Night Shift and Liberty

The Night Shift

I was assigned to work three night shifts in a row.  It was my first time working a night shift.  I was a bit worried about being so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open for the entire eight hours (11pm until 7am).  Anyone that knows me knows how strongly I feel about getting sufficient sleep (like 8 or 9 hours a night).  However, it wasn’t as much of a problem as I foresaw.  The florescent lights on the ship make it easy to not know the time of day (especially if you don’t look out a porthole).  Also, lights are out in berthing from 1000 until 1600 for day sleepers.  It was a good experience making IVs in the biological safety cabinet.

Volunteering in the Galley

Project Hope volunteered to serve food this past Sunday evening.  We were each given a fancy paper hat to wear, which quickly became drenched in sweat.  It was so hot in the galley even my ankles were sweating.  I have so much more respect for those that have to work there every day!  On a side note, I was really surprised at the number of people who wanted brussels sprouts.  Who knew they were so popular.

Getting ready to serve food.

Exploring Vinh, Vietnam

Yesterday I had a liberty day and went in to Vinh with five other members of the pharmacy crew.  We did some shopping along the streets of Vinh and in the local market.  The local market was a crazy maze of just about everything from knockoff designer handbags and shoes to disco balls and flashing lights to fabric and clothes.  I purchased a rice paddy hat, which local people actually do wear in Vietnam! 

We also spent quite a bit of time in the shopping mall, “Big C.”  The mall has stores in the lower two levels, a supermarket in the third, and a foot court on the fourth level.  I had my first shrimp burger there at the McDonald’s of Vietnam, Lotteria.  The shrimp was actually compressed into a pattie.  I found it to be delicious. 

In the evening we went to the beach and walked down to let the warm ocean water hit our toes.  The city really came alive at night as the lights flashed, music played, and people came out to enjoy the beach and restaurants.  My favorite thing I saw while waiting for the bus was what I like to call the “party golf carts.”  They looked like extended golf carts (two rows of seats behind the driver), with flashing rope light around the frame, and loud music playing.  They were a fun alterative to a taxi.

The Next Three Days

In the upcoming days I will be going out to the fifth MEDCAP.  I'm looking forward to having some patient interactions and listening to patient stories.  An RN told me of two patients recently brought onto the ship for surgery due to scars on their face upper arms and torso.  Both patients said the burn was originally due to fireworks.  A translator was able to learn that the scars were, in reality, from some much more horrific.  In retaliation for their husband cheating on her, a women may have acid poured on her.  One of the patients has lived with the scars for around 18 years.   I cannot imagine the pain or humiliation felt by these women for something that was not their fault.  I truly hope their surgeries are successful and wish them best of luck.  I'm saddened to know these kinds of incidents and retaliations are still occurring against women.

Arriving and Ship Life

I feel bad it’s taken me so long to upload a post to the blog.  It took us a while to gain access to the Internet and it takes patience and quite some time to upload (I spent over an hour one day just trying to upload this blog…and it still didn’t work).  Therefore, I have written a very long entry.  I would recommend reading it in sections!

Traveling to the USNS Mercy

Dayna and I left Dulles on July 3^rd and arrived in Manila, Philippines on July 4^th after 2 flights that totaled over 18 hours.  Our Project Hope adventure truly began on July 5^th when we caught the bus to take us to Subic Bay to catch the ship.  We survived the terrifying experience of driving through Manila with 6 lanes full of crazy drivers.  The rules of the road, such as stop lights and turn signals, only seemed to be a suggestion.  Sadly, our bus did not fair as well.  Not too far into the journey, we began to smell burning rubber and the air conditioning stopped working.  Then about 2 hours into the 3 hour bus ride, our bus began smoking in the back.  It was so thick I could barley see the people sitting in the back of the bus; the smell so intense that I could taste the burning rubber on my tongue.  The bus driver told us to just open our windows.  We knew something was wrong and opening the windows would not be much help.  Not too much later the bus died.  It was actually quite a comical experience.  To top it off, there was a spider the size of my fist on the bus.  Thankful someone shooed it down the aisle and off the bus, but not before I stood up on my seat in fear of it going on the offensive!  We had to wait about an hour for another bus, but we had a gorgeous view of some mountains and a breeze to cool us off!  When the other bus arrived the group showed awesome team work moving the bags to the new bus assembly line style.  The experience bonded those of us riding the bus!  I knew this trip would be full of unexpected adventure after this kind of start.

