Volunteer Stories  |  Mary

Tuesday, June 21, 2005
I have arrived safely in Viet Nam. The city of Ha Noi is a gritty jewel. It is a city of beautiful lakes, graceful women in ao dai, but also congestion, pollution and poverty. My hosts have been very kind in getting me settled. Mr. Phuong and Ms. Duyen escorted me to the guest house, right next to a beautiful lake in downtown Ha Noi. Mr. Hung is the manager and showed me around. Now comes the tough part, getting used to the heat and starting to grapple with the language and customs of this special place.

Thursday, June 23, 2005
How can I describe it? Riding down the streets of Ha Noi on the back of a motorbike. My hair flaying in the wind, seeing red and gold flags everywhere. Whirring by ancient temples, monuments, the home of the parliament, and a lot of narrow, tall buildings stacked on top of each other.
Motorbikes, more than the people. And ramps by every house and building to help facilitate the parking of motorbikes. Women in conical hats balancing great loads of limes and litchi, a small pearlike fruit in season now.
Stopping by the traffic lights and being caught in the exhaust of a bus. Maneuvering past the bus, in a narrower passage than you ever thought possible. Finally getting to your destination and letting out a big "WHOOOOO, hooooo.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Beauty and Sadness. My first day at Peace Village began as I took the bus. Ms. Nuyen, one of the coordinators, escorted me to learn the route. Riding the bus is still a surreal experience for me, the buses are quite comfortable, air conditioned with Vietnamese music playing in the background. Outside is the tangle of morning traffic, a monsoon of motorbikes, women wearing the big conical hats, balancing loads of fruit and vegetables on their shoulders. I feel inundated by this culture and yet I can't quite believe I'm here.
We arrived in class. There are 8-10 children who come to learn throughout the morning, with a variety of disabilities. Several are very young, one little girl has me sit by her for part of the morning.
The children are able to speak basic English, repeating things like "body parts"--eyes, ears, nose, etc. They also are able to identify, with a little coaching, colors and numbers.
Another little girl cried all the time during the morning. She had a hard time walking and had vision problems. Ms. Canh, the teacher, would walk her or give her water. I tried comforting her but nothing worked.
In the afternoon I went back to my lodgings, exhausted from just a few hours. That evening, I watched sunset with my young friend Chantelle, a volunteer from Australia. Red and pink tinged clouds filled the sky, and the sunset dazzled the lake. spreading bright rays on the darkening water. Stunningly beautiful.
How do I reconcile this to the suffering of the little girl? If only she could see the sunset....

Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Camelot East. Went to the water puppet show on Saturday. Fantastic! One of the legend is centered around a lake in Ha Noi called Quan Kim. This is an Arthurian type legend about a king with a magical sword who uses the weapon to fight off invaders. After defeating the enemy, he relinquishes the sword to a magic turtle who liv es in the Lake.
Thus true leadership consists in giving back power to its source.
*****************
Going home was extraordinary, too. Was unsure of the bus stop at my new homestay. I asked the conductor and there were titters at my pronunciation. Then I showed the address to a young man sitting next to me. He not only showed me where to get off but escorted me home!
This was scary because I feared getting robbed. What if he led me to a dark alley? Enveloped in a heavy darkness, wrapped in warm sweat and cold anxiety, I was wary. But it ended with him finding my home and enjoying Litchi and tea with my family.

Thursday, July 07, 2005
String Theory. One of the biggest hits with the kids so far has been bringing in a multicolored piece of string for the kids. I pointed to the colors and had them repeat after me in English, "Violet," "Yellow," "Red," etc. Then I cut off portions of the roll and made bracelets for them. They all wanted bracelets. Ms. Canh made a nice bracelet for me that I wear to school every day.
I have also started working part time at a school down the road called Morning Star. Unlike Peace Village, which is a boarding type school, Morning Star is a daycare center for young people with mental or physical disabilities. It is brand new and the director, Dr. Lam, a psychiatrist, is very pro active about getting the parents involved and training them in how to deal with the special needs of their children.

Sunday, July 10, 2005
Shangrilla with Souvenirs. Saturday I finally left the confines of Ha Noi. What an extraordinary day! The Trieu children took me to their hometown, Hoa Binh, a small city about 25 miles outside of Ha Noi. It is nestled in the mountains which surround the capital. Spectacular! How can I describe it? A boy in a red t-shirt shimmying up a pole in a middle of a rice paddy. Water oxen ambling along the side of the two lane highway. Mountains that look like jagged pieces of glass, covered with sharp layers of brown and black rock. Others that are more gentle, and curve to the horizon, covered with thick green trees that hug their contours.
We went to visit a Hmong village that is located very close to the city Hoa Binh. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was surrounded by three young girls and an elderly woman trying to sell me beautiful embroidery made by the neighboring Xao people. They pleaded with me to buy things, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, I was running out of cash and had yet to find an ATM that accepted my debit cards. Eventually when we walked far enough away, they awaited the next visitors.
We looked through the village and stopped at a house that is open to guests. The Hmong people in the house offered us rice wine and tea. The rice wine is very strong and I turned down their offer for an additional glass. The tea is a type of green tea common in Viet Nam. It is very bitter, but I drink it because the people here say it helps you deal with the heat.
One little girl kept following me and was absolutely begging me to buy an embroidered item for 30,000 VND dong (about $2). Unfortunately, at this time I only had about 50,000 dong, and I didn't know when I could access my cash. It was very difficult to look her in the eyes and just refuse. I know she was trying her best to make the sale. They are good salespeople, but their poverty is also very real.
We returned home in a driving rainstorm, the mountains were even more beautiful, tucked away in blankets of clouds. People didn't let the rain and lightning deter them, they were still pedaling away on bicycles and motorbikes, hauling a variety of items, firewood, metal cables, heaping bags of rice, chickens, alive and recently slaughtered, pigs--hogtied in a basket

Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Colon-ial Rebellion. This week I was hit by a nasty gastro intestinal infection. Without getting too graphic, I threw up at school and had a lot of problems at "the other end" as well. To make things worse, I parked the bike at school when the attack came and had to make it back via the two wheeler. I don't know how I made it. A guy offered to "tow me." (You hold onto the motorbikers arm while they take you in tow.) This was even scarier.
I returned to the doctors at the diplomatic compound and I am improving. The medical care for foreigners here is comparable to at home and fast and convenient. And a note for the folks back at MUCN. They hand out antibiotics like candy here. My family offered me some antibiotics but I explained I was allergic to sulfa drugs. You can get amoxycillin at any drug store.

Monday, July 25, 2005
Traffic. The Trieus arranged for me to have a regular xe om driver come to take me to school everyday for a regular price. This is a relief. Not only were the narrow streets harrowing, and the traffic scary to cross, but I found myself constantly distracted by things on my path. "Oh, there's a pot of burning tar I have to avoid, or a basket with ducks and chickens, guarded by a German shepherd, or how does that guy balance a glass door and basket of rice on the back of a bicycle!"

Ha Noi, a Familiar Dragon
A typical day starts at 6 a.m. I am a late riser, most Vietnamese get up at 5 a.m. Washing up and getting prepared includes smearing on sunscreen to my arms and neck. I use children's sunblock because it has a higher spf.

Breakfast usually consists of:

• Orange juice (nguoc cam)
• Coffee (ca phe)--the coffee is interesting--it is brewed in individual filters which drip into a glass. Very strong, but very good!
• Pho Bo is the main dish, a beef noodle soup.
• Lotus bean soup, a staple Mrs. Trieu gives me everyday. It is somewhat bland and reminds me of oatmeal.
• Fruit--watermelon or maybe dragon fruit, a cool white fruit that grows in South Vietnam. this has grown to be a favorite!

By 7:30 a.m. I am off by Xe Om to the Peace Village. Mr. Quyet is my regular Xe Om driver hired by the Trieus. I pay him weekly for a discounted rate.

At Peace Village I am usually enthusiastically greeted by my "boyfriend" Minh. Ushering me into a small rec room, we watch a children's show with the other kids. The show is "live action" and sort of a version of the power rangers, only one of the main characters has the head of an elephant.

Class starts promptly at 8 with the banging of a large wooden gong in the courtyard. Ms. Canh usually warms the kids up with music, a tape of various songs, including "Ali Baba" and the Stephen Foster classic "O Susanna." Then I give English lessons--body parts, counting, animals or colors. All the fans are going but it is still hot work! This can be followed by writing exercises for the children, a sort of penmanship exercise in which the kids practice letters, with the more advanced students writing words or phrases. During this time frame I try to keep the ones who can't write amused. Tai, for example is Autistic and try to show books or stuffed animals to him. Minh sometimes brings in a car magazine a soldier gave to him and he will point at a photo and I will repeat its name either in English or Vietnamese. This is followed by much of the "thumbs up" sign.

After writing, the children sing in Vietnamese and I try to follow as best I can. Sometimes Ms. Canh has me lead the class and this leads to some interesting improv! Then it is time to play with blocks. The kids usually want me to review their designs! Finally we end the morning with singing the alphabet song (English) or as a treat, Bowling!

I go home for lunch. Ang. Quyet picks me up with the Xe Om. My lunch usually consists of:

• white soda
• rice (com)
• hard boiled eggs
• a Vietnamese vegetable that resembles spinach
• meat, pork or fish (ca)
• fruit, dragonfruit or watermelon

After lunch I follow Vietnamese custom and shower and take a short rest. Lunch break here is usually two hours.

At 1:45 p.m. Ang Quyet picks me up by Xe Om and its off to Morning Star. When I arrive the kids are waking up from their naps. I play with them and after her bath, I massage Mee's limbs. Mee is a delightful little six year old with cerebral palsy. She is paralyzed from the waist down and has difficulty controlling her arms. The Navajo message oil seems to make her limbs less rigid.

Morning Star is always a tough assignment. The atmosphere is a lot less controlled than Peace Village, which is more like a classroom. This is more like a free for all! A girl named Nuop usually sits on my lap. She's no dainty Asian lass either, she is a heavy set 10 year old weighing at least 100 lbs. You have to dodge her head butts! This is a way she has of showing affection and getting attention!

