Well, it is here...the end of our trip. It seems very unreal and in some ways I feel like we are just going home for a short time and then will continue on our travels after visiting our friends and family. Eventually I will wake up to the reality that we are heading home for good, or at least until our next trip. We are very excited to see our friends and family, but the idea of going back to work, paying bills, and having responsibilities we are not too keen on. I am surprised at how quickly the past eight months have gone but we have had the experience of a lifetime.
We had a great last few days in Laos. We took kayaks from Vang Vieng to Vientiene, one of the more unique methods we have used to travel between cities. There was one "big" rapid along the way and after watching several other kayaks pass through without problems, Kenny and I were confident that we too could manage the big one. However, we made it almost to the end when suddenly we were dumped into the water and had to be rescued by the kayak guides. Kenny's adrenaline must have been kicking at that point because he then decided to do a cliff jump from about 12 meters. He was actually the only one in the group who was brave enough but after doing it once decided that he didn't need any more jumps.
Back in Vientiene we went to the Houey Hong Vocational Training School for women where we got to see some of the weaving classes going on and actually to do some dying. All the dyes at the school are made from products in nature such as resin, flower pollen and bark. Kenny and I both made very cool scarfs by folding the scarves in various patterns and then tying pieces of wood to the part where we did not want any dye to go.
After visiting the Wat in Vientiene that is on the Lao flag we had some dinner and went for our last massage. I must admit that we will miss the $4 massages that we have been enjoying since November. You just can't pass them up when they are that inexpensive. Our last night in Laos was great but we had to head back get packed up for Bangkok and our 24 hour flight home. We will spend the night there and the fly to Hong Kong, Los Angles and then Denver. I hope we are not too cranky when we get back!!!!!!! See you all soon!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Eating Leaves Can Be Delicious!
Today was a relaxing and very laid back day around Vang Vieng. After some coffee and reading we decided it was too overcast to go tubing, as we originally planned. We headed off to breakfast at the Organic Farm Cafe. I enjoyed some delicious mulberry leaf pancakes and a mulberry shake. Yum!! Mulberry leaves are fed to silk worms and if they are good enough for the silk worms they are good enough for me. After such a delicious breakfast we decided to rent bikes and travel out to the farm where they were the leaves were grown. We wandered around until we found baby goats, pigs, and had a snack of fried mulberry leaves. They tasted about the same as anything fried might taste. From the farm we went to one of the caves around Vang Vieng. There are a lots of caves in this area and man are they huge. I can now understand how whole villages would live in these caves during the Vietnamese-American war. There were some beautiful formations in the cave and it was a nice reprieve from the warm weather outside.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Plain of Jars
After traveling the nauseatingly winding road from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan we were all very happy to arrive safely at our guesthouse. Phonsavan is the capital of the Xieng Khuang province, a strange town since it was only built around 1975 after the Americans bombed the previous capital so severely that it had to be abandoned. In fact, while in Phonsavan we first learned that Laos is actually the most heavily bombed country in the world. During the American-Vietnamese War American pilots would "dump" their unused bombs over Laos before landing their planes back in South Vietnam to make the landing safer for the pilots. There are so many unexploded munitions in Laos that when visiting various sights around the city, tourists are forbidden to go outside of "cleared" areas. Also, they expect it to take 400 years for all the unexploded munitions to be cleared from the country and at this time only a very small percentage of the funding for this project is coming from the US. As you might expect, many Laotians are still very angry about what the US has done to their country.
It was very interesting to learn more about the US involvement in Laos. However, our main reason for going to Phonsavan was to visit the amazing Plain of Jars. Clustered in groups, but scattered in different areas outside the city are 4000 huge jars made of solid stone. No one knows exactly when they were crafted, who made them, or for what they were used. However, they are beautiful and it is suspected they were used about 2000 years ago for dead bodies to decompose before they were buried. The largest jar was two meters in diameter and two and a half meters high. Unfortunately, there are only three Jar sites open to the public, since they are the only ones that have been cleared of unexploded munitions and therefore considered safe. These ancient and mysterious jars were well worth the journey.
