Sunday was camp day. We spent the morning and early afternoon hours on a beach along the South China Sea, playing games and making crafts with the kids. Then we all went swimming in the sea. (And we were introduced to sea lice, which I'm told were killed when we later jumped into a (hopefully) chlorinated pool. Keeping my fingers crossed.)
It was difficult to keep track of all the children, but somehow we apparently finished the day with as many as we started with. (Whew!) I wish those kids could play like that ever day, instead of going home to struggle for food and an utter lack of clean water. For a day though, it was wonderful.
I'm told that the kids were up all night practicing flushing the toilets in their rooms.....and that they each took several showers throughout the day on Sunday! They seemed so "normal" that it's difficult to imagine all that they deal with on a typical day.
After dinner with the kids, we had a talent show. (Focus on "show", not on "talent"!) I was sitting with a group of girls from Dong Thap province, including a young woman who spoke just enough English to tell me that she's 17 years old. At one point during a skit, I heard a simple "Happy" come from behind me. I turned around and saw the girl with a huge smile on her face. If she was happy, well then that was good enough for me.
The medical team, including me, got up to do a quick silly skit that we put together during dinner an hour earlier. We were, of course, totally embarassed as we sang an adapted version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while doing a kick-line. I learned later that the Vietnamese emcee asked the kids if they recognized us and the response from the crowd -- which included all kids we had seen throughout the week in the various provincial clinics -- was "Yes, they are the ones who love us." What an amazing feeling......I couldn't ask for more from this trip.
Photo from the Beach at Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand
People starting to gather for our clinic in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
A house near our clinic in Kien Giang
Measuring "patients" in Kien Giang
Boys at the Kien Giang clinic
More photos from the clinic days in Kien Giang
Applying flouride in Kien Giang
A cemetery outside the dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
The dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
Many of the people we served in Kien Giang live in the dump. You can see "houses" in the distance on the left.
People living in the dump
These are the same boys from the fifth photo above. I saw them in the clinic one day and then again at their home in the dump the next day.
This is a source of water in the dump...
...and this is a truck pumping raw sewage into that water
Our clinic in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Life in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Driving through the Mekong Delta
This bridge crosses the water between the road and a house. There are donzens and dozens of bridges, one after the other, spanning the waterways.
Our clinic in My Hiep, Dong Thap
Our clinic in Saigon
During our clinic day in Saigon, we saw girls from the Little Rose Warm Shelter, including those who have been the victims of human trafficking.
This little girl is holding one of the many "goodie bags" that we handed out.
Bikes, bikes, bikes
We distributed 250 bikes while in Vietnam, including to the girls we saw at the Saigon clinic. (You can see that this little girl is using the bike to haul the food that we distributed as well.) Bicycles are an important mode of transportation in Vietnam.
Photos from Camp in Long Hai, Phuoc Thuy
We hosted camp for 330 kids, including the girls we saw at our clinic sites.
The camp was held on this beach on the South China Sea.
Most of the kids at camp had never been on a bus, taken a shower, or slept in a "real" bed. Everything from having a lunch big enough to fill their bellies to using a toilet that flushed, was brand new to them.
I painted A LOT of little fingernails at camp!
Saigon Opera House
Government building in Saigon
Sidewalks in Saigon
The team for the 100-mile bike ride from Dong Thap to Saigon!
The ride raised money for the bikes that we donated to children in Vietnam.
Hitting the road at 5:30 a.m.
Early morning traffic in the delta region
Taking a break along the road
Lots of bridges along the route
Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles all share one road
Carb loading -- Pringles and...
...bread carried me a long way
Lunch at a local restaurant along the way
Our last break with 15 miles to go
One rider jumped in the van so that Tuan (middle, long pants) could get on a bike and lead the way into Saigon for us.
Saigon at last!
This is what we looked like 100 miles and twelve hours after leaving Dong Thap. We had just finished weaving our way through Saigon's rush hour traffic.
The Foerster Kiddos
