Hi everyone,
I just got back to the US on Sunday from Vietnam, and I'm currently staying at my family's place in Anaheim, CA (Southern CA below LA). Since then, I've attended Jury Duty (even with jet lag), helped out at my family's printing shop in Garden Grove, and visited the Bay Area. I'm actually still here (It was a spontaneous trip), and I'll probably be in the Bay Area until Saturday 9/12, so if anyone is interested in hanging out, please email me back or call me at (714) 829-8808.
I just graduated in May from UC Berkeley with a double major in Public Health and Psychology and now that I'm back from Vietnam, I've been applying to nursing schools (3 year program to become a Nurse Practitioner) and applying for jobs. If anyone knows of any jobs related to public health, community health or health education, especially in Southern CA (but I guess I can't afford to be picky), please let me know. I also have a resume if you can or would like to forward it for me.
My Experience In Vietnam
As for my experience in Vietnam, I was there on a 2 month language-intensive program called VASI (I highly recommend it). Attending Vietnames eclass everyday. I not only learned a lot of Vietnamese (language) but also learned morea bout the current social issues in Vietnam including laborers moving from the rural area to the country side, Vietnamese women marrying foreign men, sex education, governmental support for people with disabilities, and a lot more.
It's been a great experience, and I've gotten to talk to meet two awesome organizations and interview locals in Vietnam that has really given me a different perspective on Vietnam.
1) I learned about the medical system here by touring hospitals, talking to doctors and patients, etc.
2) I got the opportunity to meet children affected by HIV through an organization called Nụ Cười (Smile in Vietnamese). Some friends and I taught English to them, visited them, and took them to a zoo.
3) For my final project, I researched policies for people with disabilities in Vietnam. I was really inspired through my college job as a personal assistant for a student with muscular dystrophy. I met an awesome person who runs Cơ Sở Mùa Xuân (Spring in Vietnamese), an organization/home housing 30 females with disabilities. They provide a support system for each other, encouraging each other to be independent and self-sufficient and they help each other find a job. I met one amazing person in particular who swam in Parigames (like Olympics for people with disabilities in Southeast Asia) who trained so that she could fund her university education, majoring in English.
4) I also got to interview blind masseuses who studied at the School for the Blind.
5) I interviewed an HIV-infected patient and got to ask about the prevention and treatment methods there.
After the 2 months, I got to travel and hang out with friends. I'm truly grateful for this experience to go back, learn about and explore Vietnam through the VASI program, my teachers, my friends, and locals. Now I'm excited to be back in the US and reunite with friends and family.
Reply or call me and let me know what you're up to too!