It was very interesting to learn more about the US involvement in Laos. However, our main reason for going to Phonsavan was to visit the amazing Plain of Jars. Clustered in groups, but scattered in different areas outside the city are 4000 huge jars made of solid stone. No one knows exactly when they were crafted, who made them, or for what they were used. However, they are beautiful and it is suspected they were used about 2000 years ago for dead bodies to decompose before they were buried. The largest jar was two meters in diameter and two and a half meters high. Unfortunately, there are only three Jar sites open to the public, since they are the only ones that have been cleared of unexploded munitions and therefore considered safe. These ancient and mysterious jars were well worth the journey.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Laos Trekking and the Hill Tribes
We spent the last two days hiking through the Lao jungle in order to experience the traditional life styles of the Khamu and Hmong minority people. These villages were deep in the jungle and often times high up on the mountains. This meant that we were required to saddle up one more time for a mountain trek. The difference between this trek and Nepal was the altitude. But Lao trekking provided its own challenges. Many times the trail, if you could call it a trail, seemed to take the shortest route to the top or bottom of the mountain. Switchbacks seem to not have made it to Laos yet. Often times we were just bush whacking our way through the bamboo forests and river valleys. Despite the blistered feet and sore legs we made it to all the villages we planned on seeing. We even spent the night in a traditional village that was probably the most remote place I have been in my entire life.
Experiencing the older children taking care of the home duties as all of the adults went off to work in the fields really opened my eyes. Western cultures really do shelter children, when in other parts of the world it is not uncommon to have an eight year old taking care of three younger children. Also, the younger children are around knives and fire all day long without adult supervision. I guess that just means they are forced to grow up quicker than we are. Especially when most of the girls in the village are married by the age of 14. Life in the village was very simple but involved constant hard work. The rice and animals were in constant need of attention. When villagers did have a few minutes to rest almost everyone worked on weaving baskets or fixing tools. They are very resourceful and used almost everything they found in the jungle. They even used old bomb metal fragments to make their tools and utilized a old mortar shell as an anvil. We found most of the hard labor was the women's responsibility. When we inquired why, our guide informed us that men have such a shorter life expectancy and it is feared if they do more work they might die even sooner. His explanation of the difference in life expectancy (45-55 for men & 60-70 for women) was that women get to change their blood via birth or monthly menstrual cycles and the men are stuck with the same blood. Quite interesting!
Experiencing the older children taking care of the home duties as all of the adults went off to work in the fields really opened my eyes. Western cultures really do shelter children, when in other parts of the world it is not uncommon to have an eight year old taking care of three younger children. Also, the younger children are around knives and fire all day long without adult supervision. I guess that just means they are forced to grow up quicker than we are. Especially when most of the girls in the village are married by the age of 14. Life in the village was very simple but involved constant hard work. The rice and animals were in constant need of attention. When villagers did have a few minutes to rest almost everyone worked on weaving baskets or fixing tools. They are very resourceful and used almost everything they found in the jungle. They even used old bomb metal fragments to make their tools and utilized a old mortar shell as an anvil. We found most of the hard labor was the women's responsibility. When we inquired why, our guide informed us that men have such a shorter life expectancy and it is feared if they do more work they might die even sooner. His explanation of the difference in life expectancy (45-55 for men & 60-70 for women) was that women get to change their blood via birth or monthly menstrual cycles and the men are stuck with the same blood. Quite interesting!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Relaxing in Luang Prabang
After a nine hour bus ride through some very winding and mountainous passes we arrived in Luang Prabang. The countryside of Lao is very beautiful and peaceful. We have spent the last two days strolling the town. Along the way we have seen a number of local fabric shops, temples and markets. I have to admit we have been a bit lazy. It was nice, but today we realized that we have visited all the sites in town and are now running out of things to do. I guess that means we will have to look into Lao massages. Wow, we have a rough life!!! Tomorrow we are planning to sign up for a trek or boat ride that will take us too some of the nearby waterfalls and visit some of the local tribe villages. Who knows we might even get to ride an elephant!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Lao PDR
We arrived in Lao yesterday and much to our surprise it is quiet. One does not hear the incessant honking of horns, or wake up to the early morning sounds of traffic, street vendors and roosters, and there are not millions of motorbikes on the street.
