Well, it's now April 24th and I didn't think I would make another post but I am. It's been quite an adjustment back to reality. I didn't have any idea it would be this way. One would think that being back home would be just the best thing in the whole world. In some ways it is - to see and touch my family and friends is the best feeling in the world. That is the best part of being home - being surrounded with your loved ones. Adjusting to a totally different way of life - not so much.
We can't live here like we lived in Vietnam and we can't live there like we live here. But, it would sure be nice if the two could come togther and share some of their positive attractions.
We have so much in America that we don't need. And there are many of us who continue to think we need more and more. And, there are alot of people in this nation who think they are entitled to take anything they want at anyone's expense. We don't love unconditionally - we judge people both inside and out. We hold grudges. We are free - we are surrounded by beauty - and we take alot of it for granted.
People have asked me why I chose to volunteer in another country and it has taken a while to find that answer but I think I have it. The underpriveleged adults and children in America have opportunity. There is the welfare system, there are non profits everywhere that are constantly helping those in need, there is schooling that is open to anyone who is willing to take the step into the front door of a classroom. The government takes care of their people here. Where I was in Tam Ky Vietnam - there are not those opportunities. Their government does not take care of them. There are not food banks or Goodwills in their town. All they have is each other and most of them are in the same boat - they rely on each other to support their needs. They do rely on volunteers coming to their country to help them. But there are not enough available to be able to help them create the kinds of lives we have in America, or the opportunities that every single person in America has.
But they are happy people, they are kind, if they are able to take care of their children they do a wonderful job, they live off the land, they work hard, they live with so little but yet have so much in my eyes.
I will be returning in September 2011. I need to follow the children and see how they grow. I want to be able to sponsor a child to get an education and have the opportunity to better him or her self. It only takes a small amount of money to sponsor a student for university for a year - less than we spend for a couple of months worth of groceries in America.
I don't expect anyone to have my passion for the people of Vietnam. I just expect everyone to have a passion of some sort in which you help others, whether it be here at home or afar, or both! It puts a whole new twist on your life and how you view the world. I like to think it made me a better person - you'll have to ask those around me to answer that question cuz I only know what's in my heart.
And I miss the food sooooo much - truly the best food I have ever eaten in my life - and the healthiest and the freshest and.......it's been a bit hard to get back into eating here - taste is good but it just seems so heavy to me. Wierd!!
So I think this will be my last posting. I am still adjusting to life at home with so many wonderful memories in my mind and heart. Thank you to all of you who followed this blog and thank you to all of you that have asked so many questions and expressed an interest in what I did. Thank you for allowing me to show you my pictures and re-live my many moments in Tam Ky Vietnam. I hope you all have the opportunity to do something like this in your lives - you'll want to do it over and over and over. The time is right now - you can make it happen if you want to.
I will be forever grateful to my husband for helping to make this happen - I couldn't have done it without him and his support and financial help. Thank you Dickster - I love you - you do have a kind heart! And I know you'll go with me someday on one of my adventures and I'm proud of you for that!!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
It is Thursday night, April 1st. I have flown from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City. I have treated myself to a beautiful hotel - with great air conditioning, a little wine, a little more Vietnamese food, and a comfy bed to stay in for a few hours - I will arrive at the airport at 4 am for the long leg of my flight home.
The emotions are mixed. There is excitement at seeing all the people I love and have missed so much. There are tears as I look at the pictures of the children that have touched my heart. There are both tears and laughter as I look at pictures of and think about all the fun times with the other volunteers - sharing time with the children, creating lesson plans, enjoying our free time, eating Mrs. Hanh's wonderful food, and sharing somethig so new for all of us. Now we go our seperate ways but still remain connected in a way.
I have so many things that I would love to share but I do understand that you have not been there with me. As with every situation, it's often that 'you just have to be there' to get the full effect. Please don't be afraid to tell me to put a sock in it - I could babble, I could get sappy, I could......who knows what's going to happen. Bare with me - be patient with me - and know how much I love you all and how happy I am to see you, touch you, and be back home.
MEMORIES.......
It’s the end of the road and the time left is ticking away on the clock.
I pack up my bags and hide away the memories and trinkets that are coming with me.
How do I tell you about the last month of life in another’s world?
How do I walk back into my world with so much to share and remember?
The children – we laugh, we play, we love. I come into their lives for just a moment and take with me a lifetime of laughs, smiles and hugs. I give them experiences they have never had and I see the world through their eyes – I laugh, and I sometimes cry.
The mothers – selfless women who give their lives to children other than their own. They give hugs, kisses, reprimands, food, shelter and security – the only security they have – the only people who are with them always.
The people – genuine, curious, hard working, friendly. Beautiful dark eyes and beautiful smiles. They want to speak English – they want to learn. But not all have that opportunity – they are poor, they are sheltered, they don’t know the world.
The villages – full of women selling their produce, fruit, and fish. Calling for you to come to them and buy their fresh foods. From early morning until late at night – receiving either nothing or a mere pittance for a days work.
The fields of rice – they go on forever. They are forever green. They are forever full of hardworking men and women providing food for their country – leading their water buffalo down the paths of the fields so as to make their walk easier, their fields more beautiful.
The traditions – never wavering from their values, their beliefs, their love and respect of family. Holding tight while the world around them constantly changes – always being true to themselves and their family before them who are counting on them to live right.
The food – made with love and care by women who are proud and who should be proud. Always fresh, always pure, always beautifully presented with a smile and a little prodding to eat just a little bit more, just a little bit more.
The opportunity to imbed myself in their world for a month of my life – a gift from God, a gift from my family, the gift of a lifetime. Thank you Vietnam for letting me live in your world and love your people. I am forever in love with you. I will return because you are in my heart and in my soul.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saying Good Byes..........
Monday, March 29th – my son Tyler’s 28th birthday! Happy Birthday Tyler – I miss you!
We spent the morning at the orphanage – it was music day and that was the loudest 15 minutes I had spent in a long time! They love the instruments but will not be able to take their act out on the road for a while! It will simply be the orphanage band that will stay at the orphanage!
The afternoon was free so I began the packing process. It seems like I was just unpacking to get all settled in and now it’s almost over. I did shed a few tears during the process. Put together packages of goodies to give to the HOA children and organized my gifts for the folks I am leaving behind who have done so much to make this a month I will never forget.
Taught my last class to the 9 to 12 year olds at HOA. We did lots of review and then just played – they loved their gift bags. They have been a fun bunch of kids who I’m going to also miss. I know they have volunteers come and go so they know the routine about people coming and going so I think it’s harder on me leaving than it is on them!!!
Tonight was karaoke night! We went to a place called One Dream. It is in a hotel and it’s a private room with one wall a big leather seating area with a big table in front of it, just for our group – I guess that’s how they do karaoke in some Asian areas. We had quite a group as the Economic Zone folks joined us, Tin was there as well as the GVN group along with Randall and Lorraine’s son, Stewart. It was very fun!! Lots of laughs and singing – not always good but happy! Mrs. Hanh’s son, Chum, had a great time! We were home by a little after 9 pm so was not a hugely long night!!
Tuesday – March 30th: Today is the first of 2 very difficult days for me. Saying good bye is going to be very hard. Went to Disabled Hospital this a.m. and got to spend my last morning there with my little favorites. I hope their world is OK as time goes on.
Mrs. Hanh and I had a special time together when I came back to the house. She gave me a beautiful green marble bracelet like the ones that so many ladies wear in Tam Ky – perhaps throughout Vietnam. It is meant to bring good luck to your life always and it is supposed to stay on at all times. I have been searching for one but could never find one big enough and Mrs. Hanh made a special trip to Danang last Saturday to get it there at a place she knew would have it. That means so much!!! It was good luck to have met her and to have her in my life so so far it’s working! She also gave me some stuff to use when making Vietnamese food so that’s awesome! I gave her a really cute new helmet for motorbike riding and some money to go towards her son’s trip to Ho Chi Minh City to a special hospital he goes to for his disabilities. He is 8 years old and does not speak. He makes noises and now can say a few more words than he’s ever been able to say. He also didn’t walk for a very long time and is a little unsteady on his feet. He goes to Ho Chi Minh City for a week at a time a couple of times a year for medical help. It’s very expensive, relatively speaking, so between all of us and our donations to her I think we have a week of care and therapy covered for her. In US dollars – it’s about $500.00. They are a wonderful family and take very good care of us here at the house so if we can help we would really like to. Grandma and I exchanged gifts also. It was a time of tears for all of us.
I got to thinking a lot about leaving this morning when I was in my room. I know I will come back sometime. I believe the reason it’s so hard to leave the children is because we are walking away not knowing what will become of most of them we have spent the month with. They have so many strikes against them and they have done nothing to deserve it. I feel good knowing that there are a lot of volunteers and even some of the local business people who do go to the orphanage and take things for the children. It’s not a ‘family’ like we are familiar with, but it’s the ‘family’ that they know. I truly believe that the mothers at the orphanage really love those children and take very good care of them. You can tell that the children love them back. It is a very good feeling to have that knowledge. I hope to get updates periodically on some of the children. Amber will be here another 3 months so I will hear from her. I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning when it will be my last day at the orphanage. There will be lots of tears and lots of hugging!!! I do miss everyone at home a lot and am looking forward to being back home (closer to my Cottonelle Toilet Paper and cold milk) – good byes are just hard!!
