Final days in Laos for Griffith Group C

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne

Day 11 or 'Monday blues':
Today, a lot of us were touched by fatigue and homesickness so the general mood was dragged down. However, we kept going and never stopped, and we closed the clinic at 3:30pm after seeing 145 patients. That night, we had a team meeting, a few chocolates, a good debrief and got the general mood right back up.

Day 12 or ‘So many cute babies and pregnant mums!’:
This morning was cold but as the sun set, we warmed up and kept working at a rapid pace. By lunchtime, we had seen more than half of our triaged patients. Today was a good day for everyone and we all worked well under Maddy’s supervision. I had a few interesting cases like a suspected heart block, lymphatic cancer, hypertension with a BP of 200/95 and a few common colds, UTIs and chest infections. The 101 patients we saw today meant we had an early finish and we had everything all packed up by 3:30 so we jumped in the trucks and headed home.

Tomorrow will be our last clinic day and it gave me food for thought. It has been such an interesting trip! I have learnt so much about myself, my goals, limits and qualities in nursing; I have modified my assessment so much to adapt it to the Laos community and this trip was extremely good for me because now I know that I can apply my new knowledge about different cultures to help me treat people from all different backgrounds when working in hospitals back home.

Most of all, I have to say that I have learnt to trust myself, trust my instinct and trust that I have the knowledge and the skills required to be a good nurse and to assess patients of all ages and to work in a multidisciplinary team of health care workers and translators.

Day 13 or ‘Last clinic day’:
The clinic went really well this Wednesday and Celise was our last team leader. As she made her speech, I tried to remember our very first clinic and it reminded me how far we had come since day one. Just as I had opened the first clinic with maternity education, I opened this one with Lizzie, Tiffany and Elisabeth C playing the role of a pregnant mom giving birth. We saw a few more than 75 patients today.

Day 14 or ‘Sex education day’:
Today we went to Ban Pak Seng's high school to teach Sex Education. Divided in groups of girls and boys, our team educated them on the reproductive system, contraception and menstruation.
The girls sessions went well as we explained how puberty changes us physically, emotionally and our personality. As we moved on towards periods and menstrual cycles, we observed the girls writing questions on the paper we had given them. After giving out the girls day packs and talking about STIs and sex safety, we answered questions and realised how little the Laos High School students knew about sex and their own bodies.

Lunchtime rang and we headed up to our head quarters to sort through all the boxes and got our donation bags ready. The rest of the day was the closing ceremony, a game of volleyball, and bacci at the high school as well as the award ceremony with the teachers. I got the translator award as I had been translating all of the French signs.

Day 15 or ‘Blessings at the village and to the bouddha caves we went’:
Today we had a traditional Barsi ceremony as we got blessings from the inhabitants of Ban Pak Seng. We left with the flowers and travelled down the mountain toward the Mekong. We visited the Bouddha’s caves and placed the flowers on one of the altars. We went back to Luang Prabang by boat and cruised down the Mekong. We all enjoyed our last day together as a group and got ready for our final weekend of exploration. Sadly, Allison and Cara were be leaving us early and were going to have to say our goodbyes to them tomorrow.

Exploring Luang Prabang

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne

Day Six or 'Down by the riverside': 
Today we packed up the trucks and after a visit to the military hospital, we drove five hours to our host village, down the mountains and along the river. We had such a beautiful welcome, and all of us were covered with flowers bouquets made by the school kids as we listened to the Chief's welcome. They humbly received us and thanked us for choosing to come to Laos and to stay in their village for a week.

It was after we had settled in that we heard the news, there was bonfire on tonight that we would get to dance at. All of the kids had gathered around the fire by the time we arrived and were playing with our team. Soon, we were all mixing and enjoying the night with many traditional dances and a few Aussie ones too. Two hours later, we finished the night all jumping around and dancing to Pink's 'So What?' We were all tired but so content, we had big smiles on our faces as we headed to bed.

Day Seven or 'Teaching how to brush your teeth by the river': 
The clinic opened in one of the poorest villages yet, as we struggled to get tables and benches . Here, people have simple houses and are all farmers in the mountains. As the education sessions start, some of us headed towards the river with the sixty village children to start teaching them how to wash their hands and brush their teeth. The kids were so beautiful and loved the soap so much that they started washing their bodies and faces in the river.  The clinic went really well and Ella led the dance. The village has 230 residents and we treated around 120 patients with many disorders. Sadly, the main disorders where due to dehydration or labor muscle pain from working long hours. As we packed up, the sun was high and we all planned to swim in the river back to our host village.

Day Eight or 'A shooting star': 
Today, we saw 150 patients go through triage as we set up our clinic in our home village. Fatemeh was team leader and she did her best to distract all the cute babies whilst directing us all, we all did an awesome job. By the time four o'clock rung, we were all packed and waiting to receive our half-way feedback. Everything seemed positive and on the way to accomplishment. I couldn't believe that we are already midway. What a journey! At diner, we all debriefed and chatted about our day, the interesting cases we had and what to plan for tomorrow's clinic. It is very interesting to realise how much we had all bonded and how we were a team working towards the same goal, helping the Laos community. After dinner, we grabbed torches and sweaters to walk down the river and observe the stars in the night. The sky was so clear we could all see Mars, the big and small saucepans, parts of the Milky Way as well as the North Pole star.


Day Nine or 'The night of the thousand blessings': 
As we woke up and went to breakfast, we could feel that something was in the air in the village. It was only after the clinic that we realised that we were going to have a beautiful ceremony tonight. The clinic went well and we treated 79 patients under Kayla's leadership. This village showed interesting cases such as presumed tuberculosis, emphysema, ear and chest infections. As we got home, we all spent some time with our families before going from house to house to have blessing ceremonies and receive cotton bracelets. It was very touching and we all felt warmth in our hearts and tears in our eyes as the village said their goodbyes to our group. Back home after the ceremonies, we exchanged gifts and talked about Australia and our lives.

Day Ten or 'Cooking and rafting it is':
Today the whole village was awake and busy as the first rays of sun shone. A big meeting was set in the village's community centre as we all packed our bags, ready to head back to Luang Prabang. After breakfast, we headed to four villager's houses to learn to cook different meals that we would all share for lunch. My group headed to my home stay to cook chicken salad with banana flowers, garlic, dill, coriander and mint. We all gathered and tried each others meals as we were prepared to raft down the Suang River. Rafting was a new experience and we split into groups of three to travel down to the next village with. The river sides were beautiful and the kids waved at us as we left our home village.

Off in the trucks we went for a weekend of exploring or relaxation in Luang Prabang.

Griffith Group C Arrive in Stunning Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne
After numerous goodbyes to our families, our trip from Brisbane to Luang Prabang in Laos started with Liz, our facilitator, helping a patient with food poisoning while flying at 20 000 feet. Very little did we know that it wouldn't be the first clinic that we would work at up in the clouds.

