Sunrise Thunderstorm

I was treated to a reminder of the strength and power of Mother Nature. Even though our days are sun splashed and clear, during the night, I was woken to the flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder. I decided to walk to the balcony to see if I could witness the storm approaching, but it was too dark to see anything except the random flashes of light. Upon awakening for my daily run at 5:00am, I decided to see if I could get a few sunrise photos at the sea. As I was taking pictures of the sky, the sun was rising on my left and the storm was still over the sea. Fortunately for me I was in the right place at the right time. I began to experience the awesomeness of the storm with loud thunder and bright lightning bolts. Luck would have it that I was able to take this photo depicting what I thought would only be in my memory. During my run I reflected on the power of Mother Nature and the wonder and beauty of the world around us. I thought that to truly appreciate the beauty of the glorious sunrise, sometimes you have to experience a dark, more stormy situation, Not unlike our own lives and the lives of many friends and family around us. During our clinic we will treat many patients who struggle each day either with acute/chronic illness or the loss of limbs. We hope that this example from Mother Nature reminds us that with struggle comes reward!!!

Perseverance

After traveling half way around the world, and prior to the mission work, our team gets the opportunity to explore the country of Vietnam and its many wonders. One such wonder is the natural sand dunes and lake of Mui Ne. This area along the coastline was inhabited as early as the 5^th century, due to its proximity to the fishing location and availability of fresh water from the lake. With its high winds and vast surface area, the sand dunes change on a daily basis. Where one peak is today, there will be a new peak tomorrow. Today, the winds along the dunes were particularly strong, making the exploration a challenge. A portion of our team decided to make the trek to one of the highest peaks. As we started our accent, the wind blew sand at our legs, which felt like constant stinging. With careful protection of our eyes from the blowing sand, we challenged ourselves to make it to the top. Between the heat, wind, and degree of elevation, this vertical climb made for a great work out. First, only Larry and myself committed to the task, quickly followed by Brent, Jihae and our guide Em Quang. Although our hearts raced and our legs burned, reaching the pinnacle was worth every drop of sweat. From this peak we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the surrounding dunes and large lake. This will be one of our countless opportunities to persevere through a seemingly exhausting situation and be rewarded with personal triumph and satisfaction. 

Finally arrived in Vietnam

After a total transit time of 40 hours, our team finally set foot on Vietnam soil. True to each year, the Vietnamese government officials questioned why we were bringing 900 lbs of drugs into the country. Thankfully, as always, we have letters from the Vietnamese government granting us permission to do so.

Then a long 5 hours bus ride to our first location in Mui Ne. Here out team got to experience the freshest seafood available. As you can see, you look into multiple tanks of live seafood and choose your favorite dish. Then after an excellent preparation, we got to experience scallops, clams, squid, prawns, green vegetables, and fresh coconut juice

This now lends itself to a solid nights rest!!!

Ngu Ngon!!!

Layover in Doha

This months travels began with a 10:25 am flight from Philadelphia International Airport. It took 12.5 hours to land in our midpoint destination, Doha City, State of Qatar. This layover would be 19 hours.
We landed at 6:00 am Doha time and the Temperatures were already approaching 92 degrees. After a well needed 5 hour "nap" in one of the gender specific quiet rooms, we joined the Qatar City tour sponsored by Qatar airlines.
The tour began at 7:30 PM, with the temperature hovering at 109 degrees.
Qatar is known recently for its winning of the controversial FIFA World Cup Games of 2022. It is a relatively newly developed city, of which no one can become a citizen, except through blood relations.
The citizens of Qatar are provided many luxuries, including free education for 16 years. It is cheaper to buy 1 liter of petrol than it is to buy 1 liter of drinking water.
We decided to visit a local pharmacy and speak to the pharmacists on duty. He informed us that there are laws similar to the USA, by which you require a Physician's prescription to access the majority of medications. They now have a Doctor of Pharmacy Program, and most pharmacists work under the sponsorship of the owner of the Pharmacy.

Months of Preparations

The 2015 team was selected in November 2014. They have been meeting weekly since January 2015 in preparation for this journey. Preparations included:

1. Learning basic Vietnamese language
2. Practicing physical assessments such as, blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring and injection technique training.
3. Learning and practicing the differential diagnosis of common orthopedic illnesses that they will encounter on this mission.
4. FUNDRAISING for all medications, supplies and charity work.

WE ARE READY!!!!!!!!!

I am very proud to say that this years' team successfully raised the most money since Temple School of Pharmacy joined this Vietnam Mission, over $20,000 USD. Each and every dollar is used to purchase medications, medical supplies, and will be used to provide charity donations. (Throughout this blog you will see examples of the activities which your donations make possible.)

It goes without say that the OVERALL SUCCESS of this mission depends on the GENEROUS and SELFLESS DONATIONS from our many family, friends, and supporters.

Cam on rat Nhieu !!!!  (Thank You Very Much)!!!

Vietnam Pharmacy Mission 2015 Team

The day has finally arrived.

Meet the Temple University School of Pharmacy Vietnam Pharmacy Mission 2015 Team:

(L-R) Jihae Lim, An Nguyen, Brent Jenkins, Larry Martinez, Julie Nguyen and Saba Emami.

I would like to express my thanks to the 20 PY-3 students who applied for this years' mission. Based on the size of the entire mission team, I am restricted to bringing only 6 students each year. All 20 were highly qualified and each would have brought unique qualities. For me, selecting 6 is a VERY HARD part of a VERY GOOD job!!! If I could have brought all 20, I would have, because all were excellent!

I look at these eager, yet nervous faces and think back to my first mission in 2012. I never felt totally prepared. I had no idea what was really in store for me, and I had many fears and apprehensions. No matter what I teach this team, no matter how hard we worked for the past 5 months, I do not believe any words can describe the changes that are about to take place in each of their lives.

My hope, this and every year, is that they pour ALL of themselves into the Vietnamese culture and work as hard as they can for the next 30 days. Through all of their sweat, tears and smiles, I hope they look back and say that this mission altered their view of Global Healthcare, opened their eyes to a different cultural, and showcased their empathy for humankind, both home and abroad!