Travel Back to Saigon (7/27) || Julian Tejano

After three long and busy, yet highly rewarding, clinic days, I woke up bright and early at 6AM to get ready to leave Trà Vinh where we served hundreds and hundreds of patients. As I boarded the bus, I felt a warm sense of fulfillment, remembering the many lives we changed by providing free healthcare services to the underserved and the meaningful interactions I had with patients throughout the past three days. It truly felt rewarding, knowing that our efforts have left such a positive impact on the lives of many people in Vietnam.

After finishing our last day of mission trip activities, I did some self-reflection during the bus ride about my experiences throughout this trip. All three parts of the mission trip, which are the UMC shadowing days, scholarship and orphanage days, and free clinic days, were engaging and brought unique experiences, but if I were to choose a favorite, I would say the scholarship and orphanage days stood out to me the most. In particular, I was able to play with the little toddlers of the orphanage, and they were so so sweet and adorable! One of them, in particular, stood out to me because he would constantly hug me, ask me to carry him, and play with my name tag. Unfortunately, at some point, I had to leave him, which made both of us sad! But after giving gifts to other orphanage kids, I took a tiny stuffed toy to give back to him afterwards :P. Playing with him brought me so much joy and it truly felt like he was a little brother that I never had! Overall, this interaction definitely made my entire mission trip because giving that orphanage kid that familial kind of love and attention that they may not usually receive truly felt gratifying :^).

In the middle of the bus ride, we stopped by this local market and candy factory for a quick bathroom and shopping break. The place was super interesting and there was so much to see, especially the candy being freshly made! There were so much food and souvenirs, and they even offered samples of the coconut candy being made. It was so good that I bought two containers of coffee and pandan flavored coconut candy for my family back home :3.

Continuing on our travel back to Saigon, our bus group had a long group discussion to discuss our experiences at the mission trip and provide feedback on the different parts of the trip, specifically the free clinic days. We agreed that overall, the trip went very smoothly and there wasn't much to be changed except for a few minor things. It was a very good and productive discussion, and it definitely helped us to plan for the next mission trip. After our group discussion, the other MEMObers and I simply fell asleep the rest of the drive back to Saigon. When we got back, the rest of our day was free, so we rested at the hotel, explored Saigon, and spent our last night in Vietnam with a group celebration!

And that marks the end of our mission trip! Thank you 16G for all of the friends and memories, this experience will forever be one to remember. :') <3

Me and Allyson all readied up with our snacks and bevs for the 2-3 hour bus drive back to

Quick stop at a local market and factory that makes yummy coconut candy!