I had my last class with the 8 to 11 year olds at HOA tonight. It was fun – did review then played a couple of games. Handed out all my gifts to the children at HOA and hugged a lot. My favorite there is Truc and when I sat down and he was told it was my last night we both shed a few tears. He is such a kind heart – and he doesn’t even realize how very special he is. And he never will.
I have been walking to HOA the last two nights with Bea, our interpreter. She’s a 23 year old girl who is volunteering with us for 2 months as our translator. She is very quiet and had a slow start but has turned out well and is doing a great job. She’s gotten to practice her English a lot on our walks and I understand her lots better. I’m so glad it’s them trying to learn English and not us trying to learn Vietnamese!!! That would be a disaster!!
Tin came by tonight and we went for a cup of coffee. We said our good byes and he gave me a gift that he said to open inside. It is a beautiful maroon silk scarf. I will cherish it. I hope he stays involved with GVN so he can practice his English. He has a real desire to come to an English Speaking Country and live. He is very poor but certainly has the drive and determination to make it work.
All for Tuesday – close to the final posting and the trip home. Stay tuned for the report of the last day! It will have tears all over it.
Wednesday evening – March 31st: It’s here, my last night in Tam Ky. It’s been quite a day. We started at the orphanage which we all knew was going to be the hardest to leave. I did my morning massage, walk and visit with Son and we had our good byes. I know Son will not be here when I come back and know that what is being done for him is to keep him happy in the time that he has. I have pictures that I will keep close to my heart. He has two mothers that work with him and their love and care is fantastic.
Tuan and I spent the rest of the morning together. We played and laughed. Then he got in his usual cuddly position with his head laying on my cool towel around my neck! Off to sleep he went. I held him for about 15 minutes then put him in his bed. That gave me time to play with other children and say my good byes to them. I went to Tuan’s bed and rocked him a little and he woke up slowly. He saw my face as he woke up and his hands reached up to me. We cuddled for a little while longer – I shed my tears and his mother showed up with a bowl of food. He was ready for that. I was glad that I didn’t leave him crying – that would have broken my heart. The mothers were very nice and gave hugs to we volunteers who were leaving today. I know they appreciate all the love and playtime we give to the children. They are not always open to changes regarding the care of the babies. They aren’t as flexible as we might be back home because they are not confronted with changes on a daily basis like we are at home.
It appears to me that what is needed most with all these children are projects to be completed – like clean up and painting at the orphanage. A play area should be built outdoors at the orphanage. A group of physicians should come through and spend a couple of weeks doing checkups, blood tests, etc., for all the children. Dentists should do the same thing. Ophthalmologists could do the same thing. When we come in and try to change the day to day way they have of doing things it causes problems – they have a system and they rightfully should – watching them take care of 45 children every day all day is amazing. The older children are pretty self sufficient. It takes a lot of time and a lot of patience to do what these mothers do at the Home of Affection and at the Baby Orphanage. And they do it for very little pay. I feel good leaving knowing that the children are loved in the situation they are in. I do want to come back someday and see how these children are. They won’t be forgotten.
Back to the good bye – it was hard – tears for 3 of us on the way home. Lots of thoughts going through our heads. There’s only one thing in the world that could make us feel better for a moment – a lunch made by Mrs. Hanh and Grandma. It was wonderful – banana flower salad with greens and shrimp. Fried rice bread – the equivalent of a tortilla chip – was served along with it. This was followed by mango and watermelon. Splendid!!!!!
I did a little more packing and took a little nap – I like that system here!! We left for Tam Tanh Fishing Village at 2 pm and all went well. I had a room of 25 boys which was a little scary at first but ended up being just fine. We did lots of vocabulary and word games so they got to be active and loud. I treated them with cakes of different flavors. It wasn’t really hard to walk away from this placement as the children come and go voluntarily so we didn’t even know names or who would or wouldn’t show up. They were always wonderful children eager to learn more English. They were all very clean and very well dressed. If you were to see this village you would be surprised at that – it is a very poor area.
We came home to an early dinner of noodles with shrimp and squid – fabulous – and lots of MANGOS!! Randall, Lorraine and family headed out to continue their vacation through Vietnam. It was very sad to see them go – they are a wonderful couple and family that I feel honored to have met and gotten to know. I plan on seeing them again in Australia some day in the next couple of years!! We would be so welcome and well taken care of if we were to visit there – put that on the travel calendar Dickster!!! They want us to bring the Bogans too because they want to know if anyone named Bogan will actually get through security at the airport! (FYI – Bogan is a word for a not so nice person, riff raff, etc. in Australia) They actually suggested that they should go by an assumed name while in the country of Australia – we’ll have to come up with a new one for them!!!
Saying good bye to Ms. Hanh – wow – there are no words to explain how hard that was. I can only hope that everyone has a Ms. Hanh in their lives. She is kind, caring, funny, genuine, giving, a fabulous cook, a hard worker, selfless, spunky, energetic, wonderful mother and wife, and the absolute definition of a friend. She can barter prices better than anyone I have ever met. It’s her mission to get everything for the best price for us! She takes us into her heart and soul and makes a big footprint on our hearts that will last forever.
I will publish this blog and do the last installment on my way home with the many hours I will have on the plane to reflect on this last 5 weeks of my life. Hold on – it might be a long one or it could be a short one – you’ll just have to tune in and see!!! And there will be new pictures!!!
Stay blessed – be happy – help others whenever you can in whatever way you can – and always know you are loved!!!
We spent the morning at the orphanage – it was music day and that was the loudest 15 minutes I had spent in a long time! They love the instruments but will not be able to take their act out on the road for a while! It will simply be the orphanage band that will stay at the orphanage!
The afternoon was free so I began the packing process. It seems like I was just unpacking to get all settled in and now it’s almost over. I did shed a few tears during the process. Put together packages of goodies to give to the HOA children and organized my gifts for the folks I am leaving behind who have done so much to make this a month I will never forget.
Taught my last class to the 9 to 12 year olds at HOA. We did lots of review and then just played – they loved their gift bags. They have been a fun bunch of kids who I’m going to also miss. I know they have volunteers come and go so they know the routine about people coming and going so I think it’s harder on me leaving than it is on them!!!
Tonight was karaoke night! We went to a place called One Dream. It is in a hotel and it’s a private room with one wall a big leather seating area with a big table in front of it, just for our group – I guess that’s how they do karaoke in some Asian areas. We had quite a group as the Economic Zone folks joined us, Tin was there as well as the GVN group along with Randall and Lorraine’s son, Stewart. It was very fun!! Lots of laughs and singing – not always good but happy! Mrs. Hanh’s son, Chum, had a great time! We were home by a little after 9 pm so was not a hugely long night!!
Tuesday – March 30th: Today is the first of 2 very difficult days for me. Saying good bye is going to be very hard. Went to Disabled Hospital this a.m. and got to spend my last morning there with my little favorites. I hope their world is OK as time goes on.
Mrs. Hanh and I had a special time together when I came back to the house. She gave me a beautiful green marble bracelet like the ones that so many ladies wear in Tam Ky – perhaps throughout Vietnam. It is meant to bring good luck to your life always and it is supposed to stay on at all times. I have been searching for one but could never find one big enough and Mrs. Hanh made a special trip to Danang last Saturday to get it there at a place she knew would have it. That means so much!!! It was good luck to have met her and to have her in my life so so far it’s working! She also gave me some stuff to use when making Vietnamese food so that’s awesome! I gave her a really cute new helmet for motorbike riding and some money to go towards her son’s trip to Ho Chi Minh City to a special hospital he goes to for his disabilities. He is 8 years old and does not speak. He makes noises and now can say a few more words than he’s ever been able to say. He also didn’t walk for a very long time and is a little unsteady on his feet. He goes to Ho Chi Minh City for a week at a time a couple of times a year for medical help. It’s very expensive, relatively speaking, so between all of us and our donations to her I think we have a week of care and therapy covered for her. In US dollars – it’s about $500.00. They are a wonderful family and take very good care of us here at the house so if we can help we would really like to. Grandma and I exchanged gifts also. It was a time of tears for all of us.
I got to thinking a lot about leaving this morning when I was in my room. I know I will come back sometime. I believe the reason it’s so hard to leave the children is because we are walking away not knowing what will become of most of them we have spent the month with. They have so many strikes against them and they have done nothing to deserve it. I feel good knowing that there are a lot of volunteers and even some of the local business people who do go to the orphanage and take things for the children. It’s not a ‘family’ like we are familiar with, but it’s the ‘family’ that they know. I truly believe that the mothers at the orphanage really love those children and take very good care of them. You can tell that the children love them back. It is a very good feeling to have that knowledge. I hope to get updates periodically on some of the children. Amber will be here another 3 months so I will hear from her. I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning when it will be my last day at the orphanage. There will be lots of tears and lots of hugging!!! I do miss everyone at home a lot and am looking forward to being back home (closer to my Cottonelle Toilet Paper and cold milk) – good byes are just hard!!
