the free ride makes its stop here and the transition back to America starts here…im sitting here writing this blog when I should be writing my paper for your class thầy Gerard (THANK YOU for the extension—id probably be crying my eyes out right now without it) its been a crazy four months and even crazier week with final, papers, projects. I cant believe that its all coming to an end.
this has been a wonderful and breathtaking experience. ive driven a motorbike (homegirls—still haven’t found my other half that has a motorcycle who will not drive a motorcycle anymore when hes dating me cuz its dangerous but is still HOTTTTT ;) LOL), ive gone skinny-dipping in the late night in quy ngon, ive eaten chuột đông, snake and many other unmentionable things <-- please don’t make this controversial, ive seen bác hồ, ive crawled through the tunnels at cu chi, ive never had to swat so many times in the bushes in my life, ive never gotten diarrhea so much in my life in such a short period, ive had a lot of firsts in Vietnam and the one thing that I never thought that id have the opportunity to do was to live abroad
theres a famous quote that id like to share, it goes “life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” These past four months of my life has been the best for a long time. Before all this was all possible, I went through an emotional rollercoaster and ive never felt so broken before. But lucky for me I always my brother, who always tries to be strong for me when im weak. He could be hard-headed sometimes but I know deep inside, theres a soft spot <3 I know that I don’t get to tell you this often but I love you, and I would give up anything for me because you push me so much cuz you believe that I have the potential even when I don’t believe in myself, you do. Youre my inspiration and if I can be just like you even in the smallest ways, id be okay
through all the ups and down, you’ve always been by my side. And if you didn’t push me to apply for eap more than I was going to already, I wouldn’t have had this amazing experience with such amazing people. Man, do I hate goodbyes. I am fortunate that I have met so many of you, you made such a difference in my life and I do not know how we are going to part ways. youve made me a better person, and now that its time to go home, you will meet new and more people and you will transform their lives as you have mine, so thank you.
you guys will always hold a special place in my heart, i hope that one day we will cross paths again.until then, thank you & God bless everyone <3
MUCH love,
i love you guys
see you guys at home soon.
(sorry if this is all cheesy, but its straight from the heart)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Nghệ An
Beside the long bus ride, nghe an was freaken awesome. The city had a meeting with us to thank us and we came to thank them for giving us permission to visit the schools. And when the “wreckless” bus driver was speeding and we got pulled over, co giang called the mayor and the mayor told the police to let us go. THAT ITS SELF WAS PRETTY SICK! The power of networking :D
Although the city was pretty small, we got to visit some really cool places. The beach was awesome. At first I thought that all this white spots on the beach were Styrofoam and I was so disappointed but I took a closer look and it turned out to be shell :) hehe the boys played catch with an orange and all the girls just took pictures hehehe.
But the next day, we got to visit the schools and the kids are to die for. We went into groups of 3-4 to each classroom and played with the kids while others were counting how many jackets each classroom needed and passing them out. And in the classroom the kids sang for us and the teachers let them play this game called something dragon where the kids stand in a line and hold each others shirt and theres one kid who has to get through the first kids and tag everyone else. It was soooo funnnnnnny!!!
And finally the jackets came and the kids were so excited. We gave it to them, they tried them on and the took them off again cuz it was too hot during that day. Then we went in groups to visit 32 of the poorest families in the village and the pretty emotional hearing their hardships. And you will learn that the village is mostly populated by women because men have to go to the coal mines to make money. I am so glad that I was able to visit the families :)
Through all of our hard work and dedication, kids from nghe an are a little warmer than they were yesterday. The only thing that I wish was better was the quality of the jackets. “made in china…” no wonder. Some of the sleeves were sewn together so you cant even pull your arms to the sleeve, some of the zippers broke while we tried to zip the kids up, and some of the jackets were too big on the kids…but in an asian family, that’s good because itll last longer because you can ALWAYS grow into them. Hehehe
Although the city was pretty small, we got to visit some really cool places. The beach was awesome. At first I thought that all this white spots on the beach were Styrofoam and I was so disappointed but I took a closer look and it turned out to be shell :) hehe the boys played catch with an orange and all the girls just took pictures hehehe.
But the next day, we got to visit the schools and the kids are to die for. We went into groups of 3-4 to each classroom and played with the kids while others were counting how many jackets each classroom needed and passing them out. And in the classroom the kids sang for us and the teachers let them play this game called something dragon where the kids stand in a line and hold each others shirt and theres one kid who has to get through the first kids and tag everyone else. It was soooo funnnnnnny!!!
And finally the jackets came and the kids were so excited. We gave it to them, they tried them on and the took them off again cuz it was too hot during that day. Then we went in groups to visit 32 of the poorest families in the village and the pretty emotional hearing their hardships. And you will learn that the village is mostly populated by women because men have to go to the coal mines to make money. I am so glad that I was able to visit the families :)
Through all of our hard work and dedication, kids from nghe an are a little warmer than they were yesterday. The only thing that I wish was better was the quality of the jackets. “made in china…” no wonder. Some of the sleeves were sewn together so you cant even pull your arms to the sleeve, some of the zippers broke while we tried to zip the kids up, and some of the jackets were too big on the kids…but in an asian family, that’s good because itll last longer because you can ALWAYS grow into them. Hehehe
I left my heart back in Sài Gòn :(
I’d have to say that I after the trip to South Vietnam, I can definitely say that I feel a lot safer in Hanoi than I did in Saigon. On two separate occasions, Irene and Mindy almost got their purse stolen. According to John who got his information from a taxi driver, the reason why Saigon we saw more thefts in Saigon than Hanoi was because all the bandits from Hanoi relocated to Saigon. The reason for this being was because Saigon is located next to Cambodia and there are many casinos there so…it just made sense that there would be of them in Saigon.
BUT aside from all that, I’d have to say that I love Saigon.
For once in a long time, I felt as if I was home and EVERYONE could understand what I was trying to say. It got to a point where people didn’t believe that I was a foreigner. LOL, the ironic thing is that when people think I’m a foreigner, I always wished that they thought I was a local and when people think that I’m a local, I always wished that they thought I was a foreigner. Call me bi-polar but yeah…
Anyways, one of the best parts of the southern trip was the fact that I was finally able to see my cousin, Chế Ngọc after thirteen long-ass years. She came to the Đoàn 30, the famous military hotel, to pick me up.
I heard a knock and my hotel room and it was Chế Ngọc. I tried to give her a hug because I missed her but it was note reciprocated. Apparently, Vietnamese people do not hug, I think they closest thing to a hug in Vietnam is a handshake and that is on rare occasions—usually you just make eye-contact or bow their heads. It was really nice seeing some familiar faces after three months in Hanoi <3
One major aspect of the south that I noticed the most was the fact that there were more beggars there than in my entire stay in Hanoi. And generally speaking, there were more youthful, elderly, and handicapped beggars.
Kids as young as five or six were roaming the streets of Lông Xuyên selling lottery tickets instead of being at home watching tv or playing like I was when I was that young. They were trying to sell us lottery tickets for a good half an hour. When we were at the café shop, they stuck around to the point where Anh Khoi asked the store owners to tell the kids to leave us alone because we do not play lottery here. SO instead of buying the lottery tickets from them, some of us bought them toy cars and dolls. For a brief time, they were just able to be kids again. I felt like they were stripped of their childhood, but I do understand that family constraints restrict what you can do and what is needed of you to survive.
I forgot what it felt like to be a kid myself :D just seeing the kids’ faces glow was priceless.
BUT aside from all that, I’d have to say that I love Saigon.
For once in a long time, I felt as if I was home and EVERYONE could understand what I was trying to say. It got to a point where people didn’t believe that I was a foreigner. LOL, the ironic thing is that when people think I’m a foreigner, I always wished that they thought I was a local and when people think that I’m a local, I always wished that they thought I was a foreigner. Call me bi-polar but yeah…
Anyways, one of the best parts of the southern trip was the fact that I was finally able to see my cousin, Chế Ngọc after thirteen long-ass years. She came to the Đoàn 30, the famous military hotel, to pick me up.
I heard a knock and my hotel room and it was Chế Ngọc. I tried to give her a hug because I missed her but it was note reciprocated. Apparently, Vietnamese people do not hug, I think they closest thing to a hug in Vietnam is a handshake and that is on rare occasions—usually you just make eye-contact or bow their heads. It was really nice seeing some familiar faces after three months in Hanoi <3
One major aspect of the south that I noticed the most was the fact that there were more beggars there than in my entire stay in Hanoi. And generally speaking, there were more youthful, elderly, and handicapped beggars.
Kids as young as five or six were roaming the streets of Lông Xuyên selling lottery tickets instead of being at home watching tv or playing like I was when I was that young. They were trying to sell us lottery tickets for a good half an hour. When we were at the café shop, they stuck around to the point where Anh Khoi asked the store owners to tell the kids to leave us alone because we do not play lottery here. SO instead of buying the lottery tickets from them, some of us bought them toy cars and dolls. For a brief time, they were just able to be kids again. I felt like they were stripped of their childhood, but I do understand that family constraints restrict what you can do and what is needed of you to survive.
I forgot what it felt like to be a kid myself :D just seeing the kids’ faces glow was priceless.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Một Trái Tim Nước Việt Nam
One Heartland Viet Nam has opened UC’ers to the Hanu community like never before. We had the opportunity to work side-by-side with each other. And through the hard times is when you really get to know someone. It was just nice being outside of my room and haning out with everyone. We played badminton right outside of the C building, I learned how to play poker (kinda—still suck though), made tra chanh and coffee, and learned the recipe for xoai dam :) I got to work with a lot of the hanu that I didn’t get to before, especially Phuong, shes pretty awesome. youre so funny and I don’t know if I would be able to make all the food like she did and her sushi was delicious
Im speechless about poker/casio night. We missed class because there was no way that we could’ve finish setting up and the lighting was a MAJOR problem but thanks to anh thang and the an ninh we had light…pretty much cant do anything without light up on the roof.
we got paper money that we use to burn để cúng as decorations so how the “baller-ness” of highrollers. Awesome idea-thanks to me hehe jk. It wouldn’t have been a success without everyone’s help especially John, Miki, Khuong, and Peter. (Peter, you cant subtract any point from me because those posters were freehand ;) I can draw if I tried. LOL)
Partayyyyy and drink for the kids in nghe an. Lol. There was great music, awesome bia hoi, crazy dancing and all with the people you love to share it with.
And after everyone left, son, vi, peter, lena, mary, carol, mindy, miki and I sat on a chieu and ate xoi ngo, muc, and tangerines and it was pretty awesome. We were just talking about everything and singing songs. It was so simple, but so memorable.
Im speechless about poker/casio night. We missed class because there was no way that we could’ve finish setting up and the lighting was a MAJOR problem but thanks to anh thang and the an ninh we had light…pretty much cant do anything without light up on the roof.
we got paper money that we use to burn để cúng as decorations so how the “baller-ness” of highrollers. Awesome idea-thanks to me hehe jk. It wouldn’t have been a success without everyone’s help especially John, Miki, Khuong, and Peter. (Peter, you cant subtract any point from me because those posters were freehand ;) I can draw if I tried. LOL)
Partayyyyy and drink for the kids in nghe an. Lol. There was great music, awesome bia hoi, crazy dancing and all with the people you love to share it with.
