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Hanoi Updates

May 2004

Find all of Annetta's May 2004 updates here. Click a date to go to that weeks update.

May 2, 2004

May 9, 2004

May 16, 2004

May 23, 2004

May 30, 2004

May 2, 2004

Sprint or Marathon?

On April 30 Vietnam celebrates their Independence, from America. So this past week was a four day week. Once again I spent a large amount of it at hospitals, sitting and waiting.

Hang completed her hearing tests this week. Now all that is left to do is to setup an appointment with Dr. Ha to get the hearing-aid fitted. So next week she should hear for the first time. I’m very excited to see her reaction.

I’ve run into a few more problems with Anh’s surgeries. I am in the process of locating another doctor to examine her. I’m hoping that the next week will prove to be more productive.

On Tuesday I taught English at the orphanage. It’s proving to be a trying experience. The children are all at different skill levels. The older children get board, the younger children don’t understand, and the children in the middle learn a lot. I’ve got to figure out a better plan of action.

On Friday Dr. Ha invited me to go on an over night trip to Lang Son. Lang Son is in the mountains and about three hours northeast of Hanoi, by bus. There were around 20 of us who went on the trip. The main goal of the trip was to shop. I have never been so tried from shopping. I’m more of a sprinter rather than a marathon shopper. I’m great at it but I quickly peak and fade out. We left Hanoi at 7 am on Friday finished shopping at 10:30pm. Saturday we started shopping at 8 am and finished at 2 pm. So many things were bought, that on our way home we could barely fit into the bus. It was an experience that I won’t soon forget.

Monday is a holiday as well, so it’s a four day weekend. I will be spending the day with the children at Vinh Quynh. We are sponsoring 20 children to go to school. I am going to meet all the children and play games with them. Each child will receive a package that will include a tooth brush and box of milk, as well as small gifts of each of them. It should be a fun day.

Annetta

May 9, 2004

More than a number

Monday was a great day. I spent it Tang Thi, at the Vinh Quynh secondary school. This school is not in the Sister School Program, due to not being able to find enough schools in the States. However, HSCV is currently sponsoring 20 children to attend school. On Monday I finally met with 18 of the 20 children that we are sponsoring. The children are in grades 6 to 8. Each one’s living situation varies, but many of them have only one parent and numerous siblings.

When the children were brought into the meeting room each of their expressions told a different story, some were nervous, others were shy, but most were trying to hide their excitement. I myself was very excited. I have been waiting a long time to meet these children. Up to this point I had only known them on paper and the numbers 1 – 20. Now finally I can put a face to the numbers.

After meeting with the Headmaster and a few of the teachers, I was finally allowed to introduce myself to the children. I told them how excited I was to meet them that and was happy that I could help them. After taking a headshot of each child I asked the group if they wanted to play a few games with me. Of course, they all agreed. I brought a sack of balloons with me so we had balloon races, played hot-potato, and tied balloons to our legs and popped each others’ balloon. The winners of the games received a prize; a soccer ball, badminton racquets, or a stuffed animal. When we finished the games each child received a box of milk, a toothbrush. Each also had a choice of a hair tie, jump rope, or a hackie sack. When I asked them if they would like to play games with me again sometime in the future they all enthusiastically agreed.

The plan from here is to visit each of their houses so I can gain a better understanding of their families situation. After evaluating the families it will be determined whether the family will receive additional support from HSCV. Ideally they would be put on a food allotment program, where the family would receive a weekly or bi-weekly supply of food. This program is still in the developmental stages, but I will be working on moving it forward over the next few months.

I’ve been working closely with Nha Trang for the past few months. Unfortunately her fun-time job is sending her to China. So now I’m back to looking for a reliable assistant. I’ve been introduced to a number or people willing to work with me, but unfortunately none have been as resourceful as Nha Trang. I have found many people who can interpret, but it is hard finding that person who is aggressive enough to get things done. The quest continues…

I have finally arranged for the Hung Dao Primary School, in Hung Yen Province to receive their supplies from the Sister School Program. Westlake High School in CA, along Ellegirl hosted a fashion show last fall. The profits from this event were given to HSCV to purchase the needed supplies. I am looking forward to next week when I’ll be presenting the supplies to the faculty and students. It should be an exciting day.

May 16, 2004

Watching and Waiting

What a great week. It was the kind of week that reminds me why I’m here and makes the frustrations of past weeks fade. My nights were sleepless, filled with excitement in the anticipation of the following day’s events. The restless nights turned into early mornings in order to prepare for or travel to the locality of the day.

On Monday I traveled to Hung Dao Primary school, in Hung Yen Province. The school is about an hour and a half south of Hanoi, and is in our sister school program. Students at Westlake High School, in CA as well as Ellegirl magazine volunteered to sponsor the school.

Upon arriving in Hung Yen I was greeted by the head official of the Province. We exchanged kind words, he thanking me for sponsoring the Hung Dao Primary School, and hoping for a long and successful partnership with HSCV and me thanking him for the warm welcome and the opportunity to work in his community. He was sorry that Chuck couldn’t make it for the presentation and hopes to see him on his next trip to Vietnam.

