So a month ago, I bought a plane ticket from Da Nang to Saigon and they told me for $10 more, I could fly business class. Let me tell you that it was INCREDIBLE! But I also felt like a gigantic poser. Here I was, smelling like drool and baby wee, sitting in my jeans and t-shirt, and getting served finger sandwiches and sparkling juice. The flight attendant put the napkin over my lap... which is really, freaking awkward. Then I went to my hotel, which was extremely posh, and continued to feel VERY out of place! I ended up watching Harry Potter on HBO, ordered in a bowl of Pho with a side of fries (how's that for Asian fusion?), and didn't leaving my room.
It was 24 hours from the first takeoff to the last airplane touchdown. That is a LOT of flying, traveling, being elbowed by the giant-shouldered man that I was lucky enough to sit next to between San Fran and Newark, etc. So I get off the plane and walk down the corrider to see my BEAUTIFUL husband and family waiting for me with a giant sign that says, "Do you still remember me, Miss?" in Vietnamese :) And Chris even drew a picture of me with a conical hat on:) Ladies, I've got the best husband in the world, I don't care what the rest of you think! :) Just kidding, I know that we all think we have the best husbands (I'm just the only one that's right) :) JUST KIDDING AGAIN!!!
Anyways, it's wonderful to be home, but I miss Vietnam so much. I bought a coffee the other day for $1.90. In Vietnam, that could have bought me a coffee, a full entree, and a water buffalo. Today, I bought a salad for $8!!! Just imagine what that buys you in Vietnam!!! I'm also FREEZING! I know everyone is loving the 80-something weather we're having... I was running yesterday with a long sleeve thermal shirt on and then had to turn the heat on when I got back to my friend Sally's! I think I also have a cold! I'm thirstier here than I was in Vietnam, and I think it has something to do with how dry it is here. On the news today, the weather lady was talking about a spike in the humidity level with temperatures reaching 88 and I was CHEERING! Holy cow... I know this may come as a shock... but I think I'm Vietnamese!!!
Isn't it always the way... The whole time that I was in Vietnam, I felt like an American. And now that I'm home, I feel Vietnamese:) Well, that's not entirely true, I still feel pretty American, which would explain my urge to kiss the Customs official when I cleared San Fran without him asking me for a bribe or implying that I was being monitored by a government agency. I prefer to be monitored without knowing it - God bless the United States:)
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Week 4: Goodbye's Suck
I know, I know... You're in awe of my poetic ability:) But it's true, goodbye's really do suck.
It's hard enough to say goodbye to the other volunteers who I've been living with day after day for a month. True, there were times when I could have thrown several of them out a window because we spent so much time together, but it would have been a 1st level window and I would have aimed for a soft, grassy landing if possible. We went to the acoustic bar one last time to hear those soul sisters sing, but the guitar player's guitar broke and the younger sister's hand was hurt so no violin playing... which meant no hearing Zombie one last time. Speaking of which, I never told you about the younger singing sister!!! She's like Celine Dion on crack with a touch of Johnny Dep from Pirates of the Carribean... which, apparently, is damn sexy according to my female, very hetero, Irish friend! Go figure. And lil' sis has this very interesting perm-it-yourself-esque frizzy hair and potter-esque frames to boot. The first time I saw her, she brought me a chair and I said, "Thank you, Mr." in Vietnamese. Oops. But you know what? She works it.
Maybe I was putting off weepy vibes, cause Meat Pie and Tinh were both really fussy on our last day together. Tinh was a little warm, so I'm worried she was running a slight fever. Meat Pie was very finicky about eating... WHOA. That's huge for her. That's like Meat Pie telling me silently that she doesn't want me to go and that she will miss me and remember me for the rest of her life... oh, wait, that's what I told her:P (FYI - Her name is Le. Yup, Le. That's what I couldn't understand and remember the 10 times I asked... my Vietnamese is AMAZING). And Baby Boy Girl was napping when I came in, so I just took some great pictures of her sleeping and gave her some smooches before heading home to pack. One of my students at Red Cross gave me this look like she would never forgive me for leaving when I said goodbye to her:( It was abslutely heart breaking. She's such an amazing student and I know she will do so well, whether I'm there or not. But it still felt like someone was kicking me in the stomach while I was saying goodbye. Ugh. Saying goodbye to all of them was beyond hard and it still hasn't hit me that I won't see them tomorrow.
It just hit me that this month, or rather 1 month, is nothing in the scheme of things. Thank you everyone for your wonderful words about being with the children in the moment - please don't think that I haven't taken that wisdom to heart! It's more that when I think about planning this trip and how I thought a month was such a long time... it's so funny how I look at it now and feel like 1 month passed in the blink of an eye here. But being here, even though it felt short, will affect me for a long time to come. I feel, and hope to continue to feel, that I will never again take a moment for granted. That I will never again value things monetarily and that I will never again feel the need to pursue needless things. No, my darling Chris, that doesn't mean that I will never shop again:) It means that I will never derive my happiness from it again, though:)
I leave feeling hopeful, excited and deeply sad. I worked every day and basically always felt exhausted. I wore long sleeves and pants in 100 degree weather. I was dinner for mosquitoes, absorbed Deet through every pore, and had nothing to break the heat but fans whose effects were muffled by my mosquito net. Sometimes, during the power and water outages, we didn't even have any fans. I showered an inch from the urinal that did not smell like roses. But I loved every moment of it. This was, by far, the best vacation that I have ever had. I feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready for the challenges that await me back in the US.
