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And then I turned to the doctor, “And had I not met Vin, I wouldn't have met you. I
wouldn't have seen the amazing work that you are doing.”
I smiled, realizing out loud, “One second difference, and none of us would have crossed
paths. And here we are, sitting together.”
Vin laughed, replying, “I think this came from your side first. If you didn't plan to be in
Ho Chi Minh City, you could not see all of us here. So this came from you first.”
She was right. Had my bike not been detained, had I not been stuck in Ho Chi Minh City
for days, I wouldn't have met either of them. I wouldn't have seen the doctor's inspiring
work, or met his wonderful patients, or made a new friend in Vin.
Suddenly I felt overwhelmed with emotion. Waiting for the bike. Meeting all these won-
derful people, who just wanted to connect, to help, to love. Seeing how this man had real-
ized that the best work didn't happen someplace else, but locally. I could feel my voice
choking as I blurted out: “What I want to do is help pay for one hundred surgeries.”
They both looked stunned. I think I was a little stunned as well. In America, one hundred
surgeries would have been very expensive, indeed. What had I done? Surely this would
bankrupt me.
Fortunately, I soon found out that the cost of the surgery in Vietnam was far more reas-
onable.
The doctor thanked me, still a little in shock from my offer. “We are very, very happy
when we see kind people like you, who are giving help to the poor people. I also think if
you do that, you also feel happy.”
Vin added, “I wish you have a long life and that you help more people around the
world.”
As I walked out of the clinic, Vin's words echoed in my ears: “I hope you help more
people around the world.” I wondered if this trip were just the beginning. Just as I had loved
connecting with strangers while crossing America a few years before, now, I had found an-
other love, another calling: helping others fulfill their dreams. A lofty goal, I know, but I
like lofty goals.
Should all that stop after I returned home to LA? Maybe I would be taking what I
learned from this journey and finding new ways to continue it—not only across the world,
but also at home.
I continued walking through the city and decided that if ever there were a time for karma
to return to me, now would be it. I went into an Internet café and pulled out my computer,
feeling like a gambler at the slot machine in Vegas. Come on, Vietnam! What I found was
