Update from USA Dec 8 2009

Boy oh boy have my plans changed....Did you hear about the girl who jumped on the trampoline...successfully. Then she tried jumping OFF the trampoline. Didn't have quite the same result,unfortunately! Surgery, a plate, 8 screws and staples later, I've had to rearrange my plans! I was suppose to be flying back to Vietnam today to pick up where I left off in September when I started my vacation / fund raising trek. However, I'm now back in Connecticut, recuperating and resting for 4 - 6 weeks.

I missed my friend Tomie's very first Ironman race in Perth, AU. The plan was for me to be there with the crew to cheer her on. I was able to track her online but it certainly wasn't the same as being there!

Ok - well trying to keep a good attitude about all this (and daily asking myself, Why Did This Happen???), I will keep in touch with the team in Vietnam via email and Skype and I'll get to enjoy the holidays with my family!

Vietnam is changing rapidly - resorts are being built along China Beach from DaNang to Hoi An - it looks like a mini Las Vegas rising up from the sand. The two typhoons that hit in November did a tremendous amount of damage to village areas and we were able to raise over $6,000 USD to help rebuild homes and lives.... It's amazing when you think about how torrential the rain, wind and flood waters can get - and this happens EVERY YEAR!! I've been lucky to be out of the country for both rainy seasons.....timing is everything.

We have former volunteers now in VN and other coming back to do extended stays - basically, we're waiting more western management to help the staff we currrently have in place and to support the new volunteers. Kerry Flynn is in DaNang and Shae McDonald is going to Tuy Hoa in January. They'll both be kept quite busy with the regular program PLUS new projects like the medical clinic in TamKy, potentially running Malnourished in DaNang as our very own foster home and overseeing several sponsored kids in Tuy Hoa.

Also, in May there will be a mobile dental clinic going to TuyHoa to treat 400 local kids - this will be staffed by East Meets West and GVN, and funding is currentlybeing spearheaded by vols in New Zealand.

The volunteers from the last 2 months have been great for the program - a lot of fundraising and brainstorming has taken place. Sometimes it's a bit tough to manage expectations but I guess that comes with the job. We just can't save every sick kid or get the cheapest deal on supplies at the drop of a dime. We're in a developing country and their is a system - it's not 'our' system and certainly not the best system but it's the system we have to work within......

I hope to be back in Vietnam in early Feb but it's up to the doctors to decide. In the meantime, I'll get back on to fundraising here for the regular program needs, plus to fund Malnourished - literally to keep it open! The vibe will be different when I go get back - my 2 other long term volunteers whom I became really good friends with (Carrie and Eadaoin) have left. Although they'll be back, it won't be quite the same without our regular chats and bottles of wine at the beach!

I'm committed to the kids in our program though and doing whatever we can in 2010 for them. I want to open a vocational school to teach ESL, Life skills and vocational skills. Maybe find someone with ESL experience to create, implement and oversee an ESL curriculum so we can measure our progress. And that's just the beginning!