so Cathal's mammy, the very wonderful Sylvaine, tagged me in her blog (see link on right hand side) to name six things that i can be happy about in my life, so here goes:
my independence
it means so much to me to be able to do my own thing in my life. i'm not a loner but i do like to have the power and the support to be my own person. there was a time when i wasn't. but those days are long gone!
my family
having lived with close to 40 people in houseshares over the last few years, it's always so nice to be able to come home. my folks are the most quietly inspirational people i know. i love them with all my heart. they tell it like it is and never stop giving. and my brother and sister are two of the funniest, cleverest, most annoying people i've ever met!
my boyfriend
wow, nothing short of amazing. i ask a lot of him sometimes but he never stops giving. and to have his support now in what i'm doing just makes everything so much easier. i wish i could write more but it would only end up being an understatement.
Viet Nam
right now, having been here for almost 12 weeks, i feel like i've learned so much. i've gained so much. honestly, i don't know how much i've given but i do know what i've gotten out of it. made some of the most amazing friends, met some truly inspirational people, had a chance to explore and develop skills i never even knew i had. and, a greater appreciation for what i have in my life already.
friends
to those of you who have kept in touch, kept me up to date on home, kept track of my stupid ramblings. to those of you i've met thus far on the road, thank you, thank you, thank you.
my education
this is something i've always appreciated but only lately begun to really understand the true value of. for one thing, without it, i would never have been able to make the money i needed to take this trip. one of the girls in our street kids class here in Tuy Hoa is 22. she can't read or write properly, or even draw a picture. life could always be worse but it could often be a lot better for some....
please feel free to add your own six things here as a comment if you feel like it..i'd like to hear 'em
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
home is not where you live, but where they understand you
Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
it's strange, home is home. even after living there for seven years, i would never call Dublin home.
i've always been a nomad there, lease to lease. i have people i love there and who's homes and understanding i have shared. but i've never really considered it home.
home was always where i grew up, where my family is, where i go home to.
but somehow, in the way that Dublin has been a home to me, home is becoming here too.
and i'm not even sure if i have the reason why.
some days here are shit. really crap. but honestly, the good days are little short of amazing.
this weekend alone was a rollercoaster that ended on a really high note.
i'm leaving GVN in two weeks. i'm leaving Viet Nam in about one month.
yet i'm already planning to come back.
am i being selfish?
am i just playing a game to wait out the recession at home?
is it achievable?
can i actually make a difference if i do stay here?
when will i go home this trip? when will i return from here?
what will have changed when i get home to Ireland?
what will i do when i get there?
so many questions. so little answers.
but i left home without a plan so there's little point in trying to draw up anything to detailed at this point i guess.
there are a few people from home that i would really love to see right now.
to talk to, to talk things through with, to talk face to face with, see your faces.
you should know who you are and you should know that i miss you, and your beautiful faces!
on that note though, there are a few people i have met since i got here who i feel so incredibly at home with. people who i am honored to have met and shared time and experiences with. i suppose this whole volunteering thing is a pretty intense experience and relationships grow at a faster pace. or maybe it's just that there's a certain mindset that is attracted to this sort of thing and it's those people with whom the connection is made.
i'm not sure about any of these things right now except that i already have a beautiful home but i may have found a second one.
Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
it's strange, home is home. even after living there for seven years, i would never call Dublin home.
i've always been a nomad there, lease to lease. i have people i love there and who's homes and understanding i have shared. but i've never really considered it home.
home was always where i grew up, where my family is, where i go home to.
but somehow, in the way that Dublin has been a home to me, home is becoming here too.
and i'm not even sure if i have the reason why.
some days here are shit. really crap. but honestly, the good days are little short of amazing.
this weekend alone was a rollercoaster that ended on a really high note.
i'm leaving GVN in two weeks. i'm leaving Viet Nam in about one month.
yet i'm already planning to come back.
am i being selfish?
am i just playing a game to wait out the recession at home?
is it achievable?
can i actually make a difference if i do stay here?
when will i go home this trip? when will i return from here?
what will have changed when i get home to Ireland?
what will i do when i get there?
so many questions. so little answers.