And after everyone left, son, vi, peter, lena, mary, carol, mindy, miki and I sat on a chieu and ate xoi ngo, muc, and tangerines and it was pretty awesome. We were just talking about everything and singing songs. It was so simple, but so memorable.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
iNDiViDUAL - THANK YOU!!!
At the end of the day through all the headaches and conflicts at Sao Mai, I am pleased to say that I’ve genuinely enjoyed my time at Sao Mai. Despite the things that I felt were wrong or can be improved, I’m happy that I was able to be so involved with the organization. It was a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the Sao Mai and work with the most adorable two and three year-olds ever!
I remember walking up the stairs to the classrooms and I was praying to God that Nancy or Lan would be assigned the first room, but lucky for me, Chi Phuong that I would be working with cô Vinh and cát chị. I was petrified by the facts that I got babies because I was always scared of them crying and me not knowing what to do with them besides picking them up which would be a bad habit because that would only reward their bad behavior and whining.
The other day, I was walking with someone (sorry forgot who you were <3 Mai?) and I told them that kids don’t like me and they only like me when I 1) inflict pain on myself or someone 2) get them toys and 3) give them candy. But here it was a totally different environment, the kids are so loving and they always cling on to me (one little boy in particular clung onto me because I had access to leave the room and so he wanted to follow me -_-) LOL just kidding but yeah. I know them all by name and each child has such a unique personality.
I think that I’ve grown a lot through this process of working with kids. To some these could have special needs and are not capable of many things, but to me, they’re just kids. They play, they run, they eat just like we do.
Furthermore, I would like to thank Trung Tam Sao Mai, Chi Phuong, the teachers, and for trusting Lan, Nancy and I with painting the playground for the kids and Paulina and Nina for helping us out. You guys are so awesome and you guys have such big hearts. I was very afraid at first that we were not going to finish out project or that it would look “crappy” but it turned out beautiful when we all pulled our efforts together.
Regretfully though, we did not have the chance to the kids out to play on the newly painted walls. But you know, there’s always next year. And Anh Thai make sure we continue to work with Sao Mai because it is soooooo far from Hanu and the syringes on the sidewalks on the way to Sao Mai gives you such an adrenaline rush :/
Anyways, thank you Anh Thai, Thay Gerard and most of all Nancy and Lan for making this a wonderful experience for me <3 ily
I remember walking up the stairs to the classrooms and I was praying to God that Nancy or Lan would be assigned the first room, but lucky for me, Chi Phuong that I would be working with cô Vinh and cát chị. I was petrified by the facts that I got babies because I was always scared of them crying and me not knowing what to do with them besides picking them up which would be a bad habit because that would only reward their bad behavior and whining.
The other day, I was walking with someone (sorry forgot who you were <3 Mai?) and I told them that kids don’t like me and they only like me when I 1) inflict pain on myself or someone 2) get them toys and 3) give them candy. But here it was a totally different environment, the kids are so loving and they always cling on to me (one little boy in particular clung onto me because I had access to leave the room and so he wanted to follow me -_-) LOL just kidding but yeah. I know them all by name and each child has such a unique personality.
I think that I’ve grown a lot through this process of working with kids. To some these could have special needs and are not capable of many things, but to me, they’re just kids. They play, they run, they eat just like we do.
Furthermore, I would like to thank Trung Tam Sao Mai, Chi Phuong, the teachers, and for trusting Lan, Nancy and I with painting the playground for the kids and Paulina and Nina for helping us out. You guys are so awesome and you guys have such big hearts. I was very afraid at first that we were not going to finish out project or that it would look “crappy” but it turned out beautiful when we all pulled our efforts together.
Regretfully though, we did not have the chance to the kids out to play on the newly painted walls. But you know, there’s always next year. And Anh Thai make sure we continue to work with Sao Mai because it is soooooo far from Hanu and the syringes on the sidewalks on the way to Sao Mai gives you such an adrenaline rush :/
Anyways, thank you Anh Thai, Thay Gerard and most of all Nancy and Lan for making this a wonderful experience for me <3 ily
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Don't Dis My Abilities
No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter who we are, people are always judging us except for The Big Guy upstairs.
I came into Sao Mai with an open mind and no expectations. Through the weeks and months there, I have grown to appreciate the things I have more often. Although I do not agree with all the ways in which the organization is run, I have quickly learned to appreciate that there are non-governmental organizations like Sao Mai in place. Sao Mai provides children with an education while catering to their special needs. There are teachers that pulls the kids out one at a time to teach them. This is a great one-on-one time for the kids to excel because all the attention is focused on them. I really respect the organization and even more recently because I learned that the teachers are trained regularly by Peter, a British specialist for children with disabilities. Although the teachers are train in how they teach and handle the children, their mental conceptions of the kids remain the same and they do not seem to change how they perceive the children in the sense that they don't believe that the children has potential in the world and that they will never be accepted by society.
This job is designed specifically for people who live children and have patience and tolerance. When people hear the word tolerance, the words: discrimination and racism come to mind, but I mean that they have to train themselves to deal with situations like this one child who has mood swings.
My jr. high, Irvine Intermediate School, was the only school that had a program designed for students with psychological and mental disabilities. I remember one of the boys serenading me with the song "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff (popular song at the time). He would sing the song for me for days. nd there was Peter. Peter has down syndrome. He would chase my friends and I every where and so we played along. He was a really nice guy and he had a great sense of humor. I remember learning that he was Vietnamese when I saw him at mass with his family. Growing up, I didn't feel any kind os separation from those with disabilities. I think that I'm a pretty diversified person, thanks to my parents, but there are many instances not too long ago when it was hard to accept myself because of my appearance or because of the things that I do. I think that when we learn to love and accept ourselves, it is easier to accept everyone. It is difficult but I think that we all should get past that point and once we do, we'd be happier and better people.
Acceptance and tolerance is applicable to everything, whether the trend is having Apple Ipods or the way we dress. People seek approval and acceptance from society as a whole.
I came into Sao Mai with an open mind and no expectations. Through the weeks and months there, I have grown to appreciate the things I have more often. Although I do not agree with all the ways in which the organization is run, I have quickly learned to appreciate that there are non-governmental organizations like Sao Mai in place. Sao Mai provides children with an education while catering to their special needs. There are teachers that pulls the kids out one at a time to teach them. This is a great one-on-one time for the kids to excel because all the attention is focused on them. I really respect the organization and even more recently because I learned that the teachers are trained regularly by Peter, a British specialist for children with disabilities. Although the teachers are train in how they teach and handle the children, their mental conceptions of the kids remain the same and they do not seem to change how they perceive the children in the sense that they don't believe that the children has potential in the world and that they will never be accepted by society.
This job is designed specifically for people who live children and have patience and tolerance. When people hear the word tolerance, the words: discrimination and racism come to mind, but I mean that they have to train themselves to deal with situations like this one child who has mood swings.
My jr. high, Irvine Intermediate School, was the only school that had a program designed for students with psychological and mental disabilities. I remember one of the boys serenading me with the song "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff (popular song at the time). He would sing the song for me for days. nd there was Peter. Peter has down syndrome. He would chase my friends and I every where and so we played along. He was a really nice guy and he had a great sense of humor. I remember learning that he was Vietnamese when I saw him at mass with his family. Growing up, I didn't feel any kind os separation from those with disabilities. I think that I'm a pretty diversified person, thanks to my parents, but there are many instances not too long ago when it was hard to accept myself because of my appearance or because of the things that I do. I think that when we learn to love and accept ourselves, it is easier to accept everyone. It is difficult but I think that we all should get past that point and once we do, we'd be happier and better people.
Acceptance and tolerance is applicable to everything, whether the trend is having Apple Ipods or the way we dress. People seek approval and acceptance from society as a whole.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
thoughts? and?? feelings???
This is one of my last weeks at Sao Mai and its BITTERSWEET! When we first started out painting, we thought, well I though at least, that we would be ablet o faw pictures of kids jump-roping, running and playing. BOY, WAS I WRONG! I WAS TOOOOOOOOOO OPTIMISTIC. Lol. After long weeks of knowing what the hell we were going to paint, things took a turn for the better. We decided to do something simple that was easier to do and mass produce. So we took those portfolio envelopes and cut out a stencil of a cloud, a heart and a start to represent Sao Mai because Sao Mai translates to “morning star” in Vietnamese.
We were all getting stressful going to Sao Mai and not exactly sure what we were doing. Everything seemed like it couldn’t get any worse but it only did. First the blue paint was not “poppin” and we have 5 liters of cream paint that we do not know what the heck to do with. And by accident we bought paint for metal surfaces and it hella stained our clothes and body and dirtied the bathroom sink. In the end, the oil-based paint worked really well because it was thicker and was more visible on the walls/pillars.
Nothing matters now because the playground is BEAUTIFULLLLLL and I had my doubts at the beginning. I wouldn’t change anything about it now.
In the process, we had the opportunity to meet and work with so many people. It was pretty awesome. Despite what Sao Mai thinks of our efforts (I do hope they like it), I like it :D and that’s what matter because we tried out best <3
although we were able to please the teachers and chi phuong, i think that chi uyen (the one who found our bus route from DH Hanoi to Sao Mao) doesnt like us anymore because we never help out basic chores that shes supposed to do like washing dishes or sweeping the storefront at the cafe anymore. its pretty obvious that she doesnt like it anymore, but good luck to the people who end up at Sao Mai next year, and be sure to get to know co hieu <--such a nice, strong, and courageous lady, very admirable...plus shes from saigon so she can cook pretty freaken well <3
We were all getting stressful going to Sao Mai and not exactly sure what we were doing. Everything seemed like it couldn’t get any worse but it only did. First the blue paint was not “poppin” and we have 5 liters of cream paint that we do not know what the heck to do with. And by accident we bought paint for metal surfaces and it hella stained our clothes and body and dirtied the bathroom sink. In the end, the oil-based paint worked really well because it was thicker and was more visible on the walls/pillars.
Nothing matters now because the playground is BEAUTIFULLLLLL and I had my doubts at the beginning. I wouldn’t change anything about it now.
In the process, we had the opportunity to meet and work with so many people. It was pretty awesome. Despite what Sao Mai thinks of our efforts (I do hope they like it), I like it :D and that’s what matter because we tried out best <3
although we were able to please the teachers and chi phuong, i think that chi uyen (the one who found our bus route from DH Hanoi to Sao Mao) doesnt like us anymore because we never help out basic chores that shes supposed to do like washing dishes or sweeping the storefront at the cafe anymore. its pretty obvious that she doesnt like it anymore, but good luck to the people who end up at Sao Mai next year, and be sure to get to know co hieu <--such a nice, strong, and courageous lady, very admirable...plus shes from saigon so she can cook pretty freaken well <3
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
self and identity
I think the most rewarding part of this volunteer class (cong tac xa hoi) is that fact that you can change little lives “a little at a time.”
