Surprises

July 12th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Well, sorry for the delay in posting. The weekend was busy, then the power went out, then we had a HUGE lightning storm in which our kitchen started sparking, and now our internet still isn’t working. So I’m seeking out internet cafes throughout the city. Anyhoo…

Visited the Vietnam Cham Museum in DaNang on Sunday, and then power-walked with Shirley around the downtown area and covered about 10km! Saw the usual: roosters in random places, children playing in the gutters, dinner being made and served on a crowded sidewalk outside the home. Since the power was out, no one could stand being inside without fans working, so the sidewalks were packed with people!! Shirley and I stopped at a “bakery” on our way back… not the type of bakery we are used to… and got a dessert of some type and I still don’t know what was in it. It never came back up though, so I guess that is a good sign.

Sandy, a physical therapist from Australia, is volunteering in Tam Ky this month and visiting us in DaNang this week to assess the children and set up P.T. treatment plans. She is FABULOUS and a wealth of knowledge. She certainly has her work cut out for her here in Vietnam, and I have found her to be a great resource for our disabled children at Social Support. We stayed up late last night bouncing ideas off one another for the improvement of nutrition and exercise programs in the baby orphanages. Looks like I’ll be doing more shopping this week for supplies. Mr. Viet spoke more to me today about building more cribs for the AOV2 baby orphanage – there are 18 babies and only 9 cribs…do the math. At AOV2, the babies are still fighting off a bad cold/virus, so I am a Tylenol-administering, snot-wiping, rash-assessing, temperature-taking MACHINE when I am there. Lots of rattling coughs and wheezing – sometimes sounds like pneumonia. No temps today and only one weird rash! Keep your fingers crossed there will be no trips to the hospital this week.

I saw Dung today (my wish-he-could-be-my-son) and he is doing well. The house mother said he is a rascal and likes to steal teething toys from other children, and then he gets a silly grin on his face. At only four months old, he is a handful… just like his mother. (haha, I kid, I kid)

I’ve been taking note of a few things that still seem to surprise me here in DaNang. The list is as follows:

>No matter how much water I drink, I can never have enough. The sweating never stops. Constant, constant sweating. I sweat in the shower.

>Less bugs than I expected. I was greeted on my first day by a giant brown cockroach on my bedroom wall, but few encounters with giant ugly bugs since…just the occasional cockroach. There are some hefty spiders and snakes here (so I hear), but not so much in the city. I’ve been lucky so far.

>Cows cross the road is the most random places, like its no big deal that they are walking around the industrial side of town, eating grass just outside of a Honda dealership.

>The Vietnamese do not sweat. They wear long sleeves and jeans and do not sweat. ’Survival of the fittest,’ I guess.

>Rice. My grandpa Gordy was right: everything is made of rice. Rice is a component of nearly every meal. Eat it or go hungry.

>Karaoke is “hip and cool” in DaNang. At night, when I stand on the roof of my house, I can hear 2-3 karaoke bars busting a move to terrible, awkward Vietnamese music. And the singers aren’t all young people – imagine Grandma getting up on stage at 8pm to sing karaoke to Mandy Moore. It is entertaining, to say the least.

>Very few English-speaking Vietnamese. Communication is always a challenge, but I have mastered the art of hand gestures and silly faces to try to explain what I am looking for. I’m sure from a bystander’s point of view, I look like a clown act.

>They sell squid WHOLE and practically still swimming in open-air markets, laying in the basket, freshly caught an hour before. If you are big into seafood, DaNang is your place.

>A Buddhist shrine is located inside EVERY home, storefront, restaurant, market, gas station. It consists of a little Buddha statue, incense, and lots of colorful flashing lights, candles, stars, etc. Very cool.

>So many children do not wear shoes. Not because they are poor, just because children do not wear shoes. I have yet to get a good answer as to why.

>They show the Discovery Channel and Starz Movie Channel in Vietnam. I’ve never actually had time to sit down and watch TV, but its nice to know I have options.

>The food is far better than I had expected. I look forward to mealtime more than ever before. Surprisingly, sweating profusely has not had an effect on my appetite.

Love you all, and thanks for reading!

Elizabeth