Made it over the Hump

10/13/10

Happy Wednesday in Vietnam!  Today we did not have a morning session to teach so we each had time to rest and relax.  Some of the team went out and walked around and saw the city, or got a haircut, or caught up on some much needed sleep.  I did a combo and slept in until 8am which was a huge break from my usual 5am starts.  I headed out in the sunshine  with loads of traffic for a nice run.  It was not like the rush hour run last night, but it was a lot more than what is usually out there at 5am.  As I was running along the funniest thing happened and some of the locals pulled out their cameras and started taking pictures of me.  So of course what did I do?  Smile big and wave for the camera!  Love the paparazzi, totally could get used to that! :)  I wondered what they were thinking and one of my teammates suggested that they never see runners out, either that or they thought I was Brittney Spears.  LOL Too much fun on a simple morning run.  This morning it was hot and sunny which I was LOVING and it was great training weather for JJ100 coming up in a very short 10 days! 

We met up with the team at 11:30am for lunch of Pho but there were no veggie options so I just had a fruit shake for lunch, which was delish.  I did want to try some good Pho, but I will have to work harder to seek out a place that does not make everything with beef or chicken broth.  The team really enjoyed their dishes which are pictured below.   

The traffic here is so totally incredible really at all times of the day be especially for rush hour traffic in the morning, lunch time, and evening.  You see that people carry all different kinds of things on their motorbikes.  Like say a bed for example- pictured below. 

After lunch it was off to the Binh Trieu Center for our third and final session with the two groups of students.  Today we covered Google searches and Skype.  The kids were so very excited to see the video for the first time pop up on Skype as they began their video calls with each other in the next room.  The kids really seem to be picking up the computer skills very fast and I hope they will continue to progress after we leave. 

After our two sessions at the Binh Trieu Center we headed back to our hotel to split up into a group that will visit local families and the ones that will go next week.  I was in the group that did not go tonight so I got back to the hotel and started to pack up because tomorrow we leave for the Vung Tau Providence.  I also was feeling like another run was in order so I headed out just past rush hour to get another great run in and see the city from a different perspective.  Overall it was much calmer past 7pm on th streets and I had a very nice time out there reflecting on the day and the trip so far.  I am so impressed with the team that I have the privilege of working with.  They are great people and have helped make the time here even more meaningful.  I am lucky to be here doing what I am doing.  I do not take that for granted for a second. 

Leanring the Language

October 12, 2010


Chào, tên tôi là Mỹ Lệ Hoa và tôi thích chạy bộ!  Or in English- Hello, my name is "Melissa" and I love to run!  I have been having a blast trying to pick up the local language and talk with the kids.  They appreciate me trying and I get a lot of laughs, I hope I am not saying something like "hello I am a green monkey pants" or something.  :)


Today I woke up with a terrible neck strain from the cabs and sleeping wrong and lack of a foam roller.  So I still went out for my 5am run in Vietnam, but it was slow and painful.  I tried all day to stretch it out and that helped a bit, but it was a great reminder to me to be thankful for everyday that I can run pain free, while today was not one of them I am sure this is just minor and there will be many more to come.


We visited two centers today starting with a new one called Tu Xuong.  The students here have been working with the classmate PC's for a year so they were well versed in the applications and we worked on some more advanced skills with them.

 After our morning session it was off to a quick lunch at carb fest Vietnam!  It was some French style bakery, but wow it was just carbs everywhere.  Delish for sure!!

After we carb loaded for lunch it was back to the Binh Trieu Center where we had power since the rain had stopped.   We worked with 2 classes of kids for 3 hours and they were very excited to do the typing programs as well as learning how to format documents. 

After our afternoon session it was back to the hotel and I was outta there for run #2 of the day.  With my neck loosening up a bit it was nice to do another run.  I headed out at 5pm with rush hour traffic thinking I will be fine on this route because I just have to do one major road crossing and the rest is just sidewalk for me.  Well, as it turns out the side walks turn into roads for the motor bikes and I was running along in a sea of traffic.  It was so exciting though I loved it!  I hit a fast pace for me, but that seemed to be the same pace as traffic so we all just flowed together.  It was one of the most exciting running experiences of my life!  Overall a great double run and teaching day!  I am pooped- off to dream land now to see what adventure awaits tomorrow:)

Ultra Monday

October 11, 2010

The day started with a 5am run in the pouring rain with soggy streets from the constant downpour beginning yesterday afternoon.  As I headed out it was still dark and the reflection off of the oncoming traffic made the puddles blend in to the road perfectly.  So I was completely soaked head to toe in a matter of minutes, and thinking this is what the PDX marathoners must have run in while I was sleeping.  The rain did make the air quality better so that was a nice benefit.  I went out to the river and headed north from there up to the international schools and neighborhood.  I started doing loops around the neighborhood that is about 2 miles out from my hotel because there is no traffic and it runs right along the water.  As I was doing the loops I noticed that I was being approached by a security guard.  I slowed to a walk and he greeted me with a good morning and then opened with “do you run every day?”  LOL and here I thought I was about to get busted!  Ken introduced himself and told me “running is good for fat,” which I couldn’t agree more with!  We had a nice chat and then I headed back to the city center.  Along the way back others said hello and the group of guys on the corner that sit and smoke and drink the iced coffee every morning smiled waved and pointed up to the sky and said “it’s raining!”  I laughed and said “gotta run” which they promptly repeated back to me and laughed.  It was a soaking wet memorable morning run in Vietnam today and the perfect start to our ultra teaching day!

