Vietnam - Week 3

I had to take a break after posting about the first two weeks. Ha! Anyway, the last week in Vietnam was great. We spent the first few days of it in Hoi An, a little coastal city that is famous for its textiles...you can buy amazing silk (and other fabrics)and have them turned into clothing in 24 hours! Needless to say, I did a little shopping while I was there. Here's a picture of one of my dresses...



That's one of our Vietnamese dentists with me in the photo. She was my age, and a dentist, which I thought was kinda crazy.

We also had the chance to go to the beach again while we were there - for a few hours anyway. I was glad to be able to go and relax and read on the beach. We did a couple of clinics in that area. It was really hot and humid there, and most of the places we went to didn't have electricity, or glass in the windows, or much protection from the heat at all. (Or plumbing, but that's a different story...) Those clinics were long days, but well worth it. Especially seeing all the cute little kids.



Our last clinic was at a youth shelter in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It was a place where kids ages 5 through 17 or 18 are placed when they are in trouble with the law or their families have kicked them out or abandoned them. Some kids are abandoned by their families for what seems like no reason at all, such as they have a big birthmark that is seen by the family as a curse. One little girl I saw had been kidnapped by her own uncle and held for ransom. Another little boy's medical card read that he was there because "his parents didn't want him at home anymore". It was very sad, but what struck me was how happy many of the kids seemed. They have a terrible lot in life, but still manage to stay happy and do things for others. I was helping out in the pharmacy that day, and near the end of the day, a bunch of the teenage girls came out of a class where they had been making hand-embroidered greeting cards. They set up a little stand later where they sold the cards and other things to us, but first one of the girls came up to me and presented me with her card, in which she had hand-written and little message. Her teacher told me, "She wants to give this to you." I had one of our Vietnamese interpreters translate it for me, and then I got a picture with the girl, whose name was Lan Anh.



She wrote me a very sweet note, thanking us for coming to her school, and wishing me well in her health and travels. The card was beautiful too, with hand-embroidered birds on a silk background. It was moments like that that made the heat and the long days worth it!

Right after that we visited an orphanage across the street. This was only two days before we left, but it ended up being the turning point for me on the trip. It really made me realize how much these kids in Vietnam go though, and how much they need someone there to love them. Going to the orphanage that day was a pretty tough experience, and I left there in tears. After holding the sweet little babies in the baby room, and then seeing the suffering babies in the handicapped room, I broke down crying and wished I could take every one of them home with me, because it was so hard knowing that most of them didn't have a chance in life. Even the ones with totally treatable medical conditions would probably never get the treatment they need, because most doctors won't touch an orphan child.




It broke my heart, but I managed to get up the courage to visit another orphanage the next day. That one happened to be the orphanage where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie adopted their son Pax. I only know because there was this bulletin board that was practically a shrine to them outside the front doors of the orphanage (which I thought was a little silly). Anyway, we went into the toddler room first at that one, and as soon as the children saw us coming, the doors burst open and before I could even look twice a little boy had jumped into my arms and was squeezing me so tight, I couldn't believe a three-year-old had a grip that strong! He laid his head on my shoulder and probably would have stayed there forever if I hadn't had to put him down because another child was clamoring for his turn to be held. These children were so desperate for love and affection. They didn't want to let us go when it was time to move on to the next room and see other children. It was really hard letting them go, and knowing that they might not ever have a family of their own. I think these last two orphanages were a turning point for me because it made me really start to consider international adoption.



Oh, also, we visited a preschool class while we were there. The kids were incredibly well-behaved, and sat there practicing writing their letters. Then suddenly one little boy, who couldn't have been more than five, asked us if we wanted to see him do a hip-hop dance. This was the most hilarious, adorable thing that I have ever seen. I wish I had it on video, but here's a picture:


We also got to visit another sort-of orphanage, it's a place that's run by nuns and gives free day care to children and babies while their mothers work. The nuns there are doing so much to help the orphans and the people in need, but there is so much more that needs to be done.



Later that day we had some time to go shopping and see a little bit of Saigon. It's a pretty crazy city, very crowded, with tons going on at every second. There are motorbikes and scooters everywhere (you have to watch closely so you don't get hit!) and street vendors hounding you every couple of feet, practically begging you with the few English words they know to buy whatever they're selling. I didn't get many pictures of Saigon, because I didn't have a lot of time there, but maybe this one will show just a little bit of how crazy/crowded it was...even the electrical and phone lines were a jumbled mess overhead, strung back and forth between the buildings.

Our hotel was pretty nice too. I wish I could remember what it was called...but anyway, apparently it's pretty famous because the rooftop restaurant (where I ate dinner one night while listening to a terrible Filipino cover band sing the Pina Colada Song and Hotel California) is where the government officials and diplomats sat watching the city burn during the fall of Saigon. It's got a great view of the city still.


The last night the whole group went for a farewell dinner at a restaurant, Blue Ginger. We all had a great time dressing up in our newly made clothes and celebrating our trip. Here is a picture of most of the medical team.



The trip truly was a great experience, and I loved working with this team. It also solidified my desire and love for humanitarian work, and I hope there are many more trips like this to come!