8.11.07 (10:00 PM MST)--Coming Home, Last Update
It has been an incredible trip, full of adventures and new friends. Everything from teaching computers to motorcycle rides in the jungle.
Our Saturday in Hanoi was fun and serious. We did some more shopping on the crazy streets of Hanoi. The traffic here is amazing, no lanes, no directions, no worries. You don't see many accidents but you do see people riding 110cc bikes "SUV Style". Check this out.
After shopping we took a taxi to the War Museum. Wow...Vietnam has had such a torn past. It was easy to read about and see pictures of other countries wars in Vietnam. It was very difficult for us to see the displays about the Vietnam War. Too close to home as most of our families lost loved ones. It brought tears to my eyes.
We love you and will see you all soon!!!
08.10.07 (7:30 MST)--From Bac Ha to Sapa and now Back in Hanoi
Nathan with Black Hmong in Sapa (notice the baby being carried to the right)
We are back in Hanoi after a relaxing day in Sapa.
Sapa is a gorgeous town set amongst green mountains in North Vietnam. Imagine the most rugged, rocky parts of Colorado and then cover them in deep shades of green: that is North Vietnam! While in Sapa we were able to see the 'Waterfall to the Heavens' and Cat Cat. Both are short hikes to beautiful waterfalls just outside Sapa. We can't wait to show you all the pictures.
Once we returned to Sapa we ate lunch at the French-inspired Gecko restaurant. Nothing like Americans eating French-style food in North Vietnam! Most of us, like good Americans, ordered pizza!
Next we did some shopping and wondering through the streets of Sapa. Nate had a great idea to load up one of our duffel bags with Hmong goods and sell them back home to raise funds for the next lab! As soon as the Hmong ladies saw that we were buying, we were swarmed by a group of Hmong ladies saying, "Buy from me, buy from me, I give you good price, I give you good price!" The Hmong people are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. They make and sell handicrafts such as purses, jewelry, pillow cases, blankets, clothes, and tapestries. We are bringing back some of each!
We then jumped into a van and headed for the train station in Lao Cai. The train brought us safely back to Hanoi. Today we will out-brief with the GVI staff and site-see in Hanoi.
We all miss you so much and can't wait to see you tomorrow!
08.09.07 (10:00 AM MST)--More from Vietnam
A quick update from the Royal View Hotel in Sapa.
Everything with the lab in Ta Chai is complete! It was a great success.
We arrived at the school early and held the training session. Nate did a wonderful job guiding the teachers through networking basics and details about theis lab. He also taught them how to create videos for students.
We had some time before the ceremony, so we all hopped on motorbikes and headed to Thai Giang Pho. There we delivered the blankets, water filters, small kid toys, and candy to the clinic. The doctors and nurses were so grateful to receive these gifts...espeically the blankets. Also, the water filter we installed is still in good working order. We said goodbye and headed back to Ta Chai School.
The dedication ceremony was incredible. All the officials had encouraging things to say to us. I was given a chance to speak as well. I thanked them very much for welcoming us and allowing us to come and serve the students of Ta Chai secondary school.
After the ceremony, we had a great lunch with all the officials. They were all so friendly and hospitable.
We then took a lot of pictures with our new friends, said 'goodbyes' and headed back to the hotel to check out.
The road to Sapa was long and winding but we made it. We are now in Sapa relaxing, sipping coffee and having dessert.
08.08.07 (3:00 PM MST)--Lots of cool stuff happening
From Scott Grumm: We are at the Internet Cafe in Bac Ha. It's a small wooden building with blue tarps under the roof and rickety old tables with computers on them. Everything has been going really well. Brian has done a great job as the team leader and working with all of the local officials. The computer lab at the school is nearly setup. The power in the room is provided by an electrical wire thrown out the window and run down to the main panel. The line for the DSL was setup in a simular fashion. We think the wiring setup will be improved in the future but we can not be certain. The DSL should be active now and we are going to go check it out this afternoon. Everyone here is very excited to have the computers, especially their IT teacher. She has been watching everything we have been doing. She studied IT in college so she has a good understanding of computers. The school will be accessible to several other schools and teachers in the area. This is a big step toward the school reaching the national standard.
From Becky Smith: SUCCESS! The computer lab is complete, including Internet service. We've heard through the grapevine that this is the most modern lab in all of Lao Cai province, and the family at Cool River Church has made a fantastic impression on the people of Bac Ha. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for tomorrow morning, after which is a short orientation for the IT instructors to show them how the lab is set up, including the features Scott built in to help them manage all the computers and teach as effectively as possible.
This afternoon, the team stopped at several schools and a clinic where water purifiers had previously been installed so that we could deliver some new filters. Four of the blankets made by the church were left at the clinic, and we hope to deliver the remainder tomorrow after the computer lab ceremony. The short trips to the nearby villages have revealed amazing landscapes and beautiful people; Vietnam is a place for making memories.