After a quick shower, finally found the hot water by turning the faucet the other direction, duh, and a quick hotel breakfast (cannot get enough of the Dragon fruit!), it was off to the Binh An Center for our third and last day teaching there.  We did our last lesson on proper touch typing- using the home row ect. as well as finding specific information on the internet.  They also worked with typing in Vietnamese and formatting.  The girls in the morning session did an awesome job! 

Due to the rain we could not get to the planned meeting spot for lunch so we stopped at an impromptu restaurant along the way.  This was the most authentic Vietnamese cuisine we have eaten so far.  The fish that were on the menu were floating by and the chickens were, unfortunately, really fresh, and living right behind us.  Being a vegetarian this was really hard for me, I literally feel physical pain for the animals in my core and I had to hold back tears and the urge to free the creatures. (laugh I know, but I am serious, guess that’s why I am the vegetarian) So I sucked it up and ate my veggies and tofu and tried to be a good sport for the team, I think I did reasonably ok.  Some of the dishes we enjoyed below. 

After lunch we were on to the Binh Trieu Center where we would be working with 35 or so kids.  The rain was not stopping, and this orphanage experienced a power outage last night and was still without power when we arrived.  So we worked on our back up plan which was to use only the lap tops that had 4 hours of battery still and hope for the best.  We actually did get power about 30 min into the 3 hour session so that was very lucky!!  We did the first 90 minutes with one group of jubilant kids and they were off and running.  Their faces lit up when they started working with paint, got even more excited when they started typing in Vietnamese, and were really blown away when we worked with the “capture” function and they were able to take pictures of themselves with the camera.  One of the girls with “bling” in her ears was just a doll and asked me to join her in all of her pictures, lol, she is a little diva up and coming!  I brought a bag of candy to share with the kids and that is how we ended both sessions, I think they are big fans! 

After a grueling 90 minute cab ride through rush hour traffic we arrived to teach our last session back at Binh An.  We started the kids with more online typing activities and they jumped right in and picked it up very quick. They did really well with online searches, and then put the information into presentations.  The kids went through many other online activities and the 2 hour session flew by.  It was a long day overall from 7am to 9pm, but exciting to see the kids learning.  I feel so very lucky to be here with an amazing team being able to do the work we are doing. 

Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City

October 10, 2010
Today we took a break from teaching and had the day to ourselves.  I started out the day with a nice "long" run of 8 miles, which here in the heat and humidity and crazy smog felt like about 20!  It was great to get out there again and see that now that I have run by some of the same people 3 or 4 days in a row they are smiling and waving at me and some even saying hello.  It felt great to exchange greetings with them this morning and you could feel the more laid back Sunday vibe.  I hope tomorrow I still get the smiles and hellos.  :)  I also took some time to reflect while I watched the sun rise about what we have been doing here in Vietnam so far.  The kids have been wonderful and I feel so lucky to be here and given the opportunity to help them in the small way that we are.  Some of the images from our class room adventures are below. 

After a great run it was out on the town to see what we could find.  What we ended up finding was amazing massages which were totally needed after our week of travel and lugging around computers and ourselves.  My neck was a mess of knots that felt great getting worked out.  Very very relaxing!!  We also did some walking around the city as captured below. 

We also met up with our friends here and did some shopping in Ben Thanh Market.  It was just as I remembered it from 3 years ago when I was first in Vietnam, so I came in with some goals of finding bling.  It was a maze of vendors and many goods to buy but at the end of the day I accomplished the mission.  See bling below:)

Running in Vietnam

October 9, 2010

We are on day 3 in Ho Chi Minh City and I have been running everyday.  I wake up at 5am before the sun comes up and the traffic really gets too bad and head out for a nice easy 6 miler or so.  This have been a great way to see the city so far.  I love it that it is a bit more mellow at this time of day before all the people and traffic start to come out.  It is very crowded here so it is hard to find room to run that is easy to keep going with out crossing too many streets.  I have found that if I head east from my hotel and run along the river this has been the best route so far.  I found this out from the first day I went west and ran through the heart of the city.  Below are some running pictures from day 1 in the city with lots of fun!!