I think that I’ve become more responsible and dependable. Before this experience, I was pretty afraid of hurting the kids or doing things wrong. As a result of service-learning, I am proud to say that I KNOW HOW TO PUT ON A DIAPER FOR KIDS AND HOLD A BUCKET FOR THEM TO PEE IN :D YAY!!! What an accomplishment! Never in my life would I ever come close to anyone’s pee before. If I didn’t sign up for volunteering, I would never ever been expose to such task until when I become a mom and have to deal with all of this.
I learned about myself and my self-value. Everything was usually handed to me and I had a lot of people watch after me especially because I was the youngest and the only girl in the family. But through all of this experience, I learned that I was capable of many things including the fact that there was still a language barrier between me and the teachers, I learned to work my way around it to help them wherever and whenever I can and get my hands dirty.
From being around all the teachers and kids, I think that it has pushed me into perhaps a career path where I go into teaching (definitely not high schoolers, and probably not elementary school) college students are a little more motivated because they first of all got in to college :) ahhhhh and maybe those plans are inclusive to my plans to get my MD or PHD some how...BUT wherever I go, despite which paths I take in my life, I will always have this experience with me and the knowledge that I obtain in the process.
--peace and love
I think that I’ve become more responsible and dependable. Before this experience, I was pretty afraid of hurting the kids or doing things wrong. As a result of service-learning, I am proud to say that I KNOW HOW TO PUT ON A DIAPER FOR KIDS AND HOLD A BUCKET FOR THEM TO PEE IN :D YAY!!! What an accomplishment! Never in my life would I ever come close to anyone’s pee before. If I didn’t sign up for volunteering, I would never ever been expose to such task until when I become a mom and have to deal with all of this.
I learned about myself and my self-value. Everything was usually handed to me and I had a lot of people watch after me especially because I was the youngest and the only girl in the family. But through all of this experience, I learned that I was capable of many things including the fact that there was still a language barrier between me and the teachers, I learned to work my way around it to help them wherever and whenever I can and get my hands dirty.
From being around all the teachers and kids, I think that it has pushed me into perhaps a career path where I go into teaching (definitely not high schoolers, and probably not elementary school) college students are a little more motivated because they first of all got in to college :) ahhhhh and maybe those plans are inclusive to my plans to get my MD or PHD some how...BUT wherever I go, despite which paths I take in my life, I will always have this experience with me and the knowledge that I obtain in the process.
--peace and love
Sunday, November 14, 2010
iNTEREST
What drew me most to Sao Mai was the fact that the organization mainly took care of kids who were affected by Agent Orange directly or indirectly. I didn’t know what to expect in the next few months of volunteering and what challenges I might have to face. It was kind of scary because I didn’t know how the kids would act.
Before this, I remember that some kids might have attachment problems. For example, this one girl at Thanh Xuan Peace Village grabbed a hold of Phuong and wouldn’t let her go unless she promised to go to her hometown with her and her dad. And she couldn’t leave because she lived at the organization.
I know that there are many challenges that one must overcome, as this is all a learning experience.
Back in spring 2009, I took a course called Making of the Modern World. In the course, we were supposed to do a research paper about a country during a certain time period and develop an argument. I choose Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 and my debate was that Agent Orange was the #1 cause of birth deformities in Vietnam. I specifically chose Vietnam just so I can learn more about my heritage and Vietnamese history along the way.
Although, Agent Orange is “not a cause of autism and birth deformities” according to some of my sources, I do believe that there are still people who are affected by Agent Orange and pass on the toxins that are embedded in their blood to their children.
If I remember correctly, Anh Thai said that Vietnamese still like to blame the war for all the deformities. BUT one must remember that there are always other factors like malnutrition, water sanitation, etc. that may inhibit and cause deformities often seen in victims of Agent Orange.
Before this, I remember that some kids might have attachment problems. For example, this one girl at Thanh Xuan Peace Village grabbed a hold of Phuong and wouldn’t let her go unless she promised to go to her hometown with her and her dad. And she couldn’t leave because she lived at the organization.
I know that there are many challenges that one must overcome, as this is all a learning experience.
Back in spring 2009, I took a course called Making of the Modern World. In the course, we were supposed to do a research paper about a country during a certain time period and develop an argument. I choose Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 and my debate was that Agent Orange was the #1 cause of birth deformities in Vietnam. I specifically chose Vietnam just so I can learn more about my heritage and Vietnamese history along the way.
Although, Agent Orange is “not a cause of autism and birth deformities” according to some of my sources, I do believe that there are still people who are affected by Agent Orange and pass on the toxins that are embedded in their blood to their children.
If I remember correctly, Anh Thai said that Vietnamese still like to blame the war for all the deformities. BUT one must remember that there are always other factors like malnutrition, water sanitation, etc. that may inhibit and cause deformities often seen in victims of Agent Orange.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Familiar Food and Familiar Faces - Miền Nam
No doubt...Sài Gòn is the place to be. You can go shopping, eat, bar hopping, get mugged by people on motorbikes in the middle of the night, pretty much everything you can do back at home in the states but 10x better. Because underage drinking makes everything even better. LOL.
I also met chị Hoang-An--my now adoptive chế. hehehe. We were pretty much spoiled. We got a nice ass hotel, free breakfasts, bomb-ass food, some True-Religions---you name it but the three missing parts of this experience was Chị Mốc, Lena and Thầy Gerard.
After thirteen years, I finally got to see my cousin, chế Ngọc, again. I remember when I was seven, my family and I were staying at my aunt's house for a few days while we were in Cần Thơ. When the electricity in the neighborhood went out, my brother was playing games on the computer. He got so scared that he leaped from the desk to the bed but he fell short and his head hit the bedframe and split his eyebrow (a little above the forehead). We called for a taxi and drive him to the hospital because he was bleeding pretty heavily and needed stitches.
Besides her giving me these puppy figurines from her room. I remember growing up, every one called her lazy. ). I wanted to ask her about our family history but she didn't know much. The sad thing was that what she knows about our family history was what she heard from the children of our family friends that she hung out with. She told me that the only time she saw or talked to grandma was when she would come over to bring her food that my aunt had just prepared.I didn't really know her much, but as I learned this time around, she started her own business selling bedding and mattresses in Sóc Trang (my mom's hometown). After a long conversation with her, I think that she's grown to appreciate more of what she has and longingly regrets the fact that she was not so close with the family.
I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that she was heavier than most girls in Vietnam and she also grew up without parents as my aunt passed away of cancer and my uncle died of depression not long after my aunt's death, leaving my cousin with one older sister in Vietnam and another in California.
A lot has changed since I was last in Cần Thơ. Apparently the house that my aunt own is located on property that the Vietnamese government plans on taking to widen the roads, thus many resident in that area now lease their home and are afraid to do any renovations to the house as it might be teared down. A lot has changed, the circumstances has change, but all in all Cần Thơ is still my home and I love it, despite the night life and places to go and things to do. I enjoyed being in the little comfort of home.
I also met chị Hoang-An--my now adoptive chế. hehehe. We were pretty much spoiled. We got a nice ass hotel, free breakfasts, bomb-ass food, some True-Religions---you name it but the three missing parts of this experience was Chị Mốc, Lena and Thầy Gerard.
After thirteen years, I finally got to see my cousin, chế Ngọc, again. I remember when I was seven, my family and I were staying at my aunt's house for a few days while we were in Cần Thơ. When the electricity in the neighborhood went out, my brother was playing games on the computer. He got so scared that he leaped from the desk to the bed but he fell short and his head hit the bedframe and split his eyebrow (a little above the forehead). We called for a taxi and drive him to the hospital because he was bleeding pretty heavily and needed stitches.
Besides her giving me these puppy figurines from her room. I remember growing up, every one called her lazy. ). I wanted to ask her about our family history but she didn't know much. The sad thing was that what she knows about our family history was what she heard from the children of our family friends that she hung out with. She told me that the only time she saw or talked to grandma was when she would come over to bring her food that my aunt had just prepared.I didn't really know her much, but as I learned this time around, she started her own business selling bedding and mattresses in Sóc Trang (my mom's hometown). After a long conversation with her, I think that she's grown to appreciate more of what she has and longingly regrets the fact that she was not so close with the family.
I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that she was heavier than most girls in Vietnam and she also grew up without parents as my aunt passed away of cancer and my uncle died of depression not long after my aunt's death, leaving my cousin with one older sister in Vietnam and another in California.
A lot has changed since I was last in Cần Thơ. Apparently the house that my aunt own is located on property that the Vietnamese government plans on taking to widen the roads, thus many resident in that area now lease their home and are afraid to do any renovations to the house as it might be teared down. A lot has changed, the circumstances has change, but all in all Cần Thơ is still my home and I love it, despite the night life and places to go and things to do. I enjoyed being in the little comfort of home.
can you sayyyyy sooooociety?
Volunteering at Sao Mai opened my eyes to the community. Never before have I had the opportunity to work with such an organization or kids. And it’s great seeing how much some of the teachers just love and adore these kids while some teachers just teach them tough love.
When Lan, Nancy and I were painting and there was a group of about 20-25 college girls from one a educational university right across the street from Hanoi University. Although they came from many different backgrounds and experiences, they were all at Sao Mai for one reason and that was to check out the vicinity, one in which they might work at in the near future.
All the girls there were really friendly and caught us off guard when we were painting and they were so kindly enough (and excited) to help us transform the playground for the children. It’s inspiring such young people so motivated as I “used” to be dunno what happened to me :( LOL. I sound like I’m older them…we were born in the same year -_- Moving on…I talked to a few of them while they helped us paint and apparently there are quite a few organizations like Sao Mai out there besides Thanh Xuan Peace Village.
I guess in the states I was very oblivious to everything that was going on out there. It’s opened my eyes and it’s like a whole new world out there. It’s a shame that took me this long to realize that there are people out there suffering every day.
My dad told me to remember to appreciate everything that I have any disabilities like blindness, and that I have people to take care of me. And lucky for the kids at Sao Mai for having such lovely parents…I see it in the kids eyes when their parents or grandparents comes to pick them up. And to have an organization to care and educate their children.
When Lan, Nancy and I were painting and there was a group of about 20-25 college girls from one a educational university right across the street from Hanoi University. Although they came from many different backgrounds and experiences, they were all at Sao Mai for one reason and that was to check out the vicinity, one in which they might work at in the near future.
All the girls there were really friendly and caught us off guard when we were painting and they were so kindly enough (and excited) to help us transform the playground for the children. It’s inspiring such young people so motivated as I “used” to be dunno what happened to me :( LOL. I sound like I’m older them…we were born in the same year -_- Moving on…I talked to a few of them while they helped us paint and apparently there are quite a few organizations like Sao Mai out there besides Thanh Xuan Peace Village.
I guess in the states I was very oblivious to everything that was going on out there. It’s opened my eyes and it’s like a whole new world out there. It’s a shame that took me this long to realize that there are people out there suffering every day.
