled down into fabric covered sofas and chairs. Soft music was playing in the background as we thoroughly enjoyed our respite.

After we finished our first course of drinks and hamburgers, we decided to walk across the street to another wonderful, 4-star hotel called the Caravelle. One of the bars/restaurants is located on the top floor. It has a beautiful, 180 degree view of the city and a roof-top deck. We sat inside next to the windows which are just large wooden shutters that can be pulled open to maximize your view. This bar was a bit more lively but the most memorable part was watching a storm come into the city. It brought a lot of wind, thunder and lightening. Within minutes, a heavy monsoon type rain began to pound on the city and flood the streets. It was really breathtaking and Randy even felt that it was magical. We decided to wait out the storm before heading back across the street so we wouldn't get soaked.

The rains subsided after about 15 minutes and we needed to get back to our taxi so we could go to Khan's home for dinner. There is a restaurant just off the lobby on the ground floor and as we walked by, it smelled really strong. The smell was very fishy, but not quite. The general consensus was that we were all glad that we didn't eat there because it smelled horrible. As the doors opened to the outside, we were again greeted by an intense, highly offensive odor. I commented that the sewer systems might be bit backed up from the rain and that we might be smelling that. We saw many people holding their noses; some even having stuffed kleenex up their nostrils.

What happened next was straight out of a movie. All of our comments, thoughts, olfactory and visual senses blended together instantaneously. We were walking in an inch deep soup of...you guessed it...pure human feces!!!!!

Before you knew it we were slipping around, desperately trying to find a way across the street that didn't involve stepping in ankle, and in some places, calf deep sewer water. Randy was screaming and I kept yelling, "Oh my God Randy, Mike, it's SH**&/T, it's SH**&/T!". It was every man for himself at that point! We each did our best to navigate without falling down or flipping water up on our legs as we struggled to get across the street without getting splashed by the spray of cars and motor scooters.

As we made our way back to the taxi, we tried to get as much of the "soup" off of our shoes as we could. We finally made it to the cab but the poor driver eventually had to roll his window down to drown out the smell of what we had drug in.

Completely disgusting and the most horrific experience any of us has ever had. This includes Mike who, if you remember, was in the Peace Corp in Bolivia- another developing, third world country.

Now you may wonder what happened to our shoes? My was so kind as to wash mine at her brother's house (I am forever grateful My and owe you one), Randy left his in Vietnam in the hotel room, and Mike put his in the hotel garden that night, only to never be seen again.

Now we have told you the story. We debated whether we should publish it but after reading this you can understand the reason for the expression on my face in the photo. Despite all the chaos Mike, our ever diligent videographer, stopped to record the moment for posterity.

What is that smell? ASK ME--I'll tell you all about it!

2009-01-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Back at SeaTac

2009-01-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

School for Deaf and Blind, Bien Hoa

2009-01-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

My performing ART with Mike as her assistant.

School for Deaf and Blind, Bien Hoa

2009-01-02T05:49:00.000-08:00

School for Deaf and Blind, Bien Hoa

2009-01-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at the Hoa Binh Hotel

2009-01-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

Community College Presentation

2009-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

My giving oral hygiene instructions to college students.

Dental School Presentation

2009-01-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

Medical residents checking out Randy's PowerPoint presentation on glass ionomer delivery systems.

Taiwan Airport

2009-01-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

We are now in the Taiwan airport on a layover before leaving for Seattle. There is a Taiwanese dumpling bar here and we are enjoying soup dumplings, noodle soup with vegetables and hom bow. The airport is impressive. It is ultra modern, quiet and very clean.

Our flight leaves in 2 1/2 hours at 11:00 pm. Taiwan is chilly so we have all pulled out our sweaters. We are getting prepared for the Seattle weather now.

Hoa Yen Pagoda

2009-01-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Randy hiking up the many steps to reach the pagoda.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2009-01-01T01:50:00.000-08:00

Some of you may still be up celebrating New Year's 2009. It is almost 2:00 am your time. We all wish you health and happiness for the new year and are looking forward to seeing you very soon!

Randy, Mike and I spent New Year's Eve day and night in Vung Tau. A small beach and resort town southeast of our home base of Bien Hoa. Vung Tao is located on the coast of the South China Sea. There is a large beach and several beautiful resorts. We stayed in a nice hotel just off the main strip farther south of the beaches. The town was much more layed back than what we have become accustomed to and it was so nice to have some peace and quiet. We did not worry about crossing the streets and getting hit by motor scooters and there wasn't as much honking either. There really wasn't much celebrating of the new year. Even though it was heavily decorated for it, the Vietnamese traditionally celebrate the new year on the lunar calendar and not on December 31st. We celebrated by eating and toasting to each other in a restaurant at one of the local hotels.

