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Marny Kilby writes......about her experiences while volunteering in Vietnam.
I arrived in Danang after three days in Saigon - this is a much prettier city. Khuyen met us at the airport and I immediately felt at ease in his company. He took us straight to the Hotel where we met some other volunteers who would be going to the Dai Loc program. They had already familiarised themselves with Danang and invited us for a swim at China Beach. Swimming in the warm water was bliss and the beach was practically deserted. Just acres of sand and sea that really puts Bondi to shame. As they already knew the good places we stopped in at Amy's Caf� just down the road from the hotel GVN uses. We met Amy and her offsider Hoa who are really delightful and keen to practise their English (as was almost everyone I met in Vietnam). They also serve really fresh green tea, much nicer than the long-stewed variety I encountered elsewhere. Back at the hotel I met Viet for the first time as he was taking us all out for dinner. Viet is delightful and very concerned for the welfare of all the volunteers; it makes one feel safe and secure.
The next day we were taken out for lunch and then to the Danang house for a Vietnamese lesson. Learnt a little bit more about the history of this exotic country and were taught useful phrases which I immediately forgot once I left the classroom. Too excited to take it all in, but plan to look over the lesson notes at a later stage. Lots of fabulous food kept appearing - frozen watermelon, chicken, corn and coriander soup, fried rice, beef and sweet potatoes and a delicious pureed green mango dessert. We left almost immediately for our placements and it was sad to say goodbye to new friends at Tam Ky but the arrival of yet more food distracted us. Then onto Quang Ngai. We were feeling very curious as we were going to be the first volunteers at this new program and didn't know what to expect. The house was a shock! So much nicer than I thought it would be, large and spacious with a light airy feel. Slept really soundly that first night, didn't bother with a mosquito net just lay by the fan which seemed to keep them away. On Thursday morning Viet took us across the road for coffee and I tried the Bird's Nest drink which is supposedly made with bird saliva but I think that's a marketing ploy. It's rather nice, tastes a little like vanilla. We were taken to the Provincial People's Committee building to meet the Vice President who welcomed us to Quang Ngai. It was a little nerve wracking as I had to give a speech but think I managed to pull it off. Afterwards, our translator, Miss Loi showed us around the town so we could become familiar with the Post Office, banks and internet rooms. Couldn't wait to get back to the house and explore on the pushbikes provided. I loved travelling that way, got so much fitter than I had been at home and even though we ate like pigs every day I managed to lose a little weight just from the extra exercise. Our cook is really excellent. We have a lot of seafood; I love the little fried prawns that you can eat shell and all though Stacey always insisted on peeling hers! She makes great spring rolls and every meal has a choice of three dishes followed by the sweetest fruits imaginable. My favourites were the dragon fruit, mangosteens, pomelo and mango though Stacey raved about the pineapple most. Friday we got to visit the orphanage for the first time. The kids were very shy at first but I was impressed by how healthy they all looked. We got to meet the three disabled children, Loi, who is about 15; "Security Guard" who I think could have been about 12 and Little Phouc who has Agent Orange birth defects. He is totally blind with one milky eye and one beautiful long lashed brown one. His right arm ends just below the elbow with only a finger and thumb, he cannot walk or sit unsupported and his head weighs as much as a bowling ball. If all this sounds depressing, it isn't. He is so responsive to touch and laughs and smiles constantly. I grew incredibly fond of him and liked to take him outside in the shade and tickle him with a leaf or blade of grass. He loved everything we did with him; I've never known an easier child to please. I would have liked to stay at the orphanage all day but Viet took us to see our partner programme at the Dung Quat Centre for Informatics (did they make that name up - is Informatics really a word?). While there we were also introduced to some other Australians who are working on a Disaster Mitigation Project. They were excited to hear that more westerners were now going to be coming to Quang Ngai every month. The Director of the Centre, Ly Van Ngoan, took us all out for lunch. More delicious food and lots of beer which I would never drink back home but became quite fond of over the month. Well, more than fond of really - it suits the climate! Kat and I agreed to teach our first class at the Centre that night. We were really thrown in at the deep end; I had a class of about 18 students, mostly in their