Vietnam Orphanage Volunteer Journals

The great thing about the Tuy Hoa programme is that there is always something different to do.  We teach a couple of classes at the Fishing Village school and the little school – which is literally a little school for little people (about 15 kids being taught in this small room).
These kids come from low socio economic backgrounds and we are their English teachers!!  Today we did ABC practice then some numbers 1 – 10. We always sing songs – “If you are happy and you know it” etc etc and reada story. I love reading stories to the kids [...]

The Tuy Hoa Childrens programme is mainly working with young kids and teaching them english although there is a caring element to the whole programme.
At all of the placements we go to there is some kind of extra need. Either the kids are disabled or they are from low socio economic backgrounds (which is pretty low in Vietnam!) or they are from poor families and from rural areas and have come to the city to get an education. All the children have higher needs and are often lacking the basic nurishment that you or I would be used too as [...]

When I was told that It would be an 8 hour bus ride to Tuy Hoa (pronouced “Tea Wah”) I had my first – what AM I doing? moment. 8 hours on a Vietnamese bus….. that could mean anything but soon my fears were gone and we were on our way.  The bus was more like a large mini van and yes, it was pretty full with people and baggage and sure, our toilet stops were on the side of the road – but the experience was brillant the the views were something else.
The highway runs down the coast of [...]

I was asked to go to the kindergarten class one last monday morning.  This is the first time I’ve been to this placement.  Since it was last minute, I had to wing it.  From what I gathered, the class were taught their ABCs and numbers in English.  I brought along flash cards from the house.  The kiddies started out very polite and greeted me with, “Good Morning, Teacher” as is the sign of respect in the Asian culture.   But after trying to get them to review the English alphabet with them, some of the kids were into mischief and weren’t [...]

Now that Jen F, operations manager, is back, we each have our own assigned tasks.  We are using our specialties to help where we can.  I’ve been in IT for the past 15 years so I have been assigned with assessing the 8 donated laptops and 1 broken desktop.   Once I assess them I’ll be able to configure them with a standard build.  Although all the machines are different models, I can’t have a standard image.  I’ll have to attend to each machine, one at time to ensure they are somewhat standardized with the same applications and configuration.   This shouldn’t [...]

Our last stop in SE Asia is this small  town on the banks of a salty tidal river near the coast in southern Cambodia. The diffference from Phnom Penh is like going from Birmingham to say a Cornish town. There are no public buses in Cambodia, or Laos, and no trains. So you have to find the coach company which runs the way you want to go. On the road from Phnom  we passed lots of people using the alternative long distance method if the 6 dollars fare is too much for you or you are going somewhere the coach company doesn’t. We used to [...]

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know a bit about Mr. Viet.  He is the founder of GVN Vietnam.  He is a very devout Buddhist and family man with a 5 year old son and an almost year old daughter.  He had a very tough childhood and adult life.  But now his life is much better for it.  Each time we speak to him, he shares a bit more about his life.  A man in his forties, he is passionate about his volunteer organization.  He has employed his friends and family to help [...]

I’m inMakaibari tea estate, Bengal in India and it’s great here. Will be travelling to Vietnam over the weekend and looking forward to the experience

We are sitting in wicker armchairs at dusk, in a bar on one corner of Sissowath Quai which stretches along the riverside and is a meeting place for everyone, Kymer and foreigner. The beer is cheap so this bar attacts some of the young backpacker crowd as well as the restless wrinklies.  A couple in the former category arrive. He is tall and skeletal with bone thin arms and dark straggly hair, just pre dreads, which at one stage has had  blond highlights added. She is small, with her hair braided and is slightly more cleanly dressed. They are both barefoot.
On the pavement outisde, a [...]

It’s the 3rd weekend and we were off to Hue.  This city is known for its Bun Bo Hue, a spicy and sour rice vermicelli soup.  My mission was to try as many of the Bun Bo noodles there as possible.  The drive from Da Nang to Hue was picturesque; very green with lush vegetation.  We drove along the windy coastal road.  There was a light sprinkle of rain but wasn’t too much.   We could see Da Nang Bay during the drive.   Definitely plenty of scenic pictures.   Our driver even stopped a few times along the road for us to take a few pictures.
The hotel [...]

Our first stop in Cambodia was at the town of Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. I hadn’t even heard of Angkor until we started reading books about the area. Ín any case, nothing prepares for you for such a place. What you see, walking in the heat around a huge area, is the remains of an ancient city which was the centre of a Kymer empire, Angkor,  which included all of Laos and Thailand, for 500 years.  The site is vaster than anything in Rome or Greece and you cannot walk around it in fact – you have to have transport of some kind even [...]