View from the Broken Down Bus

Getting Settled into Ship Life

Once on the ship we signed in and received some initial information, including our bunk and two lockers.  I ended up with a top bunk, so two bunks are below me.  It was a bit challenging at first without a ladder, but now I can get up and down without too much fear of falling (which is quite a feat for someone as clumsy as I).  Getting up there makes me feel like an acrobat flying upward before falling onto a soft cushion of mattress.  I will admit however, having the top bunk is not conducive to making the bed.  It is really challenging, so I generally just sleep on top the covers in fear of having to go though that whole experience again!  The food in the mess hall is pretty much just like any other cafeteria food.  Some days are better than others…  Breakfast is generally pretty good and I would be perfectly happy to get breakfast sandwiches and chi tea for all three meals!  They really have packed so much into every nook and cranny of the ship.  There are 3 gyms (they even offer workout classes), a library, barbershop, chapel and more aboard.

There are around 1,200 people currently living on the ship.  There are only 35 members from Project Hope and we span over the entire US from Washington state to Washington DC.  California State University and the Church of Latter-day Saints have quite a few people on board.  In addition, there are military personal not only from every branch of the US military, but from around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and Chile.  I am really looking forward to getting to know more people and learn about their countries as the mission commences.

Liberty Days

Our first few days on the ship were liberty days (aka free days).  There were free buses to various places around Subic Bay.  A few Project Hope people and I went to the mall and various street venders.  Subic Bay is beautiful and all of the people I met were so friendly!  Also, they are very good at selling their wares, especially to me!  We couldn’t walk more than a few feet without someone attempting to sell us something from sunglasses to unofficial UNSN Mercy t-shirts.  Savvy shoppers barter with shopkeepers to get the best price.  I paid the stated price for most of my items because it was still a rather cheap price and I know the people don’t make a lot of money.  However, I did get a rather good deal at the last place we stopped.  I was interested in buying a dress, but didn’t have enough money.  It only took me saying sorry and turning around to leave for the price to suddenly drop down 50%.  It was kind of thrilling to know I’d gotten such a good deal!

Sailing to Vietnam

The ship left Subic Bay on the 7^th.  We went onto the flight deck to take some photos and see the action.  It was really cool to see the 2 ships pushing and 1 ship pulling the Mercy to help get it out of port (they were so small compared to the Mercy).  Of course we also took this opportunity to take photos.

Departure Photo (Back: Andrea and Brittany, Front: Dayna and Ravi)

We arrived in Vinh, Vietnam on the 10^th.  The pharmacy team, including me, got started the same day inventorying and packing the medications needed for each MEDCAP.  This process occurred on the pier in a large, gray storage container that provided some “air conditioning.”  We have to take a 45 minute boat ride to the pier.  After the use of my seabands and some meclizine, I find the ride quite enjoyable.  The wind plays with your hair and occasionally the ocean sprays upward to give you a kiss on the cheek!  It’s quite refreshing after a day of work in over 105 degree weather with heavy humidity.  After three full days of packing, the medications for all 5 MEDCAP sites are completed!  I may have sweated more than I even had in my life, but it was worth it to help those in need.

Pharmacy Team Packing Medications for the MEDCAPs

In the Upcoming Weeks

I received my schedule for the next couple of weeks.  I will be working the first of my three night shifts tonight from 11pm until 7am.  The night shift offers more opportunities to make IVs and I’m looking forward to gaining more inpatient experience.  I am then scheduled to go out with MEDCAP 5 from the 18^th until the 20^th.  In addition, on one of my liberty days I’ve signed up to go on a tour of Ho Chi Min’s childhood home and some temples.  I’ll have lots to experiences share in the upcoming weeks and I’ll do my best to get updates posted!

My Final Post!

