Michelle is one of the students who traveled with us and participated in the work at the hospital. She kept her own blog during the trip and took great pictures. Here are excerpts and links to her posts.
Day One/Two: Departure from San Francisco and Arrival in Vietnam
We all arrived safe and sound in Can Tho, Vietnam (pronounced Can Tuh) after a wild 24 hours of traveling. Our flight from SFO to Taipei, Taiwan was a 14 hour roller coaster ride. A good portion of the ride was pretty bumpy, but luckily I was able to sleep through most of it. Upon arriving in Taipei, Taiwan, we all got to wander around the airport to enjoy some duty-free shopping, and then it was back on the plane, which unfortunately was delayed for two hours with everyone already boarded due to a computer that needed to be replaced. We finally arrived at Ho Chi Minh City, and after gathering the 32 boxes of supplies and the rest of our baggage, the group loaded up a bus and made the 4 hour trek to Can Tho.Day Three: First Day of Work
I am so excited that we started screening our first group of patients
today. I was in charge of taking images and videos of patients for the
intake group today, and I loved seeing all of the patients. They had
such great attitudes, and it was very humbling to see how people can be
so happy, even though they were given so little.
Day Four: Exploring Vietnam
Due to the New Year holiday, no work was done in the hospital on January 1. Instead, we took some time to explore Vietnam more. Our first stop was to the Snake Market, which has come to include much more than snakes. The main part of the market is a fish and meat vendor area, which should not be visited by those who have a strong sense of smell or a weak stomach.Day Five: Second Day of Screenings
Today we screened 44 people, and did it in about the same amount of
time, despite only having two rooms rather than the 3 we had on the
first day. My dad took the pictures and videos today, so I followed
Sahra Sellers, a resident surgeon, and watched over her shoulder most of
the time. We had a few special patients today whose pictures I will
show below.
Day Six: First Day of Operations
I can now add being in an operating room onto my list of firsts I
experienced this trip. When I first got into Dr. Lehnert's room, I felt a
bit woosy, as they had to administer to drugs through a needle in the
spine, and were cleaning everything with iodine, which got me a little
light headed. Needles are not my thing. This experience re-affirmed the
fact that I do not want to be a surgeon when I grow up!
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