Last week (May 18th-20th) we got to know the Youth Centre and our mentor Linh (seen in photos below) and started our research on NGO's in Hanoi and contacted a list of 25 of them, now we are just waiting for them to respond.
This is Linh and two boys that come to the Youth Centre every day. They live in the fisher village which is a poor and rural community that resides on Vietnams’ biggest river (Red River) in boats made from rubbish.The Youth Centre's purpose is to pay for them to attend elementary school and feed them lunch every day and lead them into the right direction to have a sustained life. These boys haven't started elementary school yet since they are still too young, but the other kids come on their lunch time to get fed.
Ho Hoan Kiem lake.
These women were constantly coming up to the boat and asking if we wanted to buy anything.
This weekend 11 volunteers went on a 2 day/1night trip to Halong Bay. It was gorgeous, the limestone mountains were unlike anything I'd ever seen, and they were massive and filled with green wildlife. It was nice to escape the big city and relax on a boat for a couple days.
The view from our room.
These women were constantly coming up to the boat and asking if we wanted to buy anything.
....and we are back to work in Hanoi. I took this photo on our lunch break while walking through the Old Quarter. We get two hours for lunch here because in their culture they use that time to take a midday nap. Tomorrow Jim and I are 'teaching' students at the Youth Centre then Linh might take us to the fisher village and show us where these kids grow up. I say "teaching" because most of them speak English very well, the purpose of the class is to just get them to talk and practice speaking in English since in school they mostly just learn English grammar. We've been told that they like to talk about very intense topics like globalization, the effect of technology, climate change...etc., so it should be very interesting.
Just to reiterate what Jim said, we quickly learned that the organization SJ Vietnam that we are working for is very disorganized. However we also find that everything here is kinda disorganized, so we are slowly adjusting to it and trying to make the most of it. The lifestyle here is very different from back home. Everything here is very dirty, and as someone who is the most part very clean and organized I'm finding it difficult to get over. It is very busy, hot and loud in the city-also things which we are not accustom to, we are still in search of a quiet spot that we can go to to escape from the chaos. But the other volunteers are great, during our trip to Halong Bay we really got to know some of them. They come from all over the world-Canada, US, Australia, Ireland, France, India, China and the UK. I think my favourite part about this trip so far is the people we've met, it is really interesting talking to them and discussing where they come from and comparing our lifestyles.
You have been busy. Most importantly, you are learning how to make the best of it in uncomfortable circumstances. "disorganized" is something you will encounter more than once in your life and that includes Canadian businesses, public and/or private. Hanoi and surroundings definitely contrast with Hong Kong, but then, as you say, the people are the ones you learn the most from. These eye opening experiences will definitely be useful for you in future. Love your photos, your impressions and your continued smiles. Can't thank you enough for sharing your them. Lots of love and big hugs to both, nonno and nonna
ReplyDeleteWe had been anxiously anticipating your next posting for many days, and finally there it was..... Many thanks. Of course we do understand that you are busy with work and absorbing so many new experiences. We do appreciate therefore the blogging so much more. And how much do you learn from this trip. Enjoy every moment, good luck, and as always all our love, oma and opa.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the updates. I understand your disappointment about the assignment but it sounds like you are putting it in perspective and still getting a lot out of it. Maybe when you hear from the NGOs it will get more interesting.
ReplyDeleteLoving your photos (especially the ladies in the boat) and both of you write so well I really feel like I understand your experiences.
Miss you lots, lots of love
Mom