My First Vietnamese Graduation Ceremony

 27 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family, 

"The" day has finally arrived and the campus has been buzzing with activity in preparation for graduation the university's first group of graduates!! Their theme for this year is: SOARING.  It truly is a historic milestone.  

There was a master and mistress of ceremonies so that the entire graduation was available in Vietnamese and English.  If the speaker presented in Vietnamese, a translation was available on the board and visa versa.  The young woman is wearing a traditional ao dai.  Young women wear white or pastel colors and as a woman gets older, tradition holds that the colors can be more vibrant.  The older women present wore their ao dai in a cacophony of colors.  Simply beautiful!!

Vin University has used one of my nursing student's picture to promote the event.  She is truly beautiful on the inside and outside and seriously smart.  She plans on taking the NCLEX and relocating for a time to the US to work.  I certainly hope so.  It would be a joy to have her join us in the US, knowing that she will return a leader of Vietnam's nursing profession.  

There was a great deal of pomp and circumstance at graduation.  The speakers included the university President, the Provost (who was the former dean of the College of Health Professions at Oregon State University), representatives from U. Penn and Cornell- which are the two Ivy League schools which helped Vin University develop from the ground up.  A very impressive speaker was Prof. Sir David Payne, a pioneer in fiber optics and internationally recognized researcher. What is amazing to consider is that a mere 6 years ago, this area was all farmland!  No campus, no homes, no businesses. 

In Vietnam, celebrating events with flowers is the norm and graduation did not disappoint. 

Dozens of large stands of bouquets encircled the auditorium entrance. They had a photo op set up for grads and families. 

I sat with the Faculty of Nursing.  This pic is with the people that I worked with last summer and this summer.  Such a great group of people who genuinely care about the students and the future of nursing in Vietnam.  They are all distinguished individuals in their own right. 

While my time at Vin University has come to a close for this trip, my writings will not stop.  Actually, I plan to get caught up on stories that I've not yet shared.  When will I return to this magical place?  God guides my feet and my path.  We will see!

Peace to All,

Karen

The Daily "Grind": Roaming the Back Streets of Hanoi

 30 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family,

I love roaming the streets and alleys of Hanoi looking at the doors, windows and homes of the people who live here. Many Vietnamese live in homes that are among a rabbit warren of connecting alleys with little sunlight getting past the roof lines. The "roads" are merely concrete or tiled paths, just wide enought to plaster yourself against a wall so that a motor cycle can come by.

During the French Colonial period, Vietnamese homeowners were taxed based upon the width of the home; hence, homeowner built their homes very narrow and very tall. Where possible, the homes are fairly deep. With the change in goverment structure over the decades, some homeowners illegally widened their homes, encroaching upon the alleys making up these micro neighborhoods, typically made of 100 families. Though illegal, it would be more costly for the government to tear down these extensions. So, the alleys became more narrow and only the very tops of the building are exposed to direct sunlight.

Lee and I hired a guide, a young college graduate, to take us through some of Hanoi's hidden neighborhoods. She introduced us to this 84 year old man, who could play multiple musical instruments and was delighted to share his home with us. His home is 4 stories tall and he lives with his daughter, his granddaughter and her husband and 4 young children. Each floor is 160 sq. ft. in size. Yep, 640 sq. ft. for 8 people. Below are pictures of him, his kitchen and his stairway, which also serves as the location for the family's rice cooker, electric kettle, and microwave and other electronics with the cords snaking down the outside of the stairway to plugs in the living room.

(Above/ right) Windows to an apartment. You can just see laundry hanging up inside the window to the above/ right. Hanoi is home to 10 million people with many living at sustenance levels. The walls of this building show the once elegant yellow that was prominent during the time of French Colonialism.

Many of the homes are shop houses with small businesses on the first floor and are usually 3-5 stories tall with multiple generations living in them with each floor ranging 150- 300 sq ft.

This entry was my favorite. I loved how the home owners took advantage of what sunlight they have and created an arbor over the door. You see the front door is open (black, swung back to the left). I peeked in past the brick pillars and the front area was titled and filled with potted plants that could handle the low lighting. There was a hammock and of course, the requisite area for parking the motor bike. 

The picture to the left shows you just how narrow the alley width is.

This door (below left) is a gate that when opened, one would enter a tiled courtyard that likely has a tree and a small garden along with furniture.  This is considered the middle-class area for locals. The "street" was probably 6-7 ft. across. No wider! With some even more narrow. 

 With this door (below/ right) you get a peek of the beayond, an entry that is probably tiled or cement. A place to park the motor bikes. 

This home is definitely more upscale, given the siding and the double doors. The gates almost assuredly open to an enclosed tiled 

area that serves as a living area and place to store their motor bikes. How do I know? You do not see any sunlight glowing through the holes in the gate.

