IVE ARRIVED!!

I’ve Arrived

So I’ve finally arrived in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City! Where to start! It’s been a very busy few days! I arrived after almost 28 hours of travelling including a 9 hour stopover in Hong Kong! I stepped out of Saigon airport with a massive grin on my face! It was an amazing feeling to be back again! I took a cab ride (£1-30mins!) to my hotel! During which I got to see Saigon again at night! Seeing all the mopeds and lights was immense! I arrived at my hotel and started to settle in! I met up with a few Vietnamese friends for a ‘Welcome back’ meal! I also managed to get a 30 min trip riding a moped around the city at night! It was quite different to driving my Fiat back in Dorset! I am defiantly looking into renting a moped here! It’s only about £30 for a month! Bargin! Plus I found a helmet at last that fits my large British head! So no more will I have to wear some pink kid’s helmet! Which makes me stand out even more! Yes, the stares have happened already! It surprises me every time! Surely the Vietnamese population have seen someone with blonde hair and I lip piercing! Once again I am also being handed babies! For proud Vietnamese parents to take a picture of me holding their child while he/she screams and cries in horror! Good Times!! Today was my first day back at the orphanage! I was so excited! My driver ‘Da’ Picked me up at 9am and I hopped on the back of his moped and began the 30-40min journey! It seemed like only yesterday I was here! I sadly forgot about most of the key moments in the road where I need to hold on due to bumps! And nearly ended on the road! But once again I trusted ‘Da’(literally) with my life! As I pulled into Ky Quang I could hear some of the kids behind the pagoda! The pagoda was full of tourists and various religious people. As I walked up to the kitchen one of the cooks I remember from last time shrieked in excitement and ran around the corner! Next thing I know around 7 Vietnamese old women are running up to me shouting Vietnamese and touching me! They explained in ‘poor’ English that they were glad to see me back! I then did my rounds at the orphanage! At first sight it was just the same! It seemed like the kids were in exactly the same position as last time! The same ill kids lying in the same metal beds! It was sad to look back and think what I have done and achieved in the past 3 months and what these kids have done in comparison! I was impressed at the emptiness of most of the smaller rooms! As I went into the big main room! I saw all the kids again! All looking the same! If not fatter! This is hopefully a good sign of a better diet! I was impressed to see the therapy/physio room being used at last! With some of the workers giving some kids 1-2-1 attention! This was amazing! There were around 10 Volunteers already at Ky Quang! A charity organisation called ‘Volunteers for Peace’ had sent many English/America/Australian/Irish volunteers there! I spoke to many of them and they had all described their experiences at Ky Quang! Many experiencing the same as what I had when I first went! It was great to see the kids smiling! Normally when I would arrive they would be tied into their chairs waiting for a few hours until lunch! But now, they had been let out and where playing with toys and being given the attention they needed by the volunteers! Most of the kids probably didn’t have a clue that I was due to either their disability or the fact that there seems to be almost a new volunteer every week! However one little lad came running up to me and made me do a hand click thing that I taught all the kids! It was immense! He then followed me round all day! I also fed one little guy who has what appears to be spinal bifida or some sort of cerebral palsy, he recognised me and all the volunteers said how he hadn’t smiled so much for weeks! This was a great feeling! I then went upstairs to see some of the blind lads! I met their teacher who gave me some sad news. Nam who was one of my best friends at the orphanage had already been forced to leave the orphanage and work as a masseuse! This meant I couldn’t see him! However as determined as I was I managed to track him down within an hour and make a phone call to him! I am meeting him tomorrow! Where he will tell me all what he has been up to! I’m intrigued to find out what he is actually doing, the pay he gets, and the standards of living ect. I met ‘Toa’ a blind 17 yr old! Sat on the same bed as I left him on, he instantly recognised my voice and said my name! I sat next to him and chatted to him! He speaks next to none English so the Vietnamese translation book was out!! He was very happy when I gave him a talking watch! Some off the staff came in and was thanking me! And ‘Toa’ had a massive smile on his face, and was very grateful! I wanted to take a picture of this moment to share with you! But sadly my battery was dead! Just my luck! SO I decided to give out all the other gifts tomorrow so I can record the memories with pictures to show you! As I left the orphanage I was sad to see this one little guy with hydro syphilis in a worse condition then when I left him! His health had badly deteriarated and he was clearly finding every breath a struggle! The staff at Ky Quang have no training or medical experience to deal with this! It looks like he has just been left to die! I don’t know what can be done! I will look into it! But I fear his condition has got to bad! I am going to buy some colourful pictures and toys to put by his bed! This will hopefully make a difference to the blank cracked blue paint he stares at everyday!

I will update you all again soon! With pictures and more information! Thanks again for all your help in raising money! I managed to raise about £600 in the end, which is excellent! I am not rushing into spending it as I want to put it into good use! I need to find something that they will actually benefit from! Thanks again for sponsoring/ reading this blog of simply spreading the word! Hope you are all well!

Jack =]