Landing in Luang Prabang we had a tour of this beautiful city and its temples. Our guide took us around the Mekong and the Suang river as well as across the city in the night markets.
Sunday morning after a night of heavy rain the decision was made not to drive up to the host families in remote Laos, 2000m high up the mountains due to the muddy slippery roads. Stop is set in Ban Pak Seng, the center of the district where we will hold our clinics. 

Day one – Freezing, up in the clouds we went

For our first day of clinic we went up to a small village at about 600m ASL. Today it will reach sub zero temperatures, and everyone is wearing as many layers as they can. Many tried to buy gloves, socks and coats at the local markets to give themselves a sense of warmth. At this stage it rained for 48h and the rain just calmed leaving us with a cold wind…very far from the 30 degrees of the weekend. Thus we are all freezing under our scarves as we pack up the trucks and head up to the mountains on narrow road surrounded by cliffs displaying the most beautiful and purely natural views of the mountains.

As we enter the village we can all witness the poverty of the inhabitants: small wooden house, no real infrastructures, kids and parents with very little clothing and footwear on the icy dirt ground. Here we are setting the clinic in a one-room building with a cement floor, roof and two walls: this is going to be an interesting first day!

As the day goes by our team leader Tiffany runs the clinic and direct us all towards completion, we saw a hundred patients. Temperatures are now reaching below zero and the rain started again. Today has been hard on us and our patients, their temperature weren't easy to take, we had to shyly ask them to undress to auscultate them in this cold, we could not find their pulses... However, we are all feeling humble facing our happy and respectful patients, they did not complain nor argued and kept a smile on their faces as they thank us: Khop Jai Lai Lai.

After a nice warm dinner that night we all headed to bed under a pile of blankets.

Day two – Australia Day

Today we are heading to breakfast in the rain. To keep being productive and not waste any second we all unpacked our donation bags and started re-arranging all the clinical boxes to be ready for the next clinics. Medications are being sorted and counted, clothes and shoes packed, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soaps in our education bags and our assessment boxes filled up. Some of us wore Australia Day caps and temporary tattoos as we worked.

The afternoon is spent with a meeting where we all debriefed our experience at the clinic, our expectations, goals and hopes for this placement.


Day three – to the hospital we go

All clinics up the mountains have been cancelled for this week, we are all feeling sad not to be able to see and help so many villages. It's Kayla's birthday today and we sing as we hope for the rain to stop. As we head to the hospital, hope comes as the sun peaks out, warming us all on this cold morning. Visiting Pak Seng’s hospital many of us decide that we cannot complain about Queensland Health and our western hospital anymore! These people have nothing in the hospital and yet they are fairly healthy and living vibrant lives. As the afternoon sets some of us go to the centre of the village and start kicking the ball with a few kids, the next minute is it five of us nurses against thirty kids playing soccer, frisbee and volley, what a beautiful dry afternoon!

The day concluded with a pumpkin cake for Kayla and a good night sleep.


Day four – back to work

Today we held a clinic in Ban Pak Seng where we reside, about 53 families came to see us as we treat GIT disorders, chest infections, cold as flus as well as visual disorders with glasses. We are all feeling content to be able to do what we are here for and help the villagers.

As we head to dinner we meet a lot of girls dressed in beautiful traditional gowns and music can be heard in the background. While eating we all debrief about the clinic, what was done well and what could be modified to provide the best care. Alex, our team leader reflects on today and congratulates us on treating 104 patients before an announcement is being made: the children of the village will dance for us tonight.

Demonstrations of the five traditional Lao dances are made and we all look at them in awe. These dances are really graceful and the silky traditional costumes are complimenting their movements. Inviting us to join them some of us become Lao dancer just for the night. When our turn comes to teach them a dance, the Nut Bush was our choice and we all cracked on laughing at the end. Another beautiful night in Laos finished with us all going to join the dancers in their bamboo dance.


Day five – above the clouds under the sunlight

Today I wake up with a certain sense of excitement, and it hasn't rained since yesterday night. Last night we were advised that a dry night meant that we could go and help up in the mountains today. All of us are feeling relieved and hope for a full day of sunshine for us to go up to the village, do our clinic and come down the mountain safely. Today is our last clinical day of the week before we drive back to Luang Prabang for the weekend.

We drive far above the clouds to discover Ban Nung Kam, our clinic home. This village has a population of 630 and they are giving us a warm welcome as the children all line up in front of us. As the clinic starts I go with the antenatal team to check the pregnant women of the Ban Nung Kam. Thankfully all of them are healthy and foetal hearts are amazing to hear. As we wrap up the clinic and head back on the trucks, Juliette, team leader, announces that 154 patients is our count for the day.


The first major challenge I have witnessed on this trip was today, a woman burned her foot by the fire two nights ago and because of the roads she could not get help in the districts hospital. She was in a state of sepsis, tachycardia, arrhythmia, and as we gave her antibiotics we knew that there wasn't anything else we could do.

It is a bittersweet night for me as we all join for dinner enjoying the warm dawn and the feeling of going back to Luang Prabang tomorrow for a weekend of exploration.

Final Week in Laos for Griffith Team B!

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Bell

Reflecting on Griffith Team B's final week in Laos is bitter-sweet, as Laos has really gotten under their skin (in a good way).

Monday, Day 16: 
Today turned out to be our largest clinic – we had 120 families turn up, however, with Madeleine in charge the day couldn't have gone more smoothly. We send a couple of students out to make a home visit, a 74-year-old gentleman not eaten or drunk anything in the last three days. Sophie and Chris spent some time scrubbing up on their painting skills, or I should more correctly say, they spent lots of time scrubbing everything after painting. Either way with the help of Hazel and Elizabeth's daughters, they all managed to repaint a number of well-used blackboards. The school now looks the part, and the classrooms should be more usable; the experience left a mark not only on the girls but the school – and perhaps the girls’ clothes as well!

Tuesday, Day 17: 
Today our placement was a medium village, and we set up at a local high school. In this village most of the problems were respiratory issues, and it would seem cooking plays a large role in this unfortunately. Locals cook with wood fires indoors, often in the middle of the living space; the resulting soot that lines the tin roof also lines their airways. I did educate some people on the benefits of setting up an outdoor cooking area, one still under cover, but the interpreter said to me laughing, "But they won't, it's cultural." Later that night we discover the local hangout, a place of beer, burnt pork and Patong, a game played with large solid steel balls, closest team to the jack wins. Sounds easy, right? Yeah, I thought so too. The locals throw these balls with astounding accuracy, and the brief moment of pride you feel as your ball sits two inches from the jack swiftly turns to dismay, as they promptly apologise for knocking it out of the playing field before they even make the shot! Michelle and I stayed out later to meet Kood, a local member for the department of agriculture who proved most useful with his grasp of not only Patong, but English which he learnt in Vientiene. We also met another group of travellers from France, and after several rounds of nation vs nation we retired a draw.

