On the Way Home

We are at the airport in Seoul waiting for the last leg of our flight. We have another 2.5 hours to go. The first thing Zach wanted when we got here was something from Burger King.

We are looking forward to cooler weather, eating American food, sleeping in our own bed, and seeing our family and friends.

Zach is already asking if we can go back in 2012 (the Catalyst Aid Expedition is every 2 years).

Back in HCMC

We arrived back in HCMC around 3pm. We checked into a hotel wo we would have some place to store our luggage and so we would take a shower and freshen up before the long plane ride. It is currently 6pm here. We will be leaving for the airport at 9pm.

We took a taxi ride to a shopping area called the Tax Market. Unfortunately for us we got one that didn't know where they were going. It cost twice as much to get there as it did coming back!

The bathroom here has a shower with no tub or curtain. I just took a shower and there is water everywhere. I was smart enough to remove the toilet paper before starting so at least that is dry!

Last Day in Kien Giang

Today was our last day in Kien Giang province.

The medical teem saw 100+ patients and wrapped things up at 2pm. We then went to visit the garbage dump in Rach Gia where some of the students at the Catalyst school live. We saw some of the shacks that the families are living in and met some of the families. There was one with a 3 week old baby. The whole thing was overwhelming. It is hard to imagine how difficult their life must be living with no fresh water, no plumbing, no electricity,and the stench of garbage rotting in 100 degree heat all day long. I did get out and walk around and the stench was terrible. While we were there a garbage truck came and dumped a fresh load. As it was being dumped the people that live there and collect recycables for a living ran to the back of the truck and immedicately started sorting through it. After that we came back to the hotel and had about 1/2 hour to get ready for the party with the school children.

Zach's team spent the morning playing games with the kids at the school. They had a game similar to a pinata but with clay pots that they hit with a stick. They also had a game where they chased live chickens and tried to catch them. You can imagine how excited I was to here about that game! I think the chickens then became part of our dinner.

For the school party and talent show, the families from the dump labored at the school all day cooking and preparing dinner for us. There was so much food that even if we all stuffed ourselves we would not have been able to finish it. It is probably ore food than the school kids had ever seen at one time. They stuffed themselves. Zach and I were very careful what we ate, which means we didn't eat much. I just cannot get past how the food is prepared. When you see the pictures I took you will know what I mean.

After dinner was the talent show. Each team performed and the school children performed as well. We enjoyed that part of the evening.

Tomorrow we check out at 6am and head back to Ho Chi Minh City. It will take approximately 7 hours to get there.

Wednesday, March 31

The medical team continued the exams and flouride treatments today. The thing I really enjoy about doing the flouride treatments is that i get to see all of the kids (except the really sick ones) that come through. They are all such sweet kids and I am amazed at how still most of them sit for the treatment. Of course, I have noticed that shortly after they walk away fro our table they start spitting. We had a real frenzy of activity today when word got around to the locals that we were handing out free toothpaste and toothbrushes. You would have thought we were passing out money. Unfortnately, we have not seen any kids come through that have all of their teeth. They must be in so much pain with rotting teeth in their mouth.

Zach spent the morning helping to paint the outside of the school. After lunch they took their air conditioning break and then in the afternoon he played soccer and did crafts with the kids.

It was 103 degrees today and very humid. The combination really drains your energy.

Tomorrow is going to be a stressful day for me. The medical team is packing up in the early afternoon and visiting the garbage dump. I cannot pick something out of the garbage so walking through it is going to be a real challenge for me. In the evening we will be going back to the school for a party and a talent show. All of the teams have to put on a performance and some of the Vietnamese students will also perform. The locals will also be cooking us dinner which will also be a challenging situation for me. Most of you know one of my main concerns about this trip is how to stay well when the food supply may not be safe. One of the basic rules is 'don't buy food from vendors'. The food being prepared tomorrow is much like that from a vendor so I am extremely anxious about eating it since the following morning we have a 7 hour bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh City and then a 24 hour airplane ride back to the states. Tomorrow night would not be a good time to eat something that would make us ill.