We did not initially know it but we are here during the high season. This means that it took us a good hour or so of wandering around the town with our 18 kgs backpacks looking for a hotel that was not booked. We ended up returning to the first that we found, as we initially thought it was way too expensive, but after visiting several other more expensive hotels, learned it was actually "reasonably" priced. Our treat this morning was real mochas and true bagels with cream cheese. Although we have eaten well during our trip it was nice to eat something that we have not had for the past eight months.
Vientiane is a very modern city and so clean. We spent today wondering around the city and visiting the many wats, or Buddhist temples. They are so beautiful and unlike any architecture that we have at home. As we were walking around town we passed the US Embassy and Kenny, who has been wanting to visit an embassy since we started the trip, could not resist the temptation to go inside, simply because we could. We did the registration procedure and then quickly left when Kenny finally realized it was more like visiting the DMV than being entertained by an ambassador. As we all know after a trip to the DMV it is a good idea to stop for drinks. We decided to have a few sips of Beer Lao along the Mekong River. Those few sips turned into more than a few pictures and now I am not so sure that we will be productive for the remaining hours of the day. Tomorrow we plan to head to Luang Prabang which we have heard is a great place to hang out and relax. We are trying to make the most of every remaining moment we have on or dwindling days of traveling.
We did not initially know it but we are here during the high season. This means that it took us a good hour or so of wandering around the town with our 18 kgs backpacks looking for a hotel that was not booked. We ended up returning to the first that we found, as we initially thought it was way too expensive, but after visiting several other more expensive hotels, learned it was actually "reasonably" priced. Our treat this morning was real mochas and true bagels with cream cheese. Although we have eaten well during our trip it was nice to eat something that we have not had for the past eight months.
Vientiane is a very modern city and so clean. We spent today wondering around the city and visiting the many wats, or Buddhist temples. They are so beautiful and unlike any architecture that we have at home. As we were walking around town we passed the US Embassy and Kenny, who has been wanting to visit an embassy since we started the trip, could not resist the temptation to go inside, simply because we could. We did the registration procedure and then quickly left when Kenny finally realized it was more like visiting the DMV than being entertained by an ambassador. As we all know after a trip to the DMV it is a good idea to stop for drinks. We decided to have a few sips of Beer Lao along the Mekong River. Those few sips turned into more than a few pictures and now I am not so sure that we will be productive for the remaining hours of the day. Tomorrow we plan to head to Luang Prabang which we have heard is a great place to hang out and relax. We are trying to make the most of every remaining moment we have on or dwindling days of traveling.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Hanoi, the land of Ho Chi Minh
Hanoi offers a slightly different view of Vietnam than we have experienced over the past two months. To start with it is certainly cooler and more expensive. The city itself if beautiful and has a magnificent history. We found it very easy to get lost in the many narrow and winding streets that are filled with shops that exhibit everything from Buddha statues and water puppets to old propaganda posters and cloth wall-hangings.
Ho Chi Minh commonly referred to as Uncle Ho, the second father for Vietnam citizens. His Presidential Palace and grounds hold a museum that is a major tourist attraction. Both were quite impressive and depicted the elegant but simple manor in which this very important individual in Vietnam's history lived and ruled. The highlight of Hanoi for me was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Similar to the old communist Russian leaders, Uncle Ho has been preserved for millions to visit. The Mausoleum is a huge granite structure that reminded me of an impressive bank vault. Viewings are only allowed from 8:00am to 11:00am. I guess even in death this great leader needs his rest and solitude. This provided an interesting obstacle for Katie and I. With such a short window during the day many people arrive early to participate in this privilege. What we did not know is that the line to see Uncle Ho starts at one end of a huge compound almost out of sight of the Mausoleum itself. One could not just show up at the park of the Mausoleum and make our way to the line, as we tried. The entire section of the city is shut down during the viewing times and you have to walk an extra five blocks in order to get to the ticket counter.