I have to take a lot of precautions at Morning Star. I can't wear any pins because the curious kids will try to pull them off. I can't pull back my hair because the kids will rip out the bands, and this really hurts! Despite these precautions, I usually end up getting hit or poked somewhere. Luckily most of the kids are small and can't do too much serious damage. But the highlight is always seeing Mee. She has a big smile on her face and doesn't give up trying to do simple things like putting pegs into a hole. Mee can't hold things very well so this is always a struggle!

At 4 p.m. after two exhausting hours I am Xe omed home by Ang Quyet. I rest and then go here, to the Internet shop. If I have energy, I try to get photocopies of coloring books for the next day. Then its back home for guitar practice and supper.

Supper usually consists of:

• Bia (Ha Noi beer a really good brand!)
• rice
• vegetables
• hard boiled eggs
• fish, chicken or pork
• fruit, dragonfruit with some slices of a type of hard Vietnamese pear or peach. Sometimes also small sweet bananas from the Trieus garden
• cha, green tea, rounds off the meal and helps relax me

I usually watch tv with the family for awhile. Game shows are very popular, the Vietnamese have versions of "Wheel," "Millionaire" and "The Price is Right." They also have their own "Vietnamese Idol" music show. Sometimes the Trieus will put on Cnn in English for me.

Finally, I retire up to bed, shower and read. I also try to study Vietnamese at this time. By 9 - 10 pm I am ready to turn in!

Saturday, July 30, 2005
Phung Khoang, my neighborhood. My neighborhood is Phung Khoang, which is actually a suburb of Ha Noi. This is no strip malls and model homes, 'burb, though. It is more like Cudahy gone Asian. A winding maze of narrow streets, mom and pop shops, and the occasional factory. Phung Khoang used to be a farming village, and there are a few rice paddies left, still farmed by the local people. But with the economic growth of Ha Noi in recent years, urban sprawl has come to our little corner of the country.
Farther west, high rises still under construction dominate the skyline. New buildings grow in Ha Noi like saplings. In fact, when I look out from Morning Star, one of the schools I work at, you can't really tell you're in Asia. The high rises married to cranes look more like the scenes I saw in Dublin!
In my particular neighborhood, however, it is very Vietnamese. I dodge the speeding Xe May (motobikes) on my way to this internet cafe. Women step lightly, carrying their heavy loads of fruits and vegetables on the way to market. Fresh meat is sold every morning from open air stalls.
We have a beautiful Catholic church right down the street. Many evenings I hear the music and hymns wafting to my rooftop. Every service is packed. Joy leaks through the walls.
Farther down Phung Khoang street is a Buddhist temple. I stopped there this morning and I didn't want to leave. It is bordered on one side with a small pond leading to an island with a shrine to Quanh Thanh (Kwan Yin). Through the other gate is the main altar with two side altars. The artwork is breathtaking.

Sunday, July 31, 2005
A sight I never dreamed. Today I saw something I never thought I would. My pink umbrella hanging from the branch of a palm tree.
It's very rainy here today, the remnants of a typhoon from the Pacific. The Trieus dried the umbrella out for me! They are very kind hosts, making sure I am comfortable and well fed.
My homestay has been a fantastic experience. I really get to see how the Vietnamese live. The Trieus are very middle class, yet here that means no hot water, a small refrigirator and a small 2 burner stove to work with. (There is also a small stove just outside the house.) They have a washing machine but no dryer, you hang the clothes up to dry. Everybody over here drinks water from bottles or large coolers. In winter, there is no heating and temps get down into the 40s or even 30s, so people wear sweaters and coats and sleep under heavy blankets.

Thursday August 20, 2005
Tam biet. Today was my last day at Peace Village. It was very tough to say goodbye to all the kids. I brought my guitar along and we sang songs and went through our usual drill of throwing around the stuffed animals and counting police cars. (I bought a small set of police cars and we use this as an arithematic exercise) There were a lot of hugs and goodbye kisses! Hoa the student teacher, requested some songs, so I did the only ones I know by heart Fly, by Sugar Ray and Heartbreak hotel by Elvis.
I wrote ELVIS in big letters on the board. The last thing I did was pin a Hopi hairpiece on one of the students who has severe cerebral palsy. She cannot hardly speak but she smiled and said "Thank you.."
AND THANK YOU STUDENTS OF LANG HOA BINH!!!

Friday, August 19, 2005
Real Life? I'm getting ready to return to my real life now. Yet, this experience has seemed more real than anything I've ever done in my life. I've sweated through every pore in my body and drank in the sweet music of a child's smile. Last night, I went up to the roof of my family's home for a last look at Phung Khoang, my neighborhood. A teary full moon was out. As I looked toward the skyscrapers of downtown Ha Noi, a flicker caught my eye. On the next roof top two women and child sat cross legged before a small table filled with flowers and incense and encircled by candles. They bowed and prayed. A couldn't help but stare, even though I felt like a spiritual voyeur. Something had drawn me to the roof and I think it was to witness this. Something drew me to Viet Nam and I think it was to do this. TO LEARN, TO BE, TO GROW!