My last week on the mission was as usual filled with a lot of rewarding, memorable and fun moments. I, together with the other pharmacy personnel on the ship spent most of the week organizing the medications and supplies for the various MEDCAPS for the impending mission in Cambodia. The ship also held a lot of events over the week to mark the end of the mission in Philippines. Among the events was a musical concert hosted at the Mess hall of the ship on Saturday the 30th of June 2012. An ensemble of Filipino children treated us to an array of danceable and head-nodding tunes from traditional Filipino flutes called Ukeleles. These children exhibited remarkable dexterity and fluidity on the instruments and set the crowd agog when they ended the show with a rendition of Bruno Mars’ "Just the way you are". It was followed by the week's Missions update hosted by the Australian contingent. These weekly updates keeps us abreast with the progress of the entire mission and provide us with pertinent information concerning the mission. Our hosts provided with a lot of comic relief and interesting information about Australia and the mission as a whole. This weekend’s update was concluded with presentations of certificates for those of us leaving the mission in the coming week. Alexis, Zara and I were honored to be among those presented with certificates by the mission commander and the commanding officer of the ship. We were scheduled to dock at our liberty port in Subic Bay, Philippines on the late afternoon of 2^nd July 2012. Our preceptor, Zara along with other personnel at the pharmacy department kept us entertained on the morning of this day by organizing a pharmacy Olympics at the pharmacy. Among the sidesplitting events of the Olympics were: “Bowling with coconuts” and “Drawing on a rubber glove”. We were then invited to partake in a colorful Navy tradition called “Manning the Rails” an hour before we docked at Subic Bay. In this event, Navy personnel clad in their ceremonial white attire line up along the rails of their Naval Ship whenever they dock at a Naval port or pass another Navy Ship. It was indeed a breathtaking scene and an honor to be allowed to be part of this esteemed tradition, standing along the rails with these distinguished men and women of the Navy for about an hour till we docked at Subic Bay. The whole Pharmacy gathered at a plush restaurant in Subic Bay called Gerry’s Grill when liberty was granted in the evening to enjoy some sumptuous Filipino cuisine and say our goodbyes. We really had a good team going on at the pharmacy department and morphed into a tight-knit and very efficient group.

"Bowling with Coconuts"

                                                   Manning the Rails

I got up on the morning of 3^rd July 2012 at 0400 hours and got ready for our morning muster at 0500 hours. We checked out from the various departments on the ship after the muster and got on the early morning shuttle to the Capital, Manila, from where were scheduled to depart to the U.S the next day. Manila is a busy and bustling city where the traditional Filipino transportation systems of Jeepneys and tricycles are ubiquitous. Our bus was stuck in traffic for about an hour and a half on the popular Manila Street, Edsa, enroute to our hotel. I took this opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of this busy city from our bus. We visited the popular Mall of Asia, among other sites after a few hours of rest at the hotel. It was refreshing to see a display at the forecourt of this huge Mall in honor of the our July 4^th Independence Day. I willingly acquiesced to the requests of some of the Filipinos at the Mall who wanted a picture of me alongside the statues of iconic Americans like Michael Jordan, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley in this display. I arrived in the U.S on July 4^th 2012 after an 18-hour flight from Manila to Washington Dulles Airport enroute Tokyo, Japan.

                                                            At the Mall of Asia

It has been a privilege, an honor and a priceless opportunity to be part of this mission. I have through this mission witnessed the goodness of mankind when resources and expertise are pulled together to come to the aid of underserved populations around the world. I have derived a lot of satisfaction from putting my shoulders to the wheel of this noble humanitarian mission to bring relief and smiles to the faces of thousands of people. I have on this mission also interacted with beautiful people and cultures that I ordinarily will not have been in touch with. I feel blessed to have been on the mission!

I will like to extend my utmost gratitude to Dean Alan Mckay, Dr. Dawn Havrda, Nicole Clindinst and the entire staff and faculty of the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy for the diverse roles they played in making this mission possible and most rewarding for us. I will also like to thank everyone who followed me on this blog. I hope I was able to bring you along on this most fulfilling ride through my blog posts. I am changed, charged, challenged and hungrier than ever to succeed because of my experiences on this mission!            

Monday, July 9th

Disclaimer:  It has been very difficult to update the blog because at first we didn’t have access to the Internet and now that we do, it has been running really slow. 