This morning we returned to Bien Hoa and went to the market to pick up some flowers to take with us to Khan and Jung's home. They had a large party and invited us and many of our new friends that we have met along the way while being here. Jung again prepared a large feast for all of us (about 25 people). We will miss her cooking and asked if she would consider coming back to the US with us?! :) It was so nice to see everyone again and be able to say good-bye one last time. The most memorable part of today was having a cultural exchange of drinking games. We taught them "Thumper" and they taught us a most interesting game. This game involved using the cooked head of a chicken (the rest of the chicken we ate for lunch), putting it on a plate with a bowl over the top of it. Then you shake the plate and bowl. When you remove the bowl whichever way the beak of the chicken is pointing, that person must drink. Sort of like "Spin the Bottle" but with beer. Jolene had that beak pointed to her multiple times, as did Mike. Randy got off easier but made up for it by chugging more beer than either Mike or me. We all agreed that this exchange broke down barriers between us as we all laughed at and with each other.

Later in the afternoon, Jimmy, Mike, My and Randy took turns riding motor scooters. Everyone had a great time. Randy was wide open with the throttle and gave My a heart attack. She kept yelling, "Slow down Dr. Maebo!". She was concerned that someone would get hurt. Yesterday her cousin and nephew were in an accident on a scooter. An elderly woman just stepped right out in front of them unexpectedly and to avoid hitting her they had to swerve dramatically and both fell off the bikes. Before the bike went down, they did hit the woman. Everyone involved is fine today, thankfully, and only have bruises, cuts and a few stitches. I have not yet written about the traffic and driving here on the blog. It is, in a few words, unbelievably frightening.

We are now back at our hotel and relaxing a bit before meeting My's family for coffee and a boat ride on the river. Since this is our last night here we also have a lot of packing to do. Tomorrow we will head into Saigon early to visit our favorite coffee shop one more time before heading to the airport.

We estimate that we have taken more than 600 pictures between us and have countless minutes of video tape to supplement our documentation. It has truly been an incredible journey for all of us. I think each person is taking something unique to her/him home from this trip. There were definitely some challenging times and most all of us are ready to go home but I know for me personally, I'm still glad I came and had this experience. I know I will never forget Vietnam and all of the wonderful people I met.

If we don't get the chance to check in before we leave, we will see you all very soon. We arrive home on Friday evening at 5:30 pm.

Again, Happy New Year! It has been so nice to check into the blog and find your well wishes. Thank you for encouraging us and helping us to stay positive and successful on our journey.

Chau tam biet,
Mike, Randy, My, Jimmy, and Jolene

Hanoi and Saigon

2008-12-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Randy, Mike and I spent our last day on our northern tour in Hanoi. We found our coffee shop, The Highlands (we think the coffee which is made locally is better than Starbucks), visited the tomb of Ho Chi Minh and spent time walking around Hanoi's, 36 ancient streets; a series of markets and restaurants. Our tour guide took us to a great little pub called Le Pub to sample a local Hanoi beer and have lunch. Our lunch included spaghetti and pizza, which was surprisingly delicious. We all enjoyed buying souvenirs and mingling with the local people. After dinner we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Saigon and our hotel in Bien Hoa.

We got back to our hotel about 11:00 pm. Business is run much differently here and if you arrive at this hotel after hours, all the lights in the reception area are turned off. When the door opens, a man pops up from behind the desk where he has been sleeping in his t-shirt?! It's a bit startling and quite funny.

All of us slept in late and finally made our way into Saigon to visit the War Remnants or War Crimes Museum. This museum presents a Vietnamese perspective of the American, Chinese, and French wars. It is filled with very graphic and disturbing pictures and there are American fighter jets, helicopters and weapons in the courtyard.

We are off the celebrate the New Year at the beach and will check in later.

Water Puppet Theater

2008-12-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

This endemic Vietnam experience in found in Hanoi and is pictured in one of our photos below. Water puppetry is said to date back 1000 years in Vietnam and they used rivers, lakes, or rice fields to perform the shows in the past. Now the shows are held in theaters in large water filled tanks. There is an elaborately decorated stage and behind it the puppeteers hide and stand in the water; maneuvering the puppets which are attached to very long sticks. The puppets are carved from water-resistant wood and are brightly painted. They depict peasant villagers and domestic animals, dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, war heroes and villains. Each short act tells a different story and the entire show is accompanied by live singers and a traditional Vietnamese orchestra.

We all agreed that this was a very unique experience and we were glad to have the opportunity to see it.

Hoa Yen Pagoda

2008-12-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

On our way from the airport to Halong City, we visited the Hoa Yen Pagoda on Yen Tu Mountain. The Emperor Tran Nhan retired there to become a monk in the 13th century and some of the original religious structures remain. We had lunch at the base of the mountain and then took a cable car up to the midpoint of the mountain. From here we climbed up toward the summit. We had overcast skies and clouds and I can only imagine how stunning the valley below would have been with clear, blue skies. Occasionally as we progressed up the mountain, we would run into a small mountain villages that were scattered among the trees. There is no access to any of them by road and the hike in with supplies must mean that these villagers are in excellent shape. Our tour guide did tell us there was electricity but no plumbing. It must be very peaceful for the residents of the villages.

Water peddler at Halong Bay

2008-12-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

House boats at Halong Bay

2008-12-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Dining area on our boat

2008-12-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

School for Deaf and Blind, Bien Hoa

2008-12-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

Water Puppet Theater Hanoi

2008-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hanoi at dusk

2008-12-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

Our Boat Halong Bay

2008-12-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

Randy, Mike and Jolene's Travel Adventures- Halong Bay

2008-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Hanoi as scheduled on December 27th. The flight was ~1 hour and 45 minutes. Flights over here serve hot meals and our breakfast choice was pork and noodles or fish. We all agreed that the pork and noodles was pretty tasty.