In the past couple of nights, I’ve met about 10 of the neighborhood kids.   They just came onto the street and in front of the GVN house.  They wanted to play with someone.  This week is Tet week so they don’t have school this whole week and are allowed to stay up late and play.   The neighborhood is so safe that the children run around in the streets at night.  The kids range from 2 to 12 years old.  They seem to know about the volunteer house which has been established for over a year now.   They are very happy playing at [...]

The weather in Da Nang has been the past 2 weeks I’ve been here really hot and humid.  This is in February where most of us in the States aren’t too used to heat in the middle of winter.   It is a welcome change to most but to me I prefer the cold as you can escape the cold with some clothes or coverings.  The heat and humidity is a bit more difficult to manage without electricity, AC, fans and some ice.   The GVN house doesn’t have AC but it has over 20 fans in almost every room, even in one [...]

I wanted to tell holiday stories that started with “Back in Nam”.  It was a pretty simple idea really but it quickly became more.  Not only did I want a holiday but I needed to do something more. To experience a culture and give back to the people. Thats what led my to GNV and the Vietnam volunteer programme.  I offcially start on the 1st of March but until then I will use this journal to record how I am feeling and what I am up too travelling through Vietnam and on the road to my Volunteer placement in Tuy [...]

Happy New Year!  After spending Friday and Saturday in Hoi An again, the group came back to Da Nang last night as Mr. Viet invited us to join him in celebration.  Today is the first day of the new lunar new year, Tet.  Tet is a very big occassion for the Vietnamese.   The week leading up to today was bustling with all sorts of activity on the streets and in the stores.  People rush to buy all their goods from the markets in preparation of a big celebratory feast yesterday and today.   The country is pretty much in shutdown mode [...]

The past few days at the Social Protection Agency,  I’ve been working with Tam who is disabled pretty much all over his body.   He is 27 years old.   I work on helping him stretch out his limbs and massaging him to loosen up his tightened muscles.  His limbs are very stiff.  He can’t walk, he can’t sit up straight without someone helping him out.   You just have to withstand the sweaty palms and stench.  He can’t help it as sometimes he reeks of urine.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough people to care for him. 
As one of my previous blogs mentioned, [...]

Yesterday at the AOV2, as we were short handed; half of the volunteers had already left for their trip to Thailand during the Tet New Year holiday.  I changed washed and bathed at least 10 babies.  My back has been really sore from the previous day and I couldn’t figure out why until during the baths.  We use these baby bath tubs filled half way full with water.  Hunched over the floor, I bathed these tiny babies.   About midway through, I felt my back getting very sore.  This is something that the mothers do day in day out.  I only do this for 2 [...]

Last night was a pretty hot night as it has been the past couple of weeks I’ve been here.   The 3 story house was hot even at night.  Most of the volunteers went up to the rooftop to enjoy the cooler outside breeze; view the most of the city and have a glass of Australian wine purchased from the supermarket.
There are 2 big ones in the city, Co.Op Mart and Big C.  I’ve only been to Co.Op Mart.  It’s huge in there.  It reminds me of the ones I saw in China.  People constantly pushing and shoving.   While in line, a Vietnamese lady even [...]

There’s a brand new casino, Crowne International just outside of Da Nang proper, in between Hoi An and Da Nang.  One of the volunteers, Steven mentioned that he had been there.  On Tuesday night, 4 of us volunteers, Michelle, Amber, Tifanny and I, decided to go and check it out after a night of walking on the main street.  The street was bustling with all sorts of activity.  Not the normal ones we expect to see in the States.  There are street vendors as well as stores all lit up with florescent light.   You can find food, plants, cell phones and anything [...]

Which to choose – the public, the express or the VIP bus?  They all go down through the mountains from Luang Prabang to the capital of Laos, Vientiane,and all take more than 8 or 9 hours, make that 10 – 11 hours, for a 400 kilometre journey. Of course, we choose the VIP bus which turns out to be just as uncomfortable as probably the other 2 are but the small extra cost of the ticket does cover a small cake and water for breakfast plus a hot lunch at the mid day stop. The road leaves the beautiful oasis of Luang Prabang behind and [...]

even i don’t consider that i’ve done much in the first week, it’s been pretty draining seeing the orphans and disabled kids.  the traffic is crazy mad here.  we even witnessed a little boy get hit by a truck while crossing the street.  luckily the truck stopped in time and didn’t smash into the kid.  he was able to get up and dust himself off.  the food is pretty good here but we’ve only tried street food a couple of times. the most exotic has been sea snails sauteed with lemon grass. will have to try more later.
i’m doing pretty [...]

