Monday was unbelievable. The medical team saw over 750 patients! In addition to the Catalyst staff of 3 doctors, 6 nurses and 1 medical student & non-medical volunteers, we also had 25 Vietnamese doctors volunteering. Some people waited 6 or more hours to see a doctor in the 90+ degree heat with a lot of humidity. The doctors and nurses were mobbed and overwhelmed and there was just complete chaos. For many of the patients, their only medical care is when we are in the area so they are persistant. The medical team is set up at a building about 1 block from the Catalyst Foundation School. It's an odd building which isn't ideal for this, but it is better than everybody being under the intense sun. Despite putting barriers around the work area, the children and adults alike will try to sneak in. Many of the children playfully try to enter and it becomes a game.
The patients start by having their height and weight checked and evaluated by a growth chart. Then they went to vision and hearing testing which I helped to conduct. Fortunately we didn't find too many boys and girls with poor eyesight, but there were some that had possible hearing losses. Then they had their blood pressure and pulse taken before sitting down with a nurse to talk briefly about their health history and potential issues. They are then referred to a doctor if needed for further evaluation. The children also went to a dental area where some extractions were done as well as fluoride treatments. Finally, they had vaccinations, and if necessary blood drawn for lab work. Their last stop was the pharmacy for vitimins, at the least, and medication. All of the medication was donated and either brought by the Catalyst volunteers or the Vietnamese doctors. There is quite a bit less medication this year than there was in the past and it's possible we may run out before Thursday.
Vision and hearing tests were interesting since we usually didn't have a translator with us. If the children knew numbers it wasn't too bad, but if not we had to try to get the to point which way the symbol on the chart pointed, and they couldn't understand English. Many were too young to communicate with so we really couldn't test vision. Once or twice though, we did have children that not only knew the Vietnamese numbers, but they also recited them in English! It felt really good since those kids are part of the Catalyst Foundation's school! One little girl was very afraid of us and not cooperative (we are big and dressed in scrubs and very, very sweaty!), but when she was finished she was blowing us kisses! At the end of the day there were still people in line and after they waited for hours, we had to ask them to come back on Tuesday.
Tuesday was a lot less crazy since we only was 255 patients, but we were without the Vietnamese doctors. I took myself off vision/screening and worked on crowd control to keep out the people trying to sneak in and to move the patients from one station to the next and try to keep them in line. Again, they were sneaky and tried to move ahead in line or were sitting on stools and they didn't know which end was the front. One man spoke very good English and told me that the lady he was with was his aunt (his mother's sister) and he said that they were always glad when we visited and thanked me several times. Later I heard a nurse tell the same story so he was making sure that everybody knew how grateful his family was for our help.
Fortunately Wednesday we don't have to leave for breakfast until 6:30 am! I just downloaded Brianna's pictures, but I don't know what they are and she has already been asleep for about an hour. After dinner we walked with a lot of our friends to a place down the road that had drinks and ice cream! I knew she was tired when she finished her ice cream and asked to go back to the hotel rather than for another bowl (well, actually it was served in a martini glass!).
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Ride to Kien Giang
The ride from Saigon to Rach Gia, the capital city in Kien Giang Province was incredible.
The ride was much shorter than it was in 1999. I think some of the time was saved because at least 1 ferry was eliminated with the construction of a new bridge. Some of the rivers in the Mekong Delta area are very wide. When we need to take a ferry, we must all get off of our tour bus and ride the ferry across the river. The bus also gets on the ferry, but often there is a long wait for the buses and cars, so the passengers may be on the first ferry available, but the bus may not make it for 1/2 to 1 hour later. The line for buses returning in the opposite direction had to be at least 2 miles long!
Another reason that the trip was much shorter than 1999 is because of the new highways and bridges. There's more construction going on here than in Milwaukee! About 1/2 of the trip is now a 4 lane highway. In addition to the new highway, bridges across the highway were needed so people could cross from one side to the other, but I did still see several people just run across the road! Yikes - the drivers here can be more than a little crazy, but I'll save that for another time! The last half of the ride was still a 1 to 2 lane road through many small villages. Many of the bridges that cross over very narrow rivers are only big enough for one vehicle at a time so it can get crowded. There are so many rivers in this area that sometimes you may cross 4-5 bridges within a mile!