My dad told me to remember to appreciate everything that I have any disabilities like blindness, and that I have people to take care of me. And lucky for the kids at Sao Mai for having such lovely parents…I see it in the kids eyes when their parents or grandparents comes to pick them up. And to have an organization to care and educate their children.
Friday, November 5, 2010
relAtionshipppppppppps
i think one of the hardest things when an outsider comes into an organization is developing a solid relationship. and i think that it was more difficult just because we are foreigners so at times it is harder to build trust between the two sides.
luckily, students who volunteer at Sao Mai next year with have a pre-developed relationship with the organization. starting out, i was pretty nervous and anxious every day that i went volunteering. in the beginning, the teachers did not really give me any task. and i was kind of glad of that fact because i didnt really know how to handle the kids, but as time went on, i was better able to understand how the classroom is ran.
I didn’t really develop or try even to develop a relationship with the teachers until the next few days I was at Sao Mai. But the teachers quickly became open and they started asking questions and wanting to know more about me (its not that I like to brag about myself) but the classroom felt more open. They asked me if I had a boyfriend and my family and the typical questions like why I was in Vietnam.
Later, as the months went by, they always shared food that they brought with me and they were just really happy to see me (WHICH IS AWESOME!) and the sad thing is that once I started painting the playground, they didn’t have the extra help that they had with me around. So like all relationships, things take time to build. And the one thing that I regret the most is the fact that I didn’t get to know the teachers as well as they got to know me. Besides the fact that I met co vinhs daughter and found out that chi thuy has two sons I do not know much about their lives because I was too afraid to ask. So in the next weeks I hope to get to the point where im close enough that the would invite me to their family’s wedding like nancy did. Heheh ;)
luckily, students who volunteer at Sao Mai next year with have a pre-developed relationship with the organization. starting out, i was pretty nervous and anxious every day that i went volunteering. in the beginning, the teachers did not really give me any task. and i was kind of glad of that fact because i didnt really know how to handle the kids, but as time went on, i was better able to understand how the classroom is ran.
I didn’t really develop or try even to develop a relationship with the teachers until the next few days I was at Sao Mai. But the teachers quickly became open and they started asking questions and wanting to know more about me (its not that I like to brag about myself) but the classroom felt more open. They asked me if I had a boyfriend and my family and the typical questions like why I was in Vietnam.
Later, as the months went by, they always shared food that they brought with me and they were just really happy to see me (WHICH IS AWESOME!) and the sad thing is that once I started painting the playground, they didn’t have the extra help that they had with me around. So like all relationships, things take time to build. And the one thing that I regret the most is the fact that I didn’t get to know the teachers as well as they got to know me. Besides the fact that I met co vinhs daughter and found out that chi thuy has two sons I do not know much about their lives because I was too afraid to ask. So in the next weeks I hope to get to the point where im close enough that the would invite me to their family’s wedding like nancy did. Heheh ;)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Women' Day
Fortunately for me, I got to celebrate Women' Day with my ladies, the boys, and Thay. It was definitely worthwild...a day waking up to flowers, watching Nancy, Irene, and Kristine swallow a snake heart, chewing on snake and trying real hard to imagine that it was chicken, drinking snake blood and bile, and singing to Cau Vong Khuyet. I think it was the closest ever was to being a vampire; it couldn't have been a better day (minus the blisters I got from my damn heels from Hoi An).
In addition, my Services Marketing professor bought food and drinks for the women in class on behalf of the handful of joys in the class. The boys even brought in their friend to play the acoustic guitar while they seranaded us. My professor began busting out his rhymes...and mocking his marriage (all for the fun of it--I'm pretty sure he loves his wife). LOL.
I was afraid that Women' Day was another day that some genius made up to make money like Valentine's Day. BOY was I wrong! It's actually celebrated to honor all the historic women and heroines in Vietnamese history.
In addition, my Services Marketing professor bought food and drinks for the women in class on behalf of the handful of joys in the class. The boys even brought in their friend to play the acoustic guitar while they seranaded us. My professor began busting out his rhymes...and mocking his marriage (all for the fun of it--I'm pretty sure he loves his wife). LOL.
I was afraid that Women' Day was another day that some genius made up to make money like Valentine's Day. BOY was I wrong! It's actually celebrated to honor all the historic women and heroines in Vietnamese history.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Don't Dis My Abilities
No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter who we are, people are always judging us except for The Big Guy upstairs.
I came into Sao Mai with an open mind and no expectations. Through the weeks and months there, I have grown to appreciate the things I have more often. Although I do not agree with all the ways in which the organization is run, I have quickly learned to appreciate that there are non-governmental organizations like Sao Mai in place. Sao Mai provides children with an education while catering to their special needs. There are teachers that pulls the kids out one at a time to teach them. This is a great one-on-one time for the kids to excel because all the attention is focused on them. I really respect the organization and even more recently because I learned that the teachers are trained regularly by Peter, a British specialist for children with disabilities. Although the teachers are train in how they teach and handle the children, their mental conceptions of the kids remain the same and they do not seem to change how they perceive the children in the sense that they don't believe that the children has potential in the world and that they will never be accepted by society.
This job is designed specifically for people who live children and have patience and tolerance. When people hear the word tolerance, the words: discrimination and racism come to mind, but I mean that they have to train themselves to deal with situations like this one child who has mood swings.
My jr. high, Irvine Intermediate School, was the only school that had a program designed for students with psychological and mental disabilities. I remember one of the boys serenading me with the song "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff (popular song at the time). He would sing the song for me for days. nd there was Peter. Peter has down syndrome. He would chase my friends and I every where and so we played along. He was a really nice guy and he had a great sense of humor. I remember learning that he was Vietnamese when I saw him at mass with his family. Growing up, I didn't feel any kind os separation from those with disabilities. I think that I'm a pretty diversified person, thanks to my parents, but there are many instances not too long ago when it was hard to accept myself because of my appearance or because of the things that I do. I think that when we learn to love and accept ourselves, it is easier to accept everyone. It is difficult but I think that we all should get past that point and once we do, we'd be happier and better people.
Acceptance and tolerance is applicable to everything, whether the trend is having Apple Ipods or the way we dress. People seek approval and acceptance from society as a whole.
I came into Sao Mai with an open mind and no expectations. Through the weeks and months there, I have grown to appreciate the things I have more often. Although I do not agree with all the ways in which the organization is run, I have quickly learned to appreciate that there are non-governmental organizations like Sao Mai in place. Sao Mai provides children with an education while catering to their special needs. There are teachers that pulls the kids out one at a time to teach them. This is a great one-on-one time for the kids to excel because all the attention is focused on them. I really respect the organization and even more recently because I learned that the teachers are trained regularly by Peter, a British specialist for children with disabilities. Although the teachers are train in how they teach and handle the children, their mental conceptions of the kids remain the same and they do not seem to change how they perceive the children in the sense that they don't believe that the children has potential in the world and that they will never be accepted by society.
This job is designed specifically for people who live children and have patience and tolerance. When people hear the word tolerance, the words: discrimination and racism come to mind, but I mean that they have to train themselves to deal with situations like this one child who has mood swings.
My jr. high, Irvine Intermediate School, was the only school that had a program designed for students with psychological and mental disabilities. I remember one of the boys serenading me with the song "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff (popular song at the time). He would sing the song for me for days. nd there was Peter. Peter has down syndrome. He would chase my friends and I every where and so we played along. He was a really nice guy and he had a great sense of humor. I remember learning that he was Vietnamese when I saw him at mass with his family. Growing up, I didn't feel any kind os separation from those with disabilities. I think that I'm a pretty diversified person, thanks to my parents, but there are many instances not too long ago when it was hard to accept myself because of my appearance or because of the things that I do. I think that when we learn to love and accept ourselves, it is easier to accept everyone. It is difficult but I think that we all should get past that point and once we do, we'd be happier and better people.
Acceptance and tolerance is applicable to everything, whether the trend is having Apple Ipods or the way we dress. People seek approval and acceptance from society as a whole.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Inclusion and Exclusion
Children with disabilities need special attention, but there are other arguments that support why they should be in the same classroom as other students as well. Students with disabilities need to be included in the classroom with other kids under certain circumstances in order to get a balance of normality while receiving the special help with their problems. I guess this come down to the question whether the class is sustainable enough for the student and teachers themselves.
An important factor to consider is whether the teacher are well-trained for the students with special needs and whether this could and will inhibit the learning process for other children. I remember talking to one of the teachers and she told me that these kids will never leave Sao Mai and because of their autism, they cannot enter society. The closest to society and outside interaction is at the coffee shop at Sao Mai where they wipe down tables, sweep the floor, etc. Chi Uyen who manages the coffee shop said that all they can really do is say their name, age and asks customers how they were.
It's not that these children do not know anything, it is that their mind develop at a slower pace than others. Hien, a child at the organization, is able to talk and sing but it may be that he is a little older than the other kids. I feel like sometimes the people and teachers there have less hope and optimism for the kids than how I see it. Although these kids have special needs, at Sao Mai they can get the interaction they need growing up even though they are still excluded.
I am not saying that full inclusion is the answer but it is helpful in some aspects. I think that exclusion would inhibit the children' abilities to walk, talk, run and play more. My cousin grew up being home-school, although he is literally a genius, he missed out on a lot of daily interaction/social with other kids. So, I feel like in an organization like Sao Mai or anything or anywhere you go, you will experience some sense of inclusion or exclusion whether you like it or not.
An important factor to consider is whether the teacher are well-trained for the students with special needs and whether this could and will inhibit the learning process for other children. I remember talking to one of the teachers and she told me that these kids will never leave Sao Mai and because of their autism, they cannot enter society. The closest to society and outside interaction is at the coffee shop at Sao Mai where they wipe down tables, sweep the floor, etc. Chi Uyen who manages the coffee shop said that all they can really do is say their name, age and asks customers how they were.
It's not that these children do not know anything, it is that their mind develop at a slower pace than others. Hien, a child at the organization, is able to talk and sing but it may be that he is a little older than the other kids. I feel like sometimes the people and teachers there have less hope and optimism for the kids than how I see it. Although these kids have special needs, at Sao Mai they can get the interaction they need growing up even though they are still excluded.
I am not saying that full inclusion is the answer but it is helpful in some aspects. I think that exclusion would inhibit the children' abilities to walk, talk, run and play more. My cousin grew up being home-school, although he is literally a genius, he missed out on a lot of daily interaction/social with other kids. So, I feel like in an organization like Sao Mai or anything or anywhere you go, you will experience some sense of inclusion or exclusion whether you like it or not.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sao Mai Structure
Growing up, my grandma always told me that an organized room is an organized mind. For the longest time it went into one ear and out the other because I thought she was wanted to make sure that my room was clean just in case anyone ever came over that they do not think that I live in a pig sty, that I was lazy or that my family didn't raise me right (BTW: I love mi familia--I'd do anything for them as long as I don't lose sight of who I am...it's unlikely that it'll ever come down to that). Lol.