Our travel guide, Sihng (Sing), met us at the airport with our driver, Hai. We jumped into our Toyota with all of our luggage and immediately headed for Halong City. The vehicle was much smaller than we have been used to and the three of us were nice and cozy in the back seat. Up until then we have been getting around in a Mercedes van that can hold ~10 people. BTW no one here wears seat belts and we didn't either especially since Hai said ours didn't work?! This makes me a bit nervous considering what the traffic is like here (more on that later as it is a whole topic in and of itself!).

The trip to Halong City took about 3 hours. Along the way we were able to take in some sites. We all agreed that the northern towns we passed through were not as busy, loud and crowded at Saigon. We were able to see more of the Vietnamese countryside and watched farmers plow with horses and oxen and workers in the rice fields tending their crop. Corn was another common crop that we observed.

Our hotel accommodations were nice and our travel package had us all sleeping in one room. There are 3 twin and/or full beds set up in the rooms. This has been... interesting and needless to say, we are all getting to know each other quite a bit, LOL! We are all terrific travel mates though and do very well maneuvering around some very small quarters.

After a very large dinner consisting of about 8-10 courses (the standard on our trip) we walked around the town briefly and finally went to bed exhausted.

The weather in the north this time of year is definitely much cooler, about 65-75 degrees. Unfortunately we hit a rainy spell and it was a bit on the chilly side. We weren't as well prepared for such a drastic change in the weather so Mike bought a rain poncho, Jolene bought a down-filled winter coat and we all bought umbrellas. I think the total cost for all of these items was approximately $30 US dollars.

The next part of our travel package included a trip and room accommodations on a private boat in Halong Bay. In total the bay spreads across 580 miles and has more than 2000 pinnacle-shaped limestone and dolomite outcrops (islands) scattered across it. It is a bit reminiscent of the San Juan Islands but on a much grander scale.

We weren't sure quite what to expect of our boat but were pleasantly surprised! The vessels are traditionally made sailing junk boats and although they may look a little questionable on the outside, the inside was very nice and quaintly decorated. The main cabin is set up with tables and can seat about 24 people. There are also individual private cabins for overnight passengers. Since we reserved the boat for just the three of us, they gave us 2 separate rooms. Each room had a double and twin bed and private shower. The staff couldn't have been better. We were fortunate to have VIP treatment all the way. The food was delicious and very meticulously prepared.

We sailed around part of the bay which included the limestone islands and brightly painted floating villages. The villages include houseboats, floating fuel stations, herb gardens, kennels, and even pigpens according to our guidebook.

Along the way our boat stopped at Hang Sung Sot or the Cave of Awe. This cave consists of beautiful karst outcrops that are made from sediment that settled on the seafloor during prehistoric times. Through geological upheaval and acidic erosion the alkaline limestone formations become worn and form into peculiar shapes. It truly is a stunning site.

The rest of this particular part of our trip was very relaxing. Slowly moving through the islands and anchoring for the night with other boats in the bay. At night you can see all the lights from the other boats and it looks as if candles are lit up all around the bay. This site along with the gentle whirring of the boat's engine made for a great night's sleep.

To be continued...

WE'RE BACK!

2008-12-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Every since our last post we have been unable to enter our blog account for some reason. We don't know why but as we are sitting in a local coffee shop in Hanoi, they have Internet access and we are back on. The coffee shop we are in looks very similar between SBC and Starbucks. It even served muffins/pastries and had great coffee. We also were able to order an omelet and hash browns with "real" catchup (Heinz). While this may sound unremarkable to you, it was such a treat having something that we were familiar with and not noodles or fish for breakfast.

I can barely remember what has happened in the past 3 days as it has been another whirlwind of travel. Remember that Randy, Mike and I went to northern Vietnam and My and Jimmy stayed south. Our first day started at 5:00 am with a ride from our travel agents to the domestic airport. Our flight was at 6:30 and we wondered why we didn't leave earlier. Long story short, we had to cut in line at the airport and security and run to the plane. We got on at 6:25! Thankfully this country is not very time conscious and so we were not the last people on the plane.

We will write more later as we only have a day here left in Hanoi to explore. Our plane leaves at about 8:00pm. We will be visiting some local tourist sites and going to some shopping districts.

Take care

PICTURES!!

2008-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, we finally have put some pictures up. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on newer and older posts and you should see them. More will follow; we are up at 4:00 am to catch our plane to Hanoi.

Enjoyz It!!

Ben Thanh Market in Saigon

2008-12-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Jimmy presenting at the dental school.

2008-12-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

My is interpreting for him.

At the dental school in Saigon.

2008-12-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Randy and Jimmy are dressed up for their presentation. My was their interpreter.

Dude

2008-12-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

Jolene buying a souvenier from a street peddler.

2008-12-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

These are pillows were hand woven out of reeds. Each cost ~ $1.00 US dollars.

