THANK YOU!

Thank you so much to my wonderful nursing colleagues for the great travel gifts and the wishes for safe travel. I will miss you all and look forward to sharing my nursing stories with you when I return.

Getting close

Personal: Packing almost done. Just need to add last minute things--computer, Ipad, etc. to carry on bag. My repaired camera arrived a few days ago, just in time. Have removed my diamond jewelry. We had a nice Birthday Dinner last night at my son's house for me, Ariell, and his wife Emily since I will be landing in HCM City on my actual birthday. Dan can officially start driving again today since it has been 3 months since his last seizure so my official driving duties are done.
Professional: Have completed my lectures and Powerpoints for Concept Analysis, Orem, and am working on the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms. We have our syllabus and course guide completed and it will be sent to UMP nursing faculty tomorrow. Need to continue to work on grading my own students' theory papers--10 done and 11 to go--so I can be ready to post their final grades by Wednesday.
Stay tuned...

So much to take, so little room!

I am closing in on getting my packing completed. Every time I read through the information from the FBNG, I think of something else that I should take. Micah is "helping" me pack by playing "airplane going to 'Be it nam'".

Course Prep

Had a productive phone conference with the FBNG steering committee and Dr. Kay Avant yesterday morning. Originally, faculty focused on not only the content of written work but also English language usage and APA style. Now the students are using the style guide of the University of Medicine & Pharmacy (UMP) which is similar to MLA style. We decided that it would be wise to utilize our UMP nursing faculty to review the written work for correct writing style and Kay and I would focus on the content. The students will work in pairs for their theory development paper and presentation. We will divide the group (37 students) in half so each of us has 18/19 students and 1 VN faculty member to assist. Mornings will be focused on lecture. In the afternoon, we will split into our smaller groups for more 'hands on' instruction.

Cell phone mania

Personal: After 2 hours and 50 minutes at the Verizon store yesterday, I have a phone that will work in Vietnam. But WAIT--don't call me unless you really need to--$1.95 per minute, 50 cents per outgoing text and 30 cents per incoming text. Will be turning off email/data reception on my phone when I leave US airspace cause that is too expensive to even consider! If I was going to be gone longer I would definitely follow the advice of my NWU colleagues and buy a phone that uses SIM cards.

Two weeks to go...

Overview-My plan for this blog is to include both personal and professional information. From the personal perspective, I plan to chronicle my activities and my feelings. From a professional perspective, I plan to record my teaching experiences.
Preparations & Personal Thoughts--Perhaps foolishly, I added up the total travel time, including layovers, to get to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon): Omaha to San Francisco with short layover in Denver=~5.5 hours; SF to Guam to Manila, Philippines=16.5; Manila to HCM City-2 hr layover + 2.5 hr. flight=4.5 for a grand total of 26.5 hours travel time. WOW. I am a little concerned about 'this old girl' traveling that long. A friend told me that her son (a physician) travels a lot and he suggests using Ambien to be able to sleep on the plane. He says that it does not have the 'hangover' effect of some other sleep aids. I planned to take Benadryl but I think it would be a good idea to check with my Dr. about this idea. He also said that you should only nap for a few hours after you arrive and then get out into the sunshine if possible to help your body clock reset. I will arrive on Saturday morning, March 3rd which happens to be my birthday. I think a good nap will be the best BD gift for this year. :>)
I tried to update my cell phone for international use but found that I will have to change my cell phone plan to Verizon and buy a new phone. I did not want to have to figure out a new phone but guess I have no choice. Plan to do that tomorrow. Also still need to find a calculator for money exchange. Will probably order that online and hope it arrives in time...one of the details that I forgot about. I hope there aren't any others that I have overlooked. Will get my Hep A today or tomorrow at NWU Student Health.
I talked to my credit card representative and have it arranged to be able to use it on the trip. However, there is a 3% International Charge on every transaction + the unknown of the conversion rate on the day that the charge is posted. Seems wise to avoid using the credit card unless necessary. I also talked to United Healthcare to be sure I am covered outside the US. If you need healthcare you pay out of pocket and then submit for reimbursement after back in the US.
Thankfully Dan will be able to drive again in about 1 1/2 weeks--just in time for his chauffeur to leave for VN!
Professional--I will be teaching with Dr. Kay Avant. She taught this course with the last cohort. They had 14 students; we have 37! We have a phone conference scheduled tomorrow morning with Dr. Faye Hummel & Dr. Sara Jarrett, members of the Friendship Bridge Nurses Group Steering Committee. Here is a link to the website:  http://www.friendshipbridgenursesgroup.com/project.html   We made some adjustments to the course based upon the enrollment. Dr. Avant says that grading the papers is very time intensive primarily because of the English language issue. I have been working on my lectures/PP slides with an eye toward simplification and trying to use/add another word to enhance understanding. For example, "Role of the nurse OR What do nurses do? What should nurses do?" In the meantime, I have 22 theory papers to grade for my current nursing theories class.
Misc-Did not receive a repaired camera yet but daughter Rosie found my old camera + she had bought a download connection cord for it so I will not have to buy a new camera for the trip. Will take and post a picture of the packing process soon.

Countdown to Vietnam

1. Class Prep: Dr. Kay Avant and I have completed our syllabus and course outline. We will have 37 MSN students. I am working on my lectures (Concept Analysis/Concept Development, Orem, and Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms). Waiting to see if the Steering Committee has any revisions for us to make. I think that I need to revise my PowerPoint lectures to make sure that my students can understand what I am trying to communicate. I guess that is always the goal but even more important to break everything down to simple terms for these students with somewhat limited English language abilities.
2. Travel Prep: Our spare bedroom is a jumble of clothes, suitcases, travel accessories (thank you to my children for all of these items!), and lists. I have trouble packing when I am just going out of town for a weekend let alone for a total of 3 weeks. I have received my boosters for Hep B and Tetnus/dip/p (thank you NWU Student Health Center). Still plan to get the first dose of Hep A later this week. My family doc provided a Rx for an antibiotic just in case.  Still need to get my cell phone set up for International use and find out if I can use my credit card in Vietnam.
3. Made what could be my worst hair-do mistake in a decade. I thought a perm would be a good idea. It is hot, humid, and rains often in VN. It is a wash and wear hair-do but I hardly recognize myself when I look in the mirror. Guess I will get used to it and may end up being happy to have an easy style.
4. Unfortunately, my new in August camera is broken. Sent it in for repairs yesterday. Cannot find my old camera which still worked. I may need to purchase another camera for the trip.
5. I am trying to mentally prepare for the long plane ride. I do not like flying. One might wonder why I would agree to a trip that includes one leg that is 16 hours long! Fear of flying (isn't that a book?...) should not prevent me from taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I have a pillow, blanket, eye mask, personal fan, anti-embolism socks, and some Benadryl so I should be fine. :>)  
More later...