And I am ECSTATIC to see all of you again:)
It's hard enough to say goodbye to the other volunteers who I've been living with day after day for a month. True, there were times when I could have thrown several of them out a window because we spent so much time together, but it would have been a 1st level window and I would have aimed for a soft, grassy landing if possible. We went to the acoustic bar one last time to hear those soul sisters sing, but the guitar player's guitar broke and the younger sister's hand was hurt so no violin playing... which meant no hearing Zombie one last time. Speaking of which, I never told you about the younger singing sister!!! She's like Celine Dion on crack with a touch of Johnny Dep from Pirates of the Carribean... which, apparently, is damn sexy according to my female, very hetero, Irish friend! Go figure. And lil' sis has this very interesting perm-it-yourself-esque frizzy hair and potter-esque frames to boot. The first time I saw her, she brought me a chair and I said, "Thank you, Mr." in Vietnamese. Oops. But you know what? She works it.
Maybe I was putting off weepy vibes, cause Meat Pie and Tinh were both really fussy on our last day together. Tinh was a little warm, so I'm worried she was running a slight fever. Meat Pie was very finicky about eating... WHOA. That's huge for her. That's like Meat Pie telling me silently that she doesn't want me to go and that she will miss me and remember me for the rest of her life... oh, wait, that's what I told her:P (FYI - Her name is Le. Yup, Le. That's what I couldn't understand and remember the 10 times I asked... my Vietnamese is AMAZING). And Baby Boy Girl was napping when I came in, so I just took some great pictures of her sleeping and gave her some smooches before heading home to pack. One of my students at Red Cross gave me this look like she would never forgive me for leaving when I said goodbye to her:( It was abslutely heart breaking. She's such an amazing student and I know she will do so well, whether I'm there or not. But it still felt like someone was kicking me in the stomach while I was saying goodbye. Ugh. Saying goodbye to all of them was beyond hard and it still hasn't hit me that I won't see them tomorrow.
It just hit me that this month, or rather 1 month, is nothing in the scheme of things. Thank you everyone for your wonderful words about being with the children in the moment - please don't think that I haven't taken that wisdom to heart! It's more that when I think about planning this trip and how I thought a month was such a long time... it's so funny how I look at it now and feel like 1 month passed in the blink of an eye here. But being here, even though it felt short, will affect me for a long time to come. I feel, and hope to continue to feel, that I will never again take a moment for granted. That I will never again value things monetarily and that I will never again feel the need to pursue needless things. No, my darling Chris, that doesn't mean that I will never shop again:) It means that I will never derive my happiness from it again, though:)
I leave feeling hopeful, excited and deeply sad. I worked every day and basically always felt exhausted. I wore long sleeves and pants in 100 degree weather. I was dinner for mosquitoes, absorbed Deet through every pore, and had nothing to break the heat but fans whose effects were muffled by my mosquito net. Sometimes, during the power and water outages, we didn't even have any fans. I showered an inch from the urinal that did not smell like roses. But I loved every moment of it. This was, by far, the best vacation that I have ever had. I feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready for the challenges that await me back in the US.
And I am ECSTATIC to see all of you again:)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Week 3: Mosquito Week & More
Ok, so updates from Week 3, also known as Mosquito Week in my mind. I don't know what did it, but something has brought out the mosquito population of Vietnam like there's a blood famine somewhere. I have 8 bites just on my left arm, all of which may or may not carry some horribly frightening disease that starts with one of the following words: jungle, Asian, or pig. I've been reading through the infectious disease portion of my Lonely Planet guide, and the only advice they give is to avoid mosquitoes and wear bug repellent with Deet in it. Yeah, thanks for the very helpful advice, LP, but let me give you a little tip: In Vietnam, the mosquitoes seem to think of Deet like spicy chile sauce in a bowl of pho - it just enhances to flavor.
Speaking of pigs and diseases, we can't eat pork in Vietnam now. Shouldn't be a problem right? I'm sure Vietnam keeps Kosher... Oh, wait, that's right, 70% of the dishes here contain some form of pork in them. And since my fluency in Vietnamese is still lacking, I'm sure I was told several times not to eat pork, but only listened when finally someone gave me an English pamphlet telling me not to eat pork. It's called, "Blue Ear Pig" disease and either the pig's ears or your ears turn blue and then you die. I think it's the pig's ears turn blue and then you die, but the pig is fine. Again, someone told me, but my translation of Vietnamese may be lacking.
Updates on Tinh, Meat Pie, and one of my new favorites, Baby Boy-Girl (Lin My):
Tinh is doing so incredibly well this week!!! Now when I sit her up and hold her upright by her waist, she can lift her head for fairly long periods of time. AND when we were playing with one of her favorite toys (colored wooden pegs that fit upright into holes in a wooden board), she is now able to place the peg into the hole on the board! This is HUGE! Up until now, we've been working on how to tear things apart, but this is the first time that we're putting something back together. She is SO proud of herself when she gets it right that literally her whole face just lights up with that enormous smile of hers! With the increased exercise, though, she seems to be going through a lot of water and enjoys weeing on me A LOT. Four times yesterday in 2 hours:) She is also getting much better at chewing her food, which is a great sign.