The Night Market

2008-12-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

Sort of like the Bite of Seattle with regional cuisine.

At the travel agency.

2008-12-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Jolene, Mike and Randy making reservations to travel to Northern Vietnam.

Mike and My holding a Dragon Fruit

2008-12-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

Check out the size of these grapes!

2008-12-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

They were so tempting but we didn't dare eat them.

A vendor at a fruit stand at the market.

2008-12-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

A vendor at the local market.

2008-12-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

The river in Bien Hoa

2008-12-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

At the promenade in front of the Govenor's office on the way to the market.

Jung is keeping us very well fed and happy!

2008-12-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

An example of Jung's extraordinary culinary talents

2008-12-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

A Jack Fruit tree

2008-12-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

A local pottery factory

2008-12-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

My and her brother, Kahn

2008-12-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

Kahn and his wife Jung and their son, Quan, have been gracious hosts and tour guides for us. We are grateful for Jung's amazing culinary talents!

Leaving Sea-Tac

2008-12-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

Hello and Merry Christmas to all of our friends and families. We are thinking about you and hope you had a nice holiday.

Today we went back to the same school we were at yesterday. Jolene used up the rest of our fluoride varnish and treated about 25 more children. Mike, My, Randy and Jimmy began the day setting up for the ART. This technique is intended for use in developing nations where citizens have no access to dentistry. Because the materials can be mixed by hand, no electricity is required to fill the teeth. Thankfully we had the luxury of electricity and a trituator that was donated to our mission. The procedure involves removing the existing soft decay by hand with an enamel hatchet, prepping the tooth with an acid etch and then placing glass ionomer into the cavity preparation. The glass ionomer material is then pushed down into the prep and subsequently smeared toward the interproximal and facial and lingual surfaces with the operator's index finger. The material sets up in ~ 2 minutes, the occlusion is checked and a final layer of petroleum jelly is placed over the top of the filling. The material hardens very quickly and once the trituration is complete, you have about 30 seconds to get it into the cavity prep before it hardens and cannot be used. My, Randy and Jimmy did a fantastic job as operators and Mike and Jolene played the assistant (gopher) role. Together we filled 20 teeth; all posterior occlusals and/or buccal surfaces. There were so many teeth to fill but we just couldn't get to all of them in the time we had. We did feel like we accomplished a great deal and hope that, in a small way, we were able to help.

I can't finish this entry without talking about the children. They were so polite, helpful and enthusiastic. Today we really wanted to get a chance to communicate with them. We did our best with sign language back and forth and wrote down many questions for them to answer. They asked us many questions too. A popular one being, "How old are you?" (every school we have been to we have been asked the same thing). They also ask us if we are married, have children, where we are from, and what we like to eat. They cannot get enough pictures of us with them; it seems as if each one of them individually has to be in a picture with one or all of us (this has also happened at every school on our trip). We have smiled so much for cameras on this trip that our facial muscles ache. If you are doing something with one student, within minutes there will be a crowd around you. Most all of them want to shake our hands or hug us and many compete for our attention. Today they were particularly fond of Mike and his arm muscles and wished that Mike and I were married. They also asked if Jimmy was My's son :). Truthfully it was a bit overwhelming but the children are so sweet that you cannot help but try and accommodate them all. I know that my heart was truly touched by them; Randy complained that he had never been touched(literally) so much in his whole life, not even in a relationship!

With our generous pre-trip donations we were able to purchase two water filtration and purification systems and 7 thermoses for the campus. The filtration systems provide clean drinking water and both hot and cold running water. It was nice to see them up and running before we left today.

At the end of the day all of the students assembled out in the courtyard to thank us for visiting and taking care of them. We all formed a large circle and the students and faculty sang a Vietnamese song of friendship for us. It is something we will never forget.

Randy, Mike and I are off for a much needed vacation from our vacation tomorrow morning. We fly out at 5:00 am to Northern Vietnam; specifically Hanoi and Halong Bay. We will stay 3 nights and return to Bien Hoa on the 29th. We were able to set up a tour and look forward to seeing many interesting sights. My and Jimmy will spend the time with My's family and friends. They are also going to try and visit another school to provide oral hygiene instructions and distribute the remaining toothbrushes, etc.

It's an early day tomorrow so we will check in with you all later. Bye for now.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

2008-12-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

OMG we found a KFC!! Even though we have appreciated all of the wonderful and interesting food in Vietnam, you can't imagine how great greasy, fried chicken and mashed potatoes tasted.

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!

2008-12-24T03:51:00.001-08:00

Today was an amazing day! We were not scheduled at an orphanage as expected but instead a school of children ranging in ages of 6-21. All of the children are special needs; most being deaf or blind and many with extensive dental needs. We were once again very warmly welcomed and treated like royalty by all of the students and staff. Several groups of deaf children performed dances for us. It was very interesting to see all of them keep time to the music that was playing without being able to hear. Two blind children sang beautiful songs for us and it was very touching. How incredibly lucky we were to receive such expressions of gratitude.

