Day 13 - Thursday March 7, 2013 Team-Completion-Inventory-Wrap-up Day, TRAVELING BACK TO SAIGON & TO US

After breakfast it took us a few hours to check out of Tien Giang Hotel.  We donated a large supply of medication as well as children's clothing to Dr. Lien so she will continue to hand them out to patients and families in need.  Hung settled the expense with the hotel and went over the paperwork with Ms. Hang the accountant of Tien Giang Red Cross.

Our team were all in good spirits this morning, we said goodbye to our friends in Tien Giang and our convoy headed to Long An, to Hue's house to unload our supplies there, to store until our return next year, and the supplies of notebooks and pens and toothbrushes and toys that she and Hung will need to take with them next month to perform the last dental health education at Tan Thoi elementary school before the school is over.  Our yearly dental relief trip was over but our dental health education program in Tien Giang is an on-going program during the school year.  And during the summer we also support many children so they can come to Saigon for needed treatments at different hospitals.

After Long An, we went North to Saigon, stopping at Hung's relatives home in the 8th district for a farewell lunch before many of us head to the airport for the return flights back to the US.  A family meal, one last party for DDS4Kids 2013 team.

By now you can tell how good we eat in VN, Vietnamese cuisine has Chinese and French influence and I think that is what makes the cuisine richly delicious.  The vegetarian dishes here are root vegetable curry, egg noodles stir fry with mixed vegetables, steamed fresh vegetable plate (okra, squash, spinach), tofu sauce, roast pork veggie patties, steamed bread, and fresh spring rolls.

For those of us who eat meat, we have treasure of the sea, one of Shannon's favorite.  We have roasted pork, roasted duck, french bread, hot rolls, vinegrette salad with meat, fried rice, soup ... so much good food sharing with good friends, it is overwhelming and it makes me feel like the luckiest person on the planet!

And a surprise for Padraic and Lea who have birthdays on March 17 and March 23 - Happy Birthday!

Padraic, Shannon, Paul, Robin, and Mickey went directly to the airport this afternoon.  Phuong went to meet with her friends and probably have more food and celebration before she catches her flight tomorrow morning.  Trang went to a hotel and enjoyed a few more days in VN with her relatives and friends.  Van will spend another few weeks touring VN with her friends, retirement and having time is nice.  Lea and I went to Hung's house to rest up, had one more bowl of pho (traditional beef noodles in Hung and Nhu's noodle shop) before going to the airport for our midnight flights back to the US.  It was not hard to say goodbye, I knew I will get to see everyone again, in VN or in the US, this kind of trip makes friends for life.

If food is love, this bowl of noodles IS LOVE, it will keep me warm until next time I get to hug Hung and Nhu and the rest of dear friends in Vietnam again.