Oh my little Meat Pie... Sorry, Heather, but I still don't know her name. I have a hard time understanding the "Mother" at the center when she tells me, but I will find out today and update the post as soon as I know. So after working with the children at the Disabled playground of the Social Support Center, I went to visit my little Meat Pie and see how she was doing. Luckily, she was awake this time and not eating! This was amazing luck because she really only does 3 things: eats, sleeps, and... well, I'm getting there. So I pick her up and am cuddling her in my arms and trying to rock her off to sleep for a nap. I am making all sorts of ridiculous faces and sounds and all of a sudden, she looks up at me and smiles this GORGEOUS little toothless grin! My elation at this event gets interrupted by an extremely loud and rumbling bout of gas from Meat Pie's backside. She's still smiling at me and I just have to laugh at her cuteness. As I'm holding her, something just doesn't seem right, though... I look down and what do I find? Meat Pie has crapped on me. And like her abnormally loud and long farts, her bowel movements are pretty impressive. No wonder she was smiling. Cleaned her up (with the help of the Center "Mother" because again, there was A LOT OF IT. Apparently, she's "cheeky," and I love it:)
So I hope you remember Baby Boy-Girl from Week 1? Well, today I got to spend some quality time with her after we had a pool party for the children at the Malnourished Center. The pool party itself was AWESOME! The children were ECSTATIC by being in the water on such a hot day, and just kept splashing and jumping backwards to fall into the water. Tinh was also AMAZING as we dipped her a few times and then sat her on the edge of the pool with her feet in the cool water, which she actually KICKED WITH HER FEET!!! She doesn't usually get a lot of movement in her legs, and this was just INCREDIBLE!!! Ok, back to Baby Boy-Girl:) So Lin My is this wonderful 4 month old with a head of hair like Marv Albert. It's incredible. All the children at the Center got crew cuts this week because it's so hot, and she still has an incredible head of hair! Each, individual strand is ridiculous thick (like Superman thick) and grows directly perpendicular to her scalp. It's INCREDIBLE. Unfortunately, she looks like a baby boy and it's not helpful that she's always dressed like a little boy!!! Plaid diaper and a black tank top. Well, she just wouldn't go to sleep during nap-time today, which was when the staff and volunteers were sitting down to have lunch, so I picked her up and put her in my lap for a bit to rock her. She is SO canoodley and SO giggly, that I just stopped eating because I could not stop laughing with here!!! She holds onto your fingers with these little death grips that just reach past your fingers and wrap around your heart! And she is perfectly chubby and SO DAMN CUTE! So she started to drift off and then before I knew it, she was fast asleep in my lap. Literally laying in my lap as I sat with my legs crossed, napping away like I was a human crib. Super awesome. I just couldn't move because she was SO FREAKING CUTE! She looks like a little old man while she's sleeping, which may not sound cute, but it's pretty unbeatable!
I need to run to Social Support now, and then we're off tonight to our favorite hole-in-the-wall acoustic bar where these 2 Vietnamese sisters sing Vietnamese and American folk music, mixed with some AMAZING renditions of the Cranberries, accompanied by each other and a guitar... sometimes a tambourine. It's probably my favorite place in Da Nang. We're going out to celebrate the last night of one of our volunteers here. She will be the first of our volunteer class to leave this month, and then 3 of us will be going home shortly thereafter. I'm starting to feel very sad that our volunteer family is breaking up, but I'm also excited to come home to my amazing friends and family whom I miss SO MUCH!!!
Much love to you all!
mindy
Speaking of pigs and diseases, we can't eat pork in Vietnam now. Shouldn't be a problem right? I'm sure Vietnam keeps Kosher... Oh, wait, that's right, 70% of the dishes here contain some form of pork in them. And since my fluency in Vietnamese is still lacking, I'm sure I was told several times not to eat pork, but only listened when finally someone gave me an English pamphlet telling me not to eat pork. It's called, "Blue Ear Pig" disease and either the pig's ears or your ears turn blue and then you die. I think it's the pig's ears turn blue and then you die, but the pig is fine. Again, someone told me, but my translation of Vietnamese may be lacking.
Updates on Tinh, Meat Pie, and one of my new favorites, Baby Boy-Girl (Lin My):
Tinh is doing so incredibly well this week!!! Now when I sit her up and hold her upright by her waist, she can lift her head for fairly long periods of time. AND when we were playing with one of her favorite toys (colored wooden pegs that fit upright into holes in a wooden board), she is now able to place the peg into the hole on the board! This is HUGE! Up until now, we've been working on how to tear things apart, but this is the first time that we're putting something back together. She is SO proud of herself when she gets it right that literally her whole face just lights up with that enormous smile of hers! With the increased exercise, though, she seems to be going through a lot of water and enjoys weeing on me A LOT. Four times yesterday in 2 hours:) She is also getting much better at chewing her food, which is a great sign.