After the greeting, our group worked together to come up with a plan for the day. We decided to push tables together to act as treatment operatories. One table was used by Randy and Jimmy for screening and recording existing decay, two others were set up for fluoride varnish application. An area in one corner of the room was set up for toothbrushing instructions and another area was set up for sterilization (pots of boiling water). Jolene applied the fluoride varnish and Mike moved back and forth from oral hygiene education to applying the varnish as well. For the "non dental" person in the group, he is a quick learner and jumps in wherever needed. My spent most of her time with oral hygiene instructions so she could translate for us. We were treated to a wonderful lunch prepared at the school and then continued our work in the afternoon. We were surprised and happy to see that a few of the children did not have any specific dental needs but unfortunately the majority did had some type of decay ranging from small carious lesions to full pulp exposures and abscesses. There was a significant amount of gingivitis and many of the children needed full quadrant scaling and root planing. I wished so much that I had my instruments with me but even then, local anesthetic would have been needed to clean them properly. As dental professionals, it was very difficult for us to be so limited in our ability to provide complete treatment. All in all though we considered it a successful day. We screened, applied fluoride varnish and educated 94 children!

Tomorrow we will go back to the same school to do ART (Atraumatic Restorative Treatment). We found about 20 occlusal and buccal surfaces that would qualify for the procedure.

It is close to 7:00 pm in Vietnam on Christmas Eve which means it's about 5:00 am for you in the US. After quick showers (it was particularly hot and muggy today and the building we were working in did not have air conditioning) we will head downstairs to a Christmas buffet that is put on by the hotel. It does feel a bit strange that we are not with our families and friends this holiday but we are thinking about all of you.

Take care and have a Merry Christmas!

Community College Presentation

2008-12-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Today we got to sleep in!! Although with the time change, we usually wake up around 5:00-6:00 am. My, Randy, Jimmy and Mike went to the market to buy gifts to take the the today's presentation. Jolene stayed behind and worked on her PowerPoint presentation.

We left for the community college around 1:30 pm. The college was located in Bien Hoa about 20 minutes away from our hotel. This college was built about 4 years ago and the students are trained in areas such as graphic design, leather, textile, and footwear fabrication. They also take Business English. The campus was really nice. The students also live in dormitories and there is also faculty housing.

The students spoke English very well but still wanted My to translate. Jolene discussed various dental topics (caries, tooth anatomy, the job description of a dental hygienist, healthy vs. diseased gum tissues, gingivitis, periodontal disease and its risk factors, and proper brushing and flossing techniques). Again we all sang a round of Jingle Bells together and a couple of students volunteered to sing for us too. One of girls had a beautiful voice and sang a traditional, sentimental Vietnamese song that was amazing.

We have a very busy day planned tomorrow as we will be going to a local orphanage. We are not quite sure what to expect but are looking forward to it.

More to follow...

p.s. We keep checking the Seattle weather reports and are updated frequently via emails from friends. Take care and be safe during the winter storm.

Yesterday Continued...

2008-12-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

After visiting the dental school, My arranged for us to visit a local community college in Ho Chi Minh City. The college is private and was opened about 1 1/2 years ago by a friend of My's and her husband. This college is more like a technical college or trade school; all community colleges are like this over here and the students earn certificates rather than a degree. The areas of study at this school are: accounting, banking, travel and computers. Most of the college's 800 students live on campus in dormitories because they come from villages in the country to attend school. The faculty consists of mostly part-time teachers and their salary is ~$5.00 an hour and they teach for about 4 hours at a time which equals one session.

At the last minute it was decided that we would do an impromptu presentation on oral health to one of the classes of students. There were about 30-35 students who were very excited to have us visit. When we walked in, the classroom erupted with loud cheers and clapping. We were seated up in the front in a panel style format and My introduced each one of us. The students spoke a small amount of English so as each of us spoke, My translated. Jolene condensed the lecture she prepared for another college presentation and addressed topics such as cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease and demonstrated how to brush and floss properly. The students were attentive and asked great questions. Toward the end of our presentation, we encouraged the students to ask us any questions. They were a bit shy so we began to ask some questions which helped them open up a bit. We found out that they love to listen to music, can get a driver's license to ride a motor scooter at 19, most only visit the dentist when they have a specific problem, they give presents to each other on Christmas Day too and they like hot dogs.

The students also enjoy singing very much and asked if we would sing for them??!! This was something that none of us was quite comfortable doing but as the saying goes, "When in Rome...". We compromised and asked if they would sing with us too and we all sang a round of Jingle Bells together. I have to say that it was fun and made all of us laugh together.

My's friend arranged for us to give small gifts (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap) at the end of the presentation. We held a drawing and drew many giggles and laughs attempting to pronounce the names of the students. After all was finished the students literally ran up and engulfed us and asked to be photographed with them. The highlight being Jimmy! He is VERY popular with the young girls and they all want to pose with him. Those of you who know Jimmy know that this is something that he doesn't feel completely comfortable with but he is being very gracious and is making a lot of young ladies very happy! Mike is also appreciated by many women here. They are fascinated by how tall he is and with his blue eyes and blond hair. He is quite the charmer with his sense of humor and I'm certain that he could go home with a wife if he wanted!!

We all agreed that this type of impromptu and interactive exchange between our two cultures is the most fun. The smiling, happy and appreciative faces energize us and really make us feel good about being here.

