Hello again,
Today ( September 12th)'s entry will be much shorter I promise. Several of our volunteers went to the orphanage this morning to visit even though some of the kids are still getting over being sick (Don't worry--- they are no longer contagious). The orphanage houses about 20-30 children whose ages range from 2-15. They are absolutely precious. It is very hard to go into the home because the living conditions are very rough. Children go to the bathroom and their wastes are left on the floor for the older girls to clean up. They kids often wear the same clothes all week, even though the orphanage has heeps of new clothes in the courner.
I previously learned in my Anthropology class that you cannot look poorly towards other customs that are not practiced in the states. Yes, I believe that these children are neglected but Ive had to remind myself that hygiene is not stressed as much in Vietnam than it is in the states.
Our volunteers bring games and craft supplies to the children. When you walk into the room, they jump all over you and are extremely eager to play with the gifts that we bring them. Today we brought rackets to play batmitton with, molding clay, and coloring pages. I met a young 15-year old girl today, her name was Phoung. She was very intelligent and we were able to communicate through broken phrases that combined English and Vietnamese. She even asked me what I thought about the war in Syria! I was very impressed by her intelligence and social awareness.
We left the orphanage around 11:30 PM and took a "bus" home. I showered twice and then walked to the hospital. I have become very close with the PT department over here which has been teaching me about the therapies that they use with patiences having different neurological problems---mostly due to a motorbike accident or a stroke.
Say hello to some of the most beautiful children you will even meet:
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