I have been able to really get a feel for the city through these morning runs.  It is so peaceful and quite and I get to see many out in the morning doing their own exercises.  Along the river there are still a lot of cars and moter bikes, but it makes the running an adventure every morning.  Below are some pictures from my river running. 

I have to note also that right now the temp is around 80 degrees with 90% humidity, so that has made for some great training!!!  It's hot out there, but it's really great to just be in a new place and running and able to explore a new place. Talk about getting sweaty though, check out below after one of the runs, I am totally drenched in sweat and LOVE it!!!!

2 days in Vietnam!

October 8, 2010

We have been in Vietnam for 2 days and so far the team is having a blast!  On day one we met up with Tad and started to get the classroom PC’s ready for the classroom.  We spent the morning doing this at a coffee house and working together as a team for the first time, all went well see the team in action below.  Once the PC’s were up and running we then went through the lesson plan for the next day and planned out the first session we were to deliver in the morning. 

After a successful prep day we started off day 2 early and headed out to our first orphanage.  We worked arrived and set up for our first session with 8 girls ages 13-18 and went through a 2 hour lesson.  For many of these students it was their first time ever using a PC so we went through all of the steps from opening a PC to turning it on to basic mousing and then started to open programs and work with different applications.  The girls were very fast at picking up the instructions even though some of us were communicating in English and they were only able to speak Vietnamese.  It was a real treat to see some of their faces light up as they learned to draw or type.  For the closing activity we accessed the computers camera and made a power point slide that featured their picture, and this was very exciting.  We also sent the girls on their way with a photo taken in class of them that we were able to print out on a mini printer.  Overall it was a very successful session and it seemed like the girls enjoyed the instruction.  We also shared some American candy with them students, it was their first taste of jelly beans and they seemed hesitant, but overall I think they may have enjoyed them.  We are looking forward to day 3 in Vietnam!!!

Vietnam here we come!!!

Vietnam here we come!!!                                                                                           October 5, 2010

I am on my way to Hong Kong then on to Vietnam, Ho Chi Min City as part of an Intel Education Service Corps team partnering with Orphan Overseas to introduce the kids to computers and technology, some for the first time.  Orphan Impact first launched in March 2009 and is currently running in 8 orphanages in Vietnam. Orphan Impact is a project of Orphans Overseas USA. Orphans Overseas is a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon.  Orphans Overseas has operated in Vietnam since 1993. Orphan Impact began in March 2009 and is currently running in 8 orphanages (7 in North/Central Vietnam and 1 in South Vietnam), offering computer education to about 650 orphaned or at-risk children.  The project is focused on utilizing Intel-powered Classmate PCs and the internet to introduce institutionalized orphans to a new type of learning – using the modern web as a tool for communication, research, and problem solving – while diminishing their sense of isolation and helping them to feel a greater connection to the world beyond the orphanage walls.

My name is Melissa Williams and I will be working with a team of 4 others- Lori Bradford, Minh Pham, Matthias Giessler, and Hoang Nguyen in Vietnam.  I will be serving as the lead blogger to keep you up to date on our adventures.  Lori, Minh and I come from the Oregon site, Matthias from Arizona, and Hoang from California.  See the team below- we’ll have to compare before and after pictures! 

Portland Team! Minh, Melissa, Lori

Full team- Lori, Matthias, Melissa, Hoang, Minh

I recently moved from AZ to OR for work in finance at Intel and have been with the company for 6 years.  I grew up in AZ, in the sunshine, my entire life so the move just over a year ago to OR was a huge adventure!  As part of the finance rotation program I applied for my next job in the North West and to my shock got it!  So within a month of getting the offer I packed up, secured renters for my place, and took the long scenic drive to OR up the Pacific Coast Highway.  Before I came to Intel I attended Arizona State University in Tempe, and played competitive women’s rugby for the school (go Lady Devils!)  and received my undergrad degrees in Finance and Management.  I love ASU so much I went back to school at night while working for Intel and received my MBA in 2008. 

I also really enjoy running!  Maybe that’s a slight understatement.  I run a lot.  Humm that about sums it up!  I love to run really and have been able to branch out with the extreme variety and amazing running community in the North West.  I have run two 100 milers, four 50 milers, and many 50K’s, timed events (24 hours), and marathons for a total of 48 marathon distance or longer events in the past just under 3 years.  Below is one of my favorite races- 100 in the Hood at Mt. Hood in OR, my first 100 mile run

Outside of work, running, and doing awesome service projects like IESC I like to do all the fun stuff including dressing up and spending time with good friends! (I’m in red below)  I am also currently working on my CPA because I am a big nerd and love to be in school!  I really love to read, study, and learn new things in a variety of methods including the traditional classroom and the classroom of life.  I am a strict vegetarian and have been one since I was 7 years old; I really think Bambi got to me!  I also love music, hip hop music being my favorite and that means I also really like to dance!  If you are interested my favorite song right now is Like a G6- Far East Movement, great beat!  J