Dental School Presentation

2008-12-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very busy and great day for all of us. Our day started at 6:00 am with a ride into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to The University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. The university specializes in various disciplines including fundamental sciences, medicine, odonto-stomotlogy, traditional medicine, pharmacy, nursing and medical techniques, and public health. The univerity also provides training for health professionals at the college level after completion of the 10th grade program in career options such as dental hygiene, physical therapy, nurse (general), medical and pharmaceutical assistant, midwife, and dental lab and radiology technician, to name a few. The School of Medicine and Pharmacy was started in 1947 and the dental school was opened in 1964.

We were graciously greeted by the Assistant Dean of the dental school who took us on a tour of the dental school. Aside from looking very worn, the training facilities looked very much like what you would see in the US. We were able to see the adminstrative office, reception areas, several clinics, a simulation lab, the sterilization area, and students pouring up and finishing models. There is a separate pedo clinic where children under the age of 6 can receive free dental work. An Oral B representative was present in the pedo clinic as the company was sponsoring the dental health day for the school. If I was understanding correctly the dental school, much like ours, provides low cost dental work and is open to all of the public but it can take a long time to get into and, of course, the appointments are longer. The one thing we did notice is that there is not as much emphasis put on infection control as in the US. They do not use barriers on their chairs or handpieces but they do wear masks, gloves and glasses. Patients do not wear glasses.

There is a dental hygiene program that is also part of the university but it is located off campus. I spoke with a woman who was a dental hygienist, a dental therapist, and a DH educator. The dental hygiene program is 2 years. In Vietnam, dental hygienists are able to clean and polish teeth and provide oral hygiene instructions. The dental therapist can do fillings. Neither can give local anesthesia. They also do not offer Bachelor's degrees in DH.

Randy and Jimmy's presentation began at around 9:00 am. Randy lectured on bonding systems, glass ionomers, atraumatic restorative technique (ART) and Bi-tine rings. Jimmy's topic discussed the typical patient in the dental office. Both were complete with PowerPoint presentations customized with photos taken by both Jimmy and Randy. Both presentations were excellent and looked as if they were put together by professionals. This was Jimmy's very first presentation he had ever given to a larger audience. He said he was nervous but you would have never known it. He has the natural talent to be a future lecturer for sure. Randy's presentation grabbed the attention of the crowd and he was invited back to speak at the dental school anytime he would like. This was an enormous compliment to his preparation and teaching talents. Our resident interpretor, My, is doing an absolute fantastic job and was even given compliments by the Assistant Dean on her excellent translation abilities.

Everyone was so kind to us and after the presentation, several medical doctors came up to us to ask questions. One of them also expressed her interest in helping us with our mission while we are here. All in all, a very successful and enjoyable experience.

p.s. We will send pictures soon. We just need to find some time to upload them into our blog. Our days are so full that in the evenings when we return to the hotel, it's straight to bed. Everyone is still healthy and doing well. On a personal note, I have am now moving onto Immodium--oh happy days :).

Hello Friends and Family

2008-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

In a word... WOW! Vietnam is definitely a feast for all 5 senses! We are starting our third day here (I've lost all track of time and days). It's 10:45 in the morning (about 7:50 pm US time) and I am in my hotel room working on my PowerPoint presentation for Tuesday. Randy and Jimmy are working on theirs for tomorrow at the dental school.

My hotel room in Bien Hoa (~40 minutes outside Saigon) is nice. It is clean and has a TV and internet access. Rooms are sparsely furnished but I have all the basic necessities. The mattress on the bed is foam and is pretty hard and there are no boxsprings. I have a view directly down onto the car port and lobby and it can be a bit noisy. November and December are popular wedding months in Vietnam and in 2 days we have seen 3 wedding receptions going at our hotel. Besides the restaurant area, the reception spills out over into the car port. All have been decorated with lots of pink bows and balloons. There are also live bands of various vocal talents, which is quite entertaining. Yesterday, after a trip to the market, we all came back to my room and sampled local fruit including: passion fruit which I loved, baked plantains, dragon fruit, cherimoya, some type of "milky fruit" (no one could remember the name), and durian. Those of you who may not be familiar with durian, it is a foul smelling fruit (think garbage) and I'm told it tastes like blue-cheese?? Are you kidding me, of course I DID NOT try it; especially after Randy threw up after trying it first. Poor Randy, we laughed so hard, not nice but so funny.

Yesterday I also sampled coconut milk. Cococnuts are peeled with a knife and the top is cut off. A straw is put inside and you dring the milk straight from it. You can find these in all of the street markets and some restaurants. The milk is more watery in consistency than I thought it would be and it is just slightly sweet. I really liked it. The food has been interesting- I have no idea what most of it is. Jimmy, Mike and My are much more adventurous than Randy and me. Most everthing looks really appetizing, but we know we shouldn't eat it for fear of...well, you know. I am eating a lot of rice and basically anything fried or cooked really well. We are all drinking bottled water and Mike, Randy and I are drinking beer and Coke. Unfortunately we can't have ice in our drinks and refrigeration here is not quite as good as home. So far, none of us has been sick though. Thank you Pepto-Bismol!!