but i left home without a plan so there's little point in trying to draw up anything to detailed at this point i guess.
there are a few people from home that i would really love to see right now.
to talk to, to talk things through with, to talk face to face with, see your faces.
you should know who you are and you should know that i miss you, and your beautiful faces!
on that note though, there are a few people i have met since i got here who i feel so incredibly at home with. people who i am honored to have met and shared time and experiences with. i suppose this whole volunteering thing is a pretty intense experience and relationships grow at a faster pace. or maybe it's just that there's a certain mindset that is attracted to this sort of thing and it's those people with whom the connection is made.
i'm not sure about any of these things right now except that i already have a beautiful home but i may have found a second one.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
a quick update
i'll bore ye all more later, i promise, this will be brief for now
so, we're leaving Quang Ngai.
problems. i'm not sure if i even know all the details but our placement here closes indefinately on Thursday next week.
i've written about it before, you know the score.
these kids need people to help them.
they need physical therapy and mental stimulation and native english speakers.
i'm working really hard this week on finding another NGO in the vicinity to help bridge the gap.
it's slow work but i'm not giving in.
trying to find a doctor from the Agent Orange Victims Association too. if we can get Little Phouc identified as an AO victim we can start making moves to get him transferred to the rehabilitation hospital in Tam Ky. there's a place and a carer there waiting for him. he's not getting any physio any more since we left. hope he doesn't have to wait too much longer.
I've been to Laos since i blogged last. it was great. a total mental rejuvination. i've started writing a blog about it, i'll finish it another day. one thing though, just ask me how much i want my own motorbike...!
the 47 hours it took to get there and back sort of took it's toll on my body but i'm planning on getting a massage on saturday. a whole hour, in my hotel room. for about eu7. nice!
next stop for me after we leave Quang Ngai is two weeks in Tuy Hoa. it's another placement further south. i'll spend two weeks there doing some intensive physical therapy with a pair of five year olds who currently spend their days lying down on a bed. if i can help them, how amazing would that be?! exciting times.
i've also been asked to stay on here on a more long term basis. i haven't said yes or no yet but to be honest, i've no job to go home to, it's the best time to do it if i ever will.
first of all though, i spend the first two weeks of August in Tuy Hoa, then seven weeks travelling northern Viet Nam, northern Laos and northern Thailand. then Moe is coming to meet me in Thailand and we'll travel Cambodia too.
then?
stay tuned for further posts!
ps- if i do stay, i'll need to do some fundraising!
if i do stay, i'll want some visitors! ;)
so, we're leaving Quang Ngai.
problems. i'm not sure if i even know all the details but our placement here closes indefinately on Thursday next week.
i've written about it before, you know the score.
these kids need people to help them.
they need physical therapy and mental stimulation and native english speakers.
i'm working really hard this week on finding another NGO in the vicinity to help bridge the gap.
it's slow work but i'm not giving in.
trying to find a doctor from the Agent Orange Victims Association too. if we can get Little Phouc identified as an AO victim we can start making moves to get him transferred to the rehabilitation hospital in Tam Ky. there's a place and a carer there waiting for him. he's not getting any physio any more since we left. hope he doesn't have to wait too much longer.
I've been to Laos since i blogged last. it was great. a total mental rejuvination. i've started writing a blog about it, i'll finish it another day. one thing though, just ask me how much i want my own motorbike...!
the 47 hours it took to get there and back sort of took it's toll on my body but i'm planning on getting a massage on saturday. a whole hour, in my hotel room. for about eu7. nice!
next stop for me after we leave Quang Ngai is two weeks in Tuy Hoa. it's another placement further south. i'll spend two weeks there doing some intensive physical therapy with a pair of five year olds who currently spend their days lying down on a bed. if i can help them, how amazing would that be?! exciting times.
i've also been asked to stay on here on a more long term basis. i haven't said yes or no yet but to be honest, i've no job to go home to, it's the best time to do it if i ever will.
first of all though, i spend the first two weeks of August in Tuy Hoa, then seven weeks travelling northern Viet Nam, northern Laos and northern Thailand. then Moe is coming to meet me in Thailand and we'll travel Cambodia too.
then?
stay tuned for further posts!
ps- if i do stay, i'll need to do some fundraising!
if i do stay, i'll want some visitors! ;)
some photographs
these are links to my facebook albums, hey, look if you want to!
