Hoi An again!

August 1st, 2009 by Elizabeth

In an effort to take advantage of every last moment in Vietnam, I took off with a handful of new volunteers, and Jen to Hoi An on Saturday afternoon. I got the V.I.P. ride on the back of Jen’s motorbike, which turned out to be extra adventurous when it began to downpour 20 minutes outside of DaNang. We were soaked within minutes, there was a swift breeze when on the motorbike, and for the FIRST TIME in Vietnam I was actually chilled! My body had forgotten what it was like to NOT be HOT! I gotta say, I wasn’t too thrilled about being cold; I’ve learned to love the sun and heat!

We had a great dinner at Mango restaurant last night in Hoi An, - kinda fancy and very memorable appetizers and desserts! The new volunteers for DaNang seem to be excited and enthusiastic about meeting the children. I hope they all can continue the programs and practices that I (and others) have worked hard to enforce during the month of July. All of the newbies in DaNang have experience teaching or working with disabled children, which is going to be a huge advantage to them! I expect great things to come from their work in the month of August.

The group then visited a couple of lounges along the river to grab a beer, and toast their arrival (and my departure) in Vietnam. Today in Hoi An will be lots of walking, a little window-shopping, and laying on the beach with Jen. My plan afterwards is to take the always-interesting bus ride back to DaNang to visit Dung and the other babies at AOV2. I miss them!