Wednesday, Day 18: 
Loaded up with supplies we head out to the next village, our second last one. The school we operate out of is situated on the steepest of steep hills with no water or power. After we carry all the gear up the hill, one of our team is in a bad way with her asthma – the meet and greet continues but several of our cohort huddle around her and lend support and reassurance. It is sad to see one of our own needing treatment and without power, the nebuliser machine won't work and going down the hill again would almost certainly exacerbate the asthma. However not to be defeated she continues the day, a testament to her dedication to the clinics and the people who need her skills. Today turns out to be a huge clinic as well, 131 people – it seems like most of the village turned out for this one. There were as usual a few standout cases that came in to the clinic, such as a lady with the biggest goitre I have ever seen, about the size of a cantaloupe. One cardiac case came through that was also complex, but then again, when aren't cardiac cases? However there is not much we can do for them seeing as they cannot afford the ongoing medications that would be required to extend their lives.

Thursday, Day 19: 
So the final clinic has arrived, it's a mixture of joy and sadness. Joy to be soon returning home to our loved ones, but sadness that we couldn't help more and that our team so tight will soon be dissolved and dispersed. Today we visit the Pak Seng District Children's Hospital. It turns out to be a small but rewarding clinic, and for me was the trip highlight. One of the last patients of the day is brought to Elizabeth Coyne the leader for group C. The local nurse indicated the child of maybe four years old needed a head dressing redone over a laceration to his forehead that had multiple stitches. However, language barriers being what they are, when we asked the interpreter to clarify, he said they wanted the stitches removed. Despite not having a proper stitch cutter we made do with sterile scissors and tweezers, eleven stitches later and a new dressing the child was on his way home. The little boy never made a sound. For a lucky few in our team, they got the opportunity to sit in for a birth, and witnessed a beautiful baby girl being born. It was very fortuitous for mother and baby that Hazel was there to help the local midwives, or the outcome could have been very much different. It was a difficult birth and only the second one that Hazel had been apart of in seven years.

Friday, Day 20:
Following our blessing ceremony, we head to the vehicles and leave for the three hour journey to the caves; caves that contain thousands of Buddha statues that have been placed there throughout the centuries. So now the clinics are all done, we are free to do as we wish before returning to Luang Prabang and then home to Australia. We eat, drink and enjoy our final days together. I should at least mention the market shopping; some were a little addicted to say the least, but I guess to be fair, no more than my love affair with Lao beer. The final goodbyes for some at the Luang Prabang airport are strangely hard as they leave us to travel further afield, some won't leave us until the next stop Bangkok. Either way with each one that parts ways we lose a little more of our team. I hope that this final blog reminds us all of the time and the experiences we shared.

Griffith Group B – Reflecting on A Life-Changing Trip

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Bell
As our time in Luang Prabang comes to a close, and we start the bumpy return journey to the Seuang Valley, I cannot help but think of how far we have all come. The initial trepidations we all felt have long since gone, replaced by a sense of achievement; we are making a difference here. Looking around at the detritus it is clear Laos has a long way to go in terms of basic sanitation. However with each volunteer group that visits – nurses, doctors, or engineers – it improves just that little bit as we work with locals to assist with sustainable solutions.

The road from Luang Prabang to the Seuang Valley now has several sections of paved road. We arrive at our new base station, dinner is to be served at the White House, rice of course, noodles and some vegetables.

Day 9: Monday

We head to Ban Sopur, a village established in the 1975 when the road finally reached the area and comprised of 84 families or 435 people. The chief of the village gave a heartfelt speech welcoming us to the village and thanking us for the healthcare that we provide; a blessing ceremony was to follow. I am by no means religious but the act was touching because they honestly believed and chanted well wishes whilst tying sections of cord around our wrists. Despite battling fatigue after a long day, we are to be welcomed to our base village.

Dancing and frivolity ensured. It is also clear why people choose to live out here; they are as one family. Picture if you can a family barbecue, but only with 400 members and everyone joins in to sing a spontaneous ballard or start a random dance; yes we are financially better off but surely they are richer in community spirit; it is little wonder they don't want to leave. On a side note people, kababs are out here, cooked rat on a stick is in.



Day 11: Wednesday

We travel to another medium village with many more families in need. The things that we take for granted such as basic analgesia comes to these people maybe twice a year in some cases. We will see about 84 people with varying conditions, two boys from one family both with cognitive impairments also had congenital cataracts in both eyes. We were eager to help in whatever way we could and unanimously elected to use a portion of the donated funds to sponsor the both boys for cataract surgery; the cost? A paltry one hundred dollars per eye.



Day 12: Thursday

Before heading out to the village our waiting group is approached by a young mother enquiring for her daughter. It would seem where Australian children push Lego in noses and ears, Lao children lodge rice grains, and in this case the result was a girl with a sore ear. Unfortunately for them we could not solve her issue as there was the risk of puncturing her drum, but we will sponsor her to be treated at the local hospital.

Day 13: Friday

Today begins with weaving lessons, and it's safe to say that I have a newfound appreciation of their craft. They spend up to a week making a scarf depending on the complexity, something that might only fetch US$50 on the market. We all have a try and some find a natural rhythm with the machine others appear in constant battle. As we leave for the next station the weavers set about unpicking the mess we made halfway through their scarf.

Next station is master chef, Laos edition and it's safe to say that if I had seen the kitchen and wasn't preparing the meal myself I would be reticent to eat it. No one will ever complain about cooking space or conditions again; they really make do with a bare dirt floor, dull knives, and a stove that is akin to a camping fireplace where to turn up the heat you push the wood in a little bit further. We all manage excellent dishes and have learnt some Lao cooking (even those who just made sticky rice...well maybe) and survived without having to break into the stash of Buscopan just yet.

All fed and eager for rafting we travel by truck to the next village and the awaiting rafts. There we split into groups of three and board our makeshift vessels. The local Lao men who control the rafts have a sense of humour it seems and took great pleasure on rocking the rafts from side to side when you least expected it. It also goes without saying that there was a race amongst the rafts, many pushing the limits of pole pushing endurance. Rapids got the heart beating a little faster but in the end we all ended up floating down the river off the rafts by choice; well some needed a little group motivation perhaps. A perfect way to end the working week and to start the wind down; the countryside was truly magnificent and I wish you could see it through my eyes as I did.

Final Week for Griffith in Laos – A time to reflect on the trip of a lifetime

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Maskell

Group A successfully passed another hard-earned weekend. However when Sunday afternoon hit, the group begin to travel back to our new new village, ecstatic to undertake our final week in Ban Na Pho.

When we arrived, we were greeted by our new homestay families and were made to feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible. Strangely we all found it somewhat relaxing to be back in the mountains.

The next day, clinics proceeded as normal. We travelled to multiple villages to share health education and medical assistance. This week colds, reflux and muscle pain were again the biggest issues seen within the villages, however, there were more dental issues than previously.

Earlier in the week the group was presented with a two-month-old baby girl, who was severely underweight and had significant trouble breathing. The group made the immediate decision to send the baby to the Laos Friend hospital for children in Luang Prabang, where she received treatment for malnutrition. A few days later the parents reported back that their baby was gaining weight and was on the road to a full recovery. They also expressed their deepest gratitude for making hospitalisation, living expenses and transportation available.