In a few minutes we will be taking a taxi to My's brothers home. He has a projector and we will rehearse our PowerPoint presentations with our interpreter, My. Her sister-in-law will be preparing lunch for us (beef curry with baguettes). She is an amazing cook; the food at their house is much better than anything else I've eaten so far. She had such a feast prepared for us when we arrived. We are very spoiled.

As I write this to you I am sitting at the desk in my room listening to Christmas music from the hotel. American Christmas songs played by a saxaphone (Jingle Bells, Let It Snow, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Silent Night,etc) are playing. They must have all of them on one track because I have heard each of them at least 3 times :). I don't think the Christian religion is very prominent here but every city is decorated for Christmas anyway (lights, trees, Santa Clauses, etc). It is very funny to see a statue of Mary next to Buddha everywhere.

The weather is perfect! 85 degress and sunny. There is a fair amount of humidity in the air but I'm glad to be wearing shorts and tank tops everyday.

As "interesting" as it sounds so far, I am having an amazing time. I cannot believe that we are here and I'm taking it all in with sincere awe and appreciation.

I will write more later. Take care everyone.

Vietnam Day 1 Summary

2008-12-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a very long but nice flight from Seattle to Taipei, Taiwan to Saigon, Vietnam. Everyone slept pretty well and had a pretty nice time on the EVA airline. We landed, got our baggage without problems (the customs people were not very nice), and met up with My's brother, Kahn. He was such a nice gentleman waiting for us at the airport, arranged a very nice shuttle bus to pick us up, and helped us with our luggage. Our driver was Sun, who was actually Kahn's cousin.

They took us on a little sightseeing tour of Saigon, where we saw so many motorbikes on the road (the motorbikes outnumber the cars 100 to 1) carrying 1-3 passengers, boxes of supplies, glass sheets, trees, and so many things! The city consisted of a variety of people(poor to rich), automobiles(motorbikes to buses), buildings(old looking shacks to new towers, and shops(Vietnamese to American). We made our way to Bienhoa, My's hometown, toured around a little bit, and then finally arrived at Kahn's home. We were able to meet Kahn's lovely wife and his nice son. They own a nice house out in the countryside of Bienhoa. Kahn's wife prepared for us a very wonderful first meal in Vietnam and we all enjoyed it very much. Afterward, My brought us on a little 3 mile walk around the countryside where we were able to see and talk with the local residents who all seemed very interested in seeing us Americans, especially Mike and Jolene who are white skinned. We saw a couple schools close by, went to the local market and bought some fruits (dragonfruit and some weird one that My says is a type of plum), and went back to Kahn's house.

After getting showered, we got ready to go to downtown Bienhoa to drop off our luggage at a nice hotel and went to have dinner. We ate a nice fried tofu appetizer, drank a eggflower with corn type soup, and had this tasty chicken dish. After dinner, everyone was tired from the day's travel so Dr. Maebo, Mike, Jolene, and I returned to the hotel and My went to stay at her brother's house.

That's the brief summary of day 1 in Vietnam which I thought everyone enjoyed for the most part. I think most of us were expecting Vietnam to be worse than what it really is so that is good. In our contest of who would be the highest maintenance, My is in the lead with 3 points followed by Jolene, who has 1 point. Dr. Maebo, Mike, and I are dead last with 0! Does this shock anyone? Yay, way to go Dr. Maebo, Mike, and myself!

Sincere thank you to our very own Nancyjo

2008-12-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

We must give a huge and sincere thank you to Nancyjo Collinsworth, the front desk manager at Dr. Maebo's office. She has gone far beyond her duties to help us on this trip. In addition to working on her tasks for Dr. Maebo's office, she has donated a lot of time trying to help us get the instruments and equipment we need, helping us organize our agenda before leaving, and she even paid for a shuttle service for My Nguyen our hygienist and me to take the luggage to the airport. She has done too much but we appreciate all that she has done. A sincere thank you from all of us Nancyjo!

More amazing contributions Part 2

2008-12-20T09:44:00.001-08:00

My's brother had informed us that an orphanage does not have clean water to drink because their water filtering system just broke. He had asked My to see if she could try to get some donations (about $800-$1000) to help fix their filtering system so that the orphans may have safe drinking water again. Well thanks to some very generous people, My has been able to raise about $1300 in just one day. We send our sincere appreciation out to Dr. Ed Bruce, Dr. Connie Manuel, Masako Matsunaga, and My's sisters. Dr. Bruce was one of My's former employers and is a practicing dentist in Burien, Washington. He promised a very generous donation without hesitation when My gave him a call. Dr. Manuel was also My's former employer and is a practicing dentist in the Greenlake area in Seattle, Washington. She has promised a donation to My when My gave her a call. Masako is a long time friend of My's who graduated in her same class from the Lake Washington Technical College Dental Hygiene Program. My's sisters (she has about 6) have been in full support of this trip from the beginning and have made their generous donations to My. Thank you so much everyone.