I had my last class with the 8 to 11 year olds at HOA tonight. It was fun – did review then played a couple of games. Handed out all my gifts to the children at HOA and hugged a lot. My favorite there is Truc and when I sat down and he was told it was my last night we both shed a few tears. He is such a kind heart – and he doesn’t even realize how very special he is. And he never will.
I have been walking to HOA the last two nights with Bea, our interpreter. She’s a 23 year old girl who is volunteering with us for 2 months as our translator. She is very quiet and had a slow start but has turned out well and is doing a great job. She’s gotten to practice her English a lot on our walks and I understand her lots better. I’m so glad it’s them trying to learn English and not us trying to learn Vietnamese!!! That would be a disaster!!
Tin came by tonight and we went for a cup of coffee. We said our good byes and he gave me a gift that he said to open inside. It is a beautiful maroon silk scarf. I will cherish it. I hope he stays involved with GVN so he can practice his English. He has a real desire to come to an English Speaking Country and live. He is very poor but certainly has the drive and determination to make it work.
All for Tuesday – close to the final posting and the trip home. Stay tuned for the report of the last day! It will have tears all over it.
Wednesday evening – March 31st: It’s here, my last night in Tam Ky. It’s been quite a day. We started at the orphanage which we all knew was going to be the hardest to leave. I did my morning massage, walk and visit with Son and we had our good byes. I know Son will not be here when I come back and know that what is being done for him is to keep him happy in the time that he has. I have pictures that I will keep close to my heart. He has two mothers that work with him and their love and care is fantastic.
Tuan and I spent the rest of the morning together. We played and laughed. Then he got in his usual cuddly position with his head laying on my cool towel around my neck! Off to sleep he went. I held him for about 15 minutes then put him in his bed. That gave me time to play with other children and say my good byes to them. I went to Tuan’s bed and rocked him a little and he woke up slowly. He saw my face as he woke up and his hands reached up to me. We cuddled for a little while longer – I shed my tears and his mother showed up with a bowl of food. He was ready for that. I was glad that I didn’t leave him crying – that would have broken my heart. The mothers were very nice and gave hugs to we volunteers who were leaving today. I know they appreciate all the love and playtime we give to the children. They are not always open to changes regarding the care of the babies. They aren’t as flexible as we might be back home because they are not confronted with changes on a daily basis like we are at home.
It appears to me that what is needed most with all these children are projects to be completed – like clean up and painting at the orphanage. A play area should be built outdoors at the orphanage. A group of physicians should come through and spend a couple of weeks doing checkups, blood tests, etc., for all the children. Dentists should do the same thing. Ophthalmologists could do the same thing. When we come in and try to change the day to day way they have of doing things it causes problems – they have a system and they rightfully should – watching them take care of 45 children every day all day is amazing. The older children are pretty self sufficient. It takes a lot of time and a lot of patience to do what these mothers do at the Home of Affection and at the Baby Orphanage. And they do it for very little pay. I feel good leaving knowing that the children are loved in the situation they are in. I do want to come back someday and see how these children are. They won’t be forgotten.
Back to the good bye – it was hard – tears for 3 of us on the way home. Lots of thoughts going through our heads. There’s only one thing in the world that could make us feel better for a moment – a lunch made by Mrs. Hanh and Grandma. It was wonderful – banana flower salad with greens and shrimp. Fried rice bread – the equivalent of a tortilla chip – was served along with it. This was followed by mango and watermelon. Splendid!!!!!
I did a little more packing and took a little nap – I like that system here!! We left for Tam Tanh Fishing Village at 2 pm and all went well. I had a room of 25 boys which was a little scary at first but ended up being just fine. We did lots of vocabulary and word games so they got to be active and loud. I treated them with cakes of different flavors. It wasn’t really hard to walk away from this placement as the children come and go voluntarily so we didn’t even know names or who would or wouldn’t show up. They were always wonderful children eager to learn more English. They were all very clean and very well dressed. If you were to see this village you would be surprised at that – it is a very poor area.
We came home to an early dinner of noodles with shrimp and squid – fabulous – and lots of MANGOS!! Randall, Lorraine and family headed out to continue their vacation through Vietnam. It was very sad to see them go – they are a wonderful couple and family that I feel honored to have met and gotten to know. I plan on seeing them again in Australia some day in the next couple of years!! We would be so welcome and well taken care of if we were to visit there – put that on the travel calendar Dickster!!! They want us to bring the Bogans too because they want to know if anyone named Bogan will actually get through security at the airport! (FYI – Bogan is a word for a not so nice person, riff raff, etc. in Australia) They actually suggested that they should go by an assumed name while in the country of Australia – we’ll have to come up with a new one for them!!!
Saying good bye to Ms. Hanh – wow – there are no words to explain how hard that was. I can only hope that everyone has a Ms. Hanh in their lives. She is kind, caring, funny, genuine, giving, a fabulous cook, a hard worker, selfless, spunky, energetic, wonderful mother and wife, and the absolute definition of a friend. She can barter prices better than anyone I have ever met. It’s her mission to get everything for the best price for us! She takes us into her heart and soul and makes a big footprint on our hearts that will last forever.
I will publish this blog and do the last installment on my way home with the many hours I will have on the plane to reflect on this last 5 weeks of my life. Hold on – it might be a long one or it could be a short one – you’ll just have to tune in and see!!! And there will be new pictures!!!
Stay blessed – be happy – help others whenever you can in whatever way you can – and always know you are loved!!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Last Weekend In Vietnam.........
Pictures - The Old Lady and her boat; Threading my legs; Vietnamese Ferry Boat; The fabulous dinner for Randall's Birthday; A major load for a motorbike..
Greetings on this fine Saturday morning – March 27th!! I’m writing from Hoi An in my room at the Grasslands Hotel. It is a nice little place with 4 stories – we’re on the 3rd floor with a little balcony overlooking the noisy street below. There are no quiet streets in Vietnam due to the many motorbikes and trucks that have horns that are used on a continual basis!! Our coffee was brought to us this a.m. which was a nice touch.
The drive to Hoi An yesterday was uneventful. Julie and I shared a car with Randall and Lorraine who were heading to Danang to meet their family at the airport. We were dropped off in Hoi An and they continued on to Danang. Both of us had a few odds and ends to buy so we went out and finished shopping – now I’m done!! We had a wonderful dinner at a place called the Cargo Club where we sat on an outdoor terrace overlooking the river that runs through Hoi An. It was a beautiful setting as all the buildings surrounding the lake have many hanging lanterns of all colors lighting up the night. We were in a business where the lanterns were actually being made – some were cutting, some were gluing, some were assembling – quite a process. They are made from fabric and really quite beautiful.
Well, here I am on Saturday evening after quite an interesting day in Hoi An. Julie and I awoke and headed downstairs for a breakfast buffet. It is quite a bit different from buffets back home but I had an egg, some noodles and vegetables and plenty of coffee. It was a beautiful setting for breakfast in back of the hotel among the trees and birds in their cages. Following breakfast we hopped into the hotel shuttle bus which took us to Old Town Hoi An.
We walked around a little and headed to the Hoi An Café to get ready for our cooking school. We were sat down and offered a drink – the chosen was ginger tea. Did not settle well with me. So now we’re cooking. We head out to buy some fresh herbs. A gentleman, Mr. D, takes us through the produce/fruit section of the old market. It is quite interesting – so many people, all ladies, selling all the same thing for next to nothing. I don’t know how they make it. He pointed out many herbs and what they are mostly used for in cooking Vietnamese food. From here we got on a boat and headed down the river, or up the river, I have no idea. The boat was a brightly painted old wooden boat. There were lots of things to see along the river banks along the way – lots of beautiful palm trees and pretty flowers. We arrived at the Red Bridge Restaurant – the sight of our cooking school. Mr. D took us through their herb garden – it was very large and full of beautiful herbs. We headed to an thatch roofed open building next to the river which was set up with individual gas burners, cooking utensils and chairs for us to sit in while getting instructions. We created a Vietnamese salad, fresh shrimp and veggie spring rolls, eggplant in a clay pot, and attempted to make a rose with tomato skin and a peacock with a cucumber. I am sticking to the actual cooking idea and staying away from the whole decorating with food thing – I did horrible!!! We learned to make rice paper for the fresh spring rolls – pretty cool. I now have a bamboo stick for lifting them off the cloth they cook on! We ate everything we made and I must say, the chef was pretty good!! Julie and I sat across the table from a delightful couple from Dublin Ireland. They were in Vietnam for the first time and had led quite an interesting life.
The boat then took us back to Hoi An and our class was complete – I have the recipes we cooked and the knowledge to make it all work – now we’ll just see if it does! Stock up on the Tums Dickster – I’m coming home to cook!!!! Same goes for all my wonderful friends who might benefit from this new knowledge I have!!!