Let's get back out into the sunshine. These two pictures are the windows/ doors of apartments overlooking a street.  You frequently see juliet balconies over here.  Doors are opened for residents to get fresh air, when the weather permits.  Most balconies contained potted plants.  Residents of Hanoi seek to include nature into their daily lives, however and wherever possible.

I hope that you've enjoyed this back street tour into the lives of locals. Lee and I continue to enjoy our adventures, teaching, and our daily lives here.

Peace to each of you-

Karen

The Daily "Grind"- Eating/ Grocery Shopping in Vietnam

 June 18, 2024

Good Morning Friends and Family,

Thought that I'd share a few pictures of what it is like grocery shopping, food prep, eating over here in Hanoi.  It is vastly different than in Cambodia.  WinMart is the big grocery store chain over here.  It is owned by the VinGroup, which also owns VinFast (car maker), VinMec (medical center chain), and Vin University, just to identify a few of their holdings.  There are small WinMarts in the first floor of every building here in VinHomes Ocean Park, but there are also larger versions in the mall.  The two that I shop at are at the VinHomes Mega Mall about 1 1/2 miles from our apartment and then the one at AEON Mall, which is a 5 story mega-mega mall and has a 3 story WinMart grocery store that is more like a department store with food. AEON Mall is about 10 miles away and while there are more choices there, the crowds and the cost of the taxi ($12-14 each way) isn't appealing. 

Now, how is there a difference between grocery shopping in Hanoi and Phnom Penh?  Some of you have heard my long-standing story of how I can never find pickles in Cambodia and a friend actually mailed me packets of pickle relish, like you get at a convenience store selling hot dogs! LOL... Well, I wish we were here long enough for my friend to send me pickle relish and mustard!  I cannot find pickles nor mustard at any WinMart. Kewpie is the brand name for condiments over here and is owned by Japan.  I have purchased their mayo before but we are not here long, so I did bring packets of mayo with me as I am not cooking too much.  Mainly warming up carry out  (called "take aways") leftovers. Thought I packed mustard, but obviously not.  

Choices of salad dressings over here are sesame seed with wasbi or seasame seed with other seasonings or .... just sesasme seed. I did buy a bottle and doctored it up with a bit of honey and it works for a salad dressing.  Other things that you cannot find over here in stores are pancake syrup (but I have a bottle of marvelous honey!), and often finding pancake mix.  Of course I can make my own pancake mix and salad dressing but given the short time we are here and the lack of storage space (our apartment is maybe 400 sq. ft.), it is a fine dance between what you purchase- what you do without- what you come up with.  

So, the biggest difference I've noted is the lack of international foods here in Vietnam despite the evergrowing international population.  Vin University alone has faculty representing 6 different countries from Europe, the US, and Australia/ New Zealand. Then there are the faculty from other parts of Asia:  India, Pakistan, Singapore. 

The local WinMart has two aisles (both sides) dedicated to various ramen noodles!   Want squid flavored? Chicken or beef flavored? Crab flavored? The flavorings make for an interesting read.

While I love eating in-country foods, I learned a long time ago that having a taste of home is important as well.  It does not make you culturally insensitive or a cultural clod.  Just like understanding that you cannot get the same amount of daily work completed as you do at home.  Your brain is filtering so much sensory information, that there is a fatigue factor must be acknowledged.  Having a taste of home or taking a nap just helps keep you at your best. 

Want to share with you a picture of one of my morning breakfasts.  One picture is the banh mi that I recently ordered for lunch.  A bit thin on the meat, but I just pulled it all to one end of the baguette and ate just half. However, there is a young woman with a Banh Mi stand around the corner from our apartment and she sells banh mi kebab! Oh...my.... goodness.  Oh how I'll miss this place when we leave.

The savory, slowly roasted pork, generously piled into a cross between a flattened baguette (looks like pita bread with the fluffy baguette texture), shredded cabbage and topped with a spicy sauce and something like slaw dressing. She then presses it on a grill.  The cost?  $1.25.  And I just love the Thank You sign painted on the back wall of her little shop. 

Last week, when I orderd a banh mi for lunch, I thought I'd try a bag of chips that students seem to enjoy here.  They are very light and remind me a bit of Bugles, a triangle shaped corn chip that I used to eat in my childhood. A few were enough though. Now, normally, I do not drink sugared sodas and haven't for decades.  Over here, I make a once a week exception.... well, okay, a twice a week exception. Tropicana makes a soda over here called Orange Twister.  It is not like a Fanata orange nor like orange juice. It is a combination! It is a slightly carbonated orange juice, a touch of cloves, and probably a lot of water and sugar.  But good golly, when you are sweating up a storm, it tastes amazing. 