Upon arriving at one of our village clinics, the group spotted a young boy with cerebral palsy sitting in a dismantled, rotting wheelchair, which was donated four years ago by another Griffith nursing team. The group made the executive decision to buy a new wheelchair, and delivered it later that week. The boy was ecstatic to receive his new chair, and immensely thankful.

Towards the end of the third week, Group A also sent two men with hernias to the Luang Prabang hospital for a removal surgery. The following Monday, before heading to the airport, the group visited the men in the Army hospital. They said we had changed their lives and were very blessed to have had this opportunity.

Within the clinics, Group A alone saw a total of 1260 people, and enabled five individuals to go to the Luang Prabang hospital.

Overall this opportunity has given Group A an outstanding view of primary health care, allowing us to appreciate what we have back home and how we together can make a difference to the Laos people. The clinics have opened our eyes, teaching us that so little can do so much.

The clinics allowed us to experience the Laos culture, however, we all left wishing we could do more as what we could give was limited. The people of Laos were so appreciative and valued our help both in education sessions and clinics. Although the language barrier was difficult, the translators were excellent and our attempts to speak the language were deeply appreciated and sometimes very amusing to the local people.

I believe we have all left this trip with a richer appreciation of what we have, and have filled our hearts with happiness as we look back on the differences we have made.

Eye-opening Experiences in Laos (in a good way!)

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Maskell

After a nice relaxing weekend at Luang Prabang, Group A was ready to conquer week two back in Pak Keng village. Once we arrived in the village we were reunited with our original home stay families.

This week, Group A experienced four eye–opening days of clinic. This allowed us to see multiple medical cases, some of which were culturally unique to Laos and some that are also seen within Australia. As we were approaching winter, the group saw many cases of the flu and bronchitis along with multiple cases of reflux as a result of eating large portions of spicy foods.

This week, Group A also saw a middle-aged schoolteacher who came into the clinic with chest pain and difficultly breathing. Auscultation and assessment revealed consolidation of left lower lobe. Upon discussion the group decided to send the man to Luang Prabang hospital the following Monday. After a few days the man returned home and said that he was feeling much better, and that he was grateful for our service.

Next, a young mother who had a baby boy earlier that week came in. Quickly, doctors discovered that the baby was struggling to feed properly was becoming rapidly malnourished. After a few days of monitoring the group also agreed to send him to the Luang Prabang hospital. They reported that the baby was thiamine deficient, and after an intramuscular injection he was able to feed normally, beginning to make a full recovery.

Overall the clinics were absolutely eye opening allowing the group to understand the unique culture of Laos. This week gave the group a deeper appreciation to how these people live and a better understanding to primary healthcare.

After a long week of clinics the group was excited to do cultural activities within the Pak Keng village such as cooking, weaving and rafting before returning to Luang Prabang for some hard-earned relaxation.

Falling in love with Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Rosie Waldron

We arrived in Luang Prabang after a long flight, touching down on an airstrip bordered by lush mountains and greeted by the smiling faces of our interpreters whom we would work closely with over the coming weeks. After a walking tour of the gold clad Wat Xieng Thong temples and going up Mount Phousi to watch the sunset over the city and back down into the stretching night markets, we already had an idea that this was going to be special.

The next day after visiting the Army Hospital we set off, all of us excited to be finally starting what we had come out here to do. A two and a half hour dusty tuk tuk ride up into misty mountains following the Seung River deeper into rural Laos. We were greeted into the little village of Ban Napho by beaming villagers, sweet bouquets of handpicked flowers and a speech by the chief of the village.

First day of clinic was an eye opener! We were able to quickly organise ourselves into the different stations which consisted of reception, height and weight, observations, treatment/diagnoses and dispensary/pharmacy. We also realised there was a lot of wound care that needed to be done and included a wound dressing table in our set up. As part of the clinic we also delivered health promotion sessions which we all had a lot of fun with and as we were seeing a lot of school children. We decided to focus on dental and hand hygiene, following each session we gave out stickers like there was no tomorrow! Some of the groups were quite large – at one point 160 small children – but they all joined hands, sat in a circle, sang, clapped and were all completely delightful to teach.

In the following days we visited 7 different villages to deliver healthcare and each night at our little handover it became apparent that the most common things people were coming in for were issues such as back and muscular pain, coughs and irritated eyes, urinary problems, wounds and headaches. It also became apparent that many people did not drink enough fluids, with most only drinking two or three glasses a day whilst working hard in the heat and humidity. We saw many people come through the clinics, not just the young but also the elderly who were extremely grateful for the glasses we brought with us, one man trying a pair on exclaimed happily that he could properly see once again but (with a twinkle in his eye) he added that, for some reason, he still could not read English! That was one of the things we all really noticed about the Laos people, they were always ready for a laugh, always ready to smile and to wave, to welcome and to give. Although our days were filled with the clinics, it wasn’t all work.

Whilst we were in Laos they had a festival called Lhai Heua Fai that means “floating boats of light downstream” or “the festival of lights” in which they give offerings to the river mother or sea serpent. In Luang Prabang they made huge paper boats that they would set alight and send down the river. This would have been an incredible site, but we were in our village at the time and had the opportunity to make our own buoyant offerings out of banana leaves, marigolds and fragrant frangipanis. We took these to the neighbouring village, were blessed by the monks and set them on their way lit by candles under the full moon along with the people of the village. During our stay we were also treated to beautiful traditional dances by the village girls and taught how swirl our hands as they do – we haven’t quite got that down! In the afternoons we swam in the refreshing jade coloured Seuang river to wash the dust and day off.

There were times that we found nursing in this setting challenging. But with our fundraising and personal donations we were able to send those who needed it to hospital for treatment, and were able to buy a large stock of medication to administer during our time here and to donate at the end of our stay. Although it could be challenging at times we all agreed that it had been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. At our farewell ceremony the villagers took turns wrapping white threads around our wrists chanting prayers and blessings for our lives, there were tears from us and lots of smiles as we said goodbye to the people who had so whole heartedly welcomed us into their homes and into their community.

It was an incredible experience, working as an effective, cohesive team, putting our nursing skills to good use and having fun in amongst it all and although we were only there for a short time, we treated over 666 people, taught health promotion to almost 900 and felt very proud of what we were able to do.

We felt blessed to have taken part in something so fulfilling and all of us agreed when at our farewell the chief of the village said (in Lao), “Even though your bodies leave here, may your heart stay always in Laos.”

Jam-Packed Week One In Laos for Notre Dame Nursing Students

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Maeve Hawkes, Notre Dame University

After a long lead up of planning meetings, fundraising events and much excitement, we were almost surprised to find ourselves actually in Laos. Arriving in Luang Prabang airport on Sunday the 10th of May, our group of 10 students and two teachers agreed that it felt surreal to finally begin the experience that we had so long talked about. Our first night we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful My Lao Home hotel and prepared ourselves for the long journey ahead of us.

On Monday morning we heaved our packs into the trucks and piled in, headed for the Army Hospital in Luang Prabang. We were greeted by the Director of the hospital, who gave us a warm welcome and provided us with information about the hospital and some of the most common health complaints of its patients (in particular respiratory conditions and diarrheal disease), and what he perceived to be the hospital's greatest needs for the future. We then had a tour of the hospital and were interested to identify significant differences between this health care setting and our hospitals at home. In particular we were struck by the high density of patients within each room and the fact that the family is expected to provide basic care for patients such as washing and feeding. It was humbling to see how privileged we are to have the medical resources that we take for granted at home.

