'Tis the Season (Part 4): Thuy's Family Supports an Impoverished Shelter for the Sick and Poor

The final part in a series of short stories of friends and family back home who have gone out of their way to extend their own generosity to those in need here in Vietnam.

Sharing information can be one of the most important ways you can help an organization. You never know from who and where help can arrive.

Thuy tells her family about the Francis Shelter in Dong Nai province. On a budget that would make the Seattle non-profit community cringe, the Francis Shelter cares for some of Dong Nai province's most dire and ill citizens. Thuy's family immediately makes a contribution to their cause.

'Tis the Season (Part 3): Friends Donate Large Box of OTC Medicines for Those in Need

Part three in a series of short stories of friends and family back home who have gone out of their way to extend their own generosity to those in need here in Vietnam.

This is a story about friends finding a unique and personal way to make a helpful contribution to people in need.

Two of our close friends in Seattle make a unique donation in the form of a box of medicines to be dispensed to anyone or any organization who needs them.

'Tis the Season (Part 2): UW Foster MBA Alums Offer to Pay for Christmas Gift for OBV Girls

Part two in a series of short stories of friends and family back home who have gone out of their way to extend their own generosity to those in need here in Vietnam.

This is a story about a small group of classmates turned friends who overhear a conversation and take it upon themselves to be awesome.

Three UW Foster MBA classmates and friends want to ensure that the OBV girls have one of the most entertaining and memorable Christmas gifts ever.

'Tis the Season (Part 1): Krav Maga Renton Donates Equipment to OBV Vietnam Self-Defense Class

At the time I wrote this, it was the evening of Christmas Day, which made it the morning of Christmas Day back home in Seattle. Another Merry Christmas to our friends and family in Seattle and across all timezones. We love and miss you all.

In celebration of this spirit of giving, this is the first in a series of short stories of friends and family back home who have gone out of their way to extend their own generosity to those in need here in Vietnam. The protagonists in these stories would probably insist that their contributions were "no big deal." Nothing could be further from the truth.

Thank you to everyone mentioned in these stories, to those unnamed, and to those who continue to offer their support of our work and of OBV. However small these benefactors might think their act to be, they've made a difference in other peoples' lives.

Don't Ask Me If I Learn Vietnamese Because of Thuy

Speaking a language is like doing a crossword or sudoku puzzle. There's the fun in making something unclear clear, the logic and associations needed to make the right guess and get the correct answer, and the beauty of a completed puzzle.

When you ask someone if they learn a language because of a woman (or man), you reduce the years of hard work someone put into achieving that fun, logic, and beauty into nothing more than some pursuit of affection from someone else.

Cambodia Medical Mission Trip (Part 2): OBV Delivers Medicine to Patients in Vietnamese Village

On Monday, December 16, we rejoined Linh Doan, Director for OBV Cambodia, in Phnom Penh for our second mission trip. During this visit, Thuy would be taken to a Vietnamese village to provide follow-up medical consultations for and dispense medicine to the villagers she saw on her first mission trip to the country.

This post is a collection of photos and a video journal detailing our task of purchasing and bringing medicine from Vietnam to this Vietnamese village in Cambodia, and, in doing so, sharing with you a tiny piece of what life is like for these villagers.

UPDATE: Decision Made, Huong Will Return to Vietnam

On Monday, December 16, Huong gave a somber, tearful goodbye to her sisters, a group of girls she met no more than a week prior. She left the OBV Cambodia house and returned home to her father.

[Podcast] Week in Review, Episode 09

Greetings from Cambodia! Thuy gives an emotional account of her last OBV mission to Cambodia and explains how someone's $50 donation can easily translate into medication for 30 people in an impoverished Vietnamese village in Phnom Penh. She also reviews her recent OBV health road show to Can Tho and Soc Trang. Jesse runs through his recent trip to Ha Noi and relives the body waxing experience.

Listen through the SoundCloud player below, or download the episode by clicking "download" at the bottom of the player.

Cambodia Medical Mission Trip (Part 1): Thuy Treats 30 Patients in Small Vietnamese Village

During our first One Body Village mission trip to Cambodia, Linh Doan, OBV Cambodia director, took us to two Vietnamese villages in Phnom Penh. Thuy would have a specific task on our visit to the second of the two villages: She was to see and diagnose ailments for 30 men, women, and children.

Even if you read our last blog post "New Girl Joins OBV Cambodia House, Faces Tough Decision," it's worth reminding you that these villages exist in very poor conditions. Generally speaking, these Vietnamese communities are shunned by the larger Cambodian society.

Although many Vietnamese grow up speaking both Vietnamese and Khmer, their undocumented status due to a lack of citizenship in Cambodia makes it hard for them to find proper employment. The men end up working as low-paid construction laborers. The wives take up work of their own while raising their children. The kids go to a school in their village if one is available.

For the two hours that we visited this village, Thuy would become the Vietnamese American version of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Here is what it was like for Thuy to become the doctor for the inhabitants of this village.

Two Bros, Bro'ing It Up: Ha Noi Edition

My friend Andrew stopped by Vietnam for a week to conclude his five-week vacation across Southeast Asia. He stayed with us in Ho Chi Minh City, but we carved out time during his visit to head north to Ha Noi and Ha Long Bay.

