coming out party

One of my staff had a đầy tháng celebration, which is a one-month party for a newborn. Traditional Vietnamese tend to have a newborn and the mother 'hibernate' for a month to recover while maternal relatives take care of them, either by moving in or having mother and baby move to the relative's house. In some cases, they already live together. There are very specific dietary restrictions and care. Different families have different traditions. Many of them steeped in centuries of superstitions and beliefs despite modern medicine.

Infant mortality used to be very significant - so much so that one superstition is not to name your child until the one-month mark. Despite the hot climate, one tradition would be to not run the air conditioner or fan because the 'wind' could cause illness. Some even 'burn coal' under the bed or some form of heating to keep the body warm. Certain food (including congealed blood) is prescribed to help the mother 'heal'. Rice wine or something similar is used to bathe the mother - again, the reason is to kill the bacteria. Neither can leave the house during this period and the mother is expected to stay in bed for much of the time. While many of the traditions had reasons - some valid, some not, modern medicine and hygienic conditions make them moot, the deep superstitions rooted in these traditions have caused some families to be at odds with each other.

The đầy tháng birthday celebration is usually only attended by extended family. However, small packages of xoi (sweet sticky rice) and che dau (bean dessert) are put together for others that the family wants to share blessings with or that the family believes will bring honor and luck to the baby, depending on who you ask. So when another staff brought in the package for me on behalf of the new mother, I was surprised that she thought of me, not knowing of course what it meant other than that everyone knows I have a 'wicked sweet tooth'. Although we have such celebration in the United States, there are a number of traditions that get dropped. So I was not aware of how common the packages are. On my commute home from work, I had two people ask me if it was for đầy tháng, with a knowing smile. I'm not sure if that was because it was confirmation that I would bring luck to the baby given my success or that the family especially picked me to receive extra blessings.

 

Either way, I am honored and blessed.

stamp collection

I noticed on Facebook that my brother and his family are in Hawaii for vacation. It reminded me of one of my earlier memories of my sister-in-law over 10 years ago. As they were planning on their honeymoon, in Hawaii, of all places, she asked me whether she would need to get a passport to go there.

A few years ago, I read that a majority of Americans do not have passports. Of all the developed countries in the world, the United States has the highest percentage of individuals who do not travel abroad. My first trip overseas was to Italy - freshman year in college. Although it was an organized class trip, only the plane ticket and hotel stay was covered as part of the scholarship. While some had their parents' credit cards and travelers' checks, there was a small group of us who traveled on a budget of less than USD 20 a day. This entailed taking advantage of the hotel breakfast, packing lunch from the various breakfast meats, and stretching as much as we could. One of the items on my bucket list is to go back to Italy with no budget.

I haven't quite made it yet as I have found that my priority is to go to places I haven't been yet. For me, it's not checking off the list of museums and all the tourists' attractions. I actually enjoy the experience - the people, the culture, the smells, the food and more importantly, simply expanding my horizons. These experiences have shaped me and my open views in life. The saying about walking in someone else's shoes takes on a whole deeper meaning when you understand the 'whys'. 

While some enjoy vacation that are familiar territories where they either feel safe or have creature comforts of home, I gravitate towards the unknown and thank my lucky stars that I am fortunate enough to be able to collect the stamps on my third passport since my first plane ride to NYC!

medical tourism

If you have never heard of this concept, it is actually pretty phenomenal. There are a number of countries/cities in the world that have built a full service tourism around its medical practices. The draw is both for financial reasons as well as quality. In the past, it was the wealthy from the third world countries that would travel to developed countries for quality health care. However, it has evolved to third world countries spending billions to develop this industry. Tourist companies have also provided full travel packages including after-care facilities and services.

Brumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok is well renowned with top of the line machinery and practitioners who have studied in the top rated medical schools around the world. Many expats in Asia travel to Bangkok for their annual physical as the hospital offers a full comprehensive package. Historically, patients came for elective surgeries such as cosmetic surgeries; however, they are now top for critical surgical practices such as cardiac surgeries.

Brumrungrad is also a well oiled machine in processing patients from start to finish. Appointments can be made online. They have translators for most languages. Patients are processed timely with medical bracelets through the various medical centers on premise. The hospital rooms are like hotel rooms with flat screen TVs, modern furniture and kitchenette. After-care also includes Skype or FaceTime with medical practitioners.

For Americans, the incentive includes medical practices that have not been FDA approved but are legal in other countries. The costs for travel, hospital, after-care and some vacation are many times equal or less than the costs to do it in the U.S. The risks usually relates to the ongoing check-ups, after-care, legal issues, etc. However, in many cases, the pros outweigh the cons.