Then it was back to the trucks for the two-hour drive to our first home-stay village on the mountainous dirt roads. Although the road was bumpy and dusty, the spectacular views of lush green mountains above us, the smiling faces that waved to us as we drove past and the rushing river below us all took our minds off these discomforts. When we arrived, the children of the village presented us with armfuls of handpicked flowers and welcomed us warmly. We felt overwhelmed by the kindness that we were shown both on our arrival and throughout our stay in the village.

After being officially welcomed to the village by the chief, we were shown to our new homes for the week! The style of housing and living conditions were definitely a big change from our lives in Perth and it took a few days for us to really settle in. It certainly helped to all have each other and to be focused on the goal that we had come here to achieve. The copious amounts of fresh cooked food that we were served at each meal definitely didn't hurt either.

We were also welcomed by government officials including the governor of the Pak Xeng district where we would be working for the next two weeks. The district has a population of approximately 23,000 people and throughout the next four days we visited the villages of Ban Nongfadat, Ban Hadsam, Ban Hadphaod, and Ban Vannguen to set up health clinics for the people living in these areas, where they are largely unable to afford to make the journey to hospital and don't have access to much needed regular health care. Each clinic was set up within school classrooms or meeting halls with only the medical equipment that we had brought with us, supported by our fundraising events and the donations we had collected. Our first clinic was by far the most challenging, as we were unsure of the most effective way to organise ourselves as a team and were unfamiliar with managing such a large patient load and working in collaboration with the translators and Laos health care workers. The lack of health care resources that we were accustomed to also presented challenges at times but we learned to adapt to our environment with the help of our supervisors.

As the week progressed, we refined our technique, became more familiar with the process and worked more efficiently as a team. At times it was overwhelming to be seeing such a large number of patients, in the sweltering heat, with such limited resources, but for every down moment there was an equally uplifting one, such as running health education sessions with the kids on how to wash their hands, or helping even temporarily relieve a patient of a health condition that they'd been living with for many years. We slowly adapted to the heat and the squat toilets and settled in to the rhythm of life in a Laos village. We relaxed after clinics with glorious swims in the river, set to the backdrop of the stunningly green mountains surrounding us on all sides. At the end of the first week we were exhausted and ready for a proper shower in Luang Prabang, but we were also proud of our accomplishments and how much progress we had made.

Griffith University Nursing Students Provide Valuable Healthcare and Promotion in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Amy Bennett, Griffith University

The day had finally arrived! The third and final group of nursing students from Griffith University were ready to travel over 13, 000 km to Laos to conduct health clinics and health education in the villages along the Seaung River Valley. After 10 hours of travel, our group of 16 students and 4 teachers met up with our wonderful guides at Luang Prabang airport where we were packed into tuk tuks and whisked away to our first stop of the trip, where we met up with group B!

We spent the weekend in Luang Prabang relaxing and taking in the sites. Sunday morning saw us packing the tuk tuks and beginning the 4 hour ride to our village homestay, which was nestled right on the river and surrounded by beautiful, lush mountains! We received a warm welcome from the children of the village and the chief who were all overjoyed to see us!


After settling in to our homestays, exploring our home of the next 6 days and working out the squat toilets, it was time to get down to the business of sorting through our clinic items and donation bags, ready to begin our work with villages who have had little or no access to healthcare.

The 5 clinic days saw us learning, educating and delivering basic health care to an overwhelming number of people and experiencing how the majority of the world lives first hand!

The end of week 1 saw us saying goodbye to our village homestay and saying hello to our home in Pak Xeng for the next 5 days. Our home in Pak Xeng saw us delivering clinics and health promotion to a number of remote villages along the river and up into the mountains!

On our first day in Pak Xeng, the team was woken up to the loudest wedding in history! Pak Xeng was bustling with guests and visitors and our team of 20 as we explored the town. The weather, which we were becoming accustomed to, was refreshingly cool in the morning and warm during the day which made for the perfect day to relax and prepare for the next 4 days of clinics. Tuesday was one of our busiest days at clinic with the assessment teams assessing and treating 104 patients and conducting health checks on an unknown number of infants, children and extended family members. Wednesday saw our group travel up into the mountains to reach the villages of Nong Kham, Nad Kham and Houay Wat.

The trip into these villages took over an hour in the mornings, which meant early starts for the group. Although it was early, the drive up into the mountains was amazingly picturesque! We travelled up above the level of the clouds and often caught the sunrise on the way up. The roads and weather proved challenging for our experienced tuk tuk drivers with one breaking down twice on the way up the mountains! These drives up the mountain were when we experienced some seriously cold weather with temperatures nearing single digits! The four clinics saw us assessing, health-checking and treating over 400 local people which was an amazing effort from our team of students, facilitators, interpreters and health care workers!

Our third week began by returning to Pak Xeng after a wonderful 3 days relaxing, shopping and doing the ‘tourist thing’ in Luang Prabang. With two clinics left, the group was beginning to realize it was coming to an end. Monday’s clinic saw us returning to the mountains in bitterly cold weather to the highest village on the trip.

The clinic was conducted in a one-room hall, which was bustling, loud and at times chaotic. The return to Pak Xeng in the mid-afternoon saw the group being invited to Pak Xeng High school to be guests at a cultural event and dance. The students graciously danced with us and taught us a number of Lao dances. The night also saw our group singing and dancing for the students with our rendition of the national anthem and the Macarena.

We returned to the high school the next day, with half of our group conducting sexual education sessions, and the remaining students conducting the clinics. Before we began, we were welcomed by the students, teachers and the director of Pak Xeng high school. We were presented with certificates of appreciation and in turn, we presented the students with three donation bags for the students who spend the week living in the ‘dormitory’ accommodation at the school.

Griffith University team wrap up in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

All good things come to an end, right? Well in our case, that's half correct. Group A have now left Laos leaving Group B to pick up where we left off. Group B will go deeper into the mountains and brave the cold.

Group A saw a total of 1350 villagers in some 10 villages. The most common complaint was back and neck pain (from farming for hours on end). We saw around 40 pregnant mothers and gave a month supply of folic acid and iron. Jess, midwifery student was able to perfect her auscultation skills without the mod cons we are normally afforded in Australia. I know you are wondering about the two patients we sent to Luang Prabang to get treated. Well so are we! The hernia repair and cataract removal have been completed but yet to know of the recovery process.

Group B will be following this closely and providing further assistance in the form of medication and pain relief when they arrive. The goodbye and bhasee ceremony was an incredible spiritual journey of health and happiness well wishes. It was sad to say goodbye but so rewarding to know we made such a huge impact.

On reflection, we learnt the correlation between education and health is strongly linked. It is our dream that one day each and every villager will have access to primary healthcare. It is a basic human right that is so easily forgotten when living in such a fortunate country. Although our impact was small, it won't ever be forgotten.

