WELCOME TO VIETNAM

This is Rich Gangwish, the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) person on the trip. I've been traveling here in Vietnam since May 22 and hope to visit OpSmile's new clinic in Hue tomorrow. With the recommendation of Charlotte, our Speech Pathologist, I engaged the services of Tony at AnnTours.com to arrange all of my pre-mission travel. His company has done an outstanding job and I highly recommend it. Charlotte, by the way, has been to Vietnam 11 times, and she is a wealth of knowledge. Her recommendations for travel, food, and adventure have been invaluable. You can read more about Charlotte here: http://www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/2001/vietnam.htm

Many of you will be busy packing this Memorial Day weekend, but clothing is plentiful. Leave room in your bags to bring back inexpensive, tailor made shirts, dresses, and skirts. Monday evening, I plan to meet our 'guest' from Biogel in Hanoi before the mission begins. She is arriving in Saigon this evening to begin her time with us. I just got my hotel assignment for the trip, which is the Bao Loc Hotel, pictured above.

The Countdown is on!!!!

Hi Everyone! My name is Kristin and I will be one of the recovery room nurses with Christine and Jane. This will be my 6th mission with Operation Smile and I am so excited to be a part of this team. Every mission has been so unique, but the one thing that has always been the same is the incredible sense of teamwork that develops so quickly! If you've never been on a mission before, you'll see what I mean. One week left and we'll all be meeting up in Vietnam! I can't wait to meet all of you!