Zach is very hoarse. I believe it is due to the poor air quality here. It is very dry and dusty here and I am also feeling scratchiness in my throat although I feel well otherwise.

Tuesday, March 30

Today was another busy day.

The medical team was out again at 6am and left the work site at 5:30pm. I continued doing the flouride varnish application today.

Zach's team did a lot today as well. They started their day by visiting the garbage dump where some of the kids at the school live. They were allowed to get off the bus if they wanted but just to get a better look, not to walk around. Zach decided to stay on the bus. Zach said it made him feel sad to see people living like that. The medical team will be visiting there Thursday afternoon and will be getting out and walking around the dump meeting the families. This will be way out of my comfort zone! I cannot even imagine what the smell will be like and those of you that know me very well can probably guess that I might throw my shoes out afterwards.

After their visit to the dump, the kids returned to the school to do more crafts like friendship bracelets with the kids and play soccer. Then they went back to the hotel for a break and returned to the school around 2:30 pm. They set up a 'market' for the kids at the school. Each student and their family was given money vouchers they could use to purchase various items in the market. There were toys, clothing, kitchen supplies, etc. Students were given money based on how well they are doing in school and their parents were given money based on their involvement with the community and projects Catalyst is involved in. At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to go check it out and it was extremely busy. The kids really seemed to enjoy it.

First Full Day of Work

One word sums it all up right now: exhausted! We are both beat after working a full day in the heat.

The medical team set out at 6am for breakfast and were on the worksite by 7am. We saw over 700 patients today. My task for the day was to apply flouride varnish to the kids teeth. I have never seen such bad looking teeth in children. It is heartbreaking to see and entire mouthful of teeth rotting away due to lack of dental care. We were stationed next to the dentist who was giving exams and doing tooth extractions. I was surprised at how still the children sat for both the extractions and the flouride treatment. I only had one kid spit it out and one kids that gagged. They loved the stickers we brought for them.

Zach's team sorted toys and other donation items that will be passed out later this week in the morning. Then they had a break back at the hotel in the air conditioning. Later in the afternoon they went back to play soccer with the school children and do tie dye shirts.

One of the things that was diffucult today was lunch time. The kids ate in the courtyard of the school and had to face away from the windows so the school children couldn't see them. It was hard for the adults as well to eat lunch and drink clean water while there were people waiting to see us that do not have a clean water supply and insufficient nourishment. I find myself eating less than normal. I do not feel right eating until I am full when there are others here that never have enough.

We're in Kien Giang Province

Well, it turns out the bus ride was 7 hours instead of 6. We only went 60 miles so that tells you what kind of shape the roads are in. We tried to rest but it is hard to sleep when the bus driving is honking the horn every 30 seconds or so.

As soon as we arrived we went straight to the school that Catalyst Foundation built several years ago and sorted the donations. It is extremely hot here and I am sweating in places I didn't even know could sweat. Actually I guess I did because I did last time too.

We spent several hours on sorting and then we checked into the hotel. It's better than the hotel from 2 years ago but there definitely a cultural difference in regards to cleanliness standards. The bathroom is not what we are used to. There is a shower but no curtain. Even if you take the removable shower head off the wall you still end up with water outside the tub and then it goes down the drain. And there is a slight sewer smell in the bathroom.

Tonight's dinner was mostly seafood - shrimp on sugarcane, shrimp with seasoning, fish soup, some type of broiled fish, etc. You get the picture. Not really my cup of tea when you see the water they are getting it from. There was one beef dish that Zach enjoyed. When we arrived they also had glasses out with large chunks of ice which is a big no no for American stomachs. Bottled water only for us.

Tomorrow the team I am on (medical) must leave at 6am and we are working until 4:30pm. I will be helping to apply some kind of dental application to the kids teeth. I am sure I will be exhausted.

We have been warned about heat exhaustion and they have budgeted 15 bottles of water per person per day to avoid it. All of the teams are going to be working near the school which has toilets, but unfortunatelyfor me they are basically a hole in the ground you have to squat over and manually flush with a bucket of water.

I am turning in shortly. Zach fell asleep right after his shower.