Thank you Laos for your hospitality and kindness, we look forward to returning when we are fully fledged Registered Nurses!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

Griffith University in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

The day finally arrived, the day we were all waiting and planning for: the day our journey began. There was excitement, tears, laughter, joy and nerves as we went down the departure escalator at Brisbane International Airport. We made it to Bangkok on the very first day of the Kings Birthday celebrations. The night sky was filled with an array of beautiful night lights and the streets were buzzing with life. After a good nights rest we were on our way to Luang Prabang, Laos. The descent amongst the mountains and rice fields was truly magical. It was a touchdown, our home for the next three weeks.

We were greeted with open arms by Chipsing, Kk and Kl our interpreters. The open-air trucks were stocked with our bags, clinic supplies and donations before departing to the city centre. We were given a city tour and visited a local temple built in the 1500s. Kk myth busted the pronunciation of Laos as we learnt that the S is in fact not silent. Lao people and language is pronounced without the S.

It was our last chance to use a Western toilet and a hot shower. We were just two hours away from our first week of placement in Pak Xeng village. Face masks and scarves in hand, we began our journey along the windy, dusty road. It was teeming with life as we passed through the many villages. We saw children lining up in the distance as they prepared for our arrival. We walked through a welcome line of flowers and songs as the village cheered our arrival. The chief and healthcare workers welcomed and thanked us for supporting them over the past 6 years.

We were then placed in our home stays and given our beds on the ground. A few toss and turns worked a treat before exhaustion kicked in. Our first day of clinic saw our language abilities quickly improve. The word 'jip' meaning pain became a commonly used word. We gave analgesics for manual handling related injuries as the farmers worked hard to harvest their crops. Health promotion on the importance of pre-stretching and correct body position were also shown.

A young 8 year old girl with a peculiar white right eye lens was sent to Luang Prabang with donation money. After a few attempts at getting her on a local tuk tuk into town (they fill to the brim!) and blood tests we were told that she would have to wait until next week. It appears to be a cataract that can be treated for around $400. We are also sending a chief of a village with a hernia to be repaired next week. We'll know the outcomes next week and I hope to be the bearer of great news when they come!

Week 2 has seen our amazing group cumulatively treat 500 people! This nursing placement is all about learning, right? We've learnt some important new clinical skills, as well as how to live by the chilled 'Laos time'. Our group also learnt that Laos was once the land of a million elephants. We went on a day trip and discovered that elephants really like water and will dunk you at any chosen time! We saw incredible waterfalls and rode on elephants in their natural habitat. Yesterday saw us rafting down the white waters of the Mekong Delta on bamboo slabs. Luckily, we had locals steering us or I'm sure we would have ended up in the South China Sea! We will head out for our last week of placement this afternoon after one last hot shower and Western toilet.

Apoh village is around 3 hours by open air tuk tuk from the city and apparently quite the picture. We look forward to sharing our last blog with you next week.

Until then, soktee!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

Griffith Business School prepare for Laos community development placement

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Aisling Brennan, Griffith University Business Faculty

The Griffith Business School Leader team’s Laos Community Development adventure is right around the corner. Some of us have packed, some of us haven’t (mainly just me) and we couldn’t be more excited. Or nervous. Or hopeful. Or most likely all of the above!

This past semester has been a pretty big one for most of us so our feelings are kind of all over the place. One thing is for certain though, we can’t wait to arrive in Luang Prabang and see where this adventure will take us.

As a team, we’ve been working hard to get organised for our trip to Laos. We’ve been fundraising by supplying most of the student and staff population of Griffith University with chocolate, baking, and sausages, dancing to the early hours of the morning at a cocktail fundraising event, and even one of our fabulous team members, Bec Piper ran a half marathon! Along with getting all the necessary jabs, finding the perfect suit case and collecting a lot of physical donations like children’s books and clothes, we’ve had a busy lead up to our trip to Laos. And I think we’re ready.

While we are in the country we will be conducting a community needs assessment on how tourism can help alleviate poverty in the Seuang River Valley, in the Pak Xeng District Authority. The majority of the population do not have access to adequate health care, housing and sanitation. As a team, we will be conducting meetings with relevant community leaders, district officials, education and health professionals to discuss future development possibilities for local communities. As well as documenting these meetings, we will be working on the renovation of Pak Xeng High School. We will be renovating two classrooms.

There’s a lot to do and a lot to achieve while we are in country and once we return. So let the adventure begin!

A week of firsts for Griffith University nurses

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Josea Brown, Griffith University

Coming back from the villages we arrived at our hotel and wasted no time in getting to our rooms and having a hot (or for those of us less fortunate, lukewarm) showers! Dinner over the weekend consisted of walking across a questionable, rickety bamboo bridge that looked like it would collapse under the weight of a feather, leaving us to swim in the dark. Fortunately it held all our weight. The rest of the weekend was then spent shopping at the various markets in Luang Prabang, spoiling ourselves with $15 full body massages and treating ourselves to a 'snake shot' (which also consisted of gecko and millipedes)! Sadly, our weekend in luxury was short-lived as we left the city on Sunday afternoon and headed back to the villages for a week of clinic.

A day in the clinic
Our day starts off with a cold open-truck ride to one of the villages. Upon arrival we are welcomed by the villagers and given bouquets of flowers by the children as we walk through a 'guard of honour'. We then line up at the front, facing the villagers and receive an official welcome address from the village chief or deputy. Pride emanates from the chief as he speaks of his village and the people. From the welcome speeches, we have witnessed that the Lao are a very proud people. Proud of their culture, their heritage and their history.

Next up it's our turn to talk as two students present a donation bag filled with toys, clothes and school supplies. The children's faces light up as a soccer ball is pulled out and an excited chorus of 'Ohhhh!' fills the air. The village elders gladly accept the donation bag with sincere appreciation. After the official welcome some of us run health promotion sessions, whilst others set up the clinic (usually in the classrooms). The villagers then disperse into their related health promotion sessions: the women attend the mother's and bubs/maternity sessions where breastfeeding, antenatal care and birthing are spoken about (and they get to witness a student 'give birth' [see picture]), while the men learn about proper manual handling techniques and back exercisers and the children are educated on proper hand washing, teeth brushing and coughing/spitting.

Then, madness begins! Reception/Triage is swamped as a multitude of villagers line up to be seen. In reception the students get their Lao on as we ask them questions in Lao. After reception (and if there's a line) the people sit in the waiting area until Crowd Control ushers them in to Assessment (and from what I've gathered crowd control is mayhem!). At assessment there are 3 students, a translator and a health care worker all working together to help the people they see. Here they tell us what's wrong and after a few questions and some investigating, a diagnosis is made and if needed medications are prescribed. They are then off to Pharmacy, where (as you have probably guessed) the medication is kept and dispensed. At pharmacy, reading glasses (which were donated) are also given to villagers when needed. We're finding that a lot of the people here are needing the lower strength glasses (+1.25 to +2.00) as we quickly ran out of them. In both assessment and pharmacy the villagers are given instructions regarding their treatment regime (i.e. take 1 tablet 2x a day for 10 days) and are translated in Lao in case they forget. They then head home, usually with a look of relief on their faces. :)

This week was a week of firsts for most of us.

