Update August 2006 (letters home)

Hello Everyone,
 
I have only been able to volunteer at the orphanage about two times a week in the last couple months, so I haven't felt like I had anything to tell all of you.  I miss the kids like crazy when I am not with them.  The GVN program has changed a bit since I was volunteering full time, now we work at two orphanages.  The new orphanage is more in the city center of Da nang where as the red cross orphanage is 15 minutes on the outskirts of town.  I believe that there are about 25 kids at the other orphanage ranging in age from infants to about 8 years old, but I am not positive about this.  I have found it difficult to spend my free time at the new orphanage because I am so attached to my kids at the red cross, so when I do have free time I want to spend it with them.
 
Sooo many kids have been adopted out of the red cross in the last couple months.  There are only about 26 kids left compared to the 42 children that were there when I arrived.  Since I only get to go in a few time a week I missed a lot of kids leaving and did not get to say goodbye.  It made me really sad.  I worry that the next time I go back more will be gone that I did not know were leaving and I will be sad cause I didn't get to say good bye or meet their new parents.
 
I hear that all the toddlers are going to be adopted and a good majority of the babies except maybe the really young ones.  But I don't think that the two boys with disabilities are going to get adopted. A really great guy who is a physical
therapist  came into the orphanage with a friend who was adopting.  He was a great help with the two boys.  One of the boys we got a wheel chair made for him a few months ago but the way it was built was not quite right for the boy,Huy, to be comfortable in so he helped us alter it a bit to make him more comfortable.  The other boy,Hom, we believe to have autism, this boy does not walk, the man said probably cause the sensation is to great on his feet so he showed us somethings to do with him to desensitize his feet and help him get used to holding weight on his feet.  I asked him if he actually thought it was possible for him to walk in the future and he said "oh yeah."  This made me really excited, I just wish I had more time to spend at the orphanage each week so I could work with both of them on a regular basis.
 
A couple weeks ago I got to travel down to Tam Ky to visit the GVN program down there.  I got to see the orphanages that they work in.  Their facilities were much better than the ones here in Da nang mostly because they had a large covered area for the children to play under.  I don't know how many times the mothers at the red cross told us we could not take the kids outside because it was too hot and they did not want them to get sick. I also got to visit the Home of Affection which was an orphanage but also a vocational training day center.  About half the kids were orphans there about 30 kids. I really enjoyed getting to see what other orphanages were like in Vietnam, it helps me see what are cultural differences in raising kids and what things may just be the mothers at the red cross.
 
If there are any parents out there reading and want to know about how there children are doing just send in a message and a picture of your child.  I will do my best in keeping you updating with the little time I get to spend there.  Also if any parents are reading that have adopted recently I would love to be updated on how your kids are, I miss them like crazy, send me a picture and let me know what there old name was and what it is now.  It would make me very happy to know how they are doing.
 
I have been getting a little stressed lately trying to make decisions on how long I will be here, what I will do and if I have enough money to do what I want.  But as of now the plan is to stay until the beginning of March.  I do get really homesick from time to time but know that when I get home I will be homesick for Vietnam.  It feels right to stay here a few more months.
 
My English classes at the language center have been going well, recently two of my classes have ended so I am left with just one class, but I am subbing for a couple.  I am trying to decide if I will continue working here, my 3 month contract ends at the end of August.  I wasn't sure if I liked teaching English at first but the longer I have done it the more comfortable I have become with it.  Although it is quite ironic that I am teaching English because I am not very good at it.  I always worry that I am correcting them in the wrong way.  I think what is hard at this language center that the classes don't last very long so you build relationships with your students and then the class is over and you have to start all over again with new students.  I think I would enjoy it much more if I could stick with the same students for a longer period of time.
 
For the most part I have been working, volunteering and spending a lot of time with friends.
 
Much Love,
Stella

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