Vietnam Mission Trip, 3/16/11, Raina Zeeh

Subject: SNOW in Vietnam

Yesterday we woke up to snow coming down. It has been 11 years since it has snowed in Sapa. Wouldn't you know it would fall on our heads? We're so ready for some warmth! A lot of people have had to buy coats to try to stay warm. We did our clinic at a rural school yesterday. The principal thought we wouldn't come because of the snow. He said many kids would not come to school because of the snow but we were welcome if we wanted to come. Binh told them we'd see as many kids as would show up. We saw 160 kids. They were some of the dirtiest kids we've seen. They don't bathe much because it is too darn cold for them. We boiled some water to add to the water to wash their hands in hygiene. It was a very nice touch for them since it was so cold. Magel said one little boy, while getting one hand dried, slipped the other one back in the water to get it warm. It was some of the kid's first time to brush their teeth, ever! They had no idea what to do with a tooth brush. So there were a lot of good teaching experiences. Jeff did great teaching tooth brushing. He had some help from Tuyen to help translate. We traveled on the night train to Hanoi. We went to a leper colony today for a mini-clinic. We could not bring all of the medical and dental equipment because all the supplies and luggage travel by truck to our next destination. We will go by plane to Hoi An tomorrow so have to pack light. It is pouring down rain today and cold, but not snowing. I'll have to tell you more later. Dinner is right now so I have to go. Raina

Vietnam Mission Trip, 3/15/11, Raina Zeeh

March 15, 2011 8:10:34 AM MDT

Subject: Boarding School Clinic

Hello everyone! We are freezing, if you can believe it-in Vietnam. We are in Sapa which is in the mountains. The day started out with fog then the rain came in. It rained all day and was so cold. The wind blew right through you! We had our clinic at a boarding school for indigenous children grades 6-9. They are from several different tribes in the area. We saw 320 patients. Normally this clinic can last late into the night but we were finished by 6:30. I think that is a record. We were greeted at the clinic by the children clapping while lining the driveway. It is a once in a lifetime experience to be shown such honor by the children. At the start of the clinic we had the children waiting on benches outside to be seen by medical or dental. But as it got colder and colder, the children were shivering waiting outside so we invited them in the rooms with us to wait. The body heat helped all of us! We saw everyone without hypothermia setting in. After every patient had been seen, the children gathered in the cafeteria. We presented each of them with a gift bag. In the bag was a blanket, gloves and notebooks. They were very excited to receive such a nice gift The neat thing is they truly are grateful! They are very appreciative and sweet. They sang us a song that was beautiful. Another highlight is handing out reading glasses and this year we gave embroidery floss to the women who make beautiful handiwork. We invite them from the market to come to the boarding school so we can give them glasses. Several of them made their way there. They too are very appreciative. We have another 320 kids to see tomorrow at a village school. We hope we have time to see them all because we will go on the all night train to Hanoi tomorrow night. Thank you for your prayers. Things have gone pretty smoothly so far! Raina

Vietnam Mission Trip, 3/14/11, Raina Zeeh

Subject: Sapa

We took the all night train to Lao Cai and arrived at 6:30 AM. Most people said they were able to sleep okay on the train. It rocks a lot of people right to sleep. We laughed a lot before bed and had a great time. After arriving at the train station we went to the China border to look at China across the river. We saw an "engagement" happen on the bridge. The "bride" and several men from Vietnam met a group of other men from China at the center of the bridge. They all talked and shook hands (except the lady who stood away from the crowd) then walked back to the Vietnamese side. Binh said that it was probably an arranged marriage that was coming together. It was interesting to see. We made our way up the winding road to Sapa which is high in the mountains in the North. It is actually sunny, making it very beautiful!! They have terraced farming along the mountains with red dirt in a patchwork with green. The clouds just nestle into the valleys and hang along the mountains. Our breakfast overlooked a valley that was beautiful. We have a free day in Sapa to shop and see the sights. Many people went on tours/hikes to visit the indigenous villages and a waterfall. Everyone who did that said it was wonderful. Some of us shopped at the market and bought a few new things for the COPI fundraiser and a few things for ourselves. At the end of our shopping day the clouds have rolled in and the fog is very thick. You cannot see very far at all. Hopefully the clouds will lift for tomorrow. Tonight we will have a special dinner provided by the hotel manager. He loves the work that COPI does in Sapa. Last year when we had a change in plans for clinics he found us a new place to do a clinic. He is quite nice and very accommodating. The dinner should be wonderful. Tomorrow we will have a clinic from early morning until late in the night. We will go to a boarding school for indigenous children and see 304 students. We will stay until we're done to not leave anyone out. We will provide each student with a gift of a blanket, gloves and writing tablets. This afternoon we folded and packaged the gifts we will give out. It will be a long but rewarding day tomorrow. More later! Raina