The cooks at Thuan An Center helped us celebrate our nation’s birthday with a lunch of French fries, watermelon, and “steak”. They have their own special way of making French fries. Potato-like fruit are plucked from the trees hanging out front of the center, sliced up, and then fried in some batter over an open fire. You’d never guess they were made from fruit and they are really tasty. The team polished off our lunchtime supply in no time.
Earlier in the day, the Vietnamese asked Kathryn and Janet to sing the national anthem at the start of their practicum breakout. They obliged much…a cappella to boot… much to the delight of the Vietnamese who always love a song.
The Global Foundation has an application and screening process for graduate students interested to join our training efforts. We have a contingent of graduate students here from Utah State, North Texas, Michigan, and Hong Kong universities. They are a terrific group of 
aspiring audiologists, deaf educators, and speech pathologists that have lent their own youthful energy and enthusiasm to the program. The Utah State students procured supplies from manufacturers in advance of coming to Vietnam. They packaged listening kits for the participants that include ear mold blowers, stethoscopes, battery testers, dry aid kids, and other items necessary to the maintenance of ear molds and hearing aids. During tonight’s Parent Program, these listening kits were distributed to the families who received them with much gratitude and appreciation.
The Fourth of July wrapped up with some of our team members joining a group of Vietnamese parents at the local Karaoke joint for some bars of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and other American songs.