- On Monday we saw our first colostomy bag in Laos. It wasn't unlike the ones back at home, however, we were surprised to see one here in Laos (in the 5 years this program has been running we hadn't yet seen such a sophisticated operation out in the villages). Unfortunately, the lady (who is only 23 years old) could no longer afford medical treatment and had to go home with the bag. Therefore, as a group we are trying to see if it is possible to help pay for her next (and hopefully last) operation. Will keep you updated.

- Tuesday saw us eating buffalo meat and fried river weed (actually yummier than it sounds)! There is a chance we may have already eaten buffalo meat on this trip, but this was the first time we had been informed about it.

- Wednesday was one of the group member's birthday (happy birthday Amanda!) and we asked if it would be possible to have something special for her, a cake perhaps. What came out was a pumpkin based/decorated cake with sticky rice. It was delicious (especially for those of us who love our pumpkin) and was a wonderful treat after dinner.

- Thursday night the people in the Pak Seng held a Baci (Baa-zi) Ceremony for us to wish us well on our way. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. Our home stay family gave us a scarf as a gift and the we sat in a circle, were given a glass of beer to drink and a plate of food (a boiled egg, banana and a packet of chips or cake). After wards white string was tied onto our wrists to symbolise strength and give us good luck on our travels. After the ceremony we danced the night away! :)

- Friday was our activities day. We tried our hand at weaving, cooking a traditional Lao dish and bamboo rafting. With weaving the women make it look a lot easier than it is! It's quite fiddly and hand-eye-foot coordination is needed. After our quick 30 minute session (which was just enough time to get the hang of things...kinda) we had all developed a new-found respect and admiration for the weavers and look at the scarves and skirts with awe-like wonder.

Cooking, on the other hand, was a little bit easier/more manageable. In our smaller groups we each made a separate dish for lunch; pork tomato sauce, vegetable stir-fry, vegetable soup, pork noodles and a potato-based coconut milk dessert (these dishes have Lao names, but unfortunately I have forgotten them). Needless to say, lunch tasted great! :)

Next up was Bamboo rafting in the Suang river. It was beautiful. Sitting on the bamboo rafts (some of which were being made as we arrived) we were able to relax in the serene beauty that Laos had to offer -- pure mountainous grasslands and forests all along the river. Then after some time we decided to jump in (although some of us were pushed) and have a swim. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

After rafting we went back to our village and said good bye to our home stay family. This was a bit sadder than we had anticipated. Despite the little communication we had with our home stay family (due to the language barrier) they had touched us and will leave a lasting impression in our lives.

We're now at the hotel getting some much needed rest. Good bye until next week!

Photo 1. A student (Elise) giving birth during the women's health promotion
Photo 2. A student (Jackie) being taught how to weave by our home stay mother

Then, Madness Begins! Griffith University Students Living in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Josea Brown, Griffith University

Coming back from the villages we arrived at our hotel and wasted no time in getting to our rooms and having a hot (or for those of us less fortunate, lukewarm) shower! Dinner over the weekend consisted of walking across a questionable, rickety bamboo bridge that looked like it would collapse under the weight of a feather, leaving us to swim in the dark. Fortunately it held all our weight. The rest of the weekend was then spent shopping at the various markets in Luang Prabang, spoiling ourselves with $15 full body massages and treating ourselves to a 'snake shot' (which also consisted of gecko and millipedes)! Sadly, our weekend in luxury was short-lived as we left the city on Sunday afternoon and headed back to the villages for a week of clinic.

A day in the Clinic
Our day starts off with a cold, open-truck ride to one of the villages. Upon arrival we are welcomed by the villagers and given bouquets of flowers by the children as we walk through a 'guard of honour'. We then line up at the front, facing the villagers to receive an official welcome address from the village chief or deputy. Pride emanates from the chief as he speaks of his village and the people. From the welcome speeches, we have witnessed that the Lao are very proud people. Proud of their culture, their heritage and their history.

Next up it's our turn to talk as two students present a donation bag filled with toys, clothes and school supplies. The children's faces light up as a soccer ball is pulled out and an excited chorus of 'Ohhhh!' fills the air. The village elders gladly accept the donation bag with sincere appreciation. After the official welcome some of us run health promotion sessions, whilst others set up the clinic (usually in the classrooms). The villagers then disperse into their related health promotion sessions: the women attend the mother's and bubs/maternity sessions where breastfeeding, antenatal care and birthing are spoken about (and they get to witness a student 'give birth'), while the men learn about proper manual handling techniques and back exercisers and the children are educated on proper hand washing, teeth brushing and coughing/spitting.

Then, madness begins! Reception/triage is swamped as a multitude of villagers line up to be seen. In reception the students do their best to ask them questions in Lao. After reception (and if there's a line) the people sit in the waiting area until crowd control ushers them into assessment (and from what I've gathered crowd control is mayhem!).

At assessment there are three students, a translator and a health care worker all working together to help the people they see. Here they tell us what's wrong and after a few questions and some investigating, a diagnosis is made and if needed medications are prescribed. They are then off to pharmacy, where (as you have probably guessed) the medication is kept and dispensed. At pharmacy, reading glasses (which were donated) are also given to villagers when needed. We're finding that a lot of the people here are needing the lower strength glasses (+1.25 to +2.00) as we quickly ran out of them. In both assessment and pharmacy the villagers are given instructions regarding their treatment regime (i.e. take 1 tablet 2x a day for 10 days) and are translated in Lao in case they forget. They then head home, usually with a look of relief on their faces.

This week
This week was a week of firsts for most of us.

- On Monday we saw our first colostomy bag in Laos. It wasn't unlike the ones back at home, however, we were surprised to see one here in Laos (in the five years this program has been running we hadn't yet seen such a sophisticated operation out in the villages). Unfortunately, the lady (who is only 23 years old) could no longer afford medical treatment and had to go home with the bag. Therefore, as a group we are trying to see if it is possible to help pay for her next (and hopefully last) operation. Will keep you updated.

- Tuesday saw us eating buffalo meat and fried river weed (actually yummier than it sounds)! There is a chance we may have already eaten buffalo meat on this trip but this was the first time we had been informed about it.

- Wednesday was one of the group member's birthday (happy birthday Amanda!) and we asked if it would be possible to have something special for her, a cake perhaps. What came out was a pumpkin based/decorated cake with sticky rice. It was delicious (especially for those of us who love our pumpkin) and was a wonderful treat after dinner.

- Thursday night the people in Pak Seng held a Baci (Baa-zi) ceremony for us to wish us well on our way. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. Our home stay family gave us a scarf as a gift and then we sat in a circle, were given a glass of beer to drink and a plate of food (a boiled egg, banana and a packet of chips or cake). Afterwards white string was tied onto our wrists to symbolise strength and give us good luck on our travels. After the ceremony we danced the night away!