twenties. They were very shy and reluctant to talk to me so I had to keep up a bit of a monologue for an hour and a half. Luckily, Tuan, the teacher I was assigned had excellent English and helped me a lot. He asked me to prepare a game for next week's lesson. Ooooh - the pressure - what am I going to do? On Saturday the Dung Quat Center lent us their bus and driver so we could visit the beach. Miss Loi had brought masses of fruit with her and kept cutting up more and more. They sure like to make sure we never go hungry. There were lots of children at the beach and we played with them in the water for ages. They are all fascinated by our white skin and strange appearance but I quite like the attention. On the return journey we stopped off at My Lai which is a place I had long wanted to visit. It's really lovely there now with beautiful gardens. I thought it would make me feel incredibly sad but I found it so peaceful and yet another reminder of how forgiving and generous the Vietnamese people are. On Sunday we just relaxed and did a little bike riding. Found a book shop where I purchased wrapping paper and spent the evening creating a "Pass the Parcel" with action stickers on each layer to see if I could get my students to do things like stand on one leg and touch their nose etc. Might sound a bit lame but it went off ok and there was lots of laughter. I don't care if I make a fool of myself, if I can take up beer drinking and bike riding (though not usually together) I can do anything. And it did get the students talking a bit more. Surprisingly, they can read and write English very well, it's just their pronunciation that is all wrong and that's because most of them have never heard it spoken. My Wednesday night class was really fun. I only had 4 students with Tuan as my teacher again. These four were quite advanced and not nearly so shy about talking. We just practised conversation which was really easy for all concerned. We work all week at the orphanage taking lessons for an hour or so, and then we do colouring in as the kids get a bit bored and restless with too much work. They love that, so if you're looking for ideas about what to bring, colouring books are popular. Try and get some that are girl related like princesses and stuff and some that appeal to boys like robots and cars. On Friday we dispensed with lessons and had a fruit party instead. The kids were so patient; they just sat quietly at the tables while the volunteers and mothers cut up kilos of different fruits. It seemed like a much better idea than a candy party as there is a lot of tooth decay here already. I hope some of the future volunteers are dental hygienists; it's something that is really needed. Kat had brought a lot of toothbrushes with her which is a start but much more is needed. We all hired a taxi and went to Hoi An for the weekend. Stayed in a fabulous hotel, the Phuoc An. It had real bathrooms, air conditioning, a pool and free internet and breakfast thrown in for the princely sum of $15.00 twin share. Most of us ordered some clothes from the local tailors and sampled some of the local delicacies like cao dau and white rose washed down with a couple of daiquiris. Stacey, Meaghan and I did a cooking class at the Red Bridge Restaurant where I was definitely the worst student though I did manage a passable tomato rose. On Sunday we ate at Miss Ly's and had a fabulous grilled marinated pork dish and a green mango salad. She's at 3 Ba Trieu Street. If you're in Hoi An you should have at least one meal there. She is also the only Vietnamese woman I ever saw in a miniskirt and with bare legs, such a rarity to see female flesh, they usually cover up completely on their motorbikes too. Long opera gloves and face masks that make them look as if they are going to rob a bank. White skin is very prized in Vietnam, all their cosmetics have whitening agents added to them though I never saw anyone wearing cosmetics - they don't need to - Vietnamese women are among the most beautiful in the world. Back to work at the orphanage on Monday, I had really missed the kids. My party trick for the evening class was a homemade version of Scattegories which was mildly successful. At least it got the students talking a lot more and they are less shy with me now, especially since I'm happy to do stupid things like pretend to be a kangaroo or a cow. I was asked to attend the opening of a new class on Wednesday morning at the Dung Quat Centre so I was up and dressed in my new ao dai at 7:00 a.m. Lots of speeches including one from me. Having to talk in front of a large group of people back home would send me into a tailspin but I'm getting quite used to it here. We started to run low on craft supplies so I cut the sleeves off one of my t-shirts and we made dolls clothes out of them. That worked so well that I got Miss Loi to take me to a haberdashery so we could buy needles, buttons, ribbons and lace. Both the boys and girls like sewing in fact I think the boys liked it the most. They were mending stuffed toys and making satin pillows like they'd