It was so nice to see so many improvements in the area which is really what this whole trip is about. Most of the changes were where the new highway is locatd, but it looks as if they are planning to continue the new road so hopefully the progress will continue towards Kien Giang which will then help their economy. There is a small island off the coast called Phu Quoc and tourism is increasing tremendously. A few years back I read that it was considered an undiscovered paradise and after we visited there in 2008 I have to agree! The beaches are incredible! Because the island's tourism has grown, there are more people visiting the Kien Giang area and they are hoping that it will provide more job opportunities for the local community.
In addition to the new road being created, there are so many new houses! In the past the older homes that needed much repair far out numbered the newer homes. Now there a piles of bricks that were delivered to new housing sites every couple blocks! They are tearing down the homes that can't be repaired and building new, beautiful, and colorful homes. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before we left Saigon so I couldn't take pictures, but I'll be sure to get them on the trip back on Friday!
The area around the Catalyst school is changing as well. In 2008 it was in the middle of an open field. Now there are buildings around it which I think are some of the homes that were started as part of our 2008 trip, but I'll find out more later in the day.
We spent the afternoon sorting out donations for each of our teams. I am going to be conducting vision and hearing screenings and we are expecting 700 people on Monday and the bus leaves for the site at 6:00 am! Since I don't have any medical knowlege and I don't speak Vietnamese, I'm sure it'll be eventful!
It's 3:49 am and jetlag is still causing me to wake up about 1:00 each morning so I'm going to try to get some sleep!
The ride was much shorter than it was in 1999. I think some of the time was saved because at least 1 ferry was eliminated with the construction of a new bridge. Some of the rivers in the Mekong Delta area are very wide. When we need to take a ferry, we must all get off of our tour bus and ride the ferry across the river. The bus also gets on the ferry, but often there is a long wait for the buses and cars, so the passengers may be on the first ferry available, but the bus may not make it for 1/2 to 1 hour later. The line for buses returning in the opposite direction had to be at least 2 miles long!
Another reason that the trip was much shorter than 1999 is because of the new highways and bridges. There's more construction going on here than in Milwaukee! About 1/2 of the trip is now a 4 lane highway. In addition to the new highway, bridges across the highway were needed so people could cross from one side to the other, but I did still see several people just run across the road! Yikes - the drivers here can be more than a little crazy, but I'll save that for another time! The last half of the ride was still a 1 to 2 lane road through many small villages. Many of the bridges that cross over very narrow rivers are only big enough for one vehicle at a time so it can get crowded. There are so many rivers in this area that sometimes you may cross 4-5 bridges within a mile!
It was so nice to see so many improvements in the area which is really what this whole trip is about. Most of the changes were where the new highway is locatd, but it looks as if they are planning to continue the new road so hopefully the progress will continue towards Kien Giang which will then help their economy. There is a small island off the coast called Phu Quoc and tourism is increasing tremendously. A few years back I read that it was considered an undiscovered paradise and after we visited there in 2008 I have to agree! The beaches are incredible! Because the island's tourism has grown, there are more people visiting the Kien Giang area and they are hoping that it will provide more job opportunities for the local community.
In addition to the new road being created, there are so many new houses! In the past the older homes that needed much repair far out numbered the newer homes. Now there a piles of bricks that were delivered to new housing sites every couple blocks! They are tearing down the homes that can't be repaired and building new, beautiful, and colorful homes. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before we left Saigon so I couldn't take pictures, but I'll be sure to get them on the trip back on Friday!
The area around the Catalyst school is changing as well. In 2008 it was in the middle of an open field. Now there are buildings around it which I think are some of the homes that were started as part of our 2008 trip, but I'll find out more later in the day.
We spent the afternoon sorting out donations for each of our teams. I am going to be conducting vision and hearing screenings and we are expecting 700 people on Monday and the bus leaves for the site at 6:00 am! Since I don't have any medical knowlege and I don't speak Vietnamese, I'm sure it'll be eventful!
