After two weeks

Cindy Lee Romback

After two weeks of sometimes awesome, sometimes average Vietnamese food, and oddly interpreted Western food, some of us couldn't wait for a taste of home. Or at least the closest we could get to it, which was a French bakery. That's a Croque Monsieur and a ham croquette, and I'm not quite sure what a vegetable morning roll is, but they were damn tasty.
Dad had some odd hot dog interpretations wrapped in pastry and a custard donut that would be the death of me if I lived near this place.
 

Dedication day

Eight days ago we set out to build a house from nothing but bricks and mortar; today we dedicated a home. I am humbled to have worked with such an amazing team of Vietnam Veterans and Habitat supporters throughout this build...Today two more families have a safe, stable and hope-filled place to 
call home .
The is 90% done. Dedication today with the new owner and his grandmother. Scenes around MyTho.

Today was Dedication Day. I am so proud of our teams and all of the amazing work we have done over the last two weeks. It was an honor and a privilege to work with these awesome individuals who came together for a great cause.
 
smile emoticon

From Nam doc sick

Well Friday We all had a big scare, With humidity so hugh at the build we rushed Richard back to hotel and by 4PM the boys on the build carried him out to a waiting taxi and rushed to hospital. He had suffered heat stroke. We spent 5 hours at emergency and took him back to recuperate. D A BAD CASE OF CELLULITIS. He was taken Monday A.M. to the International Hospital in Saigon an they wanted to keep him for 5 days. He refused so they gave him a stash of drugs and told  him he could leave for Guam early and go to the V.A. hospital there. We are at Internet Cafe changing flights. Hopefully can get out tonight. He is 80% better. More news later. 

We will be checking in at the V.A. as soon as we arrive in Guam and I insist he stays. They wanted to keep him in Saigon Hospital but he refused and said he would stay at the V.A. We will see Rich Small, I will insist. We upgraded to 1st class so his leg can be elevated. Since it is midnight here perhaps he can sleep till we get to Tokyo. Then it is only 5 hrs. to Guam. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. Will stay in touch. He needs bed rest and will stay on his meds.

We had to leave the site early. Richard went to Saigon to hospital on Monday and they wanted to keep him for 5 days. He refused, we left on Wednesday for Guam and arrived yesterday [Wed] around 3:30PM and he showered and I took him to hospital around 4. He had a bad case of cellulitis in his left leg and it is very swollen and was going into his upper leg. They are checking him today for infectious disease. He was still dehydrated after heat stroke on Friday so is spending time there on I.V. with meds and well needed bed rest. We were so saddened to leave our other old friends and so many new relationships with the new younger volunteers, What an amazing group of like spirited giving friends, I am so grateful to all who carried Richard out of hotel in My Tho to get him to emergency hospital, I could not have done it w/o your loving support. Will rent a car today to get to hospital, taxi a bit pricy. Keep you posted. Thanks for all the prayers.

He entered the hospital Tues night after arriving in Guam, Today is Friday the 22nd. Still in hospital . Swelling going down and the upper leg is still very warm and a bit of redness. The infectious disease dr. thinks it was an insect bite. Still waiti..

WEEK 2 OF BUILDING

Week 2 of building began today, and we finally got to use our cement mixer instead of it just sitting there watching us while our team members mixed mortar and concrete by hand (shovel, actually). We got the floor poured today! House 1 did, anyway. We've been told it's not a competition, but my team is totally winning.

slid show

Check out this slide show from Tien Giang Build

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZibthFb3rg

https://youtu.be/80bfF_p4Wgk

Day 1 - Dad woke me up after three hours of sleep. Showered, ate breakfast (amazing fresh fruit and french breads), and headed out to the Market. After an hour of being harassed by the vendors grabbing our arms we were both covered in sweat and ready for a nap. Slept for five more hours and went out for Vietnamese bbq. OMG! So Amazing! Then we roamed around, met some college kids who wanted to practice their English, and finally went to the Jazz Club. The music was fantastic and I can't wait to go back on Saturday when the rest of our crew is here. Now we are going to find a beer store so we can have a few cold ones waiting when the next three members of our crew show up in a half hour or so. 
So there is day one in a nutshell. We should be over the jet lag now, but I'm still thinking naps in the afternoon may be essential tomorrow. If nothing else than to get out of this horrendous humidity!

Day 2 - Went to bed at 4am again, and were woken up by our team leader at 6:30. Silly man only slept for 15 minutes, and apparently thought we needed to suffer with him. Hung out with Neal (our fearless leader), Jim from Chicago and Dave, our fellow Yooper, most of the day. Then we found two new arrivals Kristen and Ezra (the guy who made the amazing film about dad for the 2012 build), and found a new bar and dinner. Now we are about to head down to the lobby with a few beers to perform our duties as the unofficial welcoming committee for tonights newcomer's.
We are still dying from the humidity, but not from crossing the insane traffic on the roads. I think I've got the hang of scooter dodging now!

Day 3 - If you are paying attention you have seen the pics and video from today. More adventurers came in tonight and after meeting them on the steps of the hotel we took a few of them to our new favorite bar, Allez Boo. It is finally 3:20am and I am hoping to not be woken up before 7am

Day 3 Part 2 - My Finnish @$$ is officially the first victim of sunburn. Wear your sunscreen, boys and girls!