Anyways, this week at Sao Mai, Anh Thai, Nancy, Lan, and myself were finally able to meet to talk about our final project. YAY!!! After working at the organization for about a month and a half we've gained a lot of insights about the organization and we think that there are some possible changes that we'd like to see happen. As I might have mentioned before Sao Mai is a well organized and ran organization dedicated to help and teach children with mostly psychological disabilities. During the morning the parents feed their children and drop them off at school. The day starts out with a few children sing-alongs. Next, they dedicate 30 minutes to an activity where the child has to pick out the picture of themselves from a pile of pictures and then they would trotroduce themselves to the class (the tracheebuaually take the child's hand and speak as if they were the child so that they can be conditioned to understand what it meant). Then came play/exercise time and the day continued with every 30 minutes being a different activity. Everything that happens in Sao Mai is structured and they have a pretty strict time schedule. It so happens that on Friday though, one of the senior teachers decided to skip learning/classroom time because it was Friday Nd she wanted to go home.
Structure is important because without it, some teachers or not know what to do or does not want to do anything that might make them tired. Also, these 30 minute intervals are also helpful in the sense that the child doesn't get bored becuase of their short attention span. When I first came to Sao Mai, I was closed minded. I thought that the organization was unorganized, ineffective and inefficient. Although I still do not believe in hitting children, I understand why the teachers do what they do and what goes through their mind when they do that, I believe that the classroom is well organized and there was a lit of though and planning put into the program and this is due to the effort of the higher people of the organization.
I learned during pledging that "poor planning promotes poor performance" and I think that that phrase does not apply to this organization.
Tre em la van hoa,
Tre em la hanh cong,
Tre em la tuong lai,
Sao Mai Ton Tai Vi Tre Em...Sao Mai Muon Doi!
<3
Anyways, this week at Sao Mai, Anh Thai, Nancy, Lan, and myself were finally able to meet to talk about our final project. YAY!!! After working at the organization for about a month and a half we've gained a lot of insights about the organization and we think that there are some possible changes that we'd like to see happen. As I might have mentioned before Sao Mai is a well organized and ran organization dedicated to help and teach children with mostly psychological disabilities. During the morning the parents feed their children and drop them off at school. The day starts out with a few children sing-alongs. Next, they dedicate 30 minutes to an activity where the child has to pick out the picture of themselves from a pile of pictures and then they would trotroduce themselves to the class (the tracheebuaually take the child's hand and speak as if they were the child so that they can be conditioned to understand what it meant). Then came play/exercise time and the day continued with every 30 minutes being a different activity. Everything that happens in Sao Mai is structured and they have a pretty strict time schedule. It so happens that on Friday though, one of the senior teachers decided to skip learning/classroom time because it was Friday Nd she wanted to go home.
Structure is important because without it, some teachers or not know what to do or does not want to do anything that might make them tired. Also, these 30 minute intervals are also helpful in the sense that the child doesn't get bored becuase of their short attention span. When I first came to Sao Mai, I was closed minded. I thought that the organization was unorganized, ineffective and inefficient. Although I still do not believe in hitting children, I understand why the teachers do what they do and what goes through their mind when they do that, I believe that the classroom is well organized and there was a lit of though and planning put into the program and this is due to the effort of the higher people of the organization.
I learned during pledging that "poor planning promotes poor performance" and I think that that phrase does not apply to this organization.
Tre em la van hoa,
Tre em la hanh cong,
Tre em la tuong lai,
Sao Mai Ton Tai Vi Tre Em...Sao Mai Muon Doi!
<3
Monday, October 4, 2010
Private versus Public
Woke up at 5:45am, had mud all the way up to my knees, saw another side of the :moon”; it has been one incredibly long day. Fortunately for me, it wasn't hot and I learned a great deal...never leave a single stalk of rice behind just like never leave a brother behind :) love you pbros lol
Last Friday at my service learning organization, Sao Mai, my daily tasks were a little bit different than usual. I actually felt more useful for once. I took it upon myslef to teach one of the children something while the teacher was teaching one other child. Although, I have no experience or qualifications to teach, I thought that I was able to get through the child. Eventually, one the child, Ky Anh, pointed to a word I could keep on repeating the word until he pointed to the next word. I thought that was pretty effective in the sense that he could associate the word with the way that it sounded even though, he, himself, was not able to speak. And I guess one of the other bigger task and responsibility I had on Friday was feeding one of the seventeen kids that were in the classroom. Luckily, the child, Duc was easy to feed; for a little guy, he can really eat. Lol. This kind of relates to the topic of public versus prvate space. The organization itself is sponsored by a foreigner. It is considered a private space because the organization and its services is not open to the public, it is not open to everyone. There are standards and qualifications in order for children to be admitted to the program. Another important idea to consider is the fact that not only do this children have to be accepted by the organization but also the family has to have the financial stability in order to pay for the schooling. Although it is fortunate that there are programs that provide special children with special needs but it is sad in the sense that not all families and children can get the same kind of schooling that these kids get.
I believe that there should be more government developmental program along with government assistance for families of low income. I know that that means a major chuck of the Vietnamese community, but it is just hard to see people go without getting the help that they need. We need more public organizations that strive to help more people.
Last Friday at my service learning organization, Sao Mai, my daily tasks were a little bit different than usual. I actually felt more useful for once. I took it upon myslef to teach one of the children something while the teacher was teaching one other child. Although, I have no experience or qualifications to teach, I thought that I was able to get through the child. Eventually, one the child, Ky Anh, pointed to a word I could keep on repeating the word until he pointed to the next word. I thought that was pretty effective in the sense that he could associate the word with the way that it sounded even though, he, himself, was not able to speak. And I guess one of the other bigger task and responsibility I had on Friday was feeding one of the seventeen kids that were in the classroom. Luckily, the child, Duc was easy to feed; for a little guy, he can really eat. Lol. This kind of relates to the topic of public versus prvate space. The organization itself is sponsored by a foreigner. It is considered a private space because the organization and its services is not open to the public, it is not open to everyone. There are standards and qualifications in order for children to be admitted to the program. Another important idea to consider is the fact that not only do this children have to be accepted by the organization but also the family has to have the financial stability in order to pay for the schooling. Although it is fortunate that there are programs that provide special children with special needs but it is sad in the sense that not all families and children can get the same kind of schooling that these kids get.
I believe that there should be more government developmental program along with government assistance for families of low income. I know that that means a major chuck of the Vietnamese community, but it is just hard to see people go without getting the help that they need. We need more public organizations that strive to help more people.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
central vietnam :)
Going to Central Vietnam just confirmed that I made the right in choosing EAP VIETNAM!!! Best school year ever…tedious hours of traveling, train rides with new cockroach friends, excursions to tombs of dead emperors, snorkeling in salty-ass water and getting three shades darker, nothing can top this :)
If you read this Gerard, I think you should move the program to Da Nang because it is just that amazing although Hanoi is awesome <3 Darn Anh Cui for upgrading our hotel rooms from deluxe to luxury. But no seriously thank you for all your guidance. Mien Trung is awesome. Thank you Gerard, Anh Thai, Chi Moc, Anh Cui and Chi Mi Sao for making all this possible <3
I felt more at peace at Quy Ngon and Hue because there was less traffic, less noise and people spoke with a southern dialect which was easier to understand and people were just generally nicer.
One of the best parts of this trip was my experience at the nunnery. When we first arrived at the nunnery, I thought it was pretty cool. But after we went inside the house where we met some of the nuns and I felt weird and like I was out of place (I even told Mindy). I’m not too sure what made me feel that way but I know that it had nothing to do with my religious beliefs.
After we had lunch, some of the girls went to help do the dishes while the rest of us met with the head nun. She was so open to us about her life and answered everything that we asked. She grew up in a broken family where her parents were always fighting so she came to the temple to escape all of it. There, she found shelter and peace. She was only thirteen at the time. She wanted to live at the temple but they refused to take her in because she was too young. Ever since that day until she turned eighteen, she went to temple every day. During her stay at the temple, she learned that she needed to be the mediator between her mom and dad to stop them from arguing and help her family find peace while helping others as well. Her story was so inspirational and she is such a selfless person. I wish that I have the courage and stamina to do what she does in my daily life. After hearing all this, I no longer felt like I did not belong. Sitting there, watching and listening her speak reminded me of my Ba Noi.
When Gerard donated money to the temple, she did not want to take it and was like save it for the kids to buy snacks and candy. (At this I was tearing up and trying so hard not to cry). She is such a beautiful person with a beautiful heart that you just cant help to love by just being in her presence. To me it does not matter what god or who you believe in, and I truly admire everything that she has done for herself, the other nuns, the temples and every one she has reached out to.
Even though I bet I missed some cool stuff at the De-militarized Zone (DMZ), I’m glad that I decided to go to the nunnery.
If you read this Gerard, I think you should move the program to Da Nang because it is just that amazing although Hanoi is awesome <3 Darn Anh Cui for upgrading our hotel rooms from deluxe to luxury. But no seriously thank you for all your guidance. Mien Trung is awesome. Thank you Gerard, Anh Thai, Chi Moc, Anh Cui and Chi Mi Sao for making all this possible <3
I felt more at peace at Quy Ngon and Hue because there was less traffic, less noise and people spoke with a southern dialect which was easier to understand and people were just generally nicer.
One of the best parts of this trip was my experience at the nunnery. When we first arrived at the nunnery, I thought it was pretty cool. But after we went inside the house where we met some of the nuns and I felt weird and like I was out of place (I even told Mindy). I’m not too sure what made me feel that way but I know that it had nothing to do with my religious beliefs.
After we had lunch, some of the girls went to help do the dishes while the rest of us met with the head nun. She was so open to us about her life and answered everything that we asked. She grew up in a broken family where her parents were always fighting so she came to the temple to escape all of it. There, she found shelter and peace. She was only thirteen at the time. She wanted to live at the temple but they refused to take her in because she was too young. Ever since that day until she turned eighteen, she went to temple every day. During her stay at the temple, she learned that she needed to be the mediator between her mom and dad to stop them from arguing and help her family find peace while helping others as well. Her story was so inspirational and she is such a selfless person. I wish that I have the courage and stamina to do what she does in my daily life. After hearing all this, I no longer felt like I did not belong. Sitting there, watching and listening her speak reminded me of my Ba Noi.
When Gerard donated money to the temple, she did not want to take it and was like save it for the kids to buy snacks and candy. (At this I was tearing up and trying so hard not to cry). She is such a beautiful person with a beautiful heart that you just cant help to love by just being in her presence. To me it does not matter what god or who you believe in, and I truly admire everything that she has done for herself, the other nuns, the temples and every one she has reached out to.
Even though I bet I missed some cool stuff at the De-militarized Zone (DMZ), I’m glad that I decided to go to the nunnery.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Ethics
It's been over a week since I last volunteered at Sao Mai, I can only hope I don't forget everything that I wanted to say. There is often a misconception between ethics and feelings. They are two different things and it is often said that feelings often deviate from ethics. Furthermore, religion is does not share the same ideas as ethics although religion can set higher standards of ethics and values. Ethics and morals are crucial because I believe that they truly define a person. If a person doesn't have any ethics, then I'd rather not waste my time or his associating.