The guards for this queue up ritual were quite impressive. We entertained ourselves during the wait by watching tourists trying to cut in line behind the guards when there backs were turned. It was truely amazing to witness the patience and determination that the guards displayed as they caught every dishonest tourist. We were even lucky enought to experience the changing of the guard. This is a amazing display of poise and reverence. It reminded me of the changing of the guard ceremony I witnessed as a boy at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unkown Soldier.
Hanoi is also our last place to visit in Vietnam. It is hard to believe that we have been here two months and it is already time to move on. We will cherish the relationships and memories we have had during our stay. It truely is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people.
Ho Chi Minh commonly referred to as Uncle Ho, the second father for Vietnam citizens. His Presidential Palace and grounds hold a museum that is a major tourist attraction. Both were quite impressive and depicted the elegant but simple manor in which this very important individual in Vietnam's history lived and ruled. The highlight of Hanoi for me was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Similar to the old communist Russian leaders, Uncle Ho has been preserved for millions to visit. The Mausoleum is a huge granite structure that reminded me of an impressive bank vault. Viewings are only allowed from 8:00am to 11:00am. I guess even in death this great leader needs his rest and solitude. This provided an interesting obstacle for Katie and I. With such a short window during the day many people arrive early to participate in this privilege. What we did not know is that the line to see Uncle Ho starts at one end of a huge compound almost out of sight of the Mausoleum itself. One could not just show up at the park of the Mausoleum and make our way to the line, as we tried. The entire section of the city is shut down during the viewing times and you have to walk an extra five blocks in order to get to the ticket counter.
The guards for this queue up ritual were quite impressive. We entertained ourselves during the wait by watching tourists trying to cut in line behind the guards when there backs were turned. It was truely amazing to witness the patience and determination that the guards displayed as they caught every dishonest tourist. We were even lucky enought to experience the changing of the guard. This is a amazing display of poise and reverence. It reminded me of the changing of the guard ceremony I witnessed as a boy at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unkown Soldier.
Hanoi is also our last place to visit in Vietnam. It is hard to believe that we have been here two months and it is already time to move on. We will cherish the relationships and memories we have had during our stay. It truely is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tet New Year!!
The past few days have been a whirlwind of drinking, eating, and trying to stay awake. The staying awake part had nothing to do with being bored or lack of fun activities, rather it had everything to do with very late nights of partying.
After spending a few cold and drizzly days in the ancient city of Hue we took the train back to Tam Ky to spend the first three days of the Tet New Year with Mrs. Hanh and her family. As soon as we got back into town Mrs. Hanh came to take us to her house, and nourish us with her delicious food that we had been missing the past few days. Then it was time to get ready. We helped to prepare offerings of cookies, nuts, candies, and watermelon seeds for each of the Buddhist alters in the house. Then we helped with the last bits of cleaning, since at the beginning to the new year everything must be clean and fresh. In fact, almost the entire neighborhood could be seen washing down their motorbikes or the front of their houses.
While Kenny and Mr. Nyugen disappeared into a crowd of beer drinking neighbors, Mrs. Hanh and I went out to get manicures, pedicures, and our hair done. In addition to everything getting cleaned for the new year, everything also has to be new. We went back to our hotel to change into clothes that had never been worn before, watch the fireworks and wait for Mrs. Hanh to come back to get us. The first visitors of the year to any Vietnamese home are the ones who determine the luck of the house for the coming year. We were honored that Mrs. Hanh and her family wanted us to be their first visitors. However, we also wondered what on earth she could be thinking after getting to know us for the past month. Most of the traditions that occur during the first few days of the New Year are to bring luck for the coming year. Since we were feeling lucky we headed out for some late night Karaoke.
The first day of the Lunar New Year was full of family, food, and thankfully some napping. With Kenny, Mr. Nyugen, and Trung on one motorbike and Mrs. Hanh and I on another we headed out to visit each family member in their home and to take them with us to the next house. When everyone was collected we all rode out, caravan style to the cemetery where Mr. Nyugen's parents and uncle are buried. The cemetery was a strange mix of a carnival and a church service. The traffic to the cemetery reminded me of the traffic at a Christmas Eve service. Yet, there were vendors all along the road selling flowers, incense and offerings to bring to the ancestors. As I understand it, the ancestors from each family are invited back from heaven for the New Year celebration so that the whole family can be together. Afterwards the entire family went to eat together and visit other family members.