Oh my little Meat Pie... Sorry, Heather, but I still don't know her name. I have a hard time understanding the "Mother" at the center when she tells me, but I will find out today and update the post as soon as I know. So after working with the children at the Disabled playground of the Social Support Center, I went to visit my little Meat Pie and see how she was doing. Luckily, she was awake this time and not eating! This was amazing luck because she really only does 3 things: eats, sleeps, and... well, I'm getting there. So I pick her up and am cuddling her in my arms and trying to rock her off to sleep for a nap. I am making all sorts of ridiculous faces and sounds and all of a sudden, she looks up at me and smiles this GORGEOUS little toothless grin! My elation at this event gets interrupted by an extremely loud and rumbling bout of gas from Meat Pie's backside. She's still smiling at me and I just have to laugh at her cuteness. As I'm holding her, something just doesn't seem right, though... I look down and what do I find? Meat Pie has crapped on me. And like her abnormally loud and long farts, her bowel movements are pretty impressive. No wonder she was smiling. Cleaned her up (with the help of the Center "Mother" because again, there was A LOT OF IT. Apparently, she's "cheeky," and I love it:)
So I hope you remember Baby Boy-Girl from Week 1? Well, today I got to spend some quality time with her after we had a pool party for the children at the Malnourished Center. The pool party itself was AWESOME! The children were ECSTATIC by being in the water on such a hot day, and just kept splashing and jumping backwards to fall into the water. Tinh was also AMAZING as we dipped her a few times and then sat her on the edge of the pool with her feet in the cool water, which she actually KICKED WITH HER FEET!!! She doesn't usually get a lot of movement in her legs, and this was just INCREDIBLE!!! Ok, back to Baby Boy-Girl:) So Lin My is this wonderful 4 month old with a head of hair like Marv Albert. It's incredible. All the children at the Center got crew cuts this week because it's so hot, and she still has an incredible head of hair! Each, individual strand is ridiculous thick (like Superman thick) and grows directly perpendicular to her scalp. It's INCREDIBLE. Unfortunately, she looks like a baby boy and it's not helpful that she's always dressed like a little boy!!! Plaid diaper and a black tank top. Well, she just wouldn't go to sleep during nap-time today, which was when the staff and volunteers were sitting down to have lunch, so I picked her up and put her in my lap for a bit to rock her. She is SO canoodley and SO giggly, that I just stopped eating because I could not stop laughing with here!!! She holds onto your fingers with these little death grips that just reach past your fingers and wrap around your heart! And she is perfectly chubby and SO DAMN CUTE! So she started to drift off and then before I knew it, she was fast asleep in my lap. Literally laying in my lap as I sat with my legs crossed, napping away like I was a human crib. Super awesome. I just couldn't move because she was SO FREAKING CUTE! She looks like a little old man while she's sleeping, which may not sound cute, but it's pretty unbeatable!
I need to run to Social Support now, and then we're off tonight to our favorite hole-in-the-wall acoustic bar where these 2 Vietnamese sisters sing Vietnamese and American folk music, mixed with some AMAZING renditions of the Cranberries, accompanied by each other and a guitar... sometimes a tambourine. It's probably my favorite place in Da Nang. We're going out to celebrate the last night of one of our volunteers here. She will be the first of our volunteer class to leave this month, and then 3 of us will be going home shortly thereafter. I'm starting to feel very sad that our volunteer family is breaking up, but I'm also excited to come home to my amazing friends and family whom I miss SO MUCH!!!
Much love to you all!
mindy
Week 2: More drool, more wintergreen, more babies, and some downtime, too
First a big HELLO to Steve!!! So sorry that I haven't emailed but I don't have your email address anymore because it gotten taken away when I left GS (as did my income and anxiety)! Miss you tons and see you when I get back!
So I don't think I mentioned why I smell like wintergreen in my last post, which may have made the title a bit mysterious. I'm sure all (3) of you were frantically searching my post for more detail and I apologize for the oversight. While Vietnam definitely has cortisone cream and allergy medication, the Vietnamese seem to prefer rubbing something similar to tiger balm or a mysterious green oil called "Eagle Oil" on anything that ails them. Being the hypochondriac that I am (I have not 1, but 2 medical packs on me filled with OTC and Prescription medications), I just had to try.
Well, the first thing that I thought was, "Now I know what that fragrance is that my grandfather wears." No kidding, this is exactly what my grandfather smells like ALL THE TIME. Add to that my new $1.50 white, rubber "house" flip flops that I wear all the time, and you could probably mistake me for my arthritic grandfather, wandering around the house somewhere, looking lost (either actually lost in the living room or just lost in thought). However, if you can get past the wintergreen fragrance (there it is), I think that the green oil actually will cure what ails you! Got a headache? Rub it on your temples. Ear aches/itches? Rub some behind your ear lobe. Sinus problems? Rub some on the back of your neck. Mosquito bite? Rub some on to help stop the itching. Feet swollen from standing all day, dripping with babies from every appendage? Maybe go to a Reflexology place and have them rub some into your feet for an hour with the whopping price tag of $4.00. I kid you not, this stuff is a miracle elixir. Warning: it doesn't mask the smell of baby drool or any other baby bodily fluid.
Tinh & Meat Pie Update:
Tinh is my little superstar! She has made so much progress this week!!! We've only worked with her therapist 2-3 times, but she catches on so quickly! She now has amazing movement in her left arm. She had a fever of about 100 this week that put me in a small state of panic. She's been to hospital before for respiratory infections, and apparently is prone to viruses and bugs. We put a cool patch on her head to try and bring the fever down, which apparently annoyed the hell out of her. All of a sudden, she starts to get really agitated and with her left hand, she rips off the cool patch!!! Now, this was definitely not a good thing because she needed to keep it on. Yet, part of me was SO excited because this is a huge movement for her! To literally grab the corner of the cool patch and then pull it off her head takes a level of coordination that she has never exhibited before! Even while sick, she still managed to do this, which gives me so much hope that the work we're doing with her is truly affecting her future development. And thankfully, her fever dropped later that afternoon and within 2 days time, she was back to her usual self, laughing up a storm.
Still have no clue what Meat Pie's name is:P Sorry, Heather!!! I will tell you that Meat Pie's favorite activities seem to be either eating, sleeping, or passing gas with the intent to poo.