Monday, July 9th

Yesterday, we spent the morning in the pharmacy spending more time getting acquainted.  We were supposed to receive our schedules but we had to wait because liberty days (also known as a day off) were being assigned for Vietnam and they needed to work the pharmacy schedule around those days.  The pharmacy personnel are so nice and they all really want to teach us what they can.  There are a lot of students and volunteers in the pharmacy.  There are 3 pharmacist volunteers so far but 2 more are joining us in Vietnam.  We then have 2 technician volunteers and about 6 other students affiliated with University of California San Diego.  They are all either pre-pharmacy or incoming P2’s at the University of Buffalo.  It is a little crowded in the pharmacy now but when people begin staggering shifts and going out on MEDCAPs (medical civil action programs), it will probably be easier to maneuver around and learn more about how the pharmacy runs.  The pharmacy let us go around 2:45pm so I quickly went to do some laundry and then we ate dinner and played some games at night.  I went to bed around 10:30 and I slept like a baby.  I have been sleeping really well ever since the boat departed the Philippines.  The motion kind of rocks me to sleep. =)

           

We had quite a bit of excitement today because we had to do an abandon ship drill.  We had to dress in long sleeves, tuck our pants into our socks and wear a hat.  We looked ridiculous.  We then had to grab a life jacket (which was like a race) and then go up on the flight deck and check in at our lifeboat station to make sure we knew where to go.  We were up there for about 25 minutes in the scorching sun and humidity.  Yes, even in the middle of the ocean, it is ridiculously humid.  It occurred to me to just go running and jump into ocean.  I had a life jacket on and I was sure they would be able to get me back up with a ladder or something.  I then realized that the water was probably just as hot as the air and most likely wouldn’t cool me off, so I refrained.  After that, we went back down to the pharmacy to get our schedules and go over some problems that the pharmacists and technicians gave us earlier that morning.  They were pretty much just examples of prescriptions that have been processed in the pharmacy before and we had to do the calculations and find what was wrong with the scripts.  It was very actually very helpful since I had not seen some of the calculations in a while.   

It was really exciting to get our schedules!  Starting tomorrow, we will be going over to the pier in Vietnam on a boat to begin sorting out the medications.  The Vietnamese government required that we get the medications from them and they won’t let us bring them on the ship.  Therefore, almost all of the pharmacy personnel have to go out all day to sort the medications out for the upcoming MEDCAPS.  MEDCAP 1 begins on Wednesday, July 11^th.  No one will be staying overnight in Vietnam so we will all be coming back every night to the ship.  The first four days, I will be out on the pier sorting medications.  After that I will be working on the last two days of MEDCAP 1.  The next day, I have a liberty day and I will be able to get off the ship.  I think I am going to do a tour that the ship has organized.  I am not sure which sites it goes to yet, but I heard one is a temple so it sounds really great!  After that, I have a couple shifts in the pharmacy, another liberty day, and then I will be going out on MEDCAP 5 for two of the days followed by a couple more shifts in the pharmacy.  I have a lot of days working with my preceptor, which I am really excited about because he is really enthusiastic and is always taking the opportunity to teach us new things.  We don’t have our schedules yet for the Cambodia part of the trip but I am really excited to see how the next 15 days plays out!  I will update as often as I can and take lots of pictures.  I did not attempt to upload pictures this time but Brittany and I have been taking a lot.  I will try to upload some when the Internet becomes more reliable.  So long for now!

            

Saturday, July 7th

Saturday, July 7^th 

Hello!  I have finally had a few minutes to sit down and write.  Our journey here has been quite eventful so far.  We arrived in Manilla, Phillipines after spending 18 hours on two different airplanes.  We spent the night in a nice hotel and then caught a ride to the Marriott hotel where the bus picked us up.  The Marriot was a gorgeous hotel with a HUGE mall in it and a casino!  It was guarded really well.  We met a bunch of people from Project Hope while waiting for the bus.  Most of them are physicians or nurses that volunteer their own time to go on these missions.  Many of them have participated in missions on the MERCY before this trip.  The bus ride was great because we got to ride all through the city of Manilla.  It is a really big city that was very populated.  We then got to see how the people lived outside of the city.  We saw farmers working in the blazing sun and humidity.  It really looked awful to be out there.  There were a bunch of little shacks in the trees near the land they worked on, but I wasn’t sure if they lived there or just retreated there when they needed rest.  The views of the countryside were really beautiful.  After a little while, the mountains in the distance began to get bigger and more beautiful.  Unfortunately, our bus started billowing clouds of smoke about 30 minutes before reaching our destination, Subic Bay.  We had to pull over and wait for another bus to come get us.  Luckily the bus driver stopped at a great spot where we had awesome views of the mountains.  We arrived at the ship a little while later, checked in, and got settled into our bunk, or as the navy call it, our rack.  It took awhile to get our lockers set up so we spent the night getting settled in. 

