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Rosemary Gore writes......about her experiences while volunteering in Vietnam.I was always astounded by the programme, from the induction through to the rescue, GVN came through every time. My personal impression of Viet was organised and hassled, he was excellent with me, good communication but then I was prepared for the experience in a way that none of the others in the group seemed to be. I was made fully aware that I was going into an isolated area that would not have the resources of a city and packed accordingly with books and things to entertain myself. I did not expect the level of interaction with the volunteers from other areas and that was a bonus. Working and living on site from Sunday evening through to Friday morning was fantastic and what a luxury to be collected and driven to civilisation every weekend, I got to see and experience more of Vietnam that I expected and shop so much I had to pay $US 129 in excess baggage on my return home..oops! The orphanage is wonderful, it is a truly great place and although none of the staff had any English language we managed to communicate just fine with lots of sign language and laughter. The children are well behaved, respectful and very clean. They had nothing and I mean nothing, just a change of clothes and a bed. Some had mosquito nets and raincoats, others didn't but they all cared about each other in a way that we have forgotten. I bought them skipping ropes and balls and they soon found a way of sorting out who was going to use what when without disputes or adult interference. I was amazed at their lack of English as I had been led to understand some had been learning for 6 years, I took teaching resources accordingly but had to change my whole pattern to cater for what I found. The Vietnamese way of teaching English is how we were taught French 40 years ago, sentences, What's you name, how old are you, are you married, do you have any children, where do you come from, problem is that if you done respond as they have been taught they don't understand so all my books got put away and maybe some of the following volunteers can use them as we went back to basics and comprehension. I started with the alphabet, sounds, simple words and songs then on to colours, shapes, parts of the body, nature, movements then on to joining words like a cup of coffee, a bunch of bananas, all had songs and games attached, thank goodness for pre school teaching training and I was doing this with teenagers but they loved it and obviously told the others at school as on the second week I had a father with 2 children appear at the evening lesson and appeal for his children to join and by the time we left the orphanage we regularly had 14 children for the village attending class as well as the orphans and Viet seemed very encouraging of this even though it took more resources. I took an adult class twice a week for the staff and that was a great laugh, the children left them for dead but I had them singing Head shoulders knees and toes with enthusiasm and the day we did actions was hilarious with the Manager winking at me and all the ladies on staff elbowing me in the ribs, some things just don't need language. I went into the experience expecting to work and wanting to leave an impression, I was not there to play, I wanted to make a contribution to their lives and I can honestly say I met my goals. Leaving was really hard with three little girls clinging to my legs calling me mama and crying and this even though I had been so careful to distance myself at times and try not to become so attached, but you don't come out of these experiences unaffected and I have left a part of my heart there. I was really happy with the information given before I joined the programme; I was certainly informed of what my tasks would be and what was expected of me. Viet had good communication with me and I found him very easy but then I never had any problems and when I did have a concern - more later - he came through so you can't better that. Living conditions - well that was a shock but they came through. When I was shown my room I could appreciate the work they had put in to make it nice, green floors, orange walls and blue shiny curtains but was not sure I could sleep on the bamboo mat on the wooden slat bed so off the assistant manager went on his motor bike and bought us mattresses. We had desks, chairs, fans and from the second week metal security bars on the windows and a brand new bike with a shopping basket, mine gathered dust as I never learned to ride as a child and I think 50 is just too old to learn on the mad mad roads of Vietnam but I know that it was a lifesaver for Clare as she was able to get to the shops and the internet cafe 5km away. We were treated like the most special people that had ever visited the area, not only by the staff but by the locals. People would come out of their houses to give me fruit or have me cuddle their babies when I went for walks. The staff at the hospital next door and I would have a good laugh over heaven knows what as they had no English but they wouldn't let me visit the wards even though I have nursing experience, they would wave me in to have a laugh but I never got further than the foyer. If I could say one thing it would be to attract more mature people to volunteering. Whilst I met some lovely people on the programme some had understood the volunteer part but were flexible with the work part and I believed some of them were just too young to make any contribution. I really thought there would be more people in the same circumstances as myself, children grown and left home, house paid for and time to make a contribution and this is where I would put my efforts as far as recruiting people. I had an advanced TEFL diploma but none of the others had teaching experience and so were put into teaching positions with no understanding of learning patterns. I was probably lucky in working with Clare as she is quite creative so we were able to work out a structured programme that worked left brain right brain and included a large component of play in their learning, but then I had had experience in planning and maybe this is what is needed as I had to rethink all my preconceptions of what I would teach once I had an understanding of what level they were at. They could all read English but that was no use, I can read Vietnamese but I don't understand what the words mean. 27 November is a day that will stay with me forever, we woke to find the orphanage surrounded with water and it was rising at about 1 metre an hour, the river had overflowed the week before and the roads were flooding but this came up real quick and I rang Viet at 6am, woke him and explained our dilemma. Cyclone Moefa had dumped an enormous amount of rain in the central highlands and all roads were flooded and 42 people had died. We got out on a boat, laying flat on our backs to get under the power lines and going past houses with people on the roofs waving at us, it was the kind of experience that seems surreal and to give Viet his due from the time I woke him to when we finally got to Da Nang was only 5 hours so when the chips are down he delivered and I was delighted that you have that level of commitment from your partner in Vietnam. Yes I would recommend the programme, it was a special time in my life and I am so glad I did it and feel truly blessed with my placement. To be able to leave a programme after only one month and say I made a difference to these peoples lives is an amazing feat and brings a smile to my face often. Cheers Rosemary |
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