Saturday, Day 3

It’s Brian again. Quick question, is it really true that the Red Sox cut Doug Mirabelli?

Since the students are the ones doing the entertainment for the kids, the job settles down after a while. We left the hospital on the second day of screening earlier than the rest of the team. Early in the day, there were a little of kids and it was hot. We were doing our best to keep them all happy.

Yes it is true I did get a massage on Friday night and it was awesome. It made me sleep better than the first two nights, when I was getting up every hour. I went shopping with Sarah, Dash, HJ, and two other team members on a Saturday morning to a huge market called Central Market. It was a little better than the Russian Market because it was twice as big, and it didn’t smell.


Saturday – from Margaret

This morning was intense. When we got to the hospital at 8am we brought out these big boards with the numbers (each person got a number when they were screened) and names of the people who are going to get surgery. There were people who were crying because they were so happy and others crying because they were so sad. Many of the ones that are getting surgery are staying at the hospital because they live so far (many traveled as much as 10 hours to get to the hospital).

After the hospital, a bunch of us rented a car and went to this orphanage (really just a hut for street people) - it was amazing. It was right on the Meekong River. Anyways, we talked with the children for a long while, they are learning English in their school, the first floor of the hut. This hut they are living in and go to school in didn't have a roof over the kitchen. So we made a $100 donation between all of us, and that will build them a roof. All the children, ten total, sleep in one room on the second floor – and they share one bed. They were so grateful.

Later Brian went with a group of people to see an authentic dance show and dinner, I went with a different group to the Buddhist monastery to meditate with the monks and then we all went to a Thai place for dinner. Food was great. And by the way, you can great a great meal here for less than $6 per person with tip.

It is so very HOT. You can't even believe it, and almost nothing is air conditioned. Thank God the hotel has air conditioning or it would have been impossible. None of the restaurants have air and the hospital doesn't either. Today it was 105 degrees, and it felt worse than that.

Anyways, tomorrow we have a tour of the Royal Palace and Museum and then we are going up to the killing fields. And then on Monday AM, the surgeries start for five straight days.

More later.
M & B