This past weekend, as there was no volunteer work, we got to travel a bit.  Hoi An is a nearby city.  On the way to Hoi An for the weekend, we booked a tour of My Son which is one of the Champa ruins.   The ancient ruins is mostly kept in tact but suffered from many an American bombings during the Vietnam war.  The Champa are a people who used to live and control most of Southern Vietnam.  Today they are mostly intermingled with the Viet people.
After touring the ancient ruins, we got to enjoy a traditional showing of the Champa [...]

There is one person at the Social Protection placement that has earned my respect.  Although he is by definition disabled, he has shown more strength and courage than the average person. Tam, whose body is totally twisted like a pretzel, has the strength to go through daily therapy.  As a cripple with cerebral palsy, he has not been given a proper education yet he perseveres in learning his ABCs in English.   He also wants to learn how to read in Vietnamese but no one seems to have time to do that.
The day starts with GVN visiting the Social Protection [...]

Eating in Vietnam is a reminder of how squeamish and restricted our apparently broad food culture has become in Britain.  Not content with pork, chicken, beef, (there is no lamb here) the Vietnamese eat a wide range of animals – gecko, crocodile, frog of course, birds, snake and dog – they are all available in Nam. The dogs lie about lazily, half pets and half street animals and then the dog hunter goes out and shoots a few. The meat is very good for pregnant women  and makes men strong, they say. We went up the steps into a rather smart restuarant [...]

When you see the little baby orphans in their little cribs,  you immediately feel sympathy for them.  Your heart aches when you see their cute little faces and wonder how their parents can abandon them.  The reasons are numerous but it most likely is due to social economics.   The babies are in lockdown.  But, how many of us have have ever felt so couped up at home that they think they would go insane?  Imagine the 4 mothers at the Agent Orange Victims 2 (AOV2) who take care of over 35 baby orphans.  They are paid on average about $80 per month which is even low [...]

After having the first real volunteer work day under my belt, I still feel at times lost and time constrained.  The day is long but it doesn’t appear that enough has been done.
The day starts with being fed breakfast and trying to gather everyone, international and local Vietnamese university students who volunteer for experience, into the van to carpool into our 1st placement at the Social Protective agency.  Was it my lack of preparation that I was unprepared for English tutoring with 3 teenagers?  It is a factor but the bigger factor is a lack of hand off from the [...]

Suddenly, we’ve become anonymous.  There are foreigners all over the place now we’re in Hanoi.  Perhaps not so many as in other tourist destinations but after our high profile in Tuy Hoa we are no longer noticed.  We’re just part of the crowd and not the only ‘big noses’ (yes – noses) in town.  So no more shouts of  ‘hello, howar  yoo’  and from the children especially, waves and victory signs.  Thereagain, we were beginning to lose our novelty value anyway, or, as I liked to think of  it, sadly, our celebrity status – we can all dream!!
Whatever, Hanoi is chaotic, noisy [...]

Yesterday was orientation, designed to help new volunteers understand the program and its vision.  The other staff are very friendly, helpful and even very playful.  Mr. Viet, the founder of GVN-Vietnam, seems very passionate about this program which was started in 2004 after his multiple experiences with volunteerism around Vietnam.  His ideas are to use volunteers from English speaking  countries to help the community improve its conversational English as well as enunciation / pronunciation and to have them help with the orphanages GVN is associated with.   One of the side effects, so to speak, is that the Vietnamese placement manager, Huong, [...]

I’ve got less than 12 hours to go before I fly out.  Back the country where I was born over 30 years ago.  I’ve not been back since leaving in ‘78, never was interested in being back before.  But now at least I have purpose.   My goals are to 1) help where I can at the orphanages, 2) immerse myself in the Vietnamese language and culture 3) do a little traveling while over in Vietnam.
My flight will be out of SFO into Taipei with a 7 hour layover before I fly into Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and then [...]

Vinh ( pronounced Vunn) and his sister Thanh (pronounced Tann) are ’ street children’ at the Home of Affection where we do classes three nights a week. He is 11 years old and she is 9 – that is by Vietnamese accounting as you are 1 when you are born  - by our methods they are 10 and 8. They have never been to school. Their younger brother died last year, I don’t know why and Vinh says he has 1 brother and 1 sister if you ask him.  Their father had a stroke some years ago and is only able to sit insensible, not speaking [...]