I wish I had more of an update, but unfortunately we don't work in the Baby Room at the Social Support Center anymore. We spend our time their working with disabled children in a playground that one of the former volunteers in our program gave funding to build. Apparently, before the playground, these children were literally tied to fences and cribs. The playground is beautiful, but unfortunately, hasn't been kept very well. There are only 2 elderly Center "Mothers" to care for all of these children, most of which were abandoned by the side of a road somewhere at a very young age. These children are anywhere from 10-15 and cannot use the bathroom and for the most part, cannot communicate with anyone. They are left in the playground, often unsupervised, and sometimes just relieve themselves where they are sitting. Some of the children seem to have taking to playing with their waste, as you can see hand prints of waste around the colored fence.
I am so sorry to be so graphic about this, but I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. We walked in to this playground, which smells like a port-a-potty, and saw children tied to the fence, covered with flies. The first thing we did when we came back was to clean the entire playground. My friend and I mopped the entire thing and cleaned each fence post. As bad as it sounds to do something like that, it was surprisingly easy to do when we realized what the alternative would be for these children. I wish I could say that I enjoy coming to this center, but it's physically and emotionally exhausting. There are times when I am actually a little scared because some of these children are very big and very strong, and when upset, can be intimidating. I don't go now without a male volunteer or the physical therapist, just because it can get a bit out of control if you are the only person with the 9 children that are usually there. However fatiguing it can be, though, it is also incredibly rewarding at the end of the day. Yet I've gotten to lying awake at night unable to sleep because I feel like what we're doing to help is so infinitesimal sometimes and I wonder what will happen to these children in the long run.
Sorry to bring the mood down, but this week was definitely harder and more eye-opening than last week. However, on the fun side, I wanted to write a little about what's going on in my life outside of work. I live in a house with 7 other volunteers, ranging in age from 20 - 45. It's pretty evenly spread out age-wise. For fun, we usually end up drinking beer at a bar next door where the owner has adopted our Scottish housemate as her son. This is pretty interesting to see as she is about 5'4", 110 lbs, and he is about 6'2", 250 lbs. And obviously, she's Vietnamese and he's Scottish, which also makes the mother-son idea pretty ridiculous. We usually go drinking with Mr. Khai, or trusty, drunken, always sleepy, house guard who watches over us at night. Mr. Khai usually yells in Vietnamese, "No drunk, no home!" What a motto, especially since Mr. Khai usually shows up to work smelling like a brewery. To be fair, it could just be residual from the previous night... yeah... that's it... But there is NO better person to go drinking with than Mr. Khai, who makes no sense in either English or Vietnamese, and will randomly chime into your conversation with, "Yeah yeah yeah," followed by hysterical laughter:) FYI, the toast in Vietnam goes: "Mot, Hai, Ba, YO!" which translated means, "1, 2, 3, YO!" I know, it's poetic:) The night usually ends with a drunken rendition of a song that has a chorus of, "Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh! Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh!" There are lots of other words, of course, but those are the only ones that seem to stick with us.
We also go to Hoi An, the local Beach Town, on the weekends. We had an amazing time at a party that runs all night on Cua Dai beach at a bar/club that has a lighted pool area. The pool is very refreshing at night, but nothing beats swimming in the ocean at night and looking up at the starry sky. There are also phosphorescent little creatures that live in the water, so when you move your arms around you, you hit them and they light up. It looks like amazing, sparkling water surrounding you. The water is tepid at its coldest, goes only waist-high, and the sand is soft and smooth under your feet. It's such an amazing experience to walk through the water and then float on your back and try and spot a constellation. The water is peaceful and comforting, and is the closest (but not at all equal) thing to going to sleep next to my husband at night that I have ever experienced. (I'm sure this last line will get some "aws" and a lot of "blehs," but I don't care!)
I miss you all and can't wait to see you when I get home:)
Much love,
mindy
So I don't think I mentioned why I smell like wintergreen in my last post, which may have made the title a bit mysterious. I'm sure all (3) of you were frantically searching my post for more detail and I apologize for the oversight. While Vietnam definitely has cortisone cream and allergy medication, the Vietnamese seem to prefer rubbing something similar to tiger balm or a mysterious green oil called "Eagle Oil" on anything that ails them. Being the hypochondriac that I am (I have not 1, but 2 medical packs on me filled with OTC and Prescription medications), I just had to try.
Well, the first thing that I thought was, "Now I know what that fragrance is that my grandfather wears." No kidding, this is exactly what my grandfather smells like ALL THE TIME. Add to that my new $1.50 white, rubber "house" flip flops that I wear all the time, and you could probably mistake me for my arthritic grandfather, wandering around the house somewhere, looking lost (either actually lost in the living room or just lost in thought). However, if you can get past the wintergreen fragrance (there it is), I think that the green oil actually will cure what ails you! Got a headache? Rub it on your temples. Ear aches/itches? Rub some behind your ear lobe. Sinus problems? Rub some on the back of your neck. Mosquito bite? Rub some on to help stop the itching. Feet swollen from standing all day, dripping with babies from every appendage? Maybe go to a Reflexology place and have them rub some into your feet for an hour with the whopping price tag of $4.00. I kid you not, this stuff is a miracle elixir. Warning: it doesn't mask the smell of baby drool or any other baby bodily fluid.
