Final Entry in Vietnam

Sorry for the delay in writing. The last couple days have been nuts, so I'm just going to write what I have down in my journal

3-18-08
We had a clinic near the town (I'm still in Hoi An at this time). The old people were not so crazy this time : ) The weather was not as hot and we had fans. I have become grateful for the little things in life on this trip. We had a few babies that day also. The fav baby of that day was a 20 old little boy. Usuall ywhen the babies are brought to us they sit down with there mom, take one look at us and turn into freak out mode. Not this guy!! He was happy, giggling and smiling our entire visit. I wish I could've taken him home with me. I have to admit I was slow on his exam, cause I just wanted to play with him ALL day!!!! The older people had their usual complaints of OPS. We heard a lot of war stories that day also. Nobody was trying to get in forcefully and sneak in though today, so their were no need for bouncers : )

For that day's main topic I would like to talk about the nasty teeth I've been looking at for the past 2 days. I'm going to have to give a little history lesson first. So back in the day (like 40-50 yrs ago) Vietnam was always getting invaded by China, Japan, and eventually us. When the soldiers would come over they would rape the women. So the girls got this awesome idea that they would find a way to make themselves look unattractive to the men that were doing this. What they did was chew this nut called a beach nut ( strangely in doesn't look like a nut at all. It looks kinda like a mushroom, but it grows on a tree, thus it's a nut) and what this nut does is that it stains their teeth BLACK! Also when their chewing this nut they add a leaf and some kind of a white paste. The leaf and the white paste turns their tongue and lips orange. Sooooo just imagine this....................... Your at clinic all day. This 80 year old women is your patient and you tell her to open her mouth so you can check out her tonsils. Not only do you see this nasty glob of beach nut, but her whole entire mouth would be stained orange. Then they would realize what you were trying to look at and spit it in the corner. Oh did I forget to tell you that it's highly addictive. That's right folks, that has been my life for two days, but they are still sooooooo cute. I will miss the smiles of my old people with their 4 black teeth and orange lips : )

A little tid bit on the city of Hoi An........... Hoi An is known for the best tailor shops in the world!!! Best of all it's dirt cheap. You can give them any picture of anything (shirts, pants, skirts, dresses) and they will make 100% copy of it, plus you get to pick out the fabric. This place is not good for a shop-aholic like myself.

3-19-08
We left Hoi An at 2:00pm ( after a group picture in the blazing hot sun!) had lunch and left for the airport to fly to Saigon. Our flight was suppose to leave at 5:30 and was layed over till 9:40pm. I knew something was up when the intercom turned on and Miss Hanoi started talking. Thirty seconds later all the Vietnamese started to sigh with frustration and Tonk told us what they were saying. I guess what happens here, it that they will delay the flight unitl it fills up. I had mixed feelings about this. I'm pretty done with traveling. I mean I haven't stayed in one place longer than two days! Sometimes I even don't know where I am or what day it is. I just do and go where I'm told to. It was good to just sit one place for 4 hours and think.

Today
There are only 3 words to describe today. Depressing, unfair, and humbling. Today we went to a Youth Center (aka detention center) In Vietnam they put foster and juvenile deliquents together in one place, this place. The youngest is 5 and the oldest is 17. They sleep on bamboo wood frames with no mattresses and are locked there rooms at night, cause there is no adult supervision. All day I heard stories of how they were abandoned by their parents. " To many mouths to feed, so my parents gave me away" or "my parents didn't want me" they would mainly state. Their sadness and fear of the unknown future crippled me inside. They can't leave the center until they are 18.

After a long hot day of clinic, we went to the orphanage across the street. The first place we stopped was the baby room. We held, loved and fed all every baby in that room (about 20-25). Then we moved to the babies who were abandoned because of their handicaps. "Life is not fair" is the absolute definition of these two rooms. These babies have handicaps that could and would be fixed in the states, so they could live full and productive lives. No questions asked! But because these babies do not have parents they are denied treatment and forgotten. What right does any human have to put a price on a life? My soul ached and my heart broke for these beautiful babies that cannot be picked up for fear of the weight of their heads would surely break their necks.

I don't mean to be preachy or anything, but everyone should count and be grateful for there blessings. To be in a country that is free is a blessing in itself. Free to not be persecuted, free to dream and make it happen, free to hope, and free to live. I never realized that people are denied those simple, yet important freedoms that everyone yearns for. Or maybe I did realize it, but didn't want to acknowledge it. I will never forget today. I will not let myself forget. May God forgive me for my foolish pride and my ungrateful heart. This trip has been exhausting. Emotionally and physically exhausting, but it was so worth it. Every bit of it was worth it. Tomorrow is a shopping day and Saturday I leave for home. I can't wait to see everybody!!

Love you all!