We wandered again through the open market when, out of nowhere, a lady came up to me with a string wrapped around her fingers and proceeded to use it on my face – and she removed some of that peach fuzz stuff that has popped out! Well, how can you not wonder about that talent that she possesses? So we followed her back to her little shop just outside the market. The next thing I know she has put talcum powder on my lower legs and she’s removing the hair from my legs. Amazing – all with a piece of cotton thread that is used for sewing. She wraps it around her fingers a certain way then moves her hands a certain way. Did it hurt you ask? YES! The leg hair was coming out by the roots!!! Now, her sister comes behind the curtain and she proceeds to start in on my face. Did it hurt you ask? YES! Is all the peach fuzz gone you ask? YES!! Now, this may be more information than you want – but next she lifted up my arms and took off the armpit stubbles. It didn’t hurt so I let her do it! Now it’s a head massage to try to keep my attention of the pain of my legs having the hair taken out of them by the roots. Julie was also drug in and ran through the whole process also. Is there more to this story? YES. Is it publishable? NO. Did it hurt you ask? YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! That’s all I’m saying about that!
Now, I needed a WC, which is what they are called here. The lady, Cuc that did my legs, said to follow her. We went through the market and walked for quite a ways. By this time, it was getting dark. She removed a table that was standing in front of a door and she opened the door. She got a bucket of water and threw it in what appeared to be a shower stall. There were two raised areas for one to stand on and that was it!!! It was dark which I think was most likely a good thing. Upon completion an old lady showed up and Cuc paid her some money for using the facility!! They should use the money to install some actual toilets but it would so take away from the atmosphere!!!! Now I’m always hesitant to ask to use the WC!
Next stop – a place for a drink to just take in all that just happened! Lots of laughs!! We began to head on foot in the direction we thought might be towards out hotel. Julie fell and sprained her ankle. So we got as far as a restaurant and headed inside. We had bought a bottle of red wine for our room but brought it out here cuz Julie was in pain and needed it! Had bowl of noodles, the wine, and Julie iced her ankle. We had to walk just a short way to the corner to get a taxi back to the hotel. Julie was out for the night. I called the Dickster to try to explain what happened during the afternoon and I think you just had to be there – hard to explain!!!
It was quite a day in Hoi An – learned two new skills that are both pretty big in my book!!
Sunday morning we awoke to rain. The weather has been overcast and cooler the last few days and I have loved it. Didn’t expect the rain. Our motorbike drivers showed up at 9 am to pick us up - it was Mr. Hanh and his father! We all put on ponchos and helmets and off we went. They started by taking us to the old Japanese Bridge which we had been to before – there happened to be a tour guide there giving a tour so we heard a little more about it. It was built in the 17th century.
We then went to a place called the Assembly Halls. They consisted of several pagoda like buildings which held many shrines that folks used to honor Buddha. Lots of incense and lots of worshiping going on. It was beautiful with all the gold, marble, jade, flowers, incense and color – mostly red. In the old days it was used for the assembly of people for worship or meetings. The grounds are beautiful with lots of flowers and large urns. I don’t have photos because I failed to charge my battery so I’m going to rely on Julie for pictures for the rest of today’s adventure! We then boarded a Vietnamese Ferry boat. Very old, wood, not too big – on board were about 25 people, 10 motorbikes and 9 bicycles. We stood on top so we could see the world going by. The Ferry took us across the river to the other side of Hoi An. Made a couple of stops upon exiting the ferry. There were wooden boats being made that we stopped and watched. The frame of the boat had been made and two men were putting into the openings between the wood pieces what looked like wood shavings. They hammered them into the cracks with a hammer hitting an awl.? I don’t know if that’s the word but it’s a tool that’s flat and thin and pokes stuff into places – how’s that for an explanation! Anyway, this stuff keeps out the water and you’d never believe it to see it. Another gentleman does paint something over it that probably seals it even more but it’s still pretty interesting to imagine that it’s not going to leak. What a slow process.
Across the street was a man making carvings and things out of wood. He was very talented also and had some beautiful things for sale. We then came upon another boat making yard – this was for bigger boats and it looked like they were doing a lot of repair. Again, slow and tedious work.
Now we are off to the hills and back roads of Hoi An. We passed through many little villages – they all have their own stores, church, etc. but are right next to each other. White folks don’t usually come through these areas so they were full of greetings and smiles as we went through! Did I mention that having this notoriety is a pretty fun thing which is coming to a screeching halt pretty soon? I’m not too happy about that!!!!
We drove through miles and miles of rice fields. Grandpa led us to a large shrine that was closed up. He dropped us off and headed down the road and came back with an old man in his pj’s with a sport coat over the top. He unlocked the doors and let us in. We lit some incense and gave a blessing at the shrine. I gave incense for my Mom, Dad and Art. I guess it still works even if you’re in a Buddhist shrine. They’ll be surprised when Buddha visits them with my blessings!!! It was a special treat to have this man open this for us. We left him waving and smiling at the gate. We continued through more villages before hitting the highway for Tam Ky. We have had quite a bit of time with no rain but it’s now coming down with a vengeance. We stop for some lunch then got back on the bike. Again I had to ask for the WC – this time down an alley, across another alley and into a wide open cement stall with a seat on the floor. Another standing up experience. I’d like to say that 3.5 hours on a motorbike with a heavy back pack on is quite a while not to mention the tenderness of my back end following the ride. But it was a good way to see the sights and I can now say I’ve lived through traveling on a highway on a motorbike!!
We unpacked and rested a little at home. Tonight is Randall’s 70th birthday party and Mrs. Hanh and Grandma have been working all day on dinner – it’s going to be MAGNIFICENT!!! We were all instructed by Mrs. H to be in a dress and have a shower so that’s my next project! She’s short but she’s mighty and I, for one, do what she tells me!!! Will end this blog with the birthday party happenings!! Coming right up –
Birthday party over and we were all kept very happy with a wonderful evening of food, friends, family and laughter! Randall enjoyed his 70th and we all enjoyed meeting the rest of his family. Mrs. Hanh did a fabulous job preparing this special day! The array of food was incredible – shrimp, rice, tofu, meat marinated and BBQ’d on sugar cane sticks, filled biscuits, cucumbers and tomatoes, spring rolls, and a wonderful cake that she made and decorated. Oh yes, and plates of mango!!!
That’s it for now! Has been a great last weekend in Tam Ky and Hoi An.
Greetings on this fine Saturday morning – March 27th!! I’m writing from Hoi An in my room at the Grasslands Hotel. It is a nice little place with 4 stories – we’re on the 3rd floor with a little balcony overlooking the noisy street below. There are no quiet streets in Vietnam due to the many motorbikes and trucks that have horns that are used on a continual basis!! Our coffee was brought to us this a.m. which was a nice touch.
The drive to Hoi An yesterday was uneventful. Julie and I shared a car with Randall and Lorraine who were heading to Danang to meet their family at the airport. We were dropped off in Hoi An and they continued on to Danang. Both of us had a few odds and ends to buy so we went out and finished shopping – now I’m done!! We had a wonderful dinner at a place called the Cargo Club where we sat on an outdoor terrace overlooking the river that runs through Hoi An. It was a beautiful setting as all the buildings surrounding the lake have many hanging lanterns of all colors lighting up the night. We were in a business where the lanterns were actually being made – some were cutting, some were gluing, some were assembling – quite a process. They are made from fabric and really quite beautiful.
Well, here I am on Saturday evening after quite an interesting day in Hoi An. Julie and I awoke and headed downstairs for a breakfast buffet. It is quite a bit different from buffets back home but I had an egg, some noodles and vegetables and plenty of coffee. It was a beautiful setting for breakfast in back of the hotel among the trees and birds in their cages. Following breakfast we hopped into the hotel shuttle bus which took us to Old Town Hoi An.
We walked around a little and headed to the Hoi An Café to get ready for our cooking school. We were sat down and offered a drink – the chosen was ginger tea. Did not settle well with me. So now we’re cooking. We head out to buy some fresh herbs. A gentleman, Mr. D, takes us through the produce/fruit section of the old market. It is quite interesting – so many people, all ladies, selling all the same thing for next to nothing. I don’t know how they make it. He pointed out many herbs and what they are mostly used for in cooking Vietnamese food. From here we got on a boat and headed down the river, or up the river, I have no idea. The boat was a brightly painted old wooden boat. There were lots of things to see along the river banks along the way – lots of beautiful palm trees and pretty flowers. We arrived at the Red Bridge Restaurant – the sight of our cooking school. Mr. D took us through their herb garden – it was very large and full of beautiful herbs. We headed to an thatch roofed open building next to the river which was set up with individual gas burners, cooking utensils and chairs for us to sit in while getting instructions. We created a Vietnamese salad, fresh shrimp and veggie spring rolls, eggplant in a clay pot, and attempted to make a rose with tomato skin and a peacock with a cucumber. I am sticking to the actual cooking idea and staying away from the whole decorating with food thing – I did horrible!!! We learned to make rice paper for the fresh spring rolls – pretty cool. I now have a bamboo stick for lifting them off the cloth they cook on! We ate everything we made and I must say, the chef was pretty good!! Julie and I sat across the table from a delightful couple from Dublin Ireland. They were in Vietnam for the first time and had led quite an interesting life.
