It made a difference for that one

Things I want to say (in no particular order):

1. We have always gone this time of year (right after Christmas) as this is the only time I have had vacation.  However, it is a) VERY expensive and b) kinda stressful trying to go right after Christmas.  Mom is better than I am about packing ahead of time (it has become an annual event that I pack the night of Christmas) but it is pretty crazy to have to start and finish packing after Christmas (and it limits my post Christmas nap!)  Now that I will start to have vacation days (yay) we are thinking February/March might be best.  Prices for flights are reasonable and I think it will be a good time of year to go.  Vietnam doesn’t have seasons – they just have wet and dry, so February/March will be the end of their dry season.  We will be inviting others for our next trip, so start prepare for February/March 2015!!!!

2. We stay at the same hotel (Tan Hai Long) and really like it.  Now, if you know us, we are 5 star travel divas (ok ok, diva might be a little strong) but mom and I like to travel in style.  However, we are very happy with our hotel in Vietnam.  They do have very nice “Western” type hotels (what you would get in the states) but we’ve never felt comfortable “wasting” that type of money when we could stay at perfectly fine hotel and spend that “extra” money on our kids.  We like the hotel because it is VERY close to the bus stop, which is SO nice when it’s the end of the day and you just want a shower, AC and a bed!

3. This will be my 5^th time and my moms 3^rd time going to Vietnam to volunteer at the same orphanage.  After graduating from undergrad, I spent 4 months volunteering in South East Asia (China, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia) and specially fell in love with this orphanage for disabled children in Vietnam.  I felt like I was very much needed (financially, but more so, physically) as far as playing with the kids, feeding them, etc.  After sending home tons of pictures/videos, my mom fell in love too and we went back the following year…and the rest is history!

4. The orphanage is part of a Buddhist Pagoda, about 45 minutes via bus from our hotel.  We always get a lot of funny looks on the bus (tourists RARELY use this form of transportation) but I think we have gotten use to it.  It’s about a 5-7 minute walk from our stop to the orphanage.  I’ll do my best to explain – and will try to upload pictures.  There are roughly 200 kids at the orphanage…all disabled in one form or another.  The kids live in 13 different rooms (consisting of cribs and some storage area) with a “foster mom” if you will..essentially, a worker who takes care of them.  During the weekdays, about 40 of these kids (Im not sure exactly how they are chosen, but they seem to be the more “abled” kids) go into the “big room” (sorry if I am getting too technical for some of you, ha).  Well, it really is a big room.  There are usually 6 workers in the big room, plus any volunteers.  The kids play (puzzles, blocks, games, etc) and are served their two meals of the day in the big room.  This is where we spend a lot of our time.  The kids LOVE going outside (and by outside, mostly around the Pagoda which is still enclosed) to get some sun and fresh air.  It’s also good for them to walk (only a few can completely walk on their own) and in past years we have purchased strollers to take those out who cannot walk at all!  Feeding is also a huge part of the day, as everyone needs to get in their highchair, get a bib, etc.  Their meals consists of rice and bits of fish (and usually some broth as well) but I think this year we might work on trying to bring in fruits and veggies to serve as well.  Some of the kids (the more disabled ones) have their food pureed and therefore, depending on who you feed, it can take up to 90 minutes.  With 40 kids and 6 workers – volunteers play a huge role!!!  Volunteers For Peace is a company who has a lot of volunteers (I think I’ve been there with as few as 2 and as many as 8) and then sometimes volunteers will stop by for an afternoon.

5. I don’t speak any Vietnamese.  Enough said.

6. I am most excited to see Toung.  I’ll have to go back and read my old blog to completely understand how we met, but as I remember it, I somehow noticed that he seemed to “get” what I would say to him.  He doesn’t speak, drools a lot and has trouble walking/with fine motor skills, but, I bought him a Rubik cube.  I explained it in English, showed him how to do one color, and off he went.  He AMAZED me.  He got it, and I could tell he loved being challenge.  The rest…is history!!!  Last year was the first year that the second I walked in he had this huge grin, I couldn’t believe he remembered me.  I cant imagine what it would be like to be mentally there, but to be trapped in a body that didn’t allow you to do, or say, things.  He loves to go out exploring around the pagoda and he also LOVES scaring my mom!  We’ll definitely be playing a lot of hide and seek!  Even the workers don’t know how old he is…but we’re guess probably around 12 or 13 now.

7. The title of my blog – I am sure many of you have heard this story, but as a refresher…here it is again

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.”