Day 15, 16, and 17: Dental Clinic, Things You Probably Don't Care About, and Coffee Shops

Day 15 was sleep and food and pooping. So you don't care about that.

On Day 16 we went to a fancy-shmancy dental clinic to give basic dental care to some kids from the Mai Tam Center. Guess what? I definitely don't want to be a dentist. I worked as an assistant for one deep cleaning, and I was done. I can handle blood pretty well, but the patient's gums were so infected that brushing them was making them bleed like crazy, which I had to suck up with the fun little suction tubes. I got to play with the kids from the center for the rest of the afternoon. It was so hard to believe that they all had HIV or AIDS because they were such vibrant and hyper creatures. I couldn't even fathom that one of the smartest boys there was dying. I also greatly admire Cha Toai for his patience and presence over these kids. Essentially, he is the parent figure in their lives, since they have all been abandoned. He was funny and strict and patient with them all at the same time. That experience along with the trip to Cambodia solidified my feeling that the health profession is right for me.

You probably won't care about Day 17 either. We took a billion taxis around Sai Gon and visited some people. I had wanted to buy some clothes here because it's really cheap here, but it's SO DAMN FOB-BY. Afterwards we went to Bien Hoa to visit my cousin's coffee shop, which is apparantly a happenin spot for up and coming police officers.