The boat then took us back to Hoi An and our class was complete – I have the recipes we cooked and the knowledge to make it all work – now we’ll just see if it does! Stock up on the Tums Dickster – I’m coming home to cook!!!! Same goes for all my wonderful friends who might benefit from this new knowledge I have!!!
We wandered again through the open market when, out of nowhere, a lady came up to me with a string wrapped around her fingers and proceeded to use it on my face – and she removed some of that peach fuzz stuff that has popped out! Well, how can you not wonder about that talent that she possesses? So we followed her back to her little shop just outside the market. The next thing I know she has put talcum powder on my lower legs and she’s removing the hair from my legs. Amazing – all with a piece of cotton thread that is used for sewing. She wraps it around her fingers a certain way then moves her hands a certain way. Did it hurt you ask? YES! The leg hair was coming out by the roots!!! Now, her sister comes behind the curtain and she proceeds to start in on my face. Did it hurt you ask? YES! Is all the peach fuzz gone you ask? YES!! Now, this may be more information than you want – but next she lifted up my arms and took off the armpit stubbles. It didn’t hurt so I let her do it! Now it’s a head massage to try to keep my attention of the pain of my legs having the hair taken out of them by the roots. Julie was also drug in and ran through the whole process also. Is there more to this story? YES. Is it publishable? NO. Did it hurt you ask? YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! That’s all I’m saying about that!
Now, I needed a WC, which is what they are called here. The lady, Cuc that did my legs, said to follow her. We went through the market and walked for quite a ways. By this time, it was getting dark. She removed a table that was standing in front of a door and she opened the door. She got a bucket of water and threw it in what appeared to be a shower stall. There were two raised areas for one to stand on and that was it!!! It was dark which I think was most likely a good thing. Upon completion an old lady showed up and Cuc paid her some money for using the facility!! They should use the money to install some actual toilets but it would so take away from the atmosphere!!!! Now I’m always hesitant to ask to use the WC!
Next stop – a place for a drink to just take in all that just happened! Lots of laughs!! We began to head on foot in the direction we thought might be towards out hotel. Julie fell and sprained her ankle. So we got as far as a restaurant and headed inside. We had bought a bottle of red wine for our room but brought it out here cuz Julie was in pain and needed it! Had bowl of noodles, the wine, and Julie iced her ankle. We had to walk just a short way to the corner to get a taxi back to the hotel. Julie was out for the night. I called the Dickster to try to explain what happened during the afternoon and I think you just had to be there – hard to explain!!!
It was quite a day in Hoi An – learned two new skills that are both pretty big in my book!!
Sunday morning we awoke to rain. The weather has been overcast and cooler the last few days and I have loved it. Didn’t expect the rain. Our motorbike drivers showed up at 9 am to pick us up - it was Mr. Hanh and his father! We all put on ponchos and helmets and off we went. They started by taking us to the old Japanese Bridge which we had been to before – there happened to be a tour guide there giving a tour so we heard a little more about it. It was built in the 17th century.
We then went to a place called the Assembly Halls. They consisted of several pagoda like buildings which held many shrines that folks used to honor Buddha. Lots of incense and lots of worshiping going on. It was beautiful with all the gold, marble, jade, flowers, incense and color – mostly red. In the old days it was used for the assembly of people for worship or meetings. The grounds are beautiful with lots of flowers and large urns. I don’t have photos because I failed to charge my battery so I’m going to rely on Julie for pictures for the rest of today’s adventure! We then boarded a Vietnamese Ferry boat. Very old, wood, not too big – on board were about 25 people, 10 motorbikes and 9 bicycles. We stood on top so we could see the world going by. The Ferry took us across the river to the other side of Hoi An. Made a couple of stops upon exiting the ferry. There were wooden boats being made that we stopped and watched. The frame of the boat had been made and two men were putting into the openings between the wood pieces what looked like wood shavings. They hammered them into the cracks with a hammer hitting an awl.? I don’t know if that’s the word but it’s a tool that’s flat and thin and pokes stuff into places – how’s that for an explanation! Anyway, this stuff keeps out the water and you’d never believe it to see it. Another gentleman does paint something over it that probably seals it even more but it’s still pretty interesting to imagine that it’s not going to leak. What a slow process.
Across the street was a man making carvings and things out of wood. He was very talented also and had some beautiful things for sale. We then came upon another boat making yard – this was for bigger boats and it looked like they were doing a lot of repair. Again, slow and tedious work.
Now we are off to the hills and back roads of Hoi An. We passed through many little villages – they all have their own stores, church, etc. but are right next to each other. White folks don’t usually come through these areas so they were full of greetings and smiles as we went through! Did I mention that having this notoriety is a pretty fun thing which is coming to a screeching halt pretty soon? I’m not too happy about that!!!!
We drove through miles and miles of rice fields. Grandpa led us to a large shrine that was closed up. He dropped us off and headed down the road and came back with an old man in his pj’s with a sport coat over the top. He unlocked the doors and let us in. We lit some incense and gave a blessing at the shrine. I gave incense for my Mom, Dad and Art. I guess it still works even if you’re in a Buddhist shrine. They’ll be surprised when Buddha visits them with my blessings!!! It was a special treat to have this man open this for us. We left him waving and smiling at the gate. We continued through more villages before hitting the highway for Tam Ky. We have had quite a bit of time with no rain but it’s now coming down with a vengeance. We stop for some lunch then got back on the bike. Again I had to ask for the WC – this time down an alley, across another alley and into a wide open cement stall with a seat on the floor. Another standing up experience. I’d like to say that 3.5 hours on a motorbike with a heavy back pack on is quite a while not to mention the tenderness of my back end following the ride. But it was a good way to see the sights and I can now say I’ve lived through traveling on a highway on a motorbike!!
We unpacked and rested a little at home. Tonight is Randall’s 70th birthday party and Mrs. Hanh and Grandma have been working all day on dinner – it’s going to be MAGNIFICENT!!! We were all instructed by Mrs. H to be in a dress and have a shower so that’s my next project! She’s short but she’s mighty and I, for one, do what she tells me!!! Will end this blog with the birthday party happenings!! Coming right up –
Birthday party over and we were all kept very happy with a wonderful evening of food, friends, family and laughter! Randall enjoyed his 70th and we all enjoyed meeting the rest of his family. Mrs. Hanh did a fabulous job preparing this special day! The array of food was incredible – shrimp, rice, tofu, meat marinated and BBQ’d on sugar cane sticks, filled biscuits, cucumbers and tomatoes, spring rolls, and a wonderful cake that she made and decorated. Oh yes, and plates of mango!!!
That’s it for now! Has been a great last weekend in Tam Ky and Hoi An.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The End of Indpendence Day Week - 3/25, 26
Well we survived Independence Day and life is pretty much back to normal here! We actually worked all day today – kind of a shock to the system.
The orphanage was eventful this morning – it was immunization day!! The Dr. showed up with an assistant and all 13 babies were immunized. Now, we’re not sure what they were immunized for but we were glad to see that each baby had their own needle which were promptly destroyed after the injection. Some cried – some didn’t. For the most part it went well. We followed that up with dress up day – my last one. They were darling as usual. And Buddha Tuan – I think I have created a monster just before I leave – he has grown pretty attached and loves to be toted around and have all my attention. He is very good when I do my Son massage – he seems to understand that is part of my job – but after that he wants nothing to do with anyone else. Even the older kids pick him up and bring him to me!! I do manage to hold babies and play with other children at the same time – he’s just attached to my knees or hip. Only 4 more mornings at the orphanage – my mornings won’t be the same – it will be lonely having my cup of coffee after Dickster has gone off to work. I guess Luke will just need to spend more time with Nanny as she goes through children withdrawals!! (ARE YOU READING THIS ADAM AND AMY?!?!?!?!?)
The afternoon was spent at the Disabled Children’s Hospital – only one more day left there. We had 5 children today and they all loved their massage. Tin, who had the same haircut as I have, has now been buzzed so we don’t share the same hairstyle anymore. He looks so grown up. We had some good smile and picture time today. Lots of coughs and sneezes going on today so the bug must be going around. Guess I need to start wearing my mask!!
It rained here this afternoon really hard!!! People must carry rain ponchos in their motorbike seats because they sure appeared in a hurry. Do I need to tell you how good it feels to have some major wind and rain?!?!?!? I am now the happiest person in Tam Ky! Everybody else is cold. I’m going to write that it’s the hottest place on the planet more often because it seems to rain after I write that comment.