Tinh & Meat Pie Update:
Tinh is my little superstar! She has made so much progress this week!!! We've only worked with her therapist 2-3 times, but she catches on so quickly! She now has amazing movement in her left arm. She had a fever of about 100 this week that put me in a small state of panic. She's been to hospital before for respiratory infections, and apparently is prone to viruses and bugs. We put a cool patch on her head to try and bring the fever down, which apparently annoyed the hell out of her. All of a sudden, she starts to get really agitated and with her left hand, she rips off the cool patch!!! Now, this was definitely not a good thing because she needed to keep it on. Yet, part of me was SO excited because this is a huge movement for her! To literally grab the corner of the cool patch and then pull it off her head takes a level of coordination that she has never exhibited before! Even while sick, she still managed to do this, which gives me so much hope that the work we're doing with her is truly affecting her future development. And thankfully, her fever dropped later that afternoon and within 2 days time, she was back to her usual self, laughing up a storm.
Still have no clue what Meat Pie's name is:P Sorry, Heather!!! I will tell you that Meat Pie's favorite activities seem to be either eating, sleeping, or passing gas with the intent to poo.
I wish I had more of an update, but unfortunately we don't work in the Baby Room at the Social Support Center anymore. We spend our time their working with disabled children in a playground that one of the former volunteers in our program gave funding to build. Apparently, before the playground, these children were literally tied to fences and cribs. The playground is beautiful, but unfortunately, hasn't been kept very well. There are only 2 elderly Center "Mothers" to care for all of these children, most of which were abandoned by the side of a road somewhere at a very young age. These children are anywhere from 10-15 and cannot use the bathroom and for the most part, cannot communicate with anyone. They are left in the playground, often unsupervised, and sometimes just relieve themselves where they are sitting. Some of the children seem to have taking to playing with their waste, as you can see hand prints of waste around the colored fence.
I am so sorry to be so graphic about this, but I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. We walked in to this playground, which smells like a port-a-potty, and saw children tied to the fence, covered with flies. The first thing we did when we came back was to clean the entire playground. My friend and I mopped the entire thing and cleaned each fence post. As bad as it sounds to do something like that, it was surprisingly easy to do when we realized what the alternative would be for these children. I wish I could say that I enjoy coming to this center, but it's physically and emotionally exhausting. There are times when I am actually a little scared because some of these children are very big and very strong, and when upset, can be intimidating. I don't go now without a male volunteer or the physical therapist, just because it can get a bit out of control if you are the only person with the 9 children that are usually there. However fatiguing it can be, though, it is also incredibly rewarding at the end of the day. Yet I've gotten to lying awake at night unable to sleep because I feel like what we're doing to help is so infinitesimal sometimes and I wonder what will happen to these children in the long run.
Sorry to bring the mood down, but this week was definitely harder and more eye-opening than last week. However, on the fun side, I wanted to write a little about what's going on in my life outside of work. I live in a house with 7 other volunteers, ranging in age from 20 - 45. It's pretty evenly spread out age-wise. For fun, we usually end up drinking beer at a bar next door where the owner has adopted our Scottish housemate as her son. This is pretty interesting to see as she is about 5'4", 110 lbs, and he is about 6'2", 250 lbs. And obviously, she's Vietnamese and he's Scottish, which also makes the mother-son idea pretty ridiculous. We usually go drinking with Mr. Khai, or trusty, drunken, always sleepy, house guard who watches over us at night. Mr. Khai usually yells in Vietnamese, "No drunk, no home!" What a motto, especially since Mr. Khai usually shows up to work smelling like a brewery. To be fair, it could just be residual from the previous night... yeah... that's it... But there is NO better person to go drinking with than Mr. Khai, who makes no sense in either English or Vietnamese, and will randomly chime into your conversation with, "Yeah yeah yeah," followed by hysterical laughter:) FYI, the toast in Vietnam goes: "Mot, Hai, Ba, YO!" which translated means, "1, 2, 3, YO!" I know, it's poetic:) The night usually ends with a drunken rendition of a song that has a chorus of, "Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh! Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh!" There are lots of other words, of course, but those are the only ones that seem to stick with us.
We also go to Hoi An, the local Beach Town, on the weekends. We had an amazing time at a party that runs all night on Cua Dai beach at a bar/club that has a lighted pool area. The pool is very refreshing at night, but nothing beats swimming in the ocean at night and looking up at the starry sky. There are also phosphorescent little creatures that live in the water, so when you move your arms around you, you hit them and they light up. It looks like amazing, sparkling water surrounding you. The water is tepid at its coldest, goes only waist-high, and the sand is soft and smooth under your feet. It's such an amazing experience to walk through the water and then float on your back and try and spot a constellation. The water is peaceful and comforting, and is the closest (but not at all equal) thing to going to sleep next to my husband at night that I have ever experienced. (I'm sure this last line will get some "aws" and a lot of "blehs," but I don't care!)
I miss you all and can't wait to see you when I get home:)
Much love,
mindy
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Week 1: I smell like baby drool and wintergreen...
It's been an incredible first week in Da Nang. I feel like I've been here for a month already and have quickly fallen into the volunteering schedule. I wake up at 6:30AM every day and take a cold shower because a) there's no hot water and b) it's like 35 degrees Celsius here with no air conditioning, so I'd be sweating in the shower, thereby defeating the purpose of showering in the first place. I talk to Chris, who is usually still working like crazy, and then help Co Quyen and Co Hai (our House Mothers) in the kitchen if I can. Usually, they feel we're too incompetent for the heavy lifting, so we're asked to move chairs or get chopsticks:)
The day starts at 8:30AM with our first orphanages. We work with 6 different orphanages and each volunteer visits all 6 during the course of a week, usually going to each 2+ times. Everyone's favorite is a place called Malnourished where there are two groups: toddlers and babies. They babies are ADORABLE. Vietnamese names are hard and it doesn't help that we work with 200+ children a week, so we come up with nicknames for the babies who don't seem to mind. For example, my roommate Lindsay's favorite baby is "Baby Boy-Girl" whom she named because she was sure the baby was a boy due to an AMAZING (seriously, very startling) amount of head hair. During the past month, she still thought the baby was a boy, even though she had changed her several times. Not until someone else brought it to her attention that her "favorite baby boy" was really a girl did she take time to take a look. Sure enough, it's a girl. Thus, "Baby Boy-Girl" has seemed to stick.