The second day was much of the same thing, riding our motorbikes around to visit friends as well as entertaining them when they came to visit the Hanh house. Most of the neighbors also wanted us to go to each of their homes, which we were more than happy to do. However, at each home we were given a beer, or a shot of rice wine. After visiting about nine homes between the hours of 9 am and 11 am we were in severe need of a bathroom break, black coffee, and a nap. We headed home for some of Mrs. Hanh delicious spring rolls, a snooze on the couch, and we ready for an afternoon of much of the same.
Being with the Hanh family for the biggest Vietnamese holiday was a unique and special experience. We were so welcomed by their family and friends and so appreciative of the abundance of hospitality we were given. When it was time for us to head to the train station, not only did the entire Hanh family come to see us off, but grandma and grandpa, as well as some of the neighbors came to say goodbye. Mrs Hanh even packed us delicious picnic dinner for us to savor the last of her cooking on our train journey north. I think these three days may have been some of the most memorable and special of this entire trip.
After spending a few cold and drizzly days in the ancient city of Hue we took the train back to Tam Ky to spend the first three days of the Tet New Year with Mrs. Hanh and her family. As soon as we got back into town Mrs. Hanh came to take us to her house, and nourish us with her delicious food that we had been missing the past few days. Then it was time to get ready. We helped to prepare offerings of cookies, nuts, candies, and watermelon seeds for each of the Buddhist alters in the house. Then we helped with the last bits of cleaning, since at the beginning to the new year everything must be clean and fresh. In fact, almost the entire neighborhood could be seen washing down their motorbikes or the front of their houses.
While Kenny and Mr. Nyugen disappeared into a crowd of beer drinking neighbors, Mrs. Hanh and I went out to get manicures, pedicures, and our hair done. In addition to everything getting cleaned for the new year, everything also has to be new. We went back to our hotel to change into clothes that had never been worn before, watch the fireworks and wait for Mrs. Hanh to come back to get us. The first visitors of the year to any Vietnamese home are the ones who determine the luck of the house for the coming year. We were honored that Mrs. Hanh and her family wanted us to be their first visitors. However, we also wondered what on earth she could be thinking after getting to know us for the past month. Most of the traditions that occur during the first few days of the New Year are to bring luck for the coming year. Since we were feeling lucky we headed out for some late night Karaoke.
The first day of the Lunar New Year was full of family, food, and thankfully some napping. With Kenny, Mr. Nyugen, and Trung on one motorbike and Mrs. Hanh and I on another we headed out to visit each family member in their home and to take them with us to the next house. When everyone was collected we all rode out, caravan style to the cemetery where Mr. Nyugen's parents and uncle are buried. The cemetery was a strange mix of a carnival and a church service. The traffic to the cemetery reminded me of the traffic at a Christmas Eve service. Yet, there were vendors all along the road selling flowers, incense and offerings to bring to the ancestors. As I understand it, the ancestors from each family are invited back from heaven for the New Year celebration so that the whole family can be together. Afterwards the entire family went to eat together and visit other family members.
The second day was much of the same thing, riding our motorbikes around to visit friends as well as entertaining them when they came to visit the Hanh house. Most of the neighbors also wanted us to go to each of their homes, which we were more than happy to do. However, at each home we were given a beer, or a shot of rice wine. After visiting about nine homes between the hours of 9 am and 11 am we were in severe need of a bathroom break, black coffee, and a nap. We headed home for some of Mrs. Hanh delicious spring rolls, a snooze on the couch, and we ready for an afternoon of much of the same.
Being with the Hanh family for the biggest Vietnamese holiday was a unique and special experience. We were so welcomed by their family and friends and so appreciative of the abundance of hospitality we were given. When it was time for us to head to the train station, not only did the entire Hanh family come to see us off, but grandma and grandpa, as well as some of the neighbors came to say goodbye. Mrs Hanh even packed us delicious picnic dinner for us to savor the last of her cooking on our train journey north. I think these three days may have been some of the most memorable and special of this entire trip.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Reflections of Tam Ky.
