Volunteering Fun in Vietnam!

We've been captivated by Olivia Nunn's journal entries and just had to share them with you. Olivia is spending 2 weeks volunteering in Vietnam during January and by the sound of it is having a fantastic time!

Tam Ky is nothing like I had pictured. ‘Small province south of hoi an’ brought to mind images of a quiet village with small, winding roads and few people. In reality it is much different. As though competing for the title of the ‘city that never sleeps’, Tam Ky is seemingly always busy, always loud. The cafe right next door to the GVN house prevents sleep by blaring Vietnamese disco music from 5am to 11pm, accompanied by the constant and loud blasting of horns.

Driving around Tam Ky is terrifying. This morning we were headed to the baby orphanage- which I was unbelievably excited about- and the taxi driver once again decided to engage in a game of chicken with the oncoming traffic. If we’re lucky, it’s a motorbike which swerves out of the way as our driver blasts his horn. If we’re unlucky, it’s a massive truck, which is bearing down upon us, hand on horn, before our driver decides to hop back onto the correct side of the road. Exhilarating yet terrifying.

Anyway, more important than Tam Ky, sleep deprivation, disco cafes or freaky traffic; BABIES!! As we approached the orphanage- five white girls clutching cameras- the children ran out to greet us, squealing with delight and stomping their little feet. One of the little boys, Tuan, who has the cutest chubby little face I have ever seen, immediately initiated with me a game of peek a boo.

I had brought to Vietnam various items of children’s clothing, as well as bubbles and toys. I pulled out the suitcase and the kids went crazy with delight, pulling out tiny hats and shoes and little shirts and the ‘mothers’ (social workers) helped them to find ones which would fit them. It was really beautiful and happy but one sight absolutely broke my heart. One little boy, nicknamed ‘little mouse’ was standing by himself, staring at the suitcase with tears rolling down his cheeks. He has been told that there was nothing there that fit him. It was possibly the saddest thing I have ever seen. Then I realised that I hadn’t pulled out the bubbles yet so I got one of the tubs out and blew bubbles towards him. His was immediately ecstatic and enjoyed making the other kids jealous until they got some also. This afternoon i went to the supermarket and bought him some clothes, totaling US$2!

The best part about the children is how affectionate they are. They are so attention deprived that they crave it and lap it up when offered to them. I bonded really well with one baby in particular- Bok Choy. She is about 2 and is the happiest little kid I have ever met. I was there for hours and every time I put her down she would wrap her little hands around my leg and cling to me as I attempted to walk. I sang to her Rinky Dinky Do (a song my mum used to sing) and she would giggle so hard that I thought she was about to pop (should I be offended?) The only frustrating part was when the little boys decided it would be fun to make a game out of getting under my floor-length skirt… boy did they get told off.

I was so sad when I had to leave but tonight I'm teaching at the Home of Affection (a school for underprivileged children) and then tomorrow I get to go back!! I love love love the baby orphanage.

PS FOOOOD! I had the best lunch ever. The cook at Tam Ky, Mrs Hanh, is famous for her amazing cooking and she has definitely proven that to be true. Today we had some kind of banana flour salad with fresh mint, nuts, beef and prawns and an amazing sauce. T’was simply AMAZING.

For more information about the Vietnam program, or to apply online please visit www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/vietnam/