49 days ago today, an elderly lady who lived next door to our house died. Tradition of the Buddhist religion is that on specific days after a death (3rd day, 7th day, etc. up to the 365th day) , the family gathers for a memorial to the deceased family member. She was the grandmother in the home. Their storefront business is selling phones and minutes. Right out on the sidewalk they set up a round table full of food and candles. 2 monks were present along with family members who traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to be here for the memorial. There were bells rung, drums played, songs sung, family members bowed to the candles and makeshift alter on the table. Then they started a fire in a round metal container and burned some of her clothes and some flowers – that signifies something for her in the afterlife. They also burn fake money at these memorials so that their deceased family member has a plentiful life in the afterlife. (Sidebar to my children – I’d like the real thing sent up to me please!!!) Following this ceremony and meal, the whole family goes to the cemetery in a big bus they have rented.
The folks here are not wealthy by any means but they spare nothing to honor their family members upon death, marriages, births, etc. There are always celebrations and festivities going on for all the important times within the family and extended family – which usually all live together.
An interesting fact – pregnant women ride the motorbikes side saddle. I’m OK with geckos now – every morning I see one or two scurry across the rooms downstairs when I head down to make my coffee. They hide out well and move fast!! A few new Aussie words – sick/crook; sharks/noah’s arks; picture/fleas and itch; shave/dig in the grave. They never seem to end.
We had our weekly meeting this afternoon – my last one. Had a few suggestions for future volunteers – we have an evaluation that we have to fill out and e-mail back. Will do that when I get home.
Class was good at Home of Affection tonight. The 8 to 11 year olds are a little squirrely but very cute. They love writing on the board so our lesson centered around that and they loved it. They also love those word search puzzles so I created one around the vowels we learned and they were so quiet for 20 minutes – also fed them Ritz Crackers so that kept them busy! Only one more class with each of my classes at HOA. Will do fun stuff next week!!
Tin came by and we went to get a bite to eat around 8 pm – Bun Sao –it’s rice paper wrapped around greens, bean sprouts, cucumber and a pancake type of round thing. It comes with a very spicy sauce that you dip your roll into. A new taste treat – was awesome. We have yet to have the same lunch or dinner meal this month at the GVN house! I am sooooo spoiled! If I can’t bring a baby home Dickster, can I at least bring Ms. Hanh and her family home so we can eat great food?!?!?
This morning (Friday) at the orphanage we arrived to a room full of students and adults visiting the children. They brought lots of candy to the children – just what they need!!! We let them play with the children about a half hour then we took over with OUR kids! A gentleman was actually holding Tuan Buddha and wouldn’t give him to me when he held his arms out. I just disappeared so they could have their moment but I don’t think Tuan was as happy with him as with me!!! Today was spa day also so I painted a lot of toes and fingernails. I talked to them about the colors they should wear with their chosen colors and they just smiled and nodded – don’t think it got through. I just know they are not going to stick to their color palette for the next two weeks until they are mani’ed and ped’ed again!! Buddha and two of his friends had to have an extra bath this a.m. cuz they got into some major water and drenched themselves – the mothers were none to happy! And Bubbha was not happy to be taken away from his water playground!!!
A wonderful lunch of chicken rice soup – will be a recipe I make! Of course that was followed by MANGO and grapefruit which I also love here!!!
So now it’s the weekend! I am off to Hoi An – will take a cooking class, a motorbike tour, and a tour of the ancient city of Hoi An. I’m going to fit another pedicure in there too cuz they are looking bad!! Will include pictures in the next blog! Have a fabulous weekend and never be afraid to say I love you or show someone that you care!
The orphanage was eventful this morning – it was immunization day!! The Dr. showed up with an assistant and all 13 babies were immunized. Now, we’re not sure what they were immunized for but we were glad to see that each baby had their own needle which were promptly destroyed after the injection. Some cried – some didn’t. For the most part it went well. We followed that up with dress up day – my last one. They were darling as usual. And Buddha Tuan – I think I have created a monster just before I leave – he has grown pretty attached and loves to be toted around and have all my attention. He is very good when I do my Son massage – he seems to understand that is part of my job – but after that he wants nothing to do with anyone else. Even the older kids pick him up and bring him to me!! I do manage to hold babies and play with other children at the same time – he’s just attached to my knees or hip. Only 4 more mornings at the orphanage – my mornings won’t be the same – it will be lonely having my cup of coffee after Dickster has gone off to work. I guess Luke will just need to spend more time with Nanny as she goes through children withdrawals!! (ARE YOU READING THIS ADAM AND AMY?!?!?!?!?)
The afternoon was spent at the Disabled Children’s Hospital – only one more day left there. We had 5 children today and they all loved their massage. Tin, who had the same haircut as I have, has now been buzzed so we don’t share the same hairstyle anymore. He looks so grown up. We had some good smile and picture time today. Lots of coughs and sneezes going on today so the bug must be going around. Guess I need to start wearing my mask!!
It rained here this afternoon really hard!!! People must carry rain ponchos in their motorbike seats because they sure appeared in a hurry. Do I need to tell you how good it feels to have some major wind and rain?!?!?!? I am now the happiest person in Tam Ky! Everybody else is cold. I’m going to write that it’s the hottest place on the planet more often because it seems to rain after I write that comment.
49 days ago today, an elderly lady who lived next door to our house died. Tradition of the Buddhist religion is that on specific days after a death (3rd day, 7th day, etc. up to the 365th day) , the family gathers for a memorial to the deceased family member. She was the grandmother in the home. Their storefront business is selling phones and minutes. Right out on the sidewalk they set up a round table full of food and candles. 2 monks were present along with family members who traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to be here for the memorial. There were bells rung, drums played, songs sung, family members bowed to the candles and makeshift alter on the table. Then they started a fire in a round metal container and burned some of her clothes and some flowers – that signifies something for her in the afterlife. They also burn fake money at these memorials so that their deceased family member has a plentiful life in the afterlife. (Sidebar to my children – I’d like the real thing sent up to me please!!!) Following this ceremony and meal, the whole family goes to the cemetery in a big bus they have rented.
The folks here are not wealthy by any means but they spare nothing to honor their family members upon death, marriages, births, etc. There are always celebrations and festivities going on for all the important times within the family and extended family – which usually all live together.
An interesting fact – pregnant women ride the motorbikes side saddle. I’m OK with geckos now – every morning I see one or two scurry across the rooms downstairs when I head down to make my coffee. They hide out well and move fast!! A few new Aussie words – sick/crook; sharks/noah’s arks; picture/fleas and itch; shave/dig in the grave. They never seem to end.
We had our weekly meeting this afternoon – my last one. Had a few suggestions for future volunteers – we have an evaluation that we have to fill out and e-mail back. Will do that when I get home.
Class was good at Home of Affection tonight. The 8 to 11 year olds are a little squirrely but very cute. They love writing on the board so our lesson centered around that and they loved it. They also love those word search puzzles so I created one around the vowels we learned and they were so quiet for 20 minutes – also fed them Ritz Crackers so that kept them busy! Only one more class with each of my classes at HOA. Will do fun stuff next week!!
Tin came by and we went to get a bite to eat around 8 pm – Bun Sao –it’s rice paper wrapped around greens, bean sprouts, cucumber and a pancake type of round thing. It comes with a very spicy sauce that you dip your roll into. A new taste treat – was awesome. We have yet to have the same lunch or dinner meal this month at the GVN house! I am sooooo spoiled! If I can’t bring a baby home Dickster, can I at least bring Ms. Hanh and her family home so we can eat great food?!?!?
This morning (Friday) at the orphanage we arrived to a room full of students and adults visiting the children. They brought lots of candy to the children – just what they need!!! We let them play with the children about a half hour then we took over with OUR kids! A gentleman was actually holding Tuan Buddha and wouldn’t give him to me when he held his arms out. I just disappeared so they could have their moment but I don’t think Tuan was as happy with him as with me!!! Today was spa day also so I painted a lot of toes and fingernails. I talked to them about the colors they should wear with their chosen colors and they just smiled and nodded – don’t think it got through. I just know they are not going to stick to their color palette for the next two weeks until they are mani’ed and ped’ed again!! Buddha and two of his friends had to have an extra bath this a.m. cuz they got into some major water and drenched themselves – the mothers were none to happy! And Bubbha was not happy to be taken away from his water playground!!!
A wonderful lunch of chicken rice soup – will be a recipe I make! Of course that was followed by MANGO and grapefruit which I also love here!!!
So now it’s the weekend! I am off to Hoi An – will take a cooking class, a motorbike tour, and a tour of the ancient city of Hoi An. I’m going to fit another pedicure in there too cuz they are looking bad!! Will include pictures in the next blog! Have a fabulous weekend and never be afraid to say I love you or show someone that you care!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Dried fish for sale on the beach - I passed! Vietamese Crabs - male and fenale. Feeding the toddlers at the orphanage. The ocean. BBQ'ing in front of our house - Grandma and Mrs. Hanh.
Guard at the orphanage making a basket out of sugar cane. Truc with his craft at HOA. Vicki with Buddha and his ice cream cone!! We both wore alot of it!
Guard at the orphanage making a basket out of sugar cane. Truc with his craft at HOA. Vicki with Buddha and his ice cream cone!! We both wore alot of it!