I understand that in a room with about fifteen toddlers, it's hard to give all the attention that they need. But a problem that I see is favoritism in the classroom. I've been in the classroom when one of the teacher's twelve-years- old daughter visited the class. I do not think that that teacher would appreciate someone who was caring for her daughter to favor another child over her. They have a tendency to do this when the child is a faster learner because this makes it easier on the teachers. In this case, I've seen that the teacher kind of give up hope on some particular child and would try and spend more time on one child for a longer period. In another case, I've also seen her feed one child more when the child is happy and can scoop his own food out of the bowl. Also, last week we got a new student in our class. I noticed that he is always crying and I think that being away from his parents and loud noises causes him frustration. Today, I saw him crying with his hands over his ears and before that he was sneakily trying to get his bag and kind of escape the room because he was observant and watching the teacher and only moving when she was not looking. The point of this is to bring up the fact that I do not know for sure if it is that the teachers purposefully ignore some of the needs of the children or innocently unaware of the kids behavior and their reaction toward them. Overall, I just believe that attention should be fair and addressed accordingly.
I believe that cultural differences also play a significant role in ethics. Like I have said before, I don't believe that creating fear in a child is the best way to teach them. In my family, neither my brother nor I have ever been hit. The other day one of the younger teacher was about to discipline a child by slapping the child’s hand but I looked at her and smiled at her and she didn’t hit the child. I think that there is another way to teach and discipline a child. I do think that it is ethically wrong to hit a child but I do understand that culture and society is different in Vietnam and that I am no longer in the United States. Thus each culture has a different way of teaching and raising children because this is not only reflective in the classroom but also in the home. I do condemn hitting a child, but I also have an open mind to understand why teachers resort to hitting. Part of service learning is to understand how they organization works. There’s a reason behind everything, especially an organization like Sao Mai which is so structured. An important part of this is to remember that we are there to learn, and part of that is understanding the operations of the organization and the ethics of both the teachers and organizations while also keeping in mind of what is right and what is wrong.
I understand that in a room with about fifteen toddlers, it's hard to give all the attention that they need. But a problem that I see is favoritism in the classroom. I've been in the classroom when one of the teacher's twelve-years- old daughter visited the class. I do not think that that teacher would appreciate someone who was caring for her daughter to favor another child over her. They have a tendency to do this when the child is a faster learner because this makes it easier on the teachers. In this case, I've seen that the teacher kind of give up hope on some particular child and would try and spend more time on one child for a longer period. In another case, I've also seen her feed one child more when the child is happy and can scoop his own food out of the bowl. Also, last week we got a new student in our class. I noticed that he is always crying and I think that being away from his parents and loud noises causes him frustration. Today, I saw him crying with his hands over his ears and before that he was sneakily trying to get his bag and kind of escape the room because he was observant and watching the teacher and only moving when she was not looking. The point of this is to bring up the fact that I do not know for sure if it is that the teachers purposefully ignore some of the needs of the children or innocently unaware of the kids behavior and their reaction toward them. Overall, I just believe that attention should be fair and addressed accordingly.
I believe that cultural differences also play a significant role in ethics. Like I have said before, I don't believe that creating fear in a child is the best way to teach them. In my family, neither my brother nor I have ever been hit. The other day one of the younger teacher was about to discipline a child by slapping the child’s hand but I looked at her and smiled at her and she didn’t hit the child. I think that there is another way to teach and discipline a child. I do think that it is ethically wrong to hit a child but I do understand that culture and society is different in Vietnam and that I am no longer in the United States. Thus each culture has a different way of teaching and raising children because this is not only reflective in the classroom but also in the home. I do condemn hitting a child, but I also have an open mind to understand why teachers resort to hitting. Part of service learning is to understand how they organization works. There’s a reason behind everything, especially an organization like Sao Mai which is so structured. An important part of this is to remember that we are there to learn, and part of that is understanding the operations of the organization and the ethics of both the teachers and organizations while also keeping in mind of what is right and what is wrong.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
If I Can Be Half the Person My Mom Is
Saturday was my mom’s 30th year anniversary since she stepped foot onto American soil. My mom has encountered many hardships that I, myself, cannot imagine enduring and overcoming those obstacles. Born into a world without a father, my mom had to look elsewhere for a father-figure (my grandpa was captured during the war, to this day the whereabouts of his remain is unknown). At the age of sixteen, my mom began going to school for sewing. As the war continued, more and more people and neighbors attempted to escape and seek refuge outside of Vietnam. By seventeen, she decided that she wanted to leave to. Although my grandma was afraid for my mom’s safety, she let her go because one of the family-friend that my grandma knew was also leaving. So that night, my mom secretly hopped on a small boat and slipped away into the dark ocean. In the midst of fleeing Vietnam, her boat was raid by local pirates. (I cannot remember much about this encounter.) After a few weeks at sea, the boat drifted to an island, and she stayed there until my uncle was able to sponsor her to the States.
When my mom arrived to the United States, she enrolled in Bolsa Grande High School (the school that I was supposed to go to). Not too long after that she became friends with my uncle’s wife’s little sister. My mom decided to move out with the friend and live on the little government support she received since she didn’t get along with my uncle and his wife too well. At the time my uncle, his wife, my aunt’s little sister, three other uncles and my grandparents lived in the same household. My dad’s mom seeing that my mom needed a place to stay took my mom in. But not too long after that they moved to Texas and my mom went too. My dad had just got a divorce and it was in Texas that they met. (My mom told me that my dad would turn on the record and dance by himself while she hid and watched him. Lol.)
She came to the United States without any money, yet she made something out of her life. She got a job, met my dad, got married, had my BROTHER and I :) I truly admire my mom and if i can become half the person my mom is when I am a mom, I’ll be okay <3
If you ever read this mom, I LOVE YOU!!!
There a lot more of detail that I am ashamed to say that I have not uncovered but tune in next time and maybe you can hear my dad’s side of the story. hehehe
When my mom arrived to the United States, she enrolled in Bolsa Grande High School (the school that I was supposed to go to). Not too long after that she became friends with my uncle’s wife’s little sister. My mom decided to move out with the friend and live on the little government support she received since she didn’t get along with my uncle and his wife too well. At the time my uncle, his wife, my aunt’s little sister, three other uncles and my grandparents lived in the same household. My dad’s mom seeing that my mom needed a place to stay took my mom in. But not too long after that they moved to Texas and my mom went too. My dad had just got a divorce and it was in Texas that they met. (My mom told me that my dad would turn on the record and dance by himself while she hid and watched him. Lol.)
She came to the United States without any money, yet she made something out of her life. She got a job, met my dad, got married, had my BROTHER and I :) I truly admire my mom and if i can become half the person my mom is when I am a mom, I’ll be okay <3
If you ever read this mom, I LOVE YOU!!!
There a lot more of detail that I am ashamed to say that I have not uncovered but tune in next time and maybe you can hear my dad’s side of the story. hehehe
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A New Side to Service-Learning - Tolerance & Acceptance
This week was Lan, Nancy and my first full week at Sao Mai due to our trip to Ha Long Bay and Vietnam’s Independence Day. On Monday, Nancy and I went to the Café located inside of Sao Mai. I talked to Chi Uyen about the shop and why it was there. She told me that it provided training for the kids who had autism. Those kids are sixteen and according to her they are not really capable of doing difficult work so she helps them with basic, household tasks such as wiping down the tables. While learning these practical skills, this also gives them an opportunity to talk to some of the customers or workers there. They know simple things like their name and how old they are. I believe that this type of training is a good skill for them to learn; however, I do not think that they system or infrastructure that is in place is very efficient. There are a total of 14 sixteen-year-old kids with autism. Every morning from 8 to 11am, there are two of them working at the coffee shop and every day they rotate so the next day there would be two different students. I think this is very inefficient in that it would be two weeks before the kids could work in the coffee shop again and during the meantime when they finished their turn and wait for the cycle to repeat, they’re pretty much are not learning any other skill which I believe could be really beneficial to them. At this time, I have not though of any ways that I can help these kids because whenever I come to volunteer at Sao Mai, these kids are already done with their shifts so maybe perhaps, sometime I can come in the morning this week or next to see if I can work with them. Also, I know that maintaining the store front of the coffee shop is important but I believe that our time was better used to help and interact with kids rather than sweeping and mopping the store while Chi Uyen plucked out the white hair of some older lady who worked there. Chi Uyen is really nice but I just didn’t really understand the point of that task except lending a hand (of which we did offer to help in the first place).
On Monday, Nancy and I worked in the kitchen for about 30 minutes. There we met Co Hieu. I talked to her for a while while I was washing the dishes. She asked me questions about my family and past and I told her and so I asked her about her past especially since I noticed that she had a southern accent, I was interested to hear why and how she was living the North. She asked me about my parent and I said that they escaped Vietnam during the war and she told me that she was not able to escape herself. Thus she fled to Russia for the past 18-20 years and recently moved back to Russia because she wanted her son to learn Vietnamese because of growing up in Russia, he learned Russian and never really had a connection to Vietnam besides his parents. IT was definitely interesting to hear her story and I want to perhaps sit down and have a deep conversation with her because we do not get to hear a lot of the story of people who were not able to escape and we don’t know much about their struggles.
The week before Chi Uyen went to the bus station and asked around for us which bus would take us directly back to Hanoi University. We found that the 22 saves us about the 13 minute walk on the street with floating with syringes. So after taking the 02 there, Nancy and I took the 22 back to campus (Lan was sick that day). On Friday, we tried taking the 22 to Sao Mai, got off at one stop too earlier and got lost in the hot sun for 45 minutes.
On my last blog, I wrote that someone (Miki) saw the teacher hit one of the kids with an object. This week was the first time that I’ve seen such action with my own eyes. It is really difficult to see a child get hit. What was even worst was that when Hien, the little girl, persistently kept crying and wandering out of her seat, one of the teachers grabbed her by the ear to sit her down. My brother and I were never hit or spanked in any way but we were still really discipline. I understand that culture is very different but I bet that the teachers would not spank a child in front of their parent so why even do it at all. All the teacher is doing is creating fear in the kids and that’s no way to grow up.
I think the more and more I come to Sao Mai, the teachers get more used to me being the classroom and treat the kids how they normally do when there isn’t more supervision in the room. On the first day, she seemed like a caring teacher and as time progressed I see more of these heinous actions.
On Monday, Nancy and I worked in the kitchen for about 30 minutes. There we met Co Hieu. I talked to her for a while while I was washing the dishes. She asked me questions about my family and past and I told her and so I asked her about her past especially since I noticed that she had a southern accent, I was interested to hear why and how she was living the North. She asked me about my parent and I said that they escaped Vietnam during the war and she told me that she was not able to escape herself. Thus she fled to Russia for the past 18-20 years and recently moved back to Russia because she wanted her son to learn Vietnamese because of growing up in Russia, he learned Russian and never really had a connection to Vietnam besides his parents. IT was definitely interesting to hear her story and I want to perhaps sit down and have a deep conversation with her because we do not get to hear a lot of the story of people who were not able to escape and we don’t know much about their struggles.