This past month has flown by. We have been very busy with the three orphanages and teaching English to a group of the town's professionals. We have had a number of medical issues for the children that we have been working to get fixed before we leave at the end of this month. Katie just returned from spending a week in Ho Chi Mihn City with two babies that have pneumonia and a virus that has caused their livers to swell. There is also a one year old that has a cleft pallet and lip that needs surgery. Besides for these there are a number of minor illnesses, rashes and colds that require attention. The 120 children spread between the three orphanages all have different needs but they mostly require love and much needed attention. It has been nice to have a home base for the last few weeks. Our cook Mrs. Hahn is more than just a cook she has become a close friend and a provided the cooking that has helped me regain a few unwanted lbs.
Our time on the weekends and after work has been spent exploring the areas around the village and nearby towns. We have became addicted the the cheap clothing that is made to order according to one's exact and expanding dimensions. Since dress clothes are cheap and well tailored we decided this would be the place to add to our wardrobe for our upcoming job searches and interviews. We have visited some nearby towns including Hoi An and Quang Ngai. Each have their unique flares. Hoi An is known for its tailors, ancient Chinese covered bridge and owning the oldest houses in the country. The town with a french colonial flare, sits on a river and is very close to the coast and beach. Quang Ngai is a larger city and is very near the My Lai massacre site. This town has one of the three GVN volunteer programs in the country. We have become friends with the volunteers in Quang Ngai. They even spent last weekend with us in Tam Ky and we all visited a Karaoke bar (a national craze). I won't go into details but if you have seen that movie, "Duets" with Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow then you get the idea. They can't hold a candle to this bright singing star. Even the worm made an appearance when a dance party broke out when the Footloose theme song started.
Our time here has been memorable and exciting. I just hope the children got as much from us as we did from them. It will be hard to leave but we are hopeful that many of these kids will be leaving soon too with adoptive families.
Our time on the weekends and after work has been spent exploring the areas around the village and nearby towns. We have became addicted the the cheap clothing that is made to order according to one's exact and expanding dimensions. Since dress clothes are cheap and well tailored we decided this would be the place to add to our wardrobe for our upcoming job searches and interviews. We have visited some nearby towns including Hoi An and Quang Ngai. Each have their unique flares. Hoi An is known for its tailors, ancient Chinese covered bridge and owning the oldest houses in the country. The town with a french colonial flare, sits on a river and is very close to the coast and beach. Quang Ngai is a larger city and is very near the My Lai massacre site. This town has one of the three GVN volunteer programs in the country. We have become friends with the volunteers in Quang Ngai. They even spent last weekend with us in Tam Ky and we all visited a Karaoke bar (a national craze). I won't go into details but if you have seen that movie, "Duets" with Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow then you get the idea. They can't hold a candle to this bright singing star. Even the worm made an appearance when a dance party broke out when the Footloose theme song started.
Our time here has been memorable and exciting. I just hope the children got as much from us as we did from them. It will be hard to leave but we are hopeful that many of these kids will be leaving soon too with adoptive families.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Surrogate Parent or Pediatric Nurse?
I just returned to Tam Ky after spending the past five days, in Ho Chi Minh City, in the hospital with two sick babies. Both of the babies had spent the past month in the hospital here in Tam Ky which did absolutely nothing for the kids, but provide basic first aid. When we arrived at the FV Hospital, probably the nicest in Vietnam, we immediately learned that the babies have been suffering for some time from a combination of bronchitis, pneumonia, a severe urinary tract infection and both have enlarged livers and spleens.
We had tried to make arrangements for them to go earlier this week, but GVN in Vietnam has little funding for medical care and we had to do some fundraising in order to pay for the hospital bill. Kenny and I think it would be great if we could set up some sort of medical account so that these kids can get medical care whenever they need it, not just when there is money for it. That might be a project for when we get home. Also, the health care here in Vietnam is really not that expensive. For a baby to stay in the hosptial for 10 days and have all the necessary tests it will cost about $1200 USD. However, this is far more than most families would ever be able to afford.
In the airport, on the way to Ho Chi Minh City, most people thought that I was an adoptive mom of twins. I explained that I was only a volunteer and the babies were four and two months old, so not twins. However, little did I know I would be spending the coming days acting like a mom. Apparently in Vietnam the nurses are there to provide guidance and some care. However, the majority of basic care falls to family members. Therefore, the "mother" from the orphanage and I were there to provided 24 hour care and let me tell you it was exhausting. We did everything from give breathing treatments, to taking stool and urine samples and of course all the feeding, changing, and soothing. Of course the sick babies wanted to be held most of the time, which seems to go against the philosophy of Vietnamese child rearing. So, I figure that by holding the babies as much as I could I either created a well attached baby for a western parent to adopt, or I created a nightmare for the "mothers" when this baby returns to the orphanage.
As one would imagine the number of hours of sleeping were very few. As soon as one baby would fall asleep, the other would wake crying, and as soon as they were both asleep the nurses would need a blood sample. At night they took turns keeping us awake and by the time the other volunteer came to Ho Chi Minh City to relieve me I was more than happy to get out of the hospital and back to Tam Ky. The good news is that both boys will be out of the hospital in the next four or five days and at this time they think a virus, CMV, is causing the enlarged livers. They will need monitoring for the next six months to make sure they are doing okay but shouldn't have to go back to the hospital Ho Chi Minh. Meanwhile, I think I will put off having kids until I forget this experience, decide that sleep is overrated and think that screaming babies are music to my ears.
We had tried to make arrangements for them to go earlier this week, but GVN in Vietnam has little funding for medical care and we had to do some fundraising in order to pay for the hospital bill. Kenny and I think it would be great if we could set up some sort of medical account so that these kids can get medical care whenever they need it, not just when there is money for it. That might be a project for when we get home. Also, the health care here in Vietnam is really not that expensive. For a baby to stay in the hosptial for 10 days and have all the necessary tests it will cost about $1200 USD. However, this is far more than most families would ever be able to afford.
In the airport, on the way to Ho Chi Minh City, most people thought that I was an adoptive mom of twins. I explained that I was only a volunteer and the babies were four and two months old, so not twins. However, little did I know I would be spending the coming days acting like a mom. Apparently in Vietnam the nurses are there to provide guidance and some care. However, the majority of basic care falls to family members. Therefore, the "mother" from the orphanage and I were there to provided 24 hour care and let me tell you it was exhausting. We did everything from give breathing treatments, to taking stool and urine samples and of course all the feeding, changing, and soothing. Of course the sick babies wanted to be held most of the time, which seems to go against the philosophy of Vietnamese child rearing. So, I figure that by holding the babies as much as I could I either created a well attached baby for a western parent to adopt, or I created a nightmare for the "mothers" when this baby returns to the orphanage.
As one would imagine the number of hours of sleeping were very few. As soon as one baby would fall asleep, the other would wake crying, and as soon as they were both asleep the nurses would need a blood sample. At night they took turns keeping us awake and by the time the other volunteer came to Ho Chi Minh City to relieve me I was more than happy to get out of the hospital and back to Tam Ky. The good news is that both boys will be out of the hospital in the next four or five days and at this time they think a virus, CMV, is causing the enlarged livers. They will need monitoring for the next six months to make sure they are doing okay but shouldn't have to go back to the hospital Ho Chi Minh. Meanwhile, I think I will put off having kids until I forget this experience, decide that sleep is overrated and think that screaming babies are music to my ears.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Cuties!!!!
I thought I would post a few photos for all of you to see some of the kids we get to play with. The kids in this photor are from the Baby Orphange where we go everyday. There are so many kids there that all want attention. Kenny has made it his mission to give as much attention as possible to the kids who are quieter or more shy and don't seem to get quite as much notice as some of the others.
We only go to the Social Support Center on Tuesday and Thursdays but it is one of my favorite places to work. Most of the kids are from minority tribes that live in small villages and since being place here the kids have been learning Vietnamese as their second language. Most are here because their parents cannot afford to take care of them.
What a cheeky little tyke. Quang loves to color and will spend hours coloring or reading whatever books we bring.