Happy Wednesday night from Tam Ky – it’s actually Independence Day here – so happy that too!
I think I left off on Monday. Tuesday was the big celebration day for the New Year. I went to the Disabled Hospital in the morning and did my baby massage on 6 children. Put 2 of them to sleep!! When you can’t communicate you might as well sleep! They are just too cute – most have cerebral palsy – so therapy mostly involved their joints and working on strengthening their necks. Some of them are getting pretty good at lifting up and turning their head. It’s gratifying to see the changes made in just a month.
Following the Disabled Hospital we headed out to the orphanage. Mrs. Hanh made lunch for the children which she does once a month. It was a wonderful south – fish balls cut up, quail eggs, chicken, pasta, and a wonderful broth. I got to feed a couple of the toddlers, including my little man, Tuan (Buddha)! Was quite an experience – feeding two children, one spoon and one big bowl of soup. I just about burned their poor little mouths cuz it was hot!! They weren’t too hungry anyway because someone had been by the orphanage just before we got there and dropped off ice cream cones so the children were pretty much covered in ice cream when we arrived – was tooooo cute!! They loved their lunch and we all enjoyed being on the feeding and helping end of doing lunch for the children. They too love Mrs. Hanh’s cooking. Picture of Buddha with his ice cream!
Home for the afternoon. Tuesday is my day for a free afternoon so I stayed behind and took a little snooze. When I awoke, Mrs. Hanh was out on the front sidewalk barbequing meat for dinner that night. It was very thinly sliced pork which had been marinating since the day before. You will see a picture of the BBQ and you won’t be surprised to know that she BBQ’d from 2 to 5 pm. This is the one night a month when she cooks a feast for the children at the Home of Affection – 33 kids, plus a few adults, and we volunteers. There was a lot of pork. I helped her BBQ a little – as did Grandma. The meat was served with noodles, greens, and a wonderful sauce. The children scarfed it up as did all of us! It was FABULOUS!!
Now, prior to the dinner there was a minor accident. I was participating in a game with some of the children and landed on the ground. I pulled that muscle from the center of my right butt cheek down my leg a little (the hammy) and majorly stretched out the back of my knee and calf muscle on my left leg. Now I have a knee brace on my left leg and it helps a lot – puts pressure on my calf muscle.
To the fireworks. We were planning on biking down to the park for the occasion. After seeing hundreds and hundreds of motorbikes on the road heading to the park, and me being unable to ride a bike at the moment, we quickly re-thought that decision!! Come to find out the view from in front of the house was perfect – noise from the fireworks was even heard here. The chairs came outside and we joined many people to watch about 20 minutes of pretty darn good fireworks. There was no break between the fireworks and they were just like what we have at home.
3 volunteers from DaNang came to Tam Ky to spend the night, so I moved to another room downstairs for sleeping last night – as long as there are 2 or 3 fans in a room, I’ll sleep in it.
Arose this a.m. to banana pancakes again – love when visitors come cuz we always get banana pancakes – and MANGO!!!!! Off to the orphanage. The children got extra care due to the 3 extra volunteers this morning. My little Tuan was glad to see me and I think I’ve created a monster – he doesn’t like to be put down much and fell asleep in my arms. Actually I don’t think it’s my charm and personality – I think it’s the cold damp towel around my neck. He always cuddles right into that!!
We had a fabulous lunch of veggie rolls, rolled in rice paper with greens and again, a wonderful sesame peanut sauce. Everyone else had ice cream and chocolate for dessert – I had MANGO!!!! I hope you all like the new orange tint to my skin when I get home – might have to change my wardrobe to match my new skin tone!! I hope there’s a support group to help me through my mango withdrawals.
Had a nice nap today after taking a pain pill for my leg – there’s another support group I’ll need! Now, off to the beach. We went to the tourist beach at Tam Tanh and it was beautiful. There were ladies wanting us to sit in their chairs or sit on their tarps on the beach because you pay about $.10 US to use their spot. We chose chairs with a tarp umbrella right in front of the ocean. We were firstly directed to a parking spot – that was another $.50 US.
There were some ladies going up and down the beach offering their food – dried fish, warmed up over a portable bbq and served with a tortilla like shell. The dried fish is dried by hanging it from the cloths line. A flat dried squid didn’t look to appetizing and I passed on that. We ordered crab, clams and squid which were all cooked. The squid is a little rubbery but very good as it’s wrapped in rice paper with sauce and greens. The crabs here are itty bitty – you almost feel like you’re eating some poor little crab baby. The clams looked wonderful – very large. They are not served with garlic butter – just a dried mixture of salt and pepper. I have not seen butter since I’ve been here. We did not go into the water but it was delightful on the beach. Again, people really noticed us and smiled and wanted us to take their pictures. One couple brought their baby up to me and put her hand out so that I would touch her and talk to her. Back home we go to the beach in the morning and home in the late afternoon or early evening – here, the beach was filling up a lot when we were leaving – around 5:30 pm. That’s when everyone gets into the water. However, some of the younger folks were in the water earlier in the day. Total coast for clams, squid, crabs, pop, beer - $8.00 US!!
That ends Independence Day in Tam Ky – it’s the 35 year of independence for this little town and it was fun to watch. Some very interesting, well lit up, floats went down the street last night on the way to the park. They are sponsored by different businesses and organizations in the area. They are built with wood around a car then driven down the road.
Back to reality tomorrow and working a whole day! Will try to muster up enough energy to submit another blog after that!!
Following the Disabled Hospital we headed out to the orphanage. Mrs. Hanh made lunch for the children which she does once a month. It was a wonderful south – fish balls cut up, quail eggs, chicken, pasta, and a wonderful broth. I got to feed a couple of the toddlers, including my little man, Tuan (Buddha)! Was quite an experience – feeding two children, one spoon and one big bowl of soup. I just about burned their poor little mouths cuz it was hot!! They weren’t too hungry anyway because someone had been by the orphanage just before we got there and dropped off ice cream cones so the children were pretty much covered in ice cream when we arrived – was tooooo cute!! They loved their lunch and we all enjoyed being on the feeding and helping end of doing lunch for the children. They too love Mrs. Hanh’s cooking. Picture of Buddha with his ice cream!
Home for the afternoon. Tuesday is my day for a free afternoon so I stayed behind and took a little snooze. When I awoke, Mrs. Hanh was out on the front sidewalk barbequing meat for dinner that night. It was very thinly sliced pork which had been marinating since the day before. You will see a picture of the BBQ and you won’t be surprised to know that she BBQ’d from 2 to 5 pm. This is the one night a month when she cooks a feast for the children at the Home of Affection – 33 kids, plus a few adults, and we volunteers. There was a lot of pork. I helped her BBQ a little – as did Grandma. The meat was served with noodles, greens, and a wonderful sauce. The children scarfed it up as did all of us! It was FABULOUS!!
Now, prior to the dinner there was a minor accident. I was participating in a game with some of the children and landed on the ground. I pulled that muscle from the center of my right butt cheek down my leg a little (the hammy) and majorly stretched out the back of my knee and calf muscle on my left leg. Now I have a knee brace on my left leg and it helps a lot – puts pressure on my calf muscle.
To the fireworks. We were planning on biking down to the park for the occasion. After seeing hundreds and hundreds of motorbikes on the road heading to the park, and me being unable to ride a bike at the moment, we quickly re-thought that decision!! Come to find out the view from in front of the house was perfect – noise from the fireworks was even heard here. The chairs came outside and we joined many people to watch about 20 minutes of pretty darn good fireworks. There was no break between the fireworks and they were just like what we have at home.
3 volunteers from DaNang came to Tam Ky to spend the night, so I moved to another room downstairs for sleeping last night – as long as there are 2 or 3 fans in a room, I’ll sleep in it.
Arose this a.m. to banana pancakes again – love when visitors come cuz we always get banana pancakes – and MANGO!!!!! Off to the orphanage. The children got extra care due to the 3 extra volunteers this morning. My little Tuan was glad to see me and I think I’ve created a monster – he doesn’t like to be put down much and fell asleep in my arms. Actually I don’t think it’s my charm and personality – I think it’s the cold damp towel around my neck. He always cuddles right into that!!
We had a fabulous lunch of veggie rolls, rolled in rice paper with greens and again, a wonderful sesame peanut sauce. Everyone else had ice cream and chocolate for dessert – I had MANGO!!!! I hope you all like the new orange tint to my skin when I get home – might have to change my wardrobe to match my new skin tone!! I hope there’s a support group to help me through my mango withdrawals.
Had a nice nap today after taking a pain pill for my leg – there’s another support group I’ll need! Now, off to the beach. We went to the tourist beach at Tam Tanh and it was beautiful. There were ladies wanting us to sit in their chairs or sit on their tarps on the beach because you pay about $.10 US to use their spot. We chose chairs with a tarp umbrella right in front of the ocean. We were firstly directed to a parking spot – that was another $.50 US.
