First Day at hospital

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1/4/2010; Tuesday
Today was the first day at the hospital. We had a meeting with Mr. Cuc; met Liem (PT) and rehab physician. Received tour of hospital and pretty immediately started consulting with patients/PTs.
First impressions: family members are the ones predominately administering PT; lots of “rubbing” around for soft tissue release; there was quick trust and eagerness amongst the staff/patients for our input and very open in letting us jump in. Their first, immediate questions are always: What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? Are you married? And already patients’ family members were trying to play match maker for margot/me with other therapists/patients. One of the patients: 22 y/o very sweet girl, excellent English: Phuong; is dating one of her therapist as if it is no big deal and her mom is even very familial with him. Families live in the hospital with the patients. And I’m already seeing how I may end up learning more from them than they may learn from me in their compassion, how they care for each other. But, I shouldn’t also underestimate the value of what I may also bring to them.
Margot and I seem to have a lot of “free” time since our commute time is zero; we have a 2.5 hr lunch; and being done with the work day at 5 without our usual extra-curriculars at home makes the days seem much longer here –until of course we started at the hospital and those hours in the morning and afternoon flew by.
We also met the ortho surgeon and I was surprised, but excited that he was so eager and curious to ask me questions about various treatment techniques and how to manage certain issues particularly neck and back pain. If only our surgeons in the states treated us with this much openness, trust, respect and sense of true collaboration without the always there power distinction/play. It was weird to have him ask ME questions as to how I do things.
It seems we aren’t eating enough and that our stomachs are shrinking. We’ve avoided raw vegetables only until last night after having met a couple americans that have been travelling/working in Vietnam and have been eating the raw vegetables. Thank goodness! That already made an immediate improvement on my diet (I hope not at a cost to my GI system). But meals really are cheap (dinner last night was under a dollar); and we haven’t had a bad meal, yet. That’s not to say that American food is going unmissed. This morning we woke up ravenous and headed straight to Bread for Life (American owned western bakery/restaurant) and each ordered the big old “American breakfast” to load up – I did not want to run out of steam half way thru the morning of our first day.

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Photos

Da Nang Beach
Lady Buddha/Monkey Mountain in background

New Year's Day
Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon
The old and the new

Market street
and they tell me to just walk out in the street in order to cross it . . .

Market produce in Saigon
mmmmhhh!

first class to Da Nang
Margot and I really made the most out of our hour-long first - first class experience on vietnam airlines!