It's 3:49 am and jetlag is still causing me to wake up about 1:00 each morning so I'm going to try to get some sleep!
Brianna's Thoughts . . .
Today is Sunday and I woke up sometime around 1:30 - 2:00 am. and I didn't fall back asleep.
It is still Saturday in Wisconsin. Today we have a 6-7 hour bus ride. It's going to be long for me and my friends.
I think I'm going to be in the painting group the group I always wanted to be in the painting group it is the group that that paints the classroom for the children.
We went shopping last night. I walked a ton.
The plane ride from Korea to Vietnam was nice and short, I fell asleep before we even got off the runway.
The food here is the freshest of all the food I've ever tasted.
I think the Vietnam is the motor scooter capital of the world.
And if you readinhg this from Pleasant View Elementary - there is an opera house!
It is still Saturday in Wisconsin. Today we have a 6-7 hour bus ride. It's going to be long for me and my friends.
I think I'm going to be in the painting group the group I always wanted to be in the painting group it is the group that that paints the classroom for the children.
We went shopping last night. I walked a ton.
The plane ride from Korea to Vietnam was nice and short, I fell asleep before we even got off the runway.
The food here is the freshest of all the food I've ever tasted.
I think the Vietnam is the motor scooter capital of the world.
And if you readinhg this from Pleasant View Elementary - there is an opera house!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saigon
Our flight to Vietnam went as smooth as could be! We even arrived a little early, but it was still about 1:00 am before we reached our hotel so it was about 1 1/2 days of travel time to get from our house to our hotel!
The hotel is in the heart of the city and you can hear horns all the time. It reminds me of the slot machines in Las Vegas. Brianna was up by 6:30 am, but I think her internal time clock is starting to adjust. She is
asleep already and it's before 8:00 p.m.
We had a long day of shopping! The Ben Thanh Market is incredible! It is an indoor, non-air conditioned "mall" and People are packed shoulder to shoulder walking down "aisles." Each vendor has their own "shop" and it is mostly organized by what they are selling. The t-shirts are in one area, the linens are in another area, etc. The vendors are scrambling to make a sale so they were hounding us from the moment we walked in the door! I really thought Brianna would be put off by their aggressiveness, but the shopper actually loved it. In addition to the products that are for sale, they also sell fresh flowers, vegetables, fruit, seasonings, meat. Remember, this is not an air conditioned building! We saw tables with beef, pork and chicken, but Brianna found the liver, intestines, brains (I have no idea what kind of brains), and seafood. We also saw the men cutting the heads off frogs! It is very colorful to say the least!
The last time I was at the Ben Thanh Market was in 1999 when I adopted Brianna and I am glad it hasn't changed a bit!
We did quite a bit of walking today and saw the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House which illustrates the French influence on the architecture in Saigon and the Rex Hotel. The hotel was the hangout for many reporters during the Vietnam War and it has a lot of nostalgia to it. Daily press conferences were held in the hotel, and some of the first guests in the hotel in 1961, while construction was still in progress, were American soldiers who were waiting for their tents to be ready. Now it is a very upscale hotel!
I wanted to change my American dollars for Vietnamese Dong, but since it's Saturday the banks were closed. We walked quite a way and then Brianna recognized a money changing place that we used in 2008! I couldn't believe she remembered it! By this time we were so far from our hotel we decided to take a cab to get back rather than walking in the 90 degree heat. Fortunately, it isn't as humid as it usually is and there was even a little cloud cover.
We had a press conference and there was a television crew and several newspaper reporters that attended to learn about what the Catalyst Foundation is doing to help the Vietnamese communities. In addition to donations of clothes, medical supplies, and toys, we raisedover $28,000 towards this relief effort! The amount of monetary donations is down about 80% since 2008 which probably is due to the Haiti & Chile earthquake relief efforts and our struggling economy. In any case, every little bit helps, and in Vietnam the funds go a lot farther than they would at home, and the need is so great. Thank you to all who supported us and this cause!
Tomorrow we will leave by 7:00 am and drive to Kien Giang. Then the work begins . . .