There were some ladies going up and down the beach offering their food – dried fish, warmed up over a portable bbq and served with a tortilla like shell. The dried fish is dried by hanging it from the cloths line. A flat dried squid didn’t look to appetizing and I passed on that. We ordered crab, clams and squid which were all cooked. The squid is a little rubbery but very good as it’s wrapped in rice paper with sauce and greens. The crabs here are itty bitty – you almost feel like you’re eating some poor little crab baby. The clams looked wonderful – very large. They are not served with garlic butter – just a dried mixture of salt and pepper. I have not seen butter since I’ve been here. We did not go into the water but it was delightful on the beach. Again, people really noticed us and smiled and wanted us to take their pictures. One couple brought their baby up to me and put her hand out so that I would touch her and talk to her. Back home we go to the beach in the morning and home in the late afternoon or early evening – here, the beach was filling up a lot when we were leaving – around 5:30 pm. That’s when everyone gets into the water. However, some of the younger folks were in the water earlier in the day. Total coast for clams, squid, crabs, pop, beer - $8.00 US!!
That ends Independence Day in Tam Ky – it’s the 35 year of independence for this little town and it was fun to watch. Some very interesting, well lit up, floats went down the street last night on the way to the park. They are sponsored by different businesses and organizations in the area. They are built with wood around a car then driven down the road.
Back to reality tomorrow and working a whole day! Will try to muster up enough energy to submit another blog after that!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sundy and Monday- March 21 & 22, 2010
What's in the pictures - 2 pictures of the lake we spent Sunday at; Ho Chi Minh's picture and/or statue is absolutely everywhere; Yes, it is a paper mache helicopter set up at the celebration sight at the park for independence day; this is the conical hat light fixture - with red light bulbs nonetheless!!!
Hey – as you are all sleeping away it’s time here to catch up on the last couple of days.
Sunday we all went to Phu Nunh Lake. There were 8 of us and we were sure to get a larger taxi this time! It is a beautiful lake about 30 minutes by cab from the GVN House. As we were heading to the lake we came to some railroad tracks and there was a train going through. There is a person who has the job of pulling out the chain link fence that keeps people from going across the tracks during a train passing. When the train was through, he pushed open each fence – one to the right and one to the left. No automation around here!! Upon first seeing the lake it reminded me a lot of Shasta – very large – red dirt around the edges. I could just imagine it with houseboats on it.
We walked down into the lake after paying to enter – less than $2.00 US for all of us. We had a table made of stone and made ourselves at home! The lake felt WONDERFUL! The water was clean and crisp – not cold all over, just in spots. I stayed in there for about an hour. It felt soooooo good. No sweating – just refreshment!
Ms. Hanh and Grandma had packed us a nice lunch so we sat in the shade and ate that. There was quite a boisterous group down below us and Ms. Hahn and Grandpa knew a couple of the men. Later on in the day they invited us to come sit with them. There’s no saying no when they offer you something – this time it was a WARM beer. Well, that was just the best??? Gave me a whole new appreciation for refrigeration!! One gentleman in particular was pretty animated and sang a lot – he just busted out in song every once in a while! Pretty funny. They were all eating this little tiny shells that have a small hole in them – they get a pointed needle off a tree branch and poke it into the hole and pull out the tiniest little fish. Still not sure what they are but I finally tasted one – really salty – a bit like a snail – but raw of course. I’m passing next time both on that and the warm beer!!
We came home all relaxed and cooled off. A few of us went to the Home of Affection and did eye tests on the 33 children there. Out of all of them, only 4 need a vision check and 3 of those 4 already have glasses so their eyes are in pretty good shape. Now where they go to the eye checker or when is another story! I’ll keep you posted – things don’t happen here in the blink of an eye – takes a lot of communication time to go through necessary processes.
After dinner Amber, Julie and I went down to the large city park. It was the opening night of Independence Day celebrations. The park is full of ‘buildings’ built of cane branches and straw with lots of Christmas Lights on them, bridges, seating areas, the flag of Vietnam, and on top of everything, always is a picture of Ho Chi Minh. He is absolutely everyone’s idol!! He’s dead, and the country has a new president, but he is still and always will be the hero to everyone. There was of course music and dancing on the stage that had been built. There were speakers. The evening was a tribute to the youth of Quong Nam Province and each little commune was represented by students all standing in individual lines with a sign at the front of the line telling which province they were from. There were a couple of tables and chairs for dignitaries. We just meandered through the crowd. It was the first time I’ve been in one place, with perhaps 3 thousand people, and everyone had the same color of hair except me! All black and almost all of the women’s was long. And, people stared at us, smiled and spoke to us a lot. We were the only white folks there. It was a bit of a strange feeling even though the staring was done in the nicest way and for a nice reason. As I’ve said before, it’s going to be strange to look like everyone else when I get home!! The questions that are always asked of us are our name, where we are from and our age. And they usually say we look younger than our age so it’s OK by me!! We hung out there for about 1.5 hours then headed back to the house.
Randall has been so sick since Friday. Thinking it’s a parasite now as he drank some water that he shouldn’t have drank. Again, I’m still the healthy one!!! Randall went to the Dr. – ultrasound, examination, drugs, and a diagnosis - $6.00 US! He said it was really clean and professional and the Dr. spoke a little bit of English.
Taught at HOA tonight and then just a quiet evening to get ready for some celebrations tomorrow! Have a wonderful day – love all those special people in your lives and be so grateful for the life that you have!!!
More later!! Tam Biet from Vietnam!!
Hey – as you are all sleeping away it’s time here to catch up on the last couple of days.
Sunday we all went to Phu Nunh Lake. There were 8 of us and we were sure to get a larger taxi this time! It is a beautiful lake about 30 minutes by cab from the GVN House. As we were heading to the lake we came to some railroad tracks and there was a train going through. There is a person who has the job of pulling out the chain link fence that keeps people from going across the tracks during a train passing. When the train was through, he pushed open each fence – one to the right and one to the left. No automation around here!! Upon first seeing the lake it reminded me a lot of Shasta – very large – red dirt around the edges. I could just imagine it with houseboats on it.
We walked down into the lake after paying to enter – less than $2.00 US for all of us. We had a table made of stone and made ourselves at home! The lake felt WONDERFUL! The water was clean and crisp – not cold all over, just in spots. I stayed in there for about an hour. It felt soooooo good. No sweating – just refreshment!
Ms. Hanh and Grandma had packed us a nice lunch so we sat in the shade and ate that. There was quite a boisterous group down below us and Ms. Hahn and Grandpa knew a couple of the men. Later on in the day they invited us to come sit with them. There’s no saying no when they offer you something – this time it was a WARM beer. Well, that was just the best??? Gave me a whole new appreciation for refrigeration!! One gentleman in particular was pretty animated and sang a lot – he just busted out in song every once in a while! Pretty funny. They were all eating this little tiny shells that have a small hole in them – they get a pointed needle off a tree branch and poke it into the hole and pull out the tiniest little fish. Still not sure what they are but I finally tasted one – really salty – a bit like a snail – but raw of course. I’m passing next time both on that and the warm beer!!
We came home all relaxed and cooled off. A few of us went to the Home of Affection and did eye tests on the 33 children there. Out of all of them, only 4 need a vision check and 3 of those 4 already have glasses so their eyes are in pretty good shape. Now where they go to the eye checker or when is another story! I’ll keep you posted – things don’t happen here in the blink of an eye – takes a lot of communication time to go through necessary processes.
After dinner Amber, Julie and I went down to the large city park. It was the opening night of Independence Day celebrations. The park is full of ‘buildings’ built of cane branches and straw with lots of Christmas Lights on them, bridges, seating areas, the flag of Vietnam, and on top of everything, always is a picture of Ho Chi Minh. He is absolutely everyone’s idol!! He’s dead, and the country has a new president, but he is still and always will be the hero to everyone. There was of course music and dancing on the stage that had been built. There were speakers. The evening was a tribute to the youth of Quong Nam Province and each little commune was represented by students all standing in individual lines with a sign at the front of the line telling which province they were from. There were a couple of tables and chairs for dignitaries. We just meandered through the crowd. It was the first time I’ve been in one place, with perhaps 3 thousand people, and everyone had the same color of hair except me! All black and almost all of the women’s was long. And, people stared at us, smiled and spoke to us a lot. We were the only white folks there. It was a bit of a strange feeling even though the staring was done in the nicest way and for a nice reason. As I’ve said before, it’s going to be strange to look like everyone else when I get home!! The questions that are always asked of us are our name, where we are from and our age. And they usually say we look younger than our age so it’s OK by me!! We hung out there for about 1.5 hours then headed back to the house.
Randall has been so sick since Friday. Thinking it’s a parasite now as he drank some water that he shouldn’t have drank. Again, I’m still the healthy one!!! Randall went to the Dr. – ultrasound, examination, drugs, and a diagnosis - $6.00 US! He said it was really clean and professional and the Dr. spoke a little bit of English.
Taught at HOA tonight and then just a quiet evening to get ready for some celebrations tomorrow! Have a wonderful day – love all those special people in your lives and be so grateful for the life that you have!!!
More later!! Tam Biet from Vietnam!!
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