Life in Quang Ngai
Hoi An
A day on Mr. Viet's farm
Laos
Hue
Life in Quang Ngai
Hoi An
A day on Mr. Viet's farm
Laos
Hue
Saturday, 19 July 2008
our life stories and the history of the world are written by the same hand
in other words, what's for you won't pass you by...
incredibly, this week has been almost exactly what i predicted it would be but yet so much more.
there's just no escaping the truth sometimes and i'm enjoying every moment of it. now if only i had the brain power and patience and logic to think it all through and answer all my questions....i guess time will sort that one out for me.
there's no point in going into details because i'm not sure i can even vocalise it anyway but right now i feel like everything in my life is right and good and that just makes me very happy.
fin.
incredibly, this week has been almost exactly what i predicted it would be but yet so much more.
there's just no escaping the truth sometimes and i'm enjoying every moment of it. now if only i had the brain power and patience and logic to think it all through and answer all my questions....i guess time will sort that one out for me.
there's no point in going into details because i'm not sure i can even vocalise it anyway but right now i feel like everything in my life is right and good and that just makes me very happy.
fin.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
suil, suil eile
the famous eye, any ideas of what might have happened? you're as likely to know as me...
day one, thursday night, the orange is iodine
Day three, saturday morning, bloody painful and swollen..!
Day four, i've got one on my left shoulder as well...damn rat. or jellyfish. or whoever it was.
can you see my tan line on my shoulder?! yeah baby!!!
I've only got a tiny scar left which is nice, i can sort that out when i get home.
these are the things that happen, eh?!
day one, thursday night, the orange is iodine
Day three, saturday morning, bloody painful and swollen..!
Day four, i've got one on my left shoulder as well...damn rat. or jellyfish. or whoever it was.can you see my tan line on my shoulder?! yeah baby!!!
I've only got a tiny scar left which is nice, i can sort that out when i get home.these are the things that happen, eh?!
a history of violence
a tale of unintentional self mutilation and downright bad luck
i thought Tuesday's child was full of grace...?!
my new nickname here is pretty much calamity Jane, so i would like to present to you a list of the injuries i have sustained since arriving in Vietnam...
eh, that's it for now. i'll keep it up to date i promise......
i thought Tuesday's child was full of grace...?!
my new nickname here is pretty much calamity Jane, so i would like to present to you a list of the injuries i have sustained since arriving in Vietnam...
- incredible bruise from climbing out of a boat at Cham Is. it was blacker than Ozzy's soul and looked horrific (i have pictures!)
- numerous coral scratches
- almost lost two toenails from bashing it off coral (yeah, i know it's endangered, i didn't do it on purpose)
- badly bruised and cut ankle from a moto falling on it (the bike came off a little worse!)
- very strange scratch marks on my right eye, i maintain it must have been a jellyfish but i didn't notice it at the beach or until the next morning. the doctor maintains it could have been a rat. so now i'm on a course of post exposure rabies vaccines. nice.
- numerous electrical shocks from the computer (shoulda worn shoes..)
- a 2.5" scar on my left leg after a lighter exploded beside us on the roof terrace and ripped up my leg
- a badly bruised tushy and water trapped in my good ear after falling in Dave's bedroom while it was flooded (the ground floor of the house floods when it rains...)
- very badly sprained toe due to messing too much with a CP boy at Binh Hoa, we fell over each other. (He's probably more graceful than me, yikes...)
eh, that's it for now. i'll keep it up to date i promise......
ode to the Moto
the Vietnamese motorbike. what a trooper!
the moto is: city runaround
the moto is: family car
the moto is: city to city travel
the moto is: tractor
the moto is: with a basket on the back, how you transport your cow or pig to/from the market
the moto is: the local travelling shop
the moto is: furniture removal truck
the moto is: how you get a coffin to the house where your family member will be placed in it
the moto is: school bus
the moto is: useless above 40km/hr because you'd have to break too quickly
the moto is: completely useless without a good horn
the moto is: still perfectly roadworthy without indicators
the moto is: third in the pecking order on the roads (1-bus, 2-car, 4-bicycle, 5-human)
the moto is: how this country keeps going
the moto is: where you conduct a Spanish Inquisition with a westerner...oi Troi oi!