The week before Chi Uyen went to the bus station and asked around for us which bus would take us directly back to Hanoi University. We found that the 22 saves us about the 13 minute walk on the street with floating with syringes. So after taking the 02 there, Nancy and I took the 22 back to campus (Lan was sick that day). On Friday, we tried taking the 22 to Sao Mai, got off at one stop too earlier and got lost in the hot sun for 45 minutes.
On my last blog, I wrote that someone (Miki) saw the teacher hit one of the kids with an object. This week was the first time that I’ve seen such action with my own eyes. It is really difficult to see a child get hit. What was even worst was that when Hien, the little girl, persistently kept crying and wandering out of her seat, one of the teachers grabbed her by the ear to sit her down. My brother and I were never hit or spanked in any way but we were still really discipline. I understand that culture is very different but I bet that the teachers would not spank a child in front of their parent so why even do it at all. All the teacher is doing is creating fear in the kids and that’s no way to grow up.
I think the more and more I come to Sao Mai, the teachers get more used to me being the classroom and treat the kids how they normally do when there isn’t more supervision in the room. On the first day, she seemed like a caring teacher and as time progressed I see more of these heinous actions.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Story of Kieu
I could remember when VHS were still “in” like it was yesterday. My parents and I used to always rent cai luong from the local Vietnamese rentals store (it was my BLOCKBUSTER). We would watch it as a family (minus my brother because he was not into cai luong). We sat around the family room and watched it practically every day during the span between dinner and bedtime. After years of constantly watching cai luong, I was able to predict the actors’ next lines and sing along as young as I can remember.
Looking back, it was a great way to learn Vietnamese while exposing me to Vietnamese art and literature and spending quality time with my family. Sadly, the last time I watched cai luong was probably when I was in the sixth grade (more than eight years ago). I am ashamed to say this, but as the years have passed and the busier I get, I have lost a sense of traditional Vietnamese culture.
Fortunately for me, I was able to watch cai luong again for the first time in ages. I love Broadway and assumed that I would also love cai luong. However, do to the language barrier now because of my lack of using Vietnamese have made it harder for me to speak, read and write the language. If it was not for the play bill, I probably would not have understood what was going on in the story. Furthermore, this kind of theme was different than the usual cai luong stories that I used to watch. I thought this story was kind of scandalous because of all the kind of situations Kieu encountered were extreme. My stories included more traditional, rural Vietnamese peasants rather than warriors.
I recently I lost my relationship that I had with my dad when growing up. So watching cai luong again was kind of a happy moment but depressing at the same time. But overall, I think it was a great experience even though I could only understand 50% of what they say. I enjoyed how elaborate the costumes were and admire the actor’s talent in being able to carry out their voice for so long. Watching these kinds of performances/shows again always gives me goose-bumps because I get excited about it.
Looking back, it was a great way to learn Vietnamese while exposing me to Vietnamese art and literature and spending quality time with my family. Sadly, the last time I watched cai luong was probably when I was in the sixth grade (more than eight years ago). I am ashamed to say this, but as the years have passed and the busier I get, I have lost a sense of traditional Vietnamese culture.
Fortunately for me, I was able to watch cai luong again for the first time in ages. I love Broadway and assumed that I would also love cai luong. However, do to the language barrier now because of my lack of using Vietnamese have made it harder for me to speak, read and write the language. If it was not for the play bill, I probably would not have understood what was going on in the story. Furthermore, this kind of theme was different than the usual cai luong stories that I used to watch. I thought this story was kind of scandalous because of all the kind of situations Kieu encountered were extreme. My stories included more traditional, rural Vietnamese peasants rather than warriors.
I recently I lost my relationship that I had with my dad when growing up. So watching cai luong again was kind of a happy moment but depressing at the same time. But overall, I think it was a great experience even though I could only understand 50% of what they say. I enjoyed how elaborate the costumes were and admire the actor’s talent in being able to carry out their voice for so long. Watching these kinds of performances/shows again always gives me goose-bumps because I get excited about it.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
First of Day of Volunteering - Language and Communication
We finally arrived at Sao Mai after hopping on the bus and walking on the streets infested with syringes. Luckily when we arrived, Chi Phuong was coming back from lunch. Chi Phuong introduced us to a young lady who runs the coffee shop as an additional source of income for Sao Mai. We also met another woman who is in charge of the kitchen. After meeting the other staff at the organization, Chi Phuong took us up to the classroom. Since my name was first on the list, Chi Phuong stationed me at the first room which was a nursery for two-year-old toddlers. I was scared and skeptical at first because I am not used to dealing with kids on a daily or weekly basis so I wanted to switch rooms and work with kids who were a little bit older and can understand what I try to say or need to teach them. I love kids but I am hopeless when it comes to them crying or misbehaving. I reminded myself that I need to keep an open mind, have patiences and be willing to learn.
Surprisingly, I felt welcomed as I enter the classroom. A baby named Thành walked toward me, and wanted to be picked up (I later learned that he just wanted to get out of the pen because he saw that I had access into and out of the classroom). In the classroom that I was assigned to, there were four teachers: Cô Vinh, Chị Hoa, Chị Thủy and another young lady. They were all really nice and welcoming. I decided to tag along and help Cô Vinh with the toddlers because she seems like she was the most experienced and she had the most kids to take care of. They asked my questions about me and my background but of course there were still terms that I did not fully know or statements that I did not understand. Overall, I was able to make out most of the things that they say. In one instance, I asked Cô Vinh if one of the children was mixed and she said no and additionally, she told me that he was born with a heart condition but I did not know what she was saying at first but after asking her to explain it, I was able to understand. There is a language barrier that keeps me from asking all the questions or understanding what people say, but I think that the best way to learn is to utilize your mouth, ask questions and seek help. (As an elderly woman I met at the airport on my way to vietnam said: Your mouth is the answer to everything).
Another barrier that I faced during my first day volunteering was customs and ways of dealing with kids. I recall that one of the UC students saw a teacher discipline a child with a ruler. It is hard to hear that but luckily I did have any of that at my organization. My point is that different country and different culture have different ways of dealing with children and there was many laws that are upheld in the States that are not in Vietnam. A behavior that I saw was again Thành. He was crying because he wanted to be picked up, but I felt that if I picked him up I would be “rewarding his behavior” (positive reinforcement…psychology). In my head at that time and still now even, I don’t know if I should have done that, continue to give in to their wants or ignore them. I feel like if I didn’t pick him up and cradle him, the teachers would think I am neglegent, but when I did pick him up, I might have reverse all the work that the teachers were trying to do to teach him that crying doesn’t get you anywhere.
My communication with các cô is great and we get alone fine, but I am not sure how I could help other than making the kids stop cry, catch them when they try to run away because they want to play or don’t want to eat. I think that maybe I can help them while they teach the children more or help them find a way that was more effìcient in teaching because last time Thành was troublesome and that ruined the “20 minutes of learning” for himself and the other children.
Overall, it was a great way to see how the organization was ran. (Note: kids all pottied in a bucket and all ate from the same bowl). I think the experience in itself was culture barrier.
Surprisingly, I felt welcomed as I enter the classroom. A baby named Thành walked toward me, and wanted to be picked up (I later learned that he just wanted to get out of the pen because he saw that I had access into and out of the classroom). In the classroom that I was assigned to, there were four teachers: Cô Vinh, Chị Hoa, Chị Thủy and another young lady. They were all really nice and welcoming. I decided to tag along and help Cô Vinh with the toddlers because she seems like she was the most experienced and she had the most kids to take care of. They asked my questions about me and my background but of course there were still terms that I did not fully know or statements that I did not understand. Overall, I was able to make out most of the things that they say. In one instance, I asked Cô Vinh if one of the children was mixed and she said no and additionally, she told me that he was born with a heart condition but I did not know what she was saying at first but after asking her to explain it, I was able to understand. There is a language barrier that keeps me from asking all the questions or understanding what people say, but I think that the best way to learn is to utilize your mouth, ask questions and seek help. (As an elderly woman I met at the airport on my way to vietnam said: Your mouth is the answer to everything).
Another barrier that I faced during my first day volunteering was customs and ways of dealing with kids. I recall that one of the UC students saw a teacher discipline a child with a ruler. It is hard to hear that but luckily I did have any of that at my organization. My point is that different country and different culture have different ways of dealing with children and there was many laws that are upheld in the States that are not in Vietnam. A behavior that I saw was again Thành. He was crying because he wanted to be picked up, but I felt that if I picked him up I would be “rewarding his behavior” (positive reinforcement…psychology). In my head at that time and still now even, I don’t know if I should have done that, continue to give in to their wants or ignore them. I feel like if I didn’t pick him up and cradle him, the teachers would think I am neglegent, but when I did pick him up, I might have reverse all the work that the teachers were trying to do to teach him that crying doesn’t get you anywhere.
My communication with các cô is great and we get alone fine, but I am not sure how I could help other than making the kids stop cry, catch them when they try to run away because they want to play or don’t want to eat. I think that maybe I can help them while they teach the children more or help them find a way that was more effìcient in teaching because last time Thành was troublesome and that ruined the “20 minutes of learning” for himself and the other children.
Overall, it was a great way to see how the organization was ran. (Note: kids all pottied in a bucket and all ate from the same bowl). I think the experience in itself was culture barrier.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
trung van
Andrew, Hien and I hopped on the 02 bus and headed to Big C, the area where we thought Trung Van would be. Unfortunately after asking around, the xe om drivers told us that in order to get to Trung Van, we would have to walk for an hour and since there wasn't a bus route that took us directly to Trung Van, so we had to call for a taxi.
After arriving in the area, not all of the locals knew where Trung Van was. We asked around some more for directions and ended up at the front gate of a residential area which lucky for us, was Trung Van. The security personnel who worked there let us through but told us that we were not able to take pictures or video record anything. One of the security guards followed us for a few minutes on his bike and then eventually left so we were off to explore.
The area had a community gate and Trung Van was still under construction. There was only one building where there were actually some people living there, but other than that, it was just the construction workers. We saw probably about four people who live there, but we didn't get to ask them about the lifestyle there or costs of living. Fortunately for us, I asked the security worker where the closest market in the area was and if vendors were allowed to wander the streets of Trung Van, of course he said that there was a local market nearby not within the vicinity and that people who did not live there would not be able to enter the gates of Trung Van after construction was done.
Some of the homes there looked modernized as if you could see the same of architecture in magazines or in the United States. Each home had their front porch lined with fencing which made it seem like a jail. When walking through the area, I felt that I was a fish out of water and Vietnam is not what it used to be the last time I was here. The houses were so separated and I felt as if there was no sense of community which saddens me because I felt like people were becoming more isolate and independent. It made me think about what Vietnam has become and the first thought that popped into my head when I got there was "globalization = bad." If I had the opportunity to live within this area, I would not want to live there.