Installation complete. Team with school teachers and GVI staff.
Nathan Brown leading a computer training class.
08.07.07 (6:30 PM MST)--Smooth Sailing
The team called in tonight. Everything is going well....according to schedule. Computer installation has begun. They will be traveling to local villages to check water filters and deliver blankets. They will also be traveling to a far away village to check out the next stie for another computer lab.
Last night, they met with the vice chairman of the people's committee of Bac Ha. The meeting was a very good one and later the officials invited the team for dinner. This is a great honor for the team.
08.06.07 (7:42 AM MST)--A fun day with Kids (Remember that it is night time there)
From Brian Weigner: We are all packed up ad ready to go! We are about to leave for the overnight train to Lao Cai so I'll make this short.
We packed up the truck with all the PCs, said a prayer, and sent it off to Lao Cai ahead of us.
Although we are a little tired, everything is going well so far. After packing the PCs, we headed over to the Birla orphanage to see and romp with the children. So much fun! 110 children wore us out!
Webmaster Note: NorthWood Church (the primary church that helped start Cool River) has been working with the Birla Orphanage in Hanoi for several years.
Becky and Tan (Glocal Ventures Staff in Hanoi) packing up computers and supplies for the trip to Bac Ha. (That red duffle bag has all the blankets that our children and families made for the babies in the clinics)
08.05.07 (8:14 AM MST)--Adventures in Hanoi--Leaving for the Mountains soon
From Nate Brown: What a day! More computer working, rolling around Hanoi looking for parts and books. Never touch a Vietnamese man's radio, especially when he's "bringing sexy back."
We went to the International church today. It was a very beautiful thing to see people from all over the world coming together in worship.
Everyone is in good health, and by tomorrow we should be adjusted to the time difference.. Tomorrow we are going to try to stop by and see the orphanage next door to GVI, at Leslie's request. We have some toys, and maybe we will give some of them there. The orphanage next door is not a GVI orphanage, it is a govt orphanage. GVI helps with an orphanage in another town. After that, we leave by train to the north for an overnight train ride, then the real fun starts. Mood is good.
My impression: Vietnam seems much more open than what I know about Cuba. People are free to move where they want, buy and sell houses, and start businesses. Sherman says that the govt is making efforts to relax tax laws and property ownership laws to encourage foreign investment. I did see a couple of stoplights today, and some people did stop at them. I am used to 1 and 2 way streets, but am getting more accustomed to the 3 and 4 way streets. The whole driving scene is best described as a school of fish. It seems like chaos but everything moves together. It is actually much more efficient because many times you never stop between point A and B. If you need to make a left turn across oncoming traffic, you just do it and people move.
Ok, time for yous guys to get to church! We're headed off to bed. Praise Jesus! Why dont you guys pray this morning, let us feel it coming!
08.04.07 (6:00 AM MST)--The Team is in Hanoi
From Brian Weigner: We have arrived in Hanoi safe and sound...AND...all our luggage made the journey! The GVI staff are amazing, they met us at the airport and arranged a van for us back to the GVI guest house. That is where we are now. We settled in and had a great Vietnamese lunch with frog legs, yes, that's right, frog legs! They are the other, other white meat. Now we are hard at work setting up PCs, routers, a printer, wireless networking, and a Vonage phone! We are a little tired from the journey but overall, we are doing very well. Thank you for praying! Keep it up!
08.03.07 (4:18 PM MST)--The Team is in Taipei
Just got word that the team has arrived in Taipai, Taiwan. They are all doing well...just praying their luggage will make it all the way to Hanoi. Keep checking in and keep praying for them.
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Nathan Brown, Brian Weigner, Becky Smith and Scott Grumm
$10,000 Update
We've exceeded our goal of $10,000! Thanks to all who helped to raise the money. Way to go Cool River!
Please start praying for the team that will be going to put the computers in August 2-12. Scott Grumm, Becky Smith, Nathan Brown and Brian Weigner.
$10,000 for Vietnam
We're building a computer lab in Vietnam this summer and we're raising $10,000 to do it. Yep....10 grand. We need everyone to chip in and give! But don't stop there....be creative and see how you can raise money in other ways. Sell something. Start a business. See if your friends want to help. Maybe your business can get behind this, too. Let's do this!
Want to go to Vietnam?--Summer trip set
We are preparing for our summer trip. Tentative dates are set from August 3-13 (give or take 1 or 2 days). We will be installing a computer lab that will serve as a learning hub for education in many areas. Education, business, IT, English, medicine and more. We are looking for people with good computer skills to set up a computer lab (hardware, software, networking). We will also be teaching a basic course on using the lab. If you are interested, please let us know ASAP. We need to finalize our team by June 1.
