Ba Na Hill

July 1st, 2009 by Elizabeth

Xin chao!

Amazing, busy, unforgettable day! I love it here. Started at 0730 with orientation and breakfast; met ALL the staff and Wonderful Mr. Viet (the brains and heart behind this entire project here in Vietnam). Had a language lesson on basic survival Vietnamese, and now I have some serious studying to do. Vietnamese is all about the inflection of the voice and emphasis on vowel sounds. For instance, if I pronounce the word “ma” wrong it could mean “mother,” “tomb,” “rice seedling,” “ghost,” or “cheek.” Yeah, five totally different meanings for the exact same word. How convenient…

At midday ate some quick lunch, and a group of 30 of us piled into a few vans and drove 30 min outside of the city to Ba Na Hill. There, we parked and took a cable car to the very tip top of a mountain above Vietnam. Spectacular views of the city and rural areas beyond DaNang. We hiked a bit and found the Linh Ung Pagoda (a Buddhist Temple) and a HUGE Buddha statue erected in 1919. I burned some incense and paid my respects to Buddha, alongside some of the others and locals who visit the temple. “When in Rome,” right?!?!? Later afternoon, we spent a few hours walking around, grabbed a Heineken, and practiced my Vietnamese with our interpreter. Dad: you would have loved the Bonsai trees around the pagoda – they numbered into the 100s and were absolute ancient. The fog drifts in and out around the Buddha, and for the first time I experienced clouds in Vietnam. And did I mention the temp drops about 20 degrees up in the altitude? So it was a comfortable 80 degrees up in the clouds. Loved it!

Then at 6pm we headed back to the city for Pho in downtown DaNang – a great noodle soup with fresh herbs and peppers – delicious! Did I mention that I love it here?

Now that orientation is over, the volunteers stationed in Tam Ky or Tuy Hoa our now on their way to their destinations, and just a handful of us remain in DaNang. Tomorrow will be my first day onsite working with the children. After talking to Jen I have found that my nursing skills are going to be of great use here in the orphanges. I wasn’t prepared to be working as a nurse, per se, but I am willing to fulfill whatever role is needed. I heard from Mr. Viet and Jen that I have more medical training than the majority of physicians in Vietnam! Mr. Viet’s words were “You are over-qualified” in comparison to other healthcare professionals in the country. Yikes.

In other news, my jet lag hasn’t been an issue yet (or will it?). I think I slept enough during my many hours of transportation, I have avoided the jet lag. No illness (the food has been thoroughly cooked), no bugs (its too hot for misquitos, apparently), and no sunburn (thanks to SPF 70). I’m sleeping in the GVN house now, so I’m officially settled in for the next month. No complaints!

Tam bie^t!

Elizabeth