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`We can make a difference' Vietnam trip was tiring, rewarding By PAUL FATTIG HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- It was an exhausting physical journey, one beginning in the Rogue Valley and ending half a world away in Vietnam. But the physical was only a small step compared to the spiritual sojourn, said Jan Woods, a registered nurse and retired assistant professor at Southern Oregon University. "This may be a second career for us -- Marvin and I have already agreed to come back next year," she said before preparing to head back to the states. She and her husband, a retired Ashland dentist, were among five Rogue Valley volunteers traveling to Da Nang to help impoverished children earlier this month through the nonprofit East Meets West Foundation. The mission was a humanitarian one between people, not governments. She worked at the Village of Hope orphanage; he at an outreach dental clinic. "When we first landed in Ho Chi Minh City, it was a little overwhelming," she said. "It was so urban and scarier than heck on the roads. "But once I got over the eerie feeling, seeing the communist flag flying for the first time, and saw the poverty and the need, it became very clear to me," she added. "When we headed north, I saw this was really an agrarian society rather than an urban society." She observed what she referred to as the rhythm of the rice in a lush countryside filled with endless shades of green. She saw poverty but she also saw strong family bonds, innocence and compassion. "We may have language differences, but people all over have the same human needs around the globe," she said. The Woodses are now sponsoring two youngsters at the orphanage. Moreover, they plan to obtain a special scope needed to do cataract surgery on the elderly by a Vietnamese ophthalmologist they met at Da Nang General Hospital. "If we can get him one, he'll be in business," Marvin said. Moreover, Marvin, who likes to work with his hands, will make two portable light units for the East Meets West dental clinic. And he intends to round up other dental equipment, particularly hand pieces, to send to Vietnam. "This is stuff that isn't being used here, and it will help them so much," he said. Finally, the past president of the Ashland Rotary Club hopes to enlist the help of Rotary clubs in Southern Oregon and Northern California. "I'll like to raise money to help move the dental clinic into town," he said. "We're not going to be able to save the world," he concluded. "But we can make a difference. You just need to find your role, and do what you can do." For Medford resident Nancy Ramey, a dental assistant who also plans to stay involved with the humanitarian effort, the trip reminded her of why she got into dentistry more than 20 years ago. "Getting those feelings back was such a bonus," Ramey said. "I can't even start to describe how it felt to help those kids. "These people are so gentle," she said. "They accept such a meager way of life without complaining. It makes me feel ashamed sometimes because I know how much I've complained or bitched back home." Their reaction to the trip is shared by Nick and Linda Moreau, the Medford residents who had organized the mission. It was their third trip to Vietnam. "I like to see other people jump in, just run with it and keep building that bridge," Linda said, noting that bridge is between people, not governments. It is also a bridge to heal the wounds of war, she added. "You know, if you remember somebody, then they aren't really gone," she said of Americans who died in Vietnam. "If people come over here and think about what happened, then our veterans will never be forgotten. We need to keep them alive." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA