I can't believe I've been here for a whole week. Time really has flown by yet I feel as if I have been here for much longer. People recognise me in the street on my way to the Pagoda, I have a regular breakfast spot, I can cross the road like a local, I can say a few words in Vietnamese.,..
Highlights since my last post.
1. Getting a big hug every afternoon from Chinh 1 in the therapy room and watching him look out for Chinh 2 as we walk around the grounds. Chinh 2 loves being taken outside and seeing him laughing and smiling warms my heart, Chinh 1 makes sure that we go the right way and puts the hood of the pushchair up if it is too sunny. both real favourites of mine before I knew that they shared the same name.
2. Communicating with Hay, the cheekiest of the kids in the therapy room about how he likes to eat...bananas must be mashed, soup must be blown on first, rice should only go in the mouth and not on arms...and being given a thumbs up sign when I get it right.
3. Talking in English with Thay, my strongest and keenest English student, about school and sport and watching him copy up his notes into a notebook: I have longed for students as motivated as this.
4.Laughing with Amber in the Ho Chi Minh History Museum about the seemingly random collection of objects on display, eg here is a stool that someone involved in the Tet offensive once sat on!!
5 Finding an opticians who can replace my scratched varifocal glasses for a pair of distance glasses and a pair of reading glasses for £65 ( believe me this is a massive bargain...varifocals were no cheaper)
6. Spending lunch time today getting a mini facial, head and neck massage with a hairwash...all for less than a £1
7.Meeting Nih, a German born Vietnamese volunteer who instigated 5 and 6 and introduced me to delicious iced Vietnamese coffee....only had a sip so far but may have to have a whole cup very soon.
8.Eating lots more delicious food, including Bahn Xeo, fish Lau and a sort of oyster omelette
Lowlights
1. Trying a mouthful of unknown meat in a local restaurant only to discover quite quickly that it was inf act
cat :( The sign outside, featuring a black cat rather prominently some how failed to give us a clue.
2 .The constant whining from a couple of the other volunteers (not Amber or Nhi) about the poor children we look after and how sad it is and how they could have a different life....if they weren't disabled or if they weren't orphans, or ..if they lived in another country, blah blah. they are disabled, they are orphans and they live in Vietnam....there is no point making comparisons: I have no idea what orphanages are like anywhere else...I have no idea how an average Vietnamese person lives but these children are here and they will still be here when we have gone back home so let's just get on with caring for them as best we can...as I've said before they are clean, well fed and there is a lot of laughter and joy here.
So as you can see the high light exceed the lowlights. I haven't taken any photos of the kids yet because I want to spend time with them rather than spend time photographing them but I will try and get some next week. I've also visited another orphanage today run by SOS Orphanages, which is an international charity. it was really interesting and a very different model to the Pagoda but it only takes able bodied children.
Highlights since my last post.
1. Getting a big hug every afternoon from Chinh 1 in the therapy room and watching him look out for Chinh 2 as we walk around the grounds. Chinh 2 loves being taken outside and seeing him laughing and smiling warms my heart, Chinh 1 makes sure that we go the right way and puts the hood of the pushchair up if it is too sunny. both real favourites of mine before I knew that they shared the same name.
2. Communicating with Hay, the cheekiest of the kids in the therapy room about how he likes to eat...bananas must be mashed, soup must be blown on first, rice should only go in the mouth and not on arms...and being given a thumbs up sign when I get it right.
3. Talking in English with Thay, my strongest and keenest English student, about school and sport and watching him copy up his notes into a notebook: I have longed for students as motivated as this.
4.Laughing with Amber in the Ho Chi Minh History Museum about the seemingly random collection of objects on display, eg here is a stool that someone involved in the Tet offensive once sat on!!
5 Finding an opticians who can replace my scratched varifocal glasses for a pair of distance glasses and a pair of reading glasses for £65 ( believe me this is a massive bargain...varifocals were no cheaper)
6. Spending lunch time today getting a mini facial, head and neck massage with a hairwash...all for less than a £1
7.Meeting Nih, a German born Vietnamese volunteer who instigated 5 and 6 and introduced me to delicious iced Vietnamese coffee....only had a sip so far but may have to have a whole cup very soon.
8.Eating lots more delicious food, including Bahn Xeo, fish Lau and a sort of oyster omelette
Lowlights
1. Trying a mouthful of unknown meat in a local restaurant only to discover quite quickly that it was inf act
cat :( The sign outside, featuring a black cat rather prominently some how failed to give us a clue.
2 .The constant whining from a couple of the other volunteers (not Amber or Nhi) about the poor children we look after and how sad it is and how they could have a different life....if they weren't disabled or if they weren't orphans, or ..if they lived in another country, blah blah. they are disabled, they are orphans and they live in Vietnam....there is no point making comparisons: I have no idea what orphanages are like anywhere else...I have no idea how an average Vietnamese person lives but these children are here and they will still be here when we have gone back home so let's just get on with caring for them as best we can...as I've said before they are clean, well fed and there is a lot of laughter and joy here.
So as you can see the high light exceed the lowlights. I haven't taken any photos of the kids yet because I want to spend time with them rather than spend time photographing them but I will try and get some next week. I've also visited another orphanage today run by SOS Orphanages, which is an international charity. it was really interesting and a very different model to the Pagoda but it only takes able bodied children.
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