Chongqing, China 2007tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-14840502007-11-14T09:20:30-08:00TypePadThrough the Eyes of a Volunteertag:typepad.com,2003:post-415545142007-11-14T09:20:30-08:002007-11-14T09:20:30-08:00Interplast Volunteer Lou Vito Originally uploaded by interplast Interplast volunteer Lou Vito, currently participating in the Chongqing, China trip, is keeping a personal blog and online photo album in order to keep friends and family updated on his time in...Interplast
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a title="Interplast Volunteer_Lou Vito" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/interplast/2020311532/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2020311532_5f1d91bcb9_m.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/interplast/2020311532/">Interplast Volunteer Lou Vito</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/interplast/">interplast</a> </span></div>
<p>Interplast volunteer Lou Vito, currently participating in the Chongqing, China trip, is keeping a personal blog and online photo album in order to keep friends and family updated on his time in China. </p>
<p>We encourage you to check out his blog “<a href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-FDBVQe09abCRHZdnFXYG">2007 China Interplast Blog</a>,” as well as the growing collection of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrv1">photographs</a> he’s taking along the way. Above is one of his photos and we will post a few of his on this blog as well.</p></div>
A Rewarding Experiencetag:typepad.com,2003:post-415538342007-11-14T09:06:53-08:002007-11-14T09:06:53-08:00Originally uploaded by interplast From Dr. Michelle Spring, Interplast Webster Fellow: The people in Chongqing are amazing and fascinating, but I feel that right now children are the most interesting part of China for me. The overall experience is overwhelming....Interplast
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/interplast/1988229200/" title="Interplast patient, Chongqing, China"><img width="174" height="231" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/1988229200_e0ebce2b1b_m.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/interplast/">interplast</a> </span></div><p><strong>From Dr. Michelle Spring, Interplast Webster Fellow:</strong></p>
<p>The people in Chongqing are amazing and fascinating, but I feel that
right now children are the most interesting part of China for me. The
overall experience is overwhelming. It is hard to describe the feeling
of seeing children and their parents, and then being able to fix
something that is so obviously devastatingly deforming. <br />I can't
even figure out how it makes me feel. I don't know if I could do any
single thing that is more rewarding emotionally. I feel honored to be
involved in this work alongside such a great team―from America and
China―that care about helping these beautiful people. </p>
<p>The need here is incredible ―there are so many children with
clefts. It's a little disconcerting to be in Chongqing, a city of 31
million people and Beibei the suburb with 100,000 people and see so
many children with congenital deformities. </p>
<p>Chongqing is bathed in fog every day; you cannot see the sky at all.
Supposedly it is not smog, but I have my doubts. It is actually quite
depressing for me--I need to have sunshine. The sheer volume of people
is overwhelming. All of that being said, the people are very friendly
and outgoing—especially the ones who travel days and hours from the
rural parts of China to see us. </p>
<p>The China Population Welfare Foundation (CPWF) has treated us
royally and took us out for a "hot pot" dinner last week that is very
typical of Chongqing. Most of us did not try the duck intestines (or
as it was said, the "end of the duck's inside"). The very common
Sichuan peppercorn has a unique taste and is actually an anesthetic
—your whole mouth goes numb if you eat one.<br />We took care of a child
who was orphaned as a baby and abandoned at a Buddhist temple. The
monk who brought the child in gave each of us a jade Buddha necklace as
a thank you. Everyone is very grateful for our help, which is nice.</p></div>
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Sponsors Surgical Trip to Chinatag:typepad.com,2003:post-412507182007-11-07T12:31:03-08:002007-11-07T12:31:03-08:00Our first surgical team trip to China―of the year―left on Friday, Nov. 2, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). With a 16-hour flight ahead of them and a brief layover in Hong Kong, the...Interplast
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<p class="MsoNormal">Our first surgical team trip to China―of the year―left on Friday,
Nov. 2, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the <a href="http://rmhc.org/">Ronald McDonald House
Charities (RMHC)</a>. With a 16-hour flight ahead of them and a brief layover in
Hong Kong, the Interplast medical team
left San Francisco Airport headed to Chongqing, China, where they will be
performing life-changing surgeries for underprivileged children in that region. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please visit this blog for updates on the progress of the
team and stories of the patients they encounter.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Interplast is grateful for RMHC’s continued support.
Interplast depends on generous donors like RMHC and volunteers who donate their
time to heal bodies, change lives and empower communities. </p>
</div>