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.