some things i miss from home...
my baggy jeans, butlers soya hot chocolate, my cons, the red shoes i bought just before i left, mam's soda bread and griskins, cheddar, kerrymaid-sliced!, my bicycle - with it's gears and brakes, having my own set of keys, delicious kisses when i'm half asleep, mc cambridges, cooking, having an iron - if i chose to use it, hugs only a few people can give, back scratches, holding hands, my music, watching syllian rayle play, watching a live show fullstop, a pint or three of great guinness in doyle's, the shortcut, peace and quiet, red wine, hot water anytime i want it, coffee on a wednesday evening with whoever's around, sweating only when i choose to - and always feeling great after it, wearing a hoodie, talk radio, the news, the chips from beside fibbers, mass, mashed potatoes, the 75 at 9.40pm, cider, skinny jeans, a drawer full of underwear, knowing where things are already, brown rice, taekwondo, perfume, knowing who'll take me home at the end of the night, sending texts and knowing they'll get there, bagels on a saturday morning, not being afraid to breathe through my nose, jameson, reading the newspaper, having more than one piece of jewellry, whelan's, random post party sing songs.........................
but i'm staying here anyway! it's as definate as it will ever be, my flight is valid until may 15th 2009 so i'll be home sometime before then.
doesn't mean i don't miss you all. out of sight doesn't always mean out of mind.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Monday, 18 August 2008
stories from the other side
the bio's of two of the children i have been working with for the last fortnight that i wrote for the website.
Luong (aka "Chuckles") is three years old. She has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Her right side is most affected, causing blindness, deafness and very limited mobility in her leg and arm. Volunteers believe she may also suffer from a blood disorder due to unexplained bruising on her torso and legs.
She lives at the Social Protection Centre in Tuy Hoa and has spent the vast majority of her life on her back so far.
Currently, volunteers are helping her to learn how to swallow, doing daily physical therapy on her on her ragdoll-like limbs and providing mental and sensory stimulus.
Luong, along with her fellow SPC residents, is in need of paedeatric care, nutritious food, physical therapy and mental stimulation and also, the attention and affection provided by GVN volunteers which she is unlikely to recieve from the overworked and understaffed* SPC employees.
(*note: i used those euphamisms for the website only, there are stories i'm still contemplating whether to broadcast..)
The 'street kids' in Tuy Hoa number up to 1,000. Their families all live in daily hardship with most of them outside the normal 'family unit'. Most of them have never attended school and many cannot read, write or even draw a picture. They have been working to earn their keep and maintain their place in the family since they were very young. To do this, they take jobs as tin can collectors (30 tins = USD$0.50), selling flowers on the street and at the graveyards, tending to graves and selling gum and cigarettes, while some just beg on the streets. Their working day has no end.Tron is one of these children. He has a mother and sister, his father is unknown. He is about 12 years old and has been attending GVN's program at Home of Affection since July '08. He never misses a class and is one of the brightest students there, always eager to learn and entertain!
GVN's program at Home of Affection provides meals and English lessons to 35 children and young adults three nights a week.
Just two out of too too many
a mother's love
sometimes knows no beginning...
in case i haven't actually been sharing enough stories of what i've been working at over the last while i'm going to share a few now, starting with what happened today, and i'll try to keep it short.
Judy, a volunteer who was here in june and july, returned yesterday after two weeks in Laos and Cambodia to say her last farewells and keep a promise she had made to two young girls at a children's shelter here in Tam Ky.
Le and Thao had been promised dolls and never forgot for one moment that Judy would be back with them.
so today when we went to visit she took the two dolls with her. the girls were elated, these were fancy dolls. beautiful hair, little voice messages etc etc. Le's mum was there when we arrived. she said something in Vietnamese to Le and Judy noticed a look of fear glance across Le's face. is her mum asking her for the doll?
well, Judy, knowing what some people are like in this world and that Le has siblings at home and really shouldn't be in this shelter, kept an eye on Le and the doll.
Le's mum left on her motobike and Judy turned to me and said, 'good, the mum's gone and Le's still got the doll, i was a bit worried'
two minutes later, the doll is nowhere to be seen...
Le's mum had driven out onto road outside the centre, called Le over to the fence and made her hand over the doll.
it's probably been sold by now.
Le is nine years old.
it was her doll...
she was a bit quiet and a bit sad but held it together alright for a while. only until Judy told the women who run the centre how angry she was at Le's mum. then the poor child bawled for an hour.
the frustration, anger, bitter disappointment and embarassment poor Le must have felt. her own mother, flesh and blood. has abandoned her in a shelter for homeless children, even though she lives in Tam Ky she only visits once a month at most.
her own mother, who abandoned her, steals from her.
in case i haven't actually been sharing enough stories of what i've been working at over the last while i'm going to share a few now, starting with what happened today, and i'll try to keep it short.
Judy, a volunteer who was here in june and july, returned yesterday after two weeks in Laos and Cambodia to say her last farewells and keep a promise she had made to two young girls at a children's shelter here in Tam Ky.
Le and Thao had been promised dolls and never forgot for one moment that Judy would be back with them.
so today when we went to visit she took the two dolls with her. the girls were elated, these were fancy dolls. beautiful hair, little voice messages etc etc. Le's mum was there when we arrived. she said something in Vietnamese to Le and Judy noticed a look of fear glance across Le's face. is her mum asking her for the doll?
well, Judy, knowing what some people are like in this world and that Le has siblings at home and really shouldn't be in this shelter, kept an eye on Le and the doll.
Le's mum left on her motobike and Judy turned to me and said, 'good, the mum's gone and Le's still got the doll, i was a bit worried'
two minutes later, the doll is nowhere to be seen...
Le's mum had driven out onto road outside the centre, called Le over to the fence and made her hand over the doll.
it's probably been sold by now.
Le is nine years old.
it was her doll...
she was a bit quiet and a bit sad but held it together alright for a while. only until Judy told the women who run the centre how angry she was at Le's mum. then the poor child bawled for an hour.
the frustration, anger, bitter disappointment and embarassment poor Le must have felt. her own mother, flesh and blood. has abandoned her in a shelter for homeless children, even though she lives in Tam Ky she only visits once a month at most.
her own mother, who abandoned her, steals from her.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
six things
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
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
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......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