My favorite baby is "Meat Pie" from the Social Support orphanage. She's rotund. She's definitely got at least a kilo on the other babies in the center. The first time I picked her up, she farted on me 3 times (so loudly that my arms shook) and then spit up all over me. How could I not fall in love? She's ridiculously cute, but doesn't need a lot of care-giving since she really does just eat, fart, spit up, poop and then sleep (sleep being her favorite activity after eating). I LOVE that baby!
At Malnourished, I prefer hanging out with the toddlers who are CRAZY! They have SO much energy and literally start screaming and jumping when we arrive (probably because we start screaming and jumping, too). My favorite baby is Tinh, who is probably 2-3 years old and has (we think) Cerebral palsy. I promise you that you have NEVER seen a smile this big and a giggle as contagious as hers!!! I promise to post a picture and some video soon, but I always forget because I just have so much fun being around her! I've been working with her therapist to help her with motor skills and comprehension. She is SO smart and truly understands everything we are saying. Only her left arm is really functional, but she is starting to get really good and picking things up with it. She can also hold her head up much better now and may even start to try feeding herself this week!!! And her eyelashes are about a mile long! Wait until I post a picture and some video; she will literally fill you with happiness and make whatever frustration in your day just disappear:)
I've ended up doing a lot of work with the disabled children at the centers. I've formed a good working relationship with Tinh's therapist who is working with all of the other centers now and I really enjoy help him with the children. The children affected by Agent Orange are so incredibly smart and loving that your heart just melts when you walk in and they all open their arms waiting for you to hug them. With the great times, there are some difficult times as well. At one of the centers, we asked the management if we could clean the outdoor playroom where they keep the disabled children. There are only 2 elderly "Mothers" to take care of 15 disabled children, some as old as 15/16. Unfortunately, the playground was covered in waste and flies where literally layering the floor and sitting on the children. Some of the children were tied to the fence because they can be aggressive to the other children, etc. The first visit was very difficult to experience. When we came back, we cleaned the entire playground and then spent the rest of the time trying to engage the children, which proved extremely difficult. This will definitely be my hardest job while here, but to see how much difference we can make is unlike anything I have ever done before.
The first week is already gone and now I've started keeping track of the time in reverse counting of how many chances I have left to spend with my kids... especially Dinh. I didn't think I wanted to work with the orphanages when I first applied and I can't tell you what a blessing it was that I was placed here. If you ever have the opportunity to do this or if you have ever even thought of trying to do something like this, please do!!!
I miss you all so much!!!
Much Love,
mindy
The day starts at 8:30AM with our first orphanages. We work with 6 different orphanages and each volunteer visits all 6 during the course of a week, usually going to each 2+ times. Everyone's favorite is a place called Malnourished where there are two groups: toddlers and babies. They babies are ADORABLE. Vietnamese names are hard and it doesn't help that we work with 200+ children a week, so we come up with nicknames for the babies who don't seem to mind. For example, my roommate Lindsay's favorite baby is "Baby Boy-Girl" whom she named because she was sure the baby was a boy due to an AMAZING (seriously, very startling) amount of head hair. During the past month, she still thought the baby was a boy, even though she had changed her several times. Not until someone else brought it to her attention that her "favorite baby boy" was really a girl did she take time to take a look. Sure enough, it's a girl. Thus, "Baby Boy-Girl" has seemed to stick.
My favorite baby is "Meat Pie" from the Social Support orphanage. She's rotund. She's definitely got at least a kilo on the other babies in the center. The first time I picked her up, she farted on me 3 times (so loudly that my arms shook) and then spit up all over me. How could I not fall in love? She's ridiculously cute, but doesn't need a lot of care-giving since she really does just eat, fart, spit up, poop and then sleep (sleep being her favorite activity after eating). I LOVE that baby!
At Malnourished, I prefer hanging out with the toddlers who are CRAZY! They have SO much energy and literally start screaming and jumping when we arrive (probably because we start screaming and jumping, too). My favorite baby is Tinh, who is probably 2-3 years old and has (we think) Cerebral palsy. I promise you that you have NEVER seen a smile this big and a giggle as contagious as hers!!! I promise to post a picture and some video soon, but I always forget because I just have so much fun being around her! I've been working with her therapist to help her with motor skills and comprehension. She is SO smart and truly understands everything we are saying. Only her left arm is really functional, but she is starting to get really good and picking things up with it. She can also hold her head up much better now and may even start to try feeding herself this week!!! And her eyelashes are about a mile long! Wait until I post a picture and some video; she will literally fill you with happiness and make whatever frustration in your day just disappear:)
I've ended up doing a lot of work with the disabled children at the centers. I've formed a good working relationship with Tinh's therapist who is working with all of the other centers now and I really enjoy help him with the children. The children affected by Agent Orange are so incredibly smart and loving that your heart just melts when you walk in and they all open their arms waiting for you to hug them. With the great times, there are some difficult times as well. At one of the centers, we asked the management if we could clean the outdoor playroom where they keep the disabled children. There are only 2 elderly "Mothers" to take care of 15 disabled children, some as old as 15/16. Unfortunately, the playground was covered in waste and flies where literally layering the floor and sitting on the children. Some of the children were tied to the fence because they can be aggressive to the other children, etc. The first visit was very difficult to experience. When we came back, we cleaned the entire playground and then spent the rest of the time trying to engage the children, which proved extremely difficult. This will definitely be my hardest job while here, but to see how much difference we can make is unlike anything I have ever done before.