been doing it all their lives. On Thursday we had an ice cream party in the afternoon. We fed nearly 80 kids for less than 70,000 dong (100,000 dong is the equivalent of US $6.00) and they all got two ice creams each. Saved the sticks for craft projects next week. We left early on Friday morning, taking the train north. Stacey and Meaghan went to Danang but Kat and I travelled further up the coast to Hue. It was a seven hour journey on "hard seats" (and boy are they hard) but the last two hours had the most spectacular scenery and the hotel we stayed at had a swimming pool and air conditioning so the long trip was quickly just a memory. We ate at the Y Thao Garden where there is a set menu with an emphasis on exquisite presentation. The next day we walked around the Imperial Palace and then took a long boat ride down the Perfume River. Saw the Buddhist temple where they keep the car belonging to the monk who immolated himself all those years ago. There was an enormous bronze turtle which had graffiti all over it. I'd hate that sort of vandalism back home but it seemed less offensive somehow though I can't explain why. The train ride back was much better; we had "Soft Seats" and more of a breeze coming through the carriages. Back at the orphanage on Monday and I discovered "Security Guard" has a broken leg, apparently as the result of an altercation with a motorbike at the front gate. He looks a little forlorn but I have devised a couple of simple games with him and carry him outside for some fresh air. All week when he sees me coming into his room he puts up his arms for me to lift him. It's quite a breakthrough considering how he used to push us all away at first. Lessons have really begun in earnest as we now have text books which makes it easier for us. We still only do lessons for the first half and then play cards or dominoes or sew and colour in for the second half. There are plenty of opportunities to incorporate lessons into the games so I think it's all still beneficial. On Thursday Kat became sick. She was shivering so much her teeth were chattering and I was really worried about her. Miss Loi and Miss Huong came to see her immediately and took her temperature, helped her dose up with Panadol and lemon juice and hot tea. They ordered plain rice soup from the cook and contacted Viet. Their concern for our health and welfare is really reassuring. Kat ended up ringing Dr. Ross who is an Australian doctor working in Danang and he diagnosed that it was a virus and not anything too serious like dengue fever, bird 'flu or malaria. She just needed plenty of fluids and rest and she was much better by Sunday. She even cooked us a Thai meal which was great - lots of chillies. As she was not able to travel I went to Hoi An on my own for a last weekend of retail therapy. I ate at Miss Ly's again. Had exactly the same meal as last time. It will be hard to go home to Western food again, I love everything I eat here so much, except perhaps for the bamboo shoots but we only had them once. I also ate lunch there on Sunday. This time I had six of the most enormous juicy grilled king prawns and a yoghurt sundae. Don't miss this place if you go to Hoi An. On Monday we had a farewell party at the orphanage. The kids created some beautiful cards which made me so teary. One girl wanted to give me a gift and she took the clip out of her hair and tied mine up with it. We had a treasure hunt and ate cake and lollies and drank fizzy drink. So much for my good intentions regarding their tooth care. It was so sad saying goodbye to them all but I intend returning next year to do the program again. It was so much fun! On Tuesday Miss Loi cooked a fabulous special lunch. Banana flower salad, northern style spring rolls, fried rice and fresh prawn crackers. I had no idea she was such a great cook. Stacey and Meaghan left for Danang and Kat and I took our last lesson together at the Dung Quat Centre. We were taken out to dinner afterwards and I was presented with a beautiful embroidered picture and ten long stemmed roses. More great food including bird soup but I declined to taste the choicest morsel - the head - beak and all! On Wednesday, Tuan and his wife escorted me to Danang. We ate a final lunch together and then had to say goodbye. I will miss so many wonderful people here. Found Stacey and Meaghan and together with Marie (one of the new volunteers replacing us in Quang Ngai) we had dinner at one of the riverfront restaurants. Viet took me to the airport where I met more new volunteers then it was time to board the plane. I had five hours to kill so I took a cab into town and had a Thai Hot Stone Massage for 70 minutes - only $10.00 US. What a bargain and a great way to prepare yourself for an eight hour flight to Sydney. Well if you got this far reading my journal, you must be considering doing the programme. My advice is to stop considering it and sign up as soon as possible. It's the best thing I have ever done in my life and I can't wait to return. Viva Vietnam!!! |
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