The hotel is in the heart of the city and you can hear horns all the time. It reminds me of the slot machines in Las Vegas. Brianna was up by 6:30 am, but I think her internal time clock is starting to adjust. She is
asleep already and it's before 8:00 p.m.
The last time I was at the Ben Thanh Market was in 1999 when I adopted Brianna and I am glad it hasn't changed a bit!
We had a press conference and there was a television crew and several newspaper reporters that attended to learn about what the Catalyst Foundation is doing to help the Vietnamese communities. In addition to donations of clothes, medical supplies, and toys, we raisedover $28,000 towards this relief effort! The amount of monetary donations is down about 80% since 2008 which probably is due to the Haiti & Chile earthquake relief efforts and our struggling economy. In any case, every little bit helps, and in Vietnam the funds go a lot farther than they would at home, and the need is so great. Thank you to all who supported us and this cause!
Tomorrow we will leave by 7:00 am and drive to Kien Giang. Then the work begins . . .
Friday, March 26, 2010
Live from Korea!!!
We just finished our 13 hour plane ride from Chicago to Korea! We each had a tv by our seat and we
could play games such as Yahtzee with each other. We are waiting here for about 2 hours to catch our flight to Vietnam, and when we get there it'll be almost noon in Milwaukee!
I am eating what will probably be my last Subway sandwich for the next 10 days. Mom said the Diet Coke, or Coke Light as they call it, is really weird tasting!
It's foggy outside just like it was when we landed here in 2008. Mom said the mountains look like the tv show M*A*S*H.
I am waiting to find my friends. There should be a group that I know from 2008 that will be on the
next plane with us! Liam and Maya - we will miss you on this trip!
Brianna
could play games such as Yahtzee with each other. We are waiting here for about 2 hours to catch our flight to Vietnam, and when we get there it'll be almost noon in Milwaukee!
I am eating what will probably be my last Subway sandwich for the next 10 days. Mom said the Diet Coke, or Coke Light as they call it, is really weird tasting!
It's foggy outside just like it was when we landed here in 2008. Mom said the mountains look like the tv show M*A*S*H.
I am waiting to find my friends. There should be a group that I know from 2008 that will be on the
next plane with us! Liam and Maya - we will miss you on this trip!
Brianna
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
21 hours and counting!
I cannot believe we are ready to go! I have never been ready for a trip like I am for this one! Work is caught up as much as it can be and our bags are packed and already loaded in the car! Phil & I actually went out for dinner tonight! Brianna was happy to stay home with Grandma. Usually, I am working or packing until 1:00 am!
We are as ready as we can be for a 27+ hour trip. We fly from Milwaukee to Chicago to Seoul to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam! We leave at 7:00 am central time on Thursday and we arrive in Vietnam about 11:00 am central time on Friday!
We will have 1 full day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to have fun (and shop) and hopefully recover a bit from jetlag before we leave for Kien Giang which is almost as far south as you can go in Vietnam and very close to Cambodia. They are saying it is a 7 hour bus trip but I'm not so sure. When I adopted Brianna in 1998 it was closer to 9-10 hours in the van. Since then, however, they have built bridges which will eliminate the need for at least some ferries. I can't wait to see it.
When we visited in 2008 we flew from HCMC to Kien Giang. It was much quicker, but if I'm on a "vacation" I want to see the sites! I'm probably the only one looking forward to a 7+ hour bus trip!
Next time you'll read about our adventures from 1/2 way around the world!!!!!
We are as ready as we can be for a 27+ hour trip. We fly from Milwaukee to Chicago to Seoul to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam! We leave at 7:00 am central time on Thursday and we arrive in Vietnam about 11:00 am central time on Friday!
We will have 1 full day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to have fun (and shop) and hopefully recover a bit from jetlag before we leave for Kien Giang which is almost as far south as you can go in Vietnam and very close to Cambodia. They are saying it is a 7 hour bus trip but I'm not so sure. When I adopted Brianna in 1998 it was closer to 9-10 hours in the van. Since then, however, they have built bridges which will eliminate the need for at least some ferries. I can't wait to see it.
When we visited in 2008 we flew from HCMC to Kien Giang. It was much quicker, but if I'm on a "vacation" I want to see the sites! I'm probably the only one looking forward to a 7+ hour bus trip!