the moto is: a really fun ride, but don't let it run away from you and fall on your foot
the moto is: usually a complete rustbucket, but if you're young and have a good job, it is p-i-m-p-e-d
and the horn, what does that mean?
well it goes something like this (regardless of vehicle)
passing on the right
passing on the left
hurry up
move over
light's gone green
hi i'm here
i'm bored what are you doing?
i'm coming through this junction now
i'm coming round this bend
i'm singing a song in my head and it goes with the tune
(ok, maybe not strictly speaking, but sometimes feels like it)
the last piece of this blog was brought to you courtesy of my fellow volunteer (and Irish-blooded lady) Jen, you can read her story here
the moto is: city runaround
the moto is: family car
the moto is: city to city travel
the moto is: tractor
the moto is: with a basket on the back, how you transport your cow or pig to/from the market
the moto is: the local travelling shop
the moto is: furniture removal truck
the moto is: how you get a coffin to the house where your family member will be placed in it
the moto is: school bus
the moto is: useless above 40km/hr because you'd have to break too quickly
the moto is: completely useless without a good horn
the moto is: still perfectly roadworthy without indicators
the moto is: third in the pecking order on the roads (1-bus, 2-car, 4-bicycle, 5-human)
the moto is: how this country keeps going
the moto is: where you conduct a Spanish Inquisition with a westerner...oi Troi oi!
the moto is: a really fun ride, but don't let it run away from you and fall on your foot
the moto is: usually a complete rustbucket, but if you're young and have a good job, it is p-i-m-p-e-d
and the horn, what does that mean?
well it goes something like this (regardless of vehicle)
passing on the right
passing on the left
hurry up
move over
light's gone green
hi i'm here
i'm bored what are you doing?
i'm coming through this junction now
i'm coming round this bend
i'm singing a song in my head and it goes with the tune
(ok, maybe not strictly speaking, but sometimes feels like it)
the last piece of this blog was brought to you courtesy of my fellow volunteer (and Irish-blooded lady) Jen, you can read her story here
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Oi Troi Oi!
the vietnamese for "oh my God!"
we use it a lot!
so my vietnamese is improving slightly, slowly but surely!
if only i could stay for longer!
well i haven't been blogging much coz i'm kinda busy, kinda lazy, kinda not much time to sit in front of the computer.
but life here is going really well. some children from a placement up the road from us called Tam Ky recently had 18 of their children moved to an orphanage in a tourist town a little further up the coast called hoi an. it's the main tailor town and it's where we go for a few weekends coz it's pretty easy to get to and reasonably cheap.
so some volunteers from there are spending every weekend there so they can see their kids who were moved (because they were too old to stay at Tam Ky). i was rooming with one for the weekend and ended up going to the orphanage too.
oh man, it was so much fun and so so sad.
there was one baby girl there who's maybe a year or so old and has hydrocephalus. one of the volunteers this month is a nurse and she measured her head, it's the same as Suzy's waist. which i'm guessing is maybe 25 inches or so. the baby is just tiny.
i honestly wished her death as i left on sunday evening, it was the most horrible sight in the world. they won't do anything to help her and it's just going to keep getting bigger....
but i also made a few lovely little friends and had some fun with them. now if only the women who work there would treat the kids with some respect and dignity it would be great.
i wish...
this country will break my heart. the children are all so beautiful and get shortchanged in life so much for no reason at all.
any other news???? well i have a list of injuries i've sustained over the last few weeks the length of my arm. nothing major but they keep adding up
my left little toe is currently the same colour as my passport!!!
i think i might keep that as a separate blog, stay tuned for updates!
i'm off to Laos on saturday for a week and very excited about it.
one of our volunteers from Quang Ngai has decided not to continue with the program and seeing as she was supposed to stay two months there are now no volunteers to carry forward into August.