Day 4 We went on a dinner boat cruise on the Saigon River tonight. Nothing too exciting, but the traditional entertainment was interesting. As Al said, "I have never seen someone play the cups before". They used two tiny tea cups and clicked them together to make music

Day 5 - Today we officially started the Habitat portion of the trip with meetings this morning with the Vietnam Habitat coordinator's and three NGO presentations about the status of the country, a program for the disabled, and Save The Children Vietnam. They were interesting, but also a bit of propaganda. After lunch with all those representatives a group of us headed out to find a handmade goods store run by a non-prof that helps women set up their own businesses. There were certainly many beautiful things, but the quilts were most remarkable. If my budget allows at the end of the trip I will be going back. 
While I did that, Dad found the Harley Davidson dealership with another Harley rider in our group. Much drooling was involved.
Finally, since it is our last night in Saigon, and we were tired and sweaty and didn't feel like walking, a bunch of us went to the little restaurant next to the hotel for dinner. While most everyone ate American food, Dad and I decided to eat foreign food and had Aussie Steak Sandwiches. 
Tomorrow we move on to My Tho, which is where we will be building. I can't wait to finally get this build underway and do what we came here to do. I don't know how good the internet connection will be there, but I will do my best to continue posting every day.

Veterans Build Tien Giang, Vietnam

May 8, 2015 to May 23, 2015

Vietnam emerged from the ravages of war to become one of the most vibrant economies in Asia, but 4.6
million
Vietnamese households are struggling with poverty.
Habitat for Humanity builds in more than 70 countries, including Vietnam. In 2012 and 2013, teams made
up partially of Vietnam War veterans built homes in partnership with Vietnamese families in My Tho, the
provincial capital of Tien Giang. These veterans called the experience life-changing. Some said it was a
chance to rebuild from the destruction of the war; others said that in helping others, their own problems
faded away.
“By coming here, this trip, it has healed a lot of – hard feelings, shall I say – it disappeared while we were
 here. You learned to love the folks.”  – Vic Romback, an Air Force veteran who returned to Vietnam in 2012.
Habitat for Humanity will return to Vietnam in 2014 through a Veterans Build trip building on the success of
these previous efforts. This time, however, our focus will be on all veterans, along with their families and
friends. We are especially interested in recruiting a mix of Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam veterans.

About Habitat for Humanity Vietnam 
Habitat’s work in Vietnam is undertaken through the Habitat for Humanity Vietnam national office that was
established in October 2002. Currently, Habitat has projects in the southern provinces of Kien Giang,
Tien Giang, Dong Nai as well as Ho Chi Minh City.
Habitat started a pilot project to reduce poverty levels in southern province, Tien Giang, where more
than 1,000 families are being provided with improved sanitation and housing. This initiative, with the
help of the provincial authorities, extended existing microfinance networks so families could save and
 access credit for home improvements.
To learn more about HFH Vietnam, visit www.habitatvietnam.org.

Types of construction for volunteers
Volunteers may work on existing home renovations and complete home construction. Volunteers may
 help with some, but not necessarily all, of these activities: transporting materials, filling foundations
 with dirt stone and sand, compacting floor, mixing mortar, laying bricks, cleaning and painting windows
and doors.

Standard itinerary
Day 1 (Friday): Depart the United States.
Day 2 (Saturday): Travel day.
Day 3 (Sunday): Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City; free time; dinner; overnight in hotel.
Day 4 (Monday): Travel to My Tho in Tien Giang; orientation with local staff member; visit project sites
and families; welcome dinner.
Days 5-8 (Tuesday): Breakfast served before traveling to work site; work from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with lunch
 on-site; free time after work to clean up; dinner and time for team activities.
Days 9-10 (Saturday-Sunday): Free days: activities in local community.
Days 11-14 (Monday-Thursday): Breakfast served before traveling to work site; work from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
 with lunch on-site; free time after work to clean up; dinner at house; time for team activities. Farewell
 lunch with families on Thursday.
Day 15 (Friday): Travel to Ho Chi Minh City; free time for local activities; dinner.
Day 16 (Saturday): Departure day.
Note: This trip will include special educational activities for veterans.
Accommodations

Teams typically stay in a local hotel with AC; participants sharing double-occupancy rooms with
private bath.
Breakfast is at the hotel. Lunch is on-site, prepared by local restaurants that are located near the work
site. Dinners are in local restaurants. Snack and water is included, as well as the cost of welcome and
 farewell dinners.
Program cost

US$2,020
(For more details about what is included in this cost, visit Global Village program cost.)
Share your story and keep Habitat building

You’re building something exciting with Habitat, so tell people about it! Create a page on Share.Habitat
to tell friends, family and coworkers about your Global Village trip. Fundraising your program cost will be
easy, and additional funds you raise will keep Habitat building after your team returns home.
Team leaders

Interested in joining this once in a lifetime opportunity building alongside Veterans? Contact Neal Pointer
at nealpointer@sbcglobal.net  for further information.
Neal’s best Global Village memory: “I will never forget standing next to my brothers singing ‘Where have
 all the Flowers Gone’ and looking into each other’s eyes with the realization that wars will not end and
knowing at the same that that this build heals far beyond the need for home for these incredible families
to have decent housing, but for us to find an end.”            

this a test blog for viet nam build 2015