A last look out my window

Well, this isn't exactly out my window -- it's actually from a whole different district in front of a swanky hotel -- but it's the view I feel from this country. It is a gracious and growing place, morphing discernibly into a fully developed member of the world. Our last meetings confirmed our earlier themes -- they need a more educated work force, and need help to do it. Just today, on the front page of the newspaper, the Ministry of Education announced all university faculty need masters degrees, and the Ministry of Health announced all hospital administrators will need one as well. Given there is only one MSN program and no doctorates in the entire country, they are desperate for help.

Sara and I have a lengthy conversation and come up with four areas of focus to explore. She kept the list and my brain is full so we will share when we get home. We brainstorm our dream team to help. We may be calling you ;)

Myths have been busted, replaced with fondness for this culture and its people, and an odd sense of wistfulness in leaving. So I depart with ten things I learned in VietNam:

1. Always carry toilet paper with you, even in fancy places.
2. Even if a million bucks is only $5, it still feels pretty darn good.
3. If you want to lose weight, try using chopsticks exclusively for a week.
4. Don't touch the monkeys, even if they are listening to something mellow on the iPod.
5. When you cross the street, hold hands with two people and just keep moving.
6. Any food that looks like worms probably is.
7. Putting soy sauce on rice is apparently like putting ketchup on steak.
8. People universally smile back if you smile first.
9. Humidity means never having to say you're chilly.
10. Learn to say thank you in as many languages as possible; you will need it, particularly in this country.

Amazing trip, early flight, signing off. Stay tuned for the next adventure.

All revved up with nowhere to go

The brand new nursing building at Eastern International University has six well equipped labs, a full English tutoring system, 140 new nursing students, and only 6 faculty -- only one of whom has a Masters' degree.

We need to teach the man to teach other men to fish

We visit the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Eastern International University. The refrain from the hospital administrators on Thursday is echoed here: We have to educate our work force. The hospitals want more BSN and MS nurses, physical therapists, administrators. The universities need masters and doctorates for their faculty. Their buildings are outpacing their workforce, and applications for existing educational spots far exceed capacity.

The EIU is an interesting concept. A huge corporation -- Becamax, a holding company for 31 different entities -- is building a town for its workforce. Called "The New City" they have built a brand new town, a 1000 bed hospital to take care of the folks that work there, and a university to educate its workforce. They have 140 new nursing students and only 6 faculty. We focus on supporting faculty development; they want us to send teachers. We need to come up with something in between.

It is of note that the standard administrative structure in their healthcare colleges is that the Dean is a physician. It is the credential required by the ministry of education, even if it is solely a school of nursing. It does make conversations about curriculum challenging and, sometimes, at odds with what we believe about the professions we represent.

I have no answers for any of them. Can we teach their classes? Of course not; even if we had capacity, that is not the Jesuit way. We don't just teach the man to fish; we teach the man to teach other men to fish. But they clearly need support in nontraditional ways; creativity is called for. There is huge opportunity here to make a real difference. I'm just not sure how. This will require substantial reflection and discernment -- something I have to work at. I wish they would just let me count something. Stay tuned.

Big statue, I mean really big

One of my favorite students, partly because he rides a scooter 4 hours one way from his hometown and stays in a boarding room so he can come to school. That is motivation.

Looks weird, tastes delicious

Best food of the day. I must admit I was quite skeptical that I would consume more than a token amount, but it was actually wonderful.

Our endearing students

In the rowboat; our junket is on the right.

Evidence: she paddles the row boat

And didn't veer into the jungle even once. Quite motivated to stay on course.