Next time you'll read about our adventures from 1/2 way around the world!!!!!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
One Week Until We Leave!!!
During our first trip to Vietnam with The Catalyst Foundation we had 3 teams which built and rehabbed houses, provided medical and dental exams and distributed food and bicycles to local families.
This year we again will have 3 teams, but they will be the housing and medical teams along with a 3rd group which will have all of the children working on painting the school and creating a market. The local community will be given vouchers and then they will be able to "shop" in the market for items that The Catalyst Foundation has either purchased or receivedas donations.
I haven't heard the specific details on the housing team's goals, but this year I'll be on the medical team and we are expecting to see close to 2,000 people from the local area to provide dental exams, fluoride treatments for the children, vision and hearing tests as needed, and some Hepatitis vaccines.
I've seen first hand how the funds and supplies are used in Vietnam, and I cannot speak highly enough about The Catalyst Foundation and Caroline Nguyen Ticarro-Parker, the founder.
The Catalyst Foundation works with Razoo, a fund raising facility. From time to time throughout the year we are notified of special fund raisers that have some sort of additional incentive. This time it's March Madness!
Razoo has named The Catalyst Foundation as one of its 30 most "unique" donors. From now until March 30th, we are competing for the most donors who donate a minimum of $10.00. If Catalyst Foundation wins our "region" we advance to the "Final Four" and compete for $10,000! Basketball is fun, but this is a good cause!
Please consider making a donation to what I know to be a worthy cause. Kien Giang, the province we will again be visiting, is where Brianna was born!
The site for donations is
http://www.razoo.com/story/Mg2010-Midwest-Catalyst-Foundation
When you go to the site, click on Donate, enter your donation amount, check the box to Add a Designation and type "Oelke AE2010" in the box. Our account will be credited for the fund raiser!
In 2008 we raised over $53,000 raised and priceless in-kind donations!
*250 bikes were given out - 1 to every child in our scholarship program in 5 different towns.
*10 kg. of rice, 10 kg. of dried beans, 5 kg. of sugar, 1 box of instant noodles and some candy :) to 280 families (that's enough to feed a family of 4-6 people for a month!)
*700+ "fun bags" given to school children in 5 different villages - the fun bags were 100% made with donations of toys, clothes, stickers and drawings (mostly from school children in the U.S.)
*2 new houses started in Rach Gia (Kien Giang), 2 houses renovated in Tan Hoi Trung (Dong Thap),
*1 new house started in Tan Hoi Trung, 1 house renovated in My Hiep (Dong Thap), 1 new house started in My Hiep, 2 houses renovated in Sa Dec (Dong Thap)....all in 5 days*
We also funded the construction of 2 new houses (1 in My Hiep and 1 in Sa Dec)
For medical check ups - -
*in Kien Giang - we treated 539 people, 47% were treated for parasites, 100% of the patients work and live in the garbage dump
*in Tan Hoi Trung we treated 277 people (192 under age 18, 2 needed follow up)
*in My Hiep we treated 313 people (203 under age 18, 5 needed follow up)
*in Sa Dec we treated 231 people and 7 kids at our orphanage...
A grand total of 1367 patients in 6 days!
After flying thousands of miles to get to Vietnam we then traveled:
120 miles via plane to Rach Gia (Kien Giang), 70 miles from Rach Gia to Cao Lanh (Dong Thap) by bus and two ferries - 6 hours
10 miles from Cao Lanh to Tan Hoi Trung (Dong Thap) by bus and tuk tuk - 1 hour
15 miles from Cao Lanh to My Hiep (Dong Thap) by bus - 45 minutes
25 miles from Cao Lanh to Sa Dec (Dong Thap) by bus and one ferry - 1 hour
85 miles from Sa Dec to Saigon/HCMC by bus - 4 hours
15 miles from edge of Saigon to our hotel by bus - 1 hour
75 miles from Saigon to Long Hai (for camp) by bus - 3 hours
80 miles from Long Hai back to Saigon by bus - 3 1/2 hours
I am exhausted just reading about what we did, but I can't wait to do it all again!