Ny, the one in the back, is by far the most smily and easy going child at any of the orphanages we visit. She is willing to share any toy she is playing with and that is a true rarity for these kids who only get a few hours of "toy time" a day. She also is the first to comfort any of the kids who might be crying, most commonly because a toy was snatched from their hands. The other little guy usually falls asleep a few minutes after we arrive which is surprising considering all the screaming from the other kids.
This sweet little girl, Trinh, is a real charmer and loves to mimic the older kids or volunteers. She has a laugh that makes you laugh too and seem to be very smart, although I can't understand a word she says.
Tien is about one and a half and we are trying to make a referral to Operation Smile in order for him to have surgery on his cleft palatte and lip. Van, the other baby, lights up whenever a volunteer walks into the room and tries to take good care of the tiny babies when they are crying. Thursday, January 10, 2008
Lots of Wee in the Land of No Diapers!!
We have almost completed our first week of volunteer work in Tam Ky and it has been an amazing four days. We work at three different orphanages and teach English to a group of 11 adults. The kids at each of the orphanges range in age from one week old to eight years old, but there are a few older kids scattered about. Most of the kids are available for adoption, although a few have parents who are too poor to take care of them at this time but to whom they will eventually return. When we go to visit the orphanages we take as many toys as we can carry in the baskets on front of our bicycles. This has led to a few interesting incidents when the toys go spilling across the road and we are forced to dodge motorbikes in order to save the toys. The only time of the day when the kids get to play with toys is while we are there, otherwise they seem to disappear and get broken. I am sure you can imagine how eager the kids are when we arrive. At first we thought they were excited to see us but we quickly realized the truth, they just want the toys, fruit and vitamins that we bring them. For the first 30 minutes or so that we are there most of the kids simply try to hoard as many toys as they can get. However, as the time passes they start sharing and actually playing with each other. They are so sweet and affectionate and I just wish they could all live with a family instead of in an institution.
The babies are the most heartbreaking. There are two that need surgery but have not yet gotten it. One for a cleft palate and lip and the other for an enlarged liver and spleen. We have been working with the director to facilitate both of these procedures. The other babies just seem like dolls more than kids. They rarely cry and spend so much time in their cribs that they don't always notice when you pick them up and try to play with them. The workers at the orphanage take good care of the kids and truely want the best for them but there are limited resources and not enough workers. It makes me wonder what the orphanages are like that don't have volunteers coming to help.
I think this is going to be a great month but it will be hard to leave and not bring every single child home with us. We just try to focus on what we can do rather than all the things we can't fix. In the end just being with the kids makes it all worthwhile.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Let's Ride
The past few days Kenny and I have spent the majority of our day sitting on our booties. However, we were also watching the countryside of the Central Highlands wizz by from the back of two motorcycles. Lam and River, our guides, picked us up in Dalat and we spent three days with them driving to Nha Trang. Along the way we visited several minority villages, coffee and tea plantations, flower farms, waterfalls, and an automated silk factory. We also saw many rice fields, dead areas sprayed with Agent Orange, and got lots of "heellloooos" while we drove past. It was a very unique way to ring in the New Year.
It was great to have local guides and get away from the tourist path. However, it did provide for some interesting meals. At one meal Lam and River told us we were eating pork, and although it was flavorful I could tell that something was unusual. It was only when I inquired further that we learned we were eating the tongue, lips, and ears of the pig. Yummy!! Lam and River also explained to us that many people in Vietnam began eating dog meat during the American-Vietnam War when there was little else to eat and it has stuck around as a popular dish. When we asked they told it tasted a lot like goat meat. We got quite suspicious when later that night Lam and River told us they were taking us to a "Goat BBQ." I was convinced they were trying to get us to eat dog meat. It was a great dinner and although they assured us it was goat meat we will never know for sure.
We are now in Nha Trang where we have spent lots of time walking and trying to get the blood flowing back into our legs and bums. We leave tomorrow for DaNang where we will do a one day orientation to the volunteer program and then head to Tam Ky where we will be throughout January. We are really looking forward to volunteering and will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible. For some reason we have not had great success being able to log-in since we left HoChiMinh City.
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