We returned from Ha Long Bay late Tuesday evening and would spend the following two days paling around Ha Noi on foot.

Wednesday we walked to some of the more common tourist spots in Ha Noi. This included the Norther Gate, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, and the Lake of the Returned Sword.

Thursday we walked to a few popular-but-less-touristy spots around the city. This included the Temple of Literature, the Ha Noi Train Station, Thien Quang Lake and Bay Mau Lake, the history museum that doubled as my Vietnamese language school a decade ago, and one more walk around the Lake of the Returned Sword.

We ran into all sorts of fun and unique things during our walks around the Hoan Kiem District.

Here is a collection of photos from our two days in Ha Noi.

Ha Long Bay is Actually Quite Nice This Time of Year

On the morning of Tuesday, December 10, we boarded a van for a day-trip to Ha Long Bay. We would wind up spending more time on the road than at Ha Long Bay, but it was still very fun to visit for the day. The scenery was beautiful, and we met some nice people along the way.

It turns out that Ha Long Bay is actually quite nice this time of year.

Here are a few photos from the trip.

I Got My Torso/Back Waxed, and It Was Awful

This is going to be one of stranger posts I've published during this trip. This won't be edited much because I don't want to spend too much time reliving the experience.

There will also not be photos or videos. At least not yet. We have them. Andrew documented the entire experience on his phone. I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with the rest of the internet world actually seeing me this way. I have an image to uphold, you know!

[Podcast] Week in Review, Episode 08 Part 2 w/ Special Guest Andrew Roberts

In part two of this past Sunday's podcast, Andrew shares highlights from his recent travels in Thailand, Laos, and Bali. Stories include his visit to the Loi Krathong Lantern Festival, riding an elephant, the fun (and risks) of driving around on a motorbike, and the marvel that is the Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok.

Warning: NSFW language.

Listen through the SoundCloud player below, or download the podcast to your media player by clicking "Download" at the bottom of the player.

[Podcast] Week in Review, Episode 08 Part 1 w/ Special Guest Andrew Roberts

Thuy is out of town for the next few days, but Andrew Roberts, MBA classmate, friend, and all-around great guy, just happened to be in Ho Chi Minh City right in time to be our special guest!

Part one of a two-part weekly podcast.

Krav Update: I taught solo, so I seized the opportunity to give an 8-min soapbox speech about the reasons I work the girls hard. I bought the girls ice cream and cookies to celebrate two months training together.

OBV News: We review the recent OBV mission trip to Cambodia, and we FINALLY dissect what went down with the uncomfortable (yet hilarious) task of looking for Vietnamese and underaged sex workers. Witty banter at my expense is a decent way to approach this topic.

Warning: NSFW language.

Listen through the SoundCloud player below, or download the podcast to your media player by clicking "Download" at the bottom of the player.

New Girl Joins OBV Cambodia House, Faces Tough Decision

On the first full day of our three-day mission trip to One Body Village Cambodia, Linh Doan, Director of OBV Cambodia, brought us along on a house visit where we would be picking up the newest member of the OBV Cambodia house.

Huong (name changed to protect privacy), 14,  faces a tough decision: Should she stay with OBV in the Cambodia house, or should she move back to Vietnam and join the OBV Vietnam house. Staying with OBV Cambodia allows her to be close to her father, but she would have to start back in first grade since she doesn't know Khmer. Going back to Vietnam allows her to continue her education where she left off and provides her with more career opportunities when she's older, but she'll be very far away from the comfort of her father.

This is the tough decision facing Huong as she joins her new sisters in the OBV Cambodia house.

[Podcast] Linh Convinces Families to Send Their Daughters With OBV, OBV Cambodia Takes in a New Girl

Listen through the Soundcloud player, or download the episode by clicking the "download" link at the bottom of the player.
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From Monday, December 2 to Thursday, December 5, Thuy and I have been on a three-day One Body Village mission to Cambodia.

During our time with Linh we learned about the plight of the small Vietnamese villages in Cambodia and what drives some parents to sell their young daughter's virginity.

[Podcast] Week in Review, Episode 07

I accidentally get the girls in trouble with Sister Ngoc for narcing on their sub-par showing on Saturday's class. I try to digest the task of rewriting Father Martino's stories that detail his interaction with young Vietnamese girls who have been forced into prostitution in Cambodia. We get into the challenges of keeping girls out of the sex trade once they've been rescued. We then recap our mini-vacation to Da Lat.

Download the episode to your media player by clicking on the download link at the bottom of the player.

We Visited Da Lat, Here's What the Trip Was Like

Thuy and I decided to take a mini-vacation to Da Lat to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. It was either Da Lat or Nha Trang. I insisted on Da Lat because I thought it best to celebrate the holiday in a climate close to what we would've had back home in Seattle.

We stayed two nights and three days in Da Lat. It was a great trip filled with good food and lots of nice scenery. Above all else, it was just night not to be in the sweltering heat every day. We look forward to going back soon.

Here are some photos from the trip. I've included links for more information on some of the places we visited. Hover over the description to find the link--it's not exactly easy to spot with the font template assigned to this layout.