It's time that I get ready for work. I hold our third NCLEX Prep session today.  The second session was allll NGN style questions, which definitely was a challenge for the students; however, by the end, they were getting the hang of the matrix and the bow ties.  Today, I have just a couple of bow ties but then we are going to do a deep dive in straight up multiple choice questions on health promotion and public health.  Those subjects are carried out very differently over here than in the US, so it is important for the students to understand the structure of our public health care system as well as the role of the RN.  Tomorrow?  It will be all about medications and patient teaching.  So wish I had my UF Patho/ Pharm peeps over here to give me a hand with this topic!  

Peace to All,  Karen

A Walk in Wonder: Vietnamese Women's Museum

17 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family,

So much to write about!  I encourage you to circle back to this journal entry tomorrow for major additions.  Yesterday, Lee and I visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum.  This is one of two museums that I've longed to visit and it did not disappoint.  The curators have done a marvelous job of capturing the lives of Vietnamese women from the Northeast all the way to the Mekong Delta.  I was enraptured reading about their clothing, lives as wives and mothers, skill in embroidery, and daily work life. Across this and at least one other journal entry, I will share with you the pictures as well as the information posted by the museum.  

For now, I am simply posting some of the pictures that I took of the clothing styles which vary among the different ethnic groups which call this country home.  So, much more to come!

Spending the Day in the Old Quarter: Hanoi

 MUCH MUCH MORE to come
Here is a video of how to cross a street in Hanoi! We had a fabulous day riding a tour bus, going to the National Museum of Women, and eating lunch at an adorable hole-in-the-wall German restaurant!!  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yTO-QzH6_CtUgwqe0rdRXP7qa7l7I852/view?usp=sharing_eil_se_dm&ts=666d982c 

 

The Daily "Grind"- Being a Foodie in 'Bodia

 11 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family,

This is one of those circling back entries describing my food experiences in Cambodia.  Lee and I are total foodies.  We will try anything once, welllll, that is not exactly true, though I have eaten a friend tarantula in Cambodia before. 

Though Cambodians average consuming 40 pounds of MSG/ year in their food, their food is fresh, organic, and non-GMO.  Don't get me wrong, I think producing drought resistant strains of crops can make the difference between widespread famine and adequate nutrition in some areas of the world.  Cambodia just doesn't have those issues.  The dirt is rich from plant breakdown and healthy doses of manure, from a variety of sources, and you do not want to ask the names of the sources! 

The fruits are plentiful and diverse. 

Mangosteen 

Durian- One SERIOUSLY stinky fruit.  I do not eat Durian.  Lee once bought a pack of durian chewing gum and just thought he was going to give me a kiss. NO WAY.  Most hotels will have signs prohibiting guests from bringing durian into the hotel.  Yep, they smell just that bad.  Okay, so this is gross, but it smells like vomit.  Not kidding.  But Cambodian love this fruit and in-season, there will be long lines of cars along the roadside with the trunk lid open and the car filled with durian for sale. 

Lychee- These and mangosteens are my favorites.  Though you do look like your sucking out an eyeball and then spitting out the pit. There is no "lady like" way of eating either. A PT at Shands Rehab once made a lychee cobbler.  Oh my goodness, it was out of this world. 

People set up stands early in the morning and then at 5PM when children leave school and families flood the sidewalks for their dinners. Now, on a sad note- the uptick in processed fast foods and sugary drinks has exploded over the past 10 years.  As a result, Cambodia is seeing an sharp rise 

in  hypertension, strokes, diabetes, and heart disease.  These are all chronic diseases which must have follow through and maintenance health care in order to avoid a worsening of the condition or premature death.  The Cambodian health care system is not prepare for this onslaught of conditions.  

Along those same lines, is the enormous consumption of sugary sodas and fresh sugar cane juice. The baby teeth of most children are  

completely rotten by the time they are age 5 or  6 due to the high intake of sugars. You would be amazed and the number of heart valve replacements are necessary by age 30 here because of the lack of dental care, professional and daily toothbrushing.

It is also obvious that over the past 15 years, the increase in cell phones/ iPads among young children in this country are a major contributing factor to the childhood obesity levels that are also on the rise. Children who once played outside, no matter how hot it is, are now often seen on the steps playing games or engrossed in a video. 

Getting off the public health band wagon, a snack that I have not tried are salted river snails.  This blue tarp began the day very early, covered in snails with salt and slices of very, very hot peppers on them. The sun and the salt kill the bacteria (in theory). The vendor takes a small rusty "soup can" and scoops up a can full for each sale.  Okay, so I admit that I won't try EVERYTHING one time. 