- Friday was our activities day. We tried our hand at weaving, cooking a traditional Lao dish and bamboo rafting. With weaving the women make it look a lot easier than it is! It's quite fiddly and hand-eye-foot coordination is needed. After our quick 30 minute session (which was just enough time to get the hang of things...kinda) we had all developed a new-found respect and admiration for the weavers and look at the scarves and skirts with awe-like wonder.

Cooking, on the other hand, was a little bit easier/more manageable. In our smaller groups we each made a separate dish for lunch; pork tomato sauce, vegetable stir-fry, vegetable soup, pork noodles and a potato-based coconut milk dessert (these dishes have Lao names, but unfortunately I have forgotten them). Needless to say, lunch tasted great! :)

Next up was Bamboo rafting in the Suang river. It was beautiful. Sitting on the bamboo rafts (some of which were being made as we arrived) we were able to relax in the serene beauty that Laos had to offer - pure mountainous grasslands and forests all along the river. Then after some time we decided to jump in (although some of us were pushed) and have a swim. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

After rafting we went back to our village and said good bye to our home stay family. This was a bit sadder than we had anticipated. Despite the little communication we had with our home stay family (due to the language barrier) they had touched us and will leave a lasting impression on our lives.

We're now at the hotel getting some much needed rest. Good bye until next week!

Griffith Nursing students have arrived in Laos!

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Gabby Smith, Photography by Josh Bakkum, Griffith University

First blog for the 2014 trip exciting!!! First of all I'd like to say there are no words or information that will prepare you for what your walking into. As much as I myself researched, looked up and googled I was still taken by surprise. I'm hoping this blog however, will give you just the slightest of idea's of what to expect; help you with your decision to go or help you decide where you would like to volunteer.

But lets start at the beginning, as we all rock up to the Brissy airport the excitement could be felt in the air. We all still had no idea who each other was or if we would even get along, which of course made us all a little nervous. We waved our families and loved ones goodbye and made it through customs without a hiccup. Most of us decided to treat ourselves to a little luxury before we took off. After exchanging names and getting to know each other a little we boarded the plane to Bangkok with coffee in our bellies.
After making it safely through Bangkok airport with our stiff legs we got on our bus to our hotel. Now luggage is an issue considering all of us had a donations bag as well as our own check in luggage and a carry on. We did look like pack mules walking through the airport. Arriving in the hotel we separated into pairs for the rooms and made our way up to our rooms. Our stay in Bangkok was short lived, as we dragged our weary bodies out of bed the next morning; all of us did end up going for a little walk around town that night; for our breakfast then back onto the bus. We battled our way through the airport again with our big bulky bags. With some time to kill we decided to devour into some more luxuries like a massive burger from burger king (whopper girl) or a Starbucks coffee. We were all thankful the next flight to Luang Prabang was short lived. This was our first glance at what to expect in the villages. It is very different to Australia. Luang Prabang was a lot bigger than I had originally thought. It is actually quite a lively place. The hotel is luxury since we were all expecting something a little third world; we were all surprised to see a western toilet in the rooms. We all fell in love with the place after our city tour, there is so much culture and rich history around you can't help but immerse yourself in it.


After our lovely weekend in Luang Prabang we packed the open backed trucks and headed north for Pak Xeong. What a trip. It lasts around 2.5 - 3 hours. The road is rocky, dusty and narrow. We had motor bikes and other truck to contend with. There was more than a few close calls as a bikes and trucks pass us, we also felt like we were living on the edge with how close we got to the edge of the cliff.; very hair raising. Now a handy HINT for the trucks: pack a scarf as it does get very dusty, sunnies (obviously) and a small pillow, a little neck pillow is probably the best. This is just because of the jarring factor. the roads get worse and worse as you get further north, going out to the villages everyday can become very trying on your back.
We arrived safely in Pak Xeong all a little worse for wear but rearing to go. The kids greeted us with flowers and the traditional Sa Bai Dee = hello. After organising ourselves that afternoon we spent a night with the children. What an amazing night we all played games (crossed swords), sung songs, and laughed the night away.

The next few days were clinics for us out at the villages further north. Walking into the villages the poverty hits you like a ton of bricks but, everyone is so happy - all the kids have the biggest smiles on their faces, as they giggle and play with you. Even the adults are constantly smiling. It's full on. Back to the basic nursing and midwifery care. A few of us do health promotion while the others set up the clinic, which is usually held in a school, and we rotate. We split up the jobs as well when the clinic is running, two on reception, one on height and weight, three on bp,temp and pulse, six on assessment, two in treatment/antenatal and one on pharmacy. We work along side the health care workers and of course our amazing translators Cheng, Sung, Lee, Chip Seung and Bee; who put up with our shenanigans and our bad pronunciation. And again we rotate through the jobs. The clinics are always packed. We see around 40-50 families which is around 100 -150 people everyday!! We are all thoroughly enjoying everything we are doing and can't wait to get back out into the villages for another week.

Working on assessment we assess the clients wellbeing, asking what they may have problems with. A man came in and said he had problems with his eyesight, after further examination we established he did not have cataracts he just could not see short distances. So we got out some glasses for him to try on, when he found the right set that was for him the biggest smile, that will warm your heart, broke out on his face. He said he could see clearly again.
In the treatment room a woman was undergoing a prenatal assessment, since she was a fair way into her pregnancy we could use the doppler to hear her baby's heart beat. When we found it again words cant really do just to the joy that was written on her face, this was the first time she had heard her baby's heart beat.
With the happy stories there are also some sad ones. Also in assessment while assessing a family we found out that they could only afford to feed their family one meal a day, which was hard to hear, however the family were still very healthy and happy. There was also a woman who said she could get free health care at hospital but could not afford the bus trip there.
Its stories like this that can be distressing so its good to prepare yourself for the good and the bad. For you to realise that even though you are there to help you cant always provide the miracle cure. However, we have noticed some change to the villagers, after a health promotion workshop a father wiped his child's nose with a tissue and put the tissue back in his pocket, which is an amazing improvement from sucking it back. Again this made us all realise we can't change a village but we can make a holistic impact upon their lives.

One of us lost a set of undies the the wash at the hotel as it was taken in with the towels from our rooms. After frantically running down they found the staff and through pure hand signals and body language were able to explain the situation. The staff ran off giggle (of course) to return with her set of undies all clean in a bag. If you're worried about the language barrier the use of hang signals and body language work are universal.
On a bus trip out to one of the villages, one of us tried taking their tablets through their scarf..... Just to show you how tired you may get working up in the villages.

With one week under our belts we have all become a closer group, and are able to get along extremely well; from girlie nights, to mending each others pants (mama bear) this week has left us all comfortable with each other. We discuss our bowel movements over dinner (obviously) and cheer when can do one but most importantly this week has left each and everyone of us as a master of the infamous squat toilet.

Be prepared to laugh at yourself as you will make a mistake which was obviously a mistake (just from sheer exhaustion), you will pronounce words wrong and have the locals in hysterics but, most of all you will have an amazing time and we all can guarantee that.

Until Next week happy nursing/midwiferying.

Written by Gabby
Photos by Chief photographer Josh