Vaya con Dios, Brah

Incredible how the sharing economy continues to interrupt what has been defined as the "trend" for so many years. Is the Uber of healthcare an answer to cheaper, better, more efficient care? Quote: "Such ventures are fueled by a confluence of trends, including growing interest in the so-called sharing economy, where technology connects providers with excess capacity and consumers who want on-demand services. Many doctors and nurses who work for hospitals are eager for extra work in their off-hours, the companies say. The services carry malpractice insurance, but say overall low overhead keeps prices down. (The companies are attracting venture-capital investment and partnerships with hospital systems, which increasingly see in-home care as a way to reduce unnecessary ERs visits and readmissions.)"

The smashing, stealing, disciplined, and clutch young baseball players are stealing headlines and turning heads. We have never seeen a season dominated by the new guys on the block. There will be some good baseball in the upcoming years thanks to these studs.

It was an incredibly hectic, exciting, muddy, and productive day for ‘The Center.’ The seeds we planted are a metaphor for what we are trying to accomplish in the village. With patience, encouragement, trust, nourishment, and time we hope to see the seeds that we tend to daily develop into strong, independent, thoughtful, caring, and self-empowered human beings. We hope that the skills, knowledge, and opportunity that we provide help them build a future for themselves and for their families.  

This mission, this project, this community center is not supposed to move quickly. It is like a garden. It takes a diverse habitat of plants who start as a seed and slowly stick their roots in the ground and as days, months, years, pass they continue to grow bigger and stronger. We are still a seedling that has just sprouted amongst the different plants. We are still making our presence and waiting to enjoy the fruits of our labor. 

As my mother always says, “It takes a village” and here that is truer than ever. To effectively impact a life, a relationship must be forged, trust must be established, and there has to be a sense of accountability. This does not happen in an arms length relationship. This happens with the peaks and valleys of everyday life. It is a process, often a long one, but it is happening here. Sarah, Maggie, and the rest of the Action in Africa staff are committed to forging that relationship and developing this community one meal, one conversation, one class, one day at a time.

I think the pain exists in a lot of old hearts. A country that was ripped apart at the seams, it still feels the gouging wounds. It is not easy to forgive and forget for all. It should never be. Sometimes the past is unforgivable in an honest way. But what maintains this steady beating drum is the heart that is deep inside pounding. It is the people; the strength, the pride, the community, and the urge by the younger generations for a new way. It is the opening of a new page. A blank slate that exists beyond the horizon where the sun is beginning to rise in anticipation. It is a country where the people have been starved of freedom. The one thing that all mankind should have. But with that starvation comes a hungrier and soon to be stronger country. The people are ready for the change and this country will be swept in it soon enough.

Today was just as enjoyable but a completely different experience. I hired a guide to take me up Mt Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina (whatever the fuck that is). We started bright and early just the two of us and we were greeted with howling winds and sideways rain that dared us to continue. As we pushed on the onslaught settled and we set into a constant pace up the horizontally challenged mountain. Step after step, stone after stone we pushed the limits for both of us and did a nonstop push until the last section. Sadly, they are building a tram that should be finished soon to the top and the normal route is not in use anymore. The magic that mountains have should be sacred. If not used for sport I do not see the purpose of turning this King into a tourist destination. That being said the process is incredible. Cars or heavy machinery cannot make it up Fansipan so porters carry up a tram piece by piece. The concrete, metal, tools, towers, and everything in between. With this last stretched closed we had to make our way up an alternate route that sank us deep into mud that ran up our ankles. This final test that the mountain gave us lasted for about an hour before we made it to the top. We left at 7 and reached the summit at 11- a conquer for my travel body... At the top we enjoyed a long lunch and then quickly made it down by three. The day was a conquest itself and an amazing way to finish the trip. My guide, Shin, told me about his life and his marriage and the traditions that exist in the villages. We also talked about the war and he reassured me again and again that in many people's eyes the war benefited the country. It brought infrastructure and technology that Vietnam would have never seen. He was just being nice, but I was assured that the majority of people have moved on and now see the U.S. as friends. He told me about his worries with China and the possible war that may lay ahead. We spoke about the off track communism they practice and how it disagrees with everything Lenin and Marx stood for. They force themselves upon other counties just like the Soviet Union did in the 80's and 90's sigh Afghanistan. We talked movies- his favorite being Twilight and I showed him my favorite American artists. As they say you always save the best for last, and this day was absolutely the best.

As I sit here on my last night in Vietnam eating noodle soup and drinking red wine out of a beer bottle, all of my expectations were exceeded. Sapa the past few days has been extraordinary. It began with a homestay with one other girl, who was Chinese and her name was Emma... And Mimi our host. We trekked deep into the forest and over the mountain and finally down into a breathtaking valley. The mountain sides carved out to harvest rice looked like ascending steps to the heavens. They were either green or brown and gave the impression that the mountain itself was man made. As we descended into the valley we came to Mimi's house. A three room shack that housed 8 of us. You walked into the living/dining/ social room where the chairs and tables were pulled from the wall when needed. The room to the left was for the constant burning fire and the room to the right was the array of sleeping areas along with a kitchen. It seemed like nothing to be honest; but it was everything to them. There they took care of the elders, raised the children, and maintained everyday life as rice farmers. They had three water buffalo, 4 pigs, and a multitude of chicken and ducks. We had "happy water" or rice wine at lunch and enjoyed the best food I've had this far. It was pork with onions and peppers, potatoes, green beans, spinach, tofu, and of course rice (we ate this for all three meals actually, but I couldn't have been happier). The night consisted of singing, dancing, teaching the kids how to count, and more drinking... The family was more than hospitable and did everything to make me happy. I can say that it was one of the better experiences I had.

"The mountains are calling and I must go" from John Muir may be one of the most overused and now dried out quotes of all time, but could never be truer in this case. As I rode from Hanoi to Sapa, my spirit climbed with me through the rice fields, tall pines, and into the mountains. A feeling I can only describe as being home. A man is free in the thin air; the wild untamed rush that enters the body reminds me a person of why one must continue to explore. Being that I sold Suze in Hanoi, I rented out a bigger 250 cc Honda and drove up the first road I could find. I was greeted with a zig zagging pass that I am so used to. It took me through the luscious green and to waterfalls where little communities arose out of the vapor. It came around peaks that staggered into the air and were dramatically lit from the clouds up above. It is these days that remind you of the journey rather than the destination.

"The mountains are calling and I must go" from John Muir may be one of the most overused and now dried out quotes of all time, but could never be truer in this case. As I rode from Hanoi to Sapa, my spirit climbed with me through the rice fields, tall pines, and into the mountains. A feeling I can only describe as being home. A man is free in the thin air; the wild untamed rush that enters the body reminds me a person of why one must continue to explore.

Hoa Lo Prison and Hanoi

"The mountains are calling and I must go" from John Muir may be one of the most overused and now dried out quotes of all time, but could never be truer in this case. As I rode from Hanoi to Sapa, my spirit climbed with me through the rice fields, tall pines, and into the mountains. A feeling I can only describe as being home. A man is free in the thin air; the wild untamed rush that enters the body reminds me a person of why one must continue to explore. Being that I sold Suze in Hanoi, I rented out a bigger 250 cc Honda and drove up the first road I could find. I was greeted with a zig zagging pass that I am so used to. It took me through the luscious green and to waterfalls where little communities arose out of the vapor. It came around peaks that staggered into the air and were dramatically lit from the clouds up above. It is these days that remind you of the journey rather than the destination.