Cambodian love their sauces!  Sweet, savory, salty, pickled... there is a wide variety of this and that added to any ordered dish.  I personally love sweet chili sauce.  There are some women in Kep, at the fish market, who make and bottle their own sweet chili sauce.  It is too scrumptious for words.  

Now, when I said sauces of all types, I mean just that.  Note in this picture, the jar of snacks... I mean snakes, that have been pickled/ brined.  The pickling juice is added to one dish or another.  They also use snakes in fermented wines/ liquors. I'll stick to my merlot, thank you. :-) 

But something that I just love about Cambodia is the diversity of the international foods that they have here.  My favorite Greek restaurant is in Phnom Penh and run by a Scandinavian brother and sister!  A British pub near to my heart, and full of crusty characters, is Harry's in Phnom Penh.  They have THE BEST "Sunday Roast" you can imagine.  The popovers are light and airy and I always take the leftovers home for the next day.  Though, word to the wise.  If you are eating at a "local" restaurant, it is unwise to eat leftovers.  Even though you refrigerate them, the bacteria count abounds.  Let's just say I learned that one the hard way.  Thank goodness, not the worse case of food poisoning I ever had, but I would never call it the best but that was 11 years ago.

To the le/ below ftis a picture of a beef meat pie and "mash with veg" that I enjoyed at Harry's. I'll have to find and add the roast picture.  

So, there you go.  A bit about my food experience in Cambodia.  Time for class!

Peace to All,

Karen

Reunion Time at Vin University

 

10 June Monday

Dear Friends and Family,

First, it is a delight to once again have the capacity to upload pictures and resume with my writings.  Lee is now in Hanoi and figured out that my photo program had been corrupted, so he did his "magic" and I'm once again up and running.  So, the next few posts will be back and forth between what is happening now in Hanoi, and what all that occured during my second (last) week) in Cambodia.  It will be good to get you caught up on things. 

Today is my first day back at Vin University, which is a vastly different set up than what I experience in Cambodia.  There are very few nursing students attending the university with each cohort composted of only 7-12 students.  Nurses' wages here are very low and in many clinical settings, delivery of care is a challenge. For the most part, the students who attend Vin University wish to work abroad and obtain advanced nursing degrees so Vin University is competing with other high level universities across SE Asia. 

(View from my office.  The smog is rather dreadful today.)

The primary purpose of my time here is NCLEX Prep. The first nursing class graduates on June 29th and the goal is for them to fly to Taipei, Taiwan and take the NCLEX. They will be the first group of nursing graduates in the country to do so.  

My second project is conducting two preceptor workshops.  Faculty do not follow students into the hospital setting. 

So, I've been asked to conduct two 3-hour workshops for clinical preceptors on how to facilitate student learning in the clinical setting.  Then my final project is collaborating with the administrators and 

 nursing faculty on development of a graduate nursing program.  I was to also teach rehabilitation nursing and a community nursing course, but something had to fall off of the schedule as I also have a body of work with my College of Nursing. So, the College of Health Professions dean and the director of the Faculty of Nursing (that is what nursing programs are called throughout SE/ E Asia) decided that the triad described above would be the best use of my time. I got my activity board up and started, but it is bound to be jammed full by the time the six weeks are concluded. 

Here are a few pictures of the campus and the building that I am working in for six weeks.

Above:  The entrance to the main campus auditorium where graduation will be held.  Yep, I hauled my academic regalia over here with me as I've been invited to be in the faculty processional.

To the Left:  Vin Uni is all about Entrepreneurship and Creativity.  They have a large engineering program.  Young man working on software, moving the small vehicle about. 

Day 1 at Vin Uni, on my way home for shower #2 of the day (2-3/ day are necessary to keep from breaking out in a heat rash.  

I love the ariches and stonework on campus. 

       Baih Mi Station- AWESOME!         Canteen Area                        One of Many Student Lounges

  There are now two coffee shops in the Canteen here at Vin Uni.  The baked good options are very different than what you would find in the US.  I enjoy experimenting from time to time. 

There is a shared area at the Colleges of Health Professions and the Arts & Sciences for folks to store their refrigerated items and the cabinets are loaded with faculty's preferred coffees and teas.  FYI:  That counter refrigerator is shared space for about 25 people!  

  Artwork at the Canteen

 So, time to get back to it.  I have much more prep work to complete for tomorrow afternoon's first session.  But, allow me to say what a joy it has been reuniting with my Vin Uni nursing collegues.  There have already been mutliple hugs and over lunch, sharing what we have been up to and then walking back to the office, I saw Patience, one of the students from Nigeria who is studying nursing here.  She flew out of the study room and greeted me with the most beautiful smile and terrific hugs. It is nice to be able to quickly slip back into the routine here. 

Wishing you peace,

Karen