More amazing contributions Part 1

2008-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

We would like to say thank you to more wonderful people whoa re making sincere donations to us for this trip. Judy Andrews, Cathy Campbell, and Renton Technical College were too kind in their contributions. Judy Andrews is a personal friend and has given us a wonderful monetary donation to use toward the orphanages that we will visit. Cathy Campbell is one of our own dental assistants that has requested and received a donation of instruments (disposable mouth mirrors and articulating paper) from the Renton Technical College. Thank you sooooo much gals and the Renton Technical College.

It's Finally Here!

2008-12-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

We are on our way tonight-provided the Seattle snow doesn't hinder any of us getting to the airport. Last night we were at Randy's office organizing all of our supplies. Randy also taught us how to do ART (Atraumatic Restorative Technique). Very exciting.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is running some last minute errands :). We are due at the airport on about 3 hours and our flight leaves at 1:00 am.

I can't wait to go from 30 degrees to about 80 degrees tomorrow!!

We will be in touch with you all as soon as we can. Take care.

Thanks to everyone for their amazing contributions!!!

2008-12-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Tooth Brigade wants to take this time to thank and recognize the amazing people in Washington that have donated generously in time, effort, and/or products to our cause for this trip to Vietnam. Thank you so very much to Sandy Phillips, Frank Nowtash, Judy Kester, Debbie Gallinaetti, Kristy Graham, Brian McIntyre, Tom Meintz, and Donna Enneking. Sandy Phillips is the Director of Clinical Operations at the University of Washington School of Dentistry and has made wonderful donations for our Tooth Brigade to use over in Vietnam. Frank, Judy, and Debbie are from Arnold Dental Supply (Frank is the owner) and have spent time and effort to make wonderful contributions of instruments (dental carvers, enamel hatchets, cotton pliers, etc.) which will be very crucial to accomplishing one of our goals over in Vietnam. Kristy from Burkhart Dental Supply has been wonderful putting forth a great effort getting us additional instruments in an amazingly timely manner. Brian is the sales representative from 3M and has been phenomenal in helping us procure some wonderful products to use for the Vietnamese people. Tom is the district manager of GC America and we thank him for his time, effort, and very kind donation of products to use for the Vietnamese people. Donna is a sales representative for Pearson Dental Supply and was instrumental in getting dental fluoride varnishes for us. We could not thank these people and companies enough. Without them, there would be a huge void in our mission. Thank you thank you to these amazing contributors.

Updates...

2008-12-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

The dental hygiene program at Seattle Central Community College provided us with 300 sample tubes of toothpaste to take with us today. A big THANK YOU for your contribution to our mission.

All is secure with the fluoride varnish and other supplies. Randy is having some challenges getting the glass ionomer preparation as this specific one is not used in the U.S. Only the World Health Organization (WHO) uses it. We will know next Tuesday if we are able to secure it.

We are ready for the orphanages and now have Santa hats to wear to keep the children (and us) entertained at Christmas.

The dental school in Saigon is going to provide Randy an interpreter for his lecture. Since My will be Jolene's interpreter for her presentation to college students, they will be getting together to do a dry-run (maybe on the plane on the way over).

It' s beginning to feel very real now with only 5 days left until we leave. Everyone is so excited!

Who has the fluoride varnish?

2008-12-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Randy thought I ordered it, I thought he ordered it??! No worries though, we have about 4 whole working days still left to get it together. I'm proud of us for not waiting until the last minute- we are soooo on top it it ;). LOL. Looks like I will be able to secure the fluoride varnish from the dental hygiene program (thanks Ona and Ruth!) and Randy will supply gloves and masks from his office. I just received my shipment of 500 youth sized toothbrushes that I found for a great price on-line along with a stuffed animal teaching aid (Magi Z Dragon from StarSmilez.com). Magi Z is adorable and I can't wait for the kids to see it!

1 more week!

2008-12-10T00:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe we only have one more week left before we step onto the airplane that takes us to the other hemisphere of the planet. Hope we are all prepared by the time next Wednesday rolls around.

The Beginnings...

2008-12-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

Two years ago at the Kirkland Art Walk, we (Randy, Mike and My) ran into a lady who was organizing a medical/dental trip to Vietnam. She explained that the organization she was a part of was very structured and regimented. We fell in love with the idea of a humanitarian dental mission to Vietnam however, we didn't want to participate in something so structured. Fortunately My Nguyen (who, by the way, coined the phrase, "Enjoyz It") happens to be from Vietnam and she enthusiastically expressed that we could do it ourselves! Thus, the idea was born.

Fast forward to summer 2008. My has tirelessly arranged for the following:

Visits to several orphanages where we will be providing fluoride varnishes, performing ART (Atraumatic Restorative Treatment), giving oral hygiene instructions, and dispensing toothbrushes and toothpaste.
A lecture at the dental school in Ho Chi Minh City.
A lecture and cultural exchange at a local community college where My's brother teaches English.

Okay, so we have to fit in a little R&R too. We are also planning to visit Hanoi, Halong Bay, and to spend New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Minh City.

We invite you to experience Vietnam with us through our eyes, prose, and Randy's Flashdrive High Definition Camcorder.

Enjoyz It!

First Post

2008-12-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

Who will be the highest maintenance? Randy or Jolene.... Or will someone else surpass them both???

Find out by reading the blogs over the coming weeks...