The first week is already gone and now I've started keeping track of the time in reverse counting of how many chances I have left to spend with my kids... especially Dinh. I didn't think I wanted to work with the orphanages when I first applied and I can't tell you what a blessing it was that I was placed here. If you ever have the opportunity to do this or if you have ever even thought of trying to do something like this, please do!!!
I miss you all so much!!!
Much Love,
mindy
Friday, July 13, 2007
my first post on my first blog...
i feel like i've officially reached that age where here i am, so excited because i've finally caught up with technology, and 12-year-olds are rolling their eyes at me and calling me a geezer... stings a bit.
it's just past midnight on saturday morning just a few days before i take off for vietnam. while making a list of things i needed to pack for my trip (bug spray and pepto bismo being prominent on the list), i realized that i had promised several people that i would create a blog to stay in touch with everyone. lifelong member of the procrastination club, i finally realized that i would probably need to create one before leaving the states.
i keep getting the, "are you so excited for your trip???" question, which i always think is funny, but yet would certainly ask if it was the other way around. so yes, i am very excited. "thuper-duper exthited." it's been 15 years since my last trip to vietnam, and the changes there are supposed to be drastic. but hey, the changes that i've undergone in 15 years are pretty amazing, too. so here is my quick mindy vs. vietnam breakdown for you (not in any particular order):
vietnam: us embargo lifted in 1994
mindy: braces removed in 1994
vietnam: fastest growing gdp in southeast asia
mindy: gained 10% of my body weight in a year, resulting in dr. telling me i have a problem
vietnam: cities have undergone amazing urbanization - mother's childhood home now internet cafe
mindy: underwent expensive academic growth, stunted and traumatized by employment in financial services, now officially unemployed and pursuing "the arts"
vietnam: largest producer of cashew nuts in the world
mindy: largest consumer of cashew nuts in the world
ok, that last one may be an exaggeration. As you can see, both vietnam and i are much different than at our last meeting, and i am exhilarated at the thought of our next encounter. i will be volunteering in orphanages in da nang starting august 1st for one month. i don't think i am at all prepared for what i'm in store for, but i am illuminated with hope. for your enjoyment, though: i was naively surprised when i received an email from a current volunteer advising me not to worry about bringing my own lice medication for the children, as they have plenty there...
so yeah, i swapped my high-paying job in finance to instead pay to delouse orphans in vietnam. you know what? best damn decision i've ever made. and no, it's not a quarter-life crisis. it may just be a life-crisis, or a humanity-crisis, though.
i am so lucky and blessed to have such an incredible support network giving me the confidence to take that leap towards true happiness. thank you friends, thank you family, and thank you so much, Chris. i used to say, filled with disgust, "i can't believe this is my life." now, i truly can't believe that this is my life... and i mean that in the most disgustingly, exuberant way:)
much love,
mindy
it's just past midnight on saturday morning just a few days before i take off for vietnam. while making a list of things i needed to pack for my trip (bug spray and pepto bismo being prominent on the list), i realized that i had promised several people that i would create a blog to stay in touch with everyone. lifelong member of the procrastination club, i finally realized that i would probably need to create one before leaving the states.
i keep getting the, "are you so excited for your trip???" question, which i always think is funny, but yet would certainly ask if it was the other way around. so yes, i am very excited. "thuper-duper exthited." it's been 15 years since my last trip to vietnam, and the changes there are supposed to be drastic. but hey, the changes that i've undergone in 15 years are pretty amazing, too. so here is my quick mindy vs. vietnam breakdown for you (not in any particular order):
vietnam: us embargo lifted in 1994
mindy: braces removed in 1994
vietnam: fastest growing gdp in southeast asia
mindy: gained 10% of my body weight in a year, resulting in dr. telling me i have a problem
vietnam: cities have undergone amazing urbanization - mother's childhood home now internet cafe
mindy: underwent expensive academic growth, stunted and traumatized by employment in financial services, now officially unemployed and pursuing "the arts"
vietnam: largest producer of cashew nuts in the world
mindy: largest consumer of cashew nuts in the world
ok, that last one may be an exaggeration. As you can see, both vietnam and i are much different than at our last meeting, and i am exhilarated at the thought of our next encounter. i will be volunteering in orphanages in da nang starting august 1st for one month. i don't think i am at all prepared for what i'm in store for, but i am illuminated with hope. for your enjoyment, though: i was naively surprised when i received an email from a current volunteer advising me not to worry about bringing my own lice medication for the children, as they have plenty there...
so yeah, i swapped my high-paying job in finance to instead pay to delouse orphans in vietnam. you know what? best damn decision i've ever made. and no, it's not a quarter-life crisis. it may just be a life-crisis, or a humanity-crisis, though.
i am so lucky and blessed to have such an incredible support network giving me the confidence to take that leap towards true happiness. thank you friends, thank you family, and thank you so much, Chris. i used to say, filled with disgust, "i can't believe this is my life." now, i truly can't believe that this is my life... and i mean that in the most disgustingly, exuberant way:)
much love,
mindy
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