The ship was on liberty our first few days so we were able to get off the ship yesterday and today to explore Subic Bay with a few of the volunteers that are also with Project Hope.  We went to a local mall and walked around to little stands where the locals were selling their hand made items.  I liked a lot of their stuff but a lot of it was too big to bring back with us so I purchased a few small items.  We walked along the shoreline and got some great pictures of the ship and some palm trees.  We then went to a mall area and ate our last meal off the ship and then we headed back on to get ready to pull away from the dock and get going on our mission to Vietnam.  It was amazing to watch the ship pull away.  As the mountains became more distant and the fog set over and the sun began to set, it was really an incredible sight to see. 

            We had our first pharmacy meeting today, July 7^th when we got back to the ship.  We were given a few tours of the ship and the pharmacy so that we would be able to find places and things when needed.  I am still a little confused as to how the pharmacy operates on the ship and the difference between inpatient and outpatient.  We were given an orientation of the pharmacy personnel and what would hopefully be going on in the next few days.  Everything is uncertain right now because Vietnam is being strict as to what we are allowed to do.  Apparently they have taken away a lot of the community events that were scheduled and they won’t let us prepare the drugs prior to our arrival.  They won’t even let us bring them on the ship.  So on Tuesday, July 10^th when we arrive, we will have to take a boat to the pier in order to sort the medications on land.  We are not sure who will be going yet, but we will be getting our schedules tomorrow so we will know then. 

            There are phones on the ship so that we can call home but the Internet has only been available for us in the coffee shops that are off the ship in Subic Bay.  We are trying to get our accounts set up so that we will have access on the ship now that we have left.  I didn’t sleep great the first night but that was mainly due to someone’s alarm going off at 3:45am and never turning off.  It’s a little bit like summer camp in the berthing areas, we are in really close quarters.  So far most of the people that have been on the ship have been staying in hotels in Subic Bay.  Tonight will be the first night where everyone is back on the ship so it should be interesting to see how crowded it is.  I should probably go to bed now, it has been a long day. Goodnight! (well, good morning for those back in the states) =)

First Post!

July 3^rd, 2012

It is the night before Brittany and I depart for our journey and of course I cannot sleep!  I am feeling a spectrum of emotions from sad to scared to extremely excited!  I am so ready to see what the next five weeks has in store for us.  It has been quite exciting the last few weeks as I read Alexis and Kofi’s blogs.  They have had so many incredible experiences.  The anticipation of what our mission is going to be like is overwhelming with so many possible scenarios running through my mind.  I can’t believe that we have been offered this opportunity and the fact that it has finally arrived is so surreal. 

            We depart tomorrow July 3^rd from Washington, Dulles airport around 1:35 and after a 14 hours flight (yes, 14 hours!) we will arrive in Korea for a short layover and then continue onward to Manila in the Philippines.  We are going to spend the night in a hotel and then board the ship the next day, which will be July 5^th.  Shortly after that (I am not quite sure what day exactly), we will head to Vietnam!  I am so excited to see how the people live and what the country looks like.  I will be sure to take many pictures!

            That is all for now, I should get to sleep.  The next time I update will be from the USNS Mercy in Southeast Asia!  Thank you Shenandoah University for such an amazing opportunity!!

LAST BLOG!!

 So it’s July 1^st and the last full day in the pharmacy together as a team! The time has flown by and been filled with endless life-time memories. The last few days here have been very busy! I was on MEDCAP 6 in the Philippines for days 3 and 4 and it was HOT!

To get to the MEDCAP on the first day, we mustered at 0530 and I got to ride the Japanese LCAC, which is like a giant hover craft. It was very loud and hot since there is no airflow inside. It reaches speeds of 60 knots when at full speed. The journey in the LCAC takes about 10 minutes but the whole process of transporting 100 people took almost an hour. Once we got to the pier, we had to pick up all our pharmacy supplies from the storage boxes and load them on the trucks. We then rode in vans to the MEDCAP site, which was at a school and only 10 minutes away. Our site was right along the coast and we could see the Mercy sitting out on the water. The morning went by quickly as we started seeing patients by 0800 and were extremely busy! We had lots of help though with 3 Japanese pharmacists and 5 or 6 local volunteers as translators. Someone came by at one point with bags of fried bananas, which of course were delicious! It was the perfect mid-morning snack. When we broke away for lunch, Chief surprised us by saying she had the hook up for us. We walked across the compound and were treated to fresh grilled tuna and rice. Sprinkled with onion and lime, it was AMAZING! Pharmacist Paul and I sat by the ocean and chatted while eating our delicious meal. We then went back to seeing patients for the afternoon and stopped around 0430. We then packed up and transported back to the pier where we had to wait an hour for our ride back to the ship in the hot LCAC. That night, I was exhausted! We had a muster time for 0630 the next day, which was is like sleeping in around here.