After arriving in the area, not all of the locals knew where Trung Van was. We asked around some more for directions and ended up at the front gate of a residential area which lucky for us, was Trung Van. The security personnel who worked there let us through but told us that we were not able to take pictures or video record anything. One of the security guards followed us for a few minutes on his bike and then eventually left so we were off to explore.
The area had a community gate and Trung Van was still under construction. There was only one building where there were actually some people living there, but other than that, it was just the construction workers. We saw probably about four people who live there, but we didn't get to ask them about the lifestyle there or costs of living. Fortunately for us, I asked the security worker where the closest market in the area was and if vendors were allowed to wander the streets of Trung Van, of course he said that there was a local market nearby not within the vicinity and that people who did not live there would not be able to enter the gates of Trung Van after construction was done.
Some of the homes there looked modernized as if you could see the same of architecture in magazines or in the United States. Each home had their front porch lined with fencing which made it seem like a jail. When walking through the area, I felt that I was a fish out of water and Vietnam is not what it used to be the last time I was here. The houses were so separated and I felt as if there was no sense of community which saddens me because I felt like people were becoming more isolate and independent. It made me think about what Vietnam has become and the first thought that popped into my head when I got there was "globalization = bad." If I had the opportunity to live within this area, I would not want to live there.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Mapping the City
Thank you Hien, Thoa and Andrew for being so nice and willing to spend your Saturday exploring instead of Friday :) Thank you, thank you <3
Ho Dac Di and Tran Huu Tuoc is two large streets that outline a lake (Ho Dac…something) I absolutely love the lake view, but I was sad that we weren’t equipped to go fishing. There were so many local stores and recreations within a small proximity. It’s kind of crazy but it’s nice because it creates a sense of community. With such limited space, it seems hectic, but it people don’t seem to be bothered by it.
Andrew and I had our first banh bao in Vietnam that morning (they didn’t have xa xiu and not as good as it is in the states but that was okay) We walked up, down and all about the area and found SAO MAI (yay! my volunteer organization) It began to rain, so we went to a New Zealand ice cream parlor. It was relatively expensive (38.000 for two scoops) but was delicious :D Afterwards, as we were walking around the lake, I saw this lady with tau walk down the lake doing something out of the ordinary so I followed her down the steps to the water. I thought she was going to do laundry or something but when I got to the bottom, I saw the tau filled with candy, fishes, sea-snails. The lady was throwing money and food into the lake. Hien and Thoa asked her what she was doing and she said that she was making an offering for the lost souls and homeless people who have don’t have people to pray for them. Then this old man burnt paper houses and money and dumped ashes into the lake as his offering (pollution!!!). It was nice to see the culture and have an understanding of what they were doing. (VERY NICE PEOPLE)
I definitely wouldn’t mind living there a few days, but not for a long time span. Right outside of Ho Dac Di was Nguyen Trai and there were much larger buildings like Parkson Mall, etc. Although that area is similar to the area around Dai Hoc Ha Noi (like any other place in Viet Nam), I prefer to not to live there just because I’m more familiar to the area around school and I have had the opportunity to get to know some of the locals and vendors already.
Ho Dac Di and Tran Huu Tuoc is two large streets that outline a lake (Ho Dac…something) I absolutely love the lake view, but I was sad that we weren’t equipped to go fishing. There were so many local stores and recreations within a small proximity. It’s kind of crazy but it’s nice because it creates a sense of community. With such limited space, it seems hectic, but it people don’t seem to be bothered by it.
Andrew and I had our first banh bao in Vietnam that morning (they didn’t have xa xiu and not as good as it is in the states but that was okay) We walked up, down and all about the area and found SAO MAI (yay! my volunteer organization) It began to rain, so we went to a New Zealand ice cream parlor. It was relatively expensive (38.000 for two scoops) but was delicious :D Afterwards, as we were walking around the lake, I saw this lady with tau walk down the lake doing something out of the ordinary so I followed her down the steps to the water. I thought she was going to do laundry or something but when I got to the bottom, I saw the tau filled with candy, fishes, sea-snails. The lady was throwing money and food into the lake. Hien and Thoa asked her what she was doing and she said that she was making an offering for the lost souls and homeless people who have don’t have people to pray for them. Then this old man burnt paper houses and money and dumped ashes into the lake as his offering (pollution!!!). It was nice to see the culture and have an understanding of what they were doing. (VERY NICE PEOPLE)
I definitely wouldn’t mind living there a few days, but not for a long time span. Right outside of Ho Dac Di was Nguyen Trai and there were much larger buildings like Parkson Mall, etc. Although that area is similar to the area around Dai Hoc Ha Noi (like any other place in Viet Nam), I prefer to not to live there just because I’m more familiar to the area around school and I have had the opportunity to get to know some of the locals and vendors already.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
McDonald's Crew Member
I do not mean to be generalizing American teenagers, but there is a good amount of us out there (myself included) that take everything for granted. I have never held a job in my life, and here goes a girl who started working when she was fifteen to help her mom pay the bills (my parents wanted me to only concentrate in school…was not because I was lazy or anything).
What caught my attention the most about this interview was that, working at a young age to help out the family is a major concept in Vietnam. When I first came to Vietnam, my mom told me to visit the countryside where she grew up. So, my cousin, niece and I took the two hour bus ride to Nga Nam. While on the bus, I met this girl who was working for the bus company selling bus ticket. Unfortunately, we did not really strike up a conversation, but I overheard her talking to a friend about working to pay for school and books (because education is not free like it is in the states). Furthermore, I knew she was younger than me. It saddens me to see that kids have to grow up so fast, missing out on their childhood, but it enlightens me to see that kids can mature quickly and be responsible.
I admire Kysha’s optimism and her perseverance of working to help out her mom and not just sitting on the porch and sobbing over the fact that she is poor, actually taking initiatives and doing something about it.
What caught my attention the most about this interview was that, working at a young age to help out the family is a major concept in Vietnam. When I first came to Vietnam, my mom told me to visit the countryside where she grew up. So, my cousin, niece and I took the two hour bus ride to Nga Nam. While on the bus, I met this girl who was working for the bus company selling bus ticket. Unfortunately, we did not really strike up a conversation, but I overheard her talking to a friend about working to pay for school and books (because education is not free like it is in the states). Furthermore, I knew she was younger than me. It saddens me to see that kids have to grow up so fast, missing out on their childhood, but it enlightens me to see that kids can mature quickly and be responsible.
I admire Kysha’s optimism and her perseverance of working to help out her mom and not just sitting on the porch and sobbing over the fact that she is poor, actually taking initiatives and doing something about it.
Introduction :)
I took my first breath into the world on July 31, 1990 in Fountain Valley, California. I was born into traditional, conservative Vietnamese family and raised as Roman Catholic. I am the youngest and of four siblings (one brother and two half-brothers). I was daddy’s little girl :)
I grew up in Santa Ana (some people called it the “ghetto”) and lived right across the street from Rosita Elementary school. Every morning my mom walked my brother and I to school and then she left for work. Afterschool, my dad picked us up, walked us home and then he left for work. My dad purposely worked the midnight shift for MacDonald Douglas/Boeing, because he was afraid that we would get kidnapped or something.
Growing up, my brother and I always went to a baby sitter because there was not any one older in the house to take care of us. Although it was nice going to the baby sitter and hanging out with the other kids, I wanted to be home or spending quality time with my parents. I vaguely remember packing my stuff every day, and standing at the door, looking through the screen door waiting for my mom to come pick us up :( we were not mistreated or anything but I was definitely scared of one of the mothers who sent her son to the same baby sitter. I remember her threatening all the kids there to behave or otherwise she would hit us with the rose stem with big-ass thorns. Also, there was something eerie about the house that made me feel uncomfortable, I just wanted to be home, in the setting that I was familiar with. It was not until my grandmother came from Vietnam, were my brother and I able to come home instead of going to the baby sitter.
I guess this leads to one of the main reasons why I choose to study abroad in Vietnam. I wanted to study abroad in Vietnam because I wanted to visit my grandmother in Soc Trang who I had not seen in about five years. This studying abroad was planned around the fact that I wanted to see her before anything happened. Unfortunate that she passed away two months ago, but I feel that it was better in the sense that she was no suffering anymore not being able to eat, walk or speak anymore. She was a big part of my life and although she is not around anymore, I am glad I was able to visit her grave twice before I left for Hanoi.
On a less emotional state, I wanted to study abroad in Vietnam because one of my goals is to relearn Vietnamese and maintain it. After four years of just speaking it, I have forgotten how to read and write. And in order to connect with the people, it is essential to learn Vietnamese. On another note, I feel that it is important to learn about one’s cultural heritage in order to be proud of who they are. I wanted to learn about the Vietnamese lifestyle and the dynamics of Vietnam. The last time I was in Vietnam and it was in 1997; a lot has changed since then.
Going abroad never stepped foot into my mind when I started college but neither was joining a fraternity, but I believe that everything happens for a reason and luckily I am here today.
I grew up in Santa Ana (some people called it the “ghetto”) and lived right across the street from Rosita Elementary school. Every morning my mom walked my brother and I to school and then she left for work. Afterschool, my dad picked us up, walked us home and then he left for work. My dad purposely worked the midnight shift for MacDonald Douglas/Boeing, because he was afraid that we would get kidnapped or something.
Growing up, my brother and I always went to a baby sitter because there was not any one older in the house to take care of us. Although it was nice going to the baby sitter and hanging out with the other kids, I wanted to be home or spending quality time with my parents. I vaguely remember packing my stuff every day, and standing at the door, looking through the screen door waiting for my mom to come pick us up :( we were not mistreated or anything but I was definitely scared of one of the mothers who sent her son to the same baby sitter. I remember her threatening all the kids there to behave or otherwise she would hit us with the rose stem with big-ass thorns. Also, there was something eerie about the house that made me feel uncomfortable, I just wanted to be home, in the setting that I was familiar with. It was not until my grandmother came from Vietnam, were my brother and I able to come home instead of going to the baby sitter.
I guess this leads to one of the main reasons why I choose to study abroad in Vietnam. I wanted to study abroad in Vietnam because I wanted to visit my grandmother in Soc Trang who I had not seen in about five years. This studying abroad was planned around the fact that I wanted to see her before anything happened. Unfortunate that she passed away two months ago, but I feel that it was better in the sense that she was no suffering anymore not being able to eat, walk or speak anymore. She was a big part of my life and although she is not around anymore, I am glad I was able to visit her grave twice before I left for Hanoi.
On a less emotional state, I wanted to study abroad in Vietnam because one of my goals is to relearn Vietnamese and maintain it. After four years of just speaking it, I have forgotten how to read and write. And in order to connect with the people, it is essential to learn Vietnamese. On another note, I feel that it is important to learn about one’s cultural heritage in order to be proud of who they are. I wanted to learn about the Vietnamese lifestyle and the dynamics of Vietnam. The last time I was in Vietnam and it was in 1997; a lot has changed since then.
Going abroad never stepped foot into my mind when I started college but neither was joining a fraternity, but I believe that everything happens for a reason and luckily I am here today.
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