Please help us make it to the next round in the fund raising competition! If you know of anybody else who may be interested in donating, please give them this info! Every little bit helps!
And don't forget to check out the blog from time to time during our trip!
This year we again will have 3 teams, but they will be the housing and medical teams along with a 3rd group which will have all of the children working on painting the school and creating a market. The local community will be given vouchers and then they will be able to "shop" in the market for items that The Catalyst Foundation has either purchased or receivedas donations.
I haven't heard the specific details on the housing team's goals, but this year I'll be on the medical team and we are expecting to see close to 2,000 people from the local area to provide dental exams, fluoride treatments for the children, vision and hearing tests as needed, and some Hepatitis vaccines.
I've seen first hand how the funds and supplies are used in Vietnam, and I cannot speak highly enough about The Catalyst Foundation and Caroline Nguyen Ticarro-Parker, the founder.
The Catalyst Foundation works with Razoo, a fund raising facility. From time to time throughout the year we are notified of special fund raisers that have some sort of additional incentive. This time it's March Madness!
Razoo has named The Catalyst Foundation as one of its 30 most "unique" donors. From now until March 30th, we are competing for the most donors who donate a minimum of $10.00. If Catalyst Foundation wins our "region" we advance to the "Final Four" and compete for $10,000! Basketball is fun, but this is a good cause!
Please consider making a donation to what I know to be a worthy cause. Kien Giang, the province we will again be visiting, is where Brianna was born!
The site for donations is
http://www.razoo.com/story/Mg2010-Midwest-Catalyst-Foundation
When you go to the site, click on Donate, enter your donation amount, check the box to Add a Designation and type "Oelke AE2010" in the box. Our account will be credited for the fund raiser!
In 2008 we raised over $53,000 raised and priceless in-kind donations!
*250 bikes were given out - 1 to every child in our scholarship program in 5 different towns.
*10 kg. of rice, 10 kg. of dried beans, 5 kg. of sugar, 1 box of instant noodles and some candy :) to 280 families (that's enough to feed a family of 4-6 people for a month!)
*700+ "fun bags" given to school children in 5 different villages - the fun bags were 100% made with donations of toys, clothes, stickers and drawings (mostly from school children in the U.S.)
*2 new houses started in Rach Gia (Kien Giang), 2 houses renovated in Tan Hoi Trung (Dong Thap),
*1 new house started in Tan Hoi Trung, 1 house renovated in My Hiep (Dong Thap), 1 new house started in My Hiep, 2 houses renovated in Sa Dec (Dong Thap)....all in 5 days*
We also funded the construction of 2 new houses (1 in My Hiep and 1 in Sa Dec)
For medical check ups - -
*in Kien Giang - we treated 539 people, 47% were treated for parasites, 100% of the patients work and live in the garbage dump
*in Tan Hoi Trung we treated 277 people (192 under age 18, 2 needed follow up)
*in My Hiep we treated 313 people (203 under age 18, 5 needed follow up)
*in Sa Dec we treated 231 people and 7 kids at our orphanage...
A grand total of 1367 patients in 6 days!
After flying thousands of miles to get to Vietnam we then traveled:
120 miles via plane to Rach Gia (Kien Giang), 70 miles from Rach Gia to Cao Lanh (Dong Thap) by bus and two ferries - 6 hours
10 miles from Cao Lanh to Tan Hoi Trung (Dong Thap) by bus and tuk tuk - 1 hour
15 miles from Cao Lanh to My Hiep (Dong Thap) by bus - 45 minutes
25 miles from Cao Lanh to Sa Dec (Dong Thap) by bus and one ferry - 1 hour
85 miles from Sa Dec to Saigon/HCMC by bus - 4 hours
15 miles from edge of Saigon to our hotel by bus - 1 hour
75 miles from Saigon to Long Hai (for camp) by bus - 3 hours
80 miles from Long Hai back to Saigon by bus - 3 1/2 hours
I am exhausted just reading about what we did, but I can't wait to do it all again!
Please help us make it to the next round in the fund raising competition! If you know of anybody else who may be interested in donating, please give them this info! Every little bit helps!
And don't forget to check out the blog from time to time during our trip!
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