The next day I was up bright and early to get a hearty breakfast before the day. Since we were the only MEDCAP going out that morning, we were pleasantly surprised and happy to ride the band-aid boat instead of the LCAC. It was a sunny morning and the breeze from the boat ride was quite an enjoyable start to the day. When we arrived, we got the meds from the boxes again and immediately went to the site to start seeing patients. We were told that for lunch today we would get to go to a local restaurant and we were preordering to speed the process up. I knew then that it would be a good day! The Japanese pharmacists were back and ready for another day. They were imperative to our operation running smoothly and were so friendly and funny. They always asked questions when they weren’t sure about something and would tell us about meds and strengths they had that were similar to what we were dispensing. The morning flew by and before we knew it, we were closing up shop to head out for lunch. When we got to the restaurant, I was shocked. It was beautiful! It looked like a garden with ponds of water with fish and sea shells strung together hanging everywhere. We were seated in a pavilion area that had the sea shells hanging all around the roof. The server immediately started bringing out our food and we were amazed. It was so much food and looked like delicacies. We had crab, shrimp soup, bitter melon, pancit, fried calamari, and I had fresh pineapple juice. It was superb to say the least! After we stuffed ourselves, we slowly headed back to the compound. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to go back, just that we were so full we couldn’t move very fast. However, once we got back and got things rolling, the afternoon flew by as well. We started cleaning up a little earlier than yesterday because the locals were throwing us a reception. So once we got all our extra meds packed away, we loaded them in the trucks and drove them to the pier where they were unloaded and stacked away to be palatized for helo transport. We then all climbed back into the vans to head to the Sports Complex for the reception. The drivers got lost briefly but we still managed to get there. When we walked in the doors and saw the reception area, my mouth dropped. The locals put on this formal dinner reception with homemade food and everything. I was stunned. It seriously felt like a surreal dream. They immediately invited us to try some sticky rice and ice cream as well as explaining the culture of reception and that the set-up is how they do their annual town party. They had one lady singing and her voice was beautiful! There was also a roast pig set out and people greeting us everywhere. As few minutes later, the lights dimmed more and music started playing. They began a cultural dance and it was amazing. I can’t even describe all the details but the whole experience was surreal to me. After the dance, they started passing out appetizers and invited us to take a seat at the dinner table. The woman began singing again as they passed out cold bottles of water. After the song, one of the local officials spoke and thanked us for all our help and invited us to get some food from the buffet. We happily obliged since we knew our time here was limited. The food was AMAZING! I didn’t expect anything less though and was so happy to be eating real food. It seemed that as soon as I finished my plate, we were told we had to leave. It was so short and such a whirlwind of an experience I had a hard time comprehending everything that had just happened. Hopefully my pictures and video captured the experience. We went back to the pier and got on the LCAC to get back to the ship (no band-aid boat L).  When we got back, I was immediately informed of 2 events for that evening that I wanted to attend so I got a quick shower and headed back up to the mess decks.

Our entertainment for the evening was a group of kids performing a concert for us with their ukuleles. The set lasted about 30 minutes and was great! They even played Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are. They were fantastic! We then went into our weekly command mission update meeting sponsored by the Aussies so it was quite entertaining. That was then followed by a certificate presentation for all the people leaving in Subic Bay. There were quite a few people leaving in Subic so there will be a very new crew coming on before the Vietnam mission. The next few days are going to be fun-filled with lots of activities and busy with packing! We arrive in Subic Bay on July 2^nd and we leave for Manila on the 3^rd and fly out the morning of the 4^th. So as this mission and my first pharmacy rotation come to a close, I am so excited to be returning home and share my experiences with my friends, family, and colleagues. Thanks for following me throughout this journey and I’ll see you all states-side!