so guess what, i'm going to stay for a couple of weeks in august too! there's no obligation on me to stay but it will be a great help to our interpreter here (the wonderful Mr. Tuan) and it means i can skip off to Laos for a week now in clear conscience.
i'm a little angry at the volunteer who has left but at the same time i understand her situation. she seems to be very disappointed by our program here which makes me sad and frustrated. maybe she just didn't think it all through properly, i don't know.
c'est la vie. guess you just never can tell.
oi Troi oi she exclaims in exasperation...
we use it a lot!
so my vietnamese is improving slightly, slowly but surely!
if only i could stay for longer!
well i haven't been blogging much coz i'm kinda busy, kinda lazy, kinda not much time to sit in front of the computer.
but life here is going really well. some children from a placement up the road from us called Tam Ky recently had 18 of their children moved to an orphanage in a tourist town a little further up the coast called hoi an. it's the main tailor town and it's where we go for a few weekends coz it's pretty easy to get to and reasonably cheap.
so some volunteers from there are spending every weekend there so they can see their kids who were moved (because they were too old to stay at Tam Ky). i was rooming with one for the weekend and ended up going to the orphanage too.
oh man, it was so much fun and so so sad.
there was one baby girl there who's maybe a year or so old and has hydrocephalus. one of the volunteers this month is a nurse and she measured her head, it's the same as Suzy's waist. which i'm guessing is maybe 25 inches or so. the baby is just tiny.
i honestly wished her death as i left on sunday evening, it was the most horrible sight in the world. they won't do anything to help her and it's just going to keep getting bigger....
but i also made a few lovely little friends and had some fun with them. now if only the women who work there would treat the kids with some respect and dignity it would be great.
i wish...
this country will break my heart. the children are all so beautiful and get shortchanged in life so much for no reason at all.
any other news???? well i have a list of injuries i've sustained over the last few weeks the length of my arm. nothing major but they keep adding up
my left little toe is currently the same colour as my passport!!!
i think i might keep that as a separate blog, stay tuned for updates!
i'm off to Laos on saturday for a week and very excited about it.
one of our volunteers from Quang Ngai has decided not to continue with the program and seeing as she was supposed to stay two months there are now no volunteers to carry forward into August.
so guess what, i'm going to stay for a couple of weeks in august too! there's no obligation on me to stay but it will be a great help to our interpreter here (the wonderful Mr. Tuan) and it means i can skip off to Laos for a week now in clear conscience.
i'm a little angry at the volunteer who has left but at the same time i understand her situation. she seems to be very disappointed by our program here which makes me sad and frustrated. maybe she just didn't think it all through properly, i don't know.
c'est la vie. guess you just never can tell.
oi Troi oi she exclaims in exasperation...
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
month two, day one
what a sad sad day
today i said goodbye to Shae, Doreen and Karen, three of the lovliest Australian ladies ever made!
it was tough, they've all been here for three and four months and they've done so much hard work, i'm anxious about carrying on their work and how it will work with just four volunteers for july (we had 7 last month)
i look forward to getting to know my new housemates but our new house is awful compared to the one we lived in last month and i'm in bad form already!
we are however getting a western toilet installed tomorrow hopefully, we'll lose a squat, what a shame...
and the shower does have hot water afterall, you just have to flick the switch...doh
i'm completely exhausted after only two hours sleep last night and i feel sick (after the rum last night) and i'm worried about what this month will bring to our plates
oh well, always look on the bright side, eh?
today i said goodbye to Shae, Doreen and Karen, three of the lovliest Australian ladies ever made!
it was tough, they've all been here for three and four months and they've done so much hard work, i'm anxious about carrying on their work and how it will work with just four volunteers for july (we had 7 last month)
i look forward to getting to know my new housemates but our new house is awful compared to the one we lived in last month and i'm in bad form already!
we are however getting a western toilet installed tomorrow hopefully, we'll lose a squat, what a shame...
and the shower does have hot water afterall, you just have to flick the switch...doh
i'm completely exhausted after only two hours sleep last night and i feel sick (after the rum last night) and i'm worried about what this month will bring to our plates
oh well, always look on the bright side, eh?
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