After the short meeting we continued on to the school. When our truck pulled into the school grounds we were greeted by the children, all of whom were wearing their best white shirts, red scarves, and blue hats on their heads. They had formed rows using small red stools. As you scanned from left to right the age of the students grew older. My initial instinct was to take out my camera and start taking pictures, but I quickly remembered that my father wasn’t their and I had to take care of the particulars. I was greeted by the Head of the Board of Education, the Head Master, as well as half-a-dozen teachers and officials. After a cup of tea and a showing of gratitude I was give a tour of the school and shown that all of the items I had purchased had indeed arrived. Each classroom received a new black board, shelving units were purchased for the teachers’ supplies, and each child received new notebooks for next school year.

For the next hour the students and children put on a very nice ceremony. There were several speakers, a brave girl sang a song, and the students preformed a dance using their red scarves. I was then asked to say a few words to the students, after which I presented the supplies to the head master and posed for numerous pictures. The students then presented me a book of their drawings, as well as painting of a famous pagoda in their community.

It was a great day, thanks to Westlake High School and Ellegirl.

The other big event of the week was with Hang. It was finally time to fit her with her hearing-aid. I couldn’t sleep at all the night before. I was so excited to see her reaction. When I arrived at the NIP Hang, her father, and Nha Trang were waiting for me. We were all excited for the day’s activities to start. (All of us but Hang, for her it was starting off like all of her recent trips to the various hospitals and universities.) However, our excitement quickly faded after we learned that the doctor that was to see us had not arrived.

Things like this happen all of the time. We get so close to taking a huge step and something gets in our way. I really didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to leave the hospital without something positive happening. So I focused on Hang’s legs. We’ve so busy concentrating on her ears that her legs have had to wait. She can walk but for only short distances and need braces. So we met with a doctor and had molds made of her legs. In one month she will have full braces on each leg.

By the time the molds were finished the hearing doctor had arrived. It only took about 45 minutes to complete the fitting. Finally the moment we had worked so hard for had arrived. We all sat watching her and waiting. Finally the doctor turned on the hearing-aid. Hang’s father sat behind her and called her name. At first she didn’t turn around she sat there with a grin on her face. “Hang, Hang”, he kept saying. She didn’t know what to think, or what to do. Finally she looked at him a giggled. We were all so excited. We took turns saying her name. She pointed and laughed at us when we did. It was great.

At lunch I couldn’t stop watching her. She was hearing everything clearly for the first time; motorbikes, conversations, a man who whistled as he walked by, dishes being placed on the table, chairs moving. It was a lunch I will remember for a long time.

May 23, 2004

Back on Track

This week I revisited The Society for Support of Hanoi Handicapped and Orphans. They oversee the Hanoi People Community City, Deaf Children School. This school helps mentally handicapped children as well as hearing impaired children. In the past the children have had hearing aids, but the hearing aids are now broken and not repairable. I have made an agreement with the school to have the students tested. They have agreed to give me one of their broken hearing aids for ever new one I supply for their children. This is great for me because I would have given the children a hearing aid anyway, but with the old hearing aids I can get credit from my supplier for new ones. So this serves as a reminder that HSCV can make use of any old hearing aids you may have. I’m in the process of making the necessary arrangements to have the children tested. I have 19 hearing-aids and 22 children to test. That may cause a little bit of a problem.

I’ve also been making some headway on Anh’s legs. I met with a doctor this week who has worked on Anh in the past. Anh was sick at home with the flu so, he wasn’t completely sure with what needs to be done from the x-rays. But I have a good feeling about him. He was willing to take the time from his busy schedule to answer all of my questions. He seems like a start arrow.

I have to go back next week with Anh to confirm the prognoses and the pricing issues. As of now things seem to be back on track with Anh. It’s going to be a long journey, but one I’m excited to be a part of.

I finally started taking Vietnamese lessons this week. I’ll have a small group class twice a week. I can now tell people what my name is and ask them what their name is. It’s not a huge step but it’s a start. I find learning the language very difficult. It a monosyllabic language that relies greatly on tones and many words sound the same and are spelt the same. It’s going to take a lot of practice on my part. Fortunately I have a great teacher who is very patient.

May 30, 2004

Seeking Answers

Some weeks start off on a good note while others don’t. This week I had Anh evaluated by the doctor at St. Paul hospital. After examining her he determined that the only solution he can provide for her is to have her bones fused together. This would mean that Anh would never be able to bend her legs. This seems to be the worst possible solution. While Anh’s family has consented to the surgery, I have not. I am determined to find an alternative solution, or at least check all possible avenues before I agree to fund a surgery that would leave Anh so severely handicapped. Her family has been living with the problem for so long they just want to see her make some progress and walking with fused bones would be progress. It is very obvious that her parents love her a great deal and want her to get better, but I feel it is my responsibility to find the best solution and not the easiest.

During what were the two hottest days thus far I was able to visit the homes of the twenty children that are on a scholarship to attend school at Vinh Quynh Secondary School. These children have had a difficult life and their living situations are heartbreaking and a few of the homes I visited have burned into my mind. One home has four children and the only caretaker is their 73 year-old grandfather. When I was interviewing him I could see the kindness in his eyes and the years of worries that had made permanent homes in the creases in his face. When I commended him on his determination to help his grandchildren, that had been abandoned by all others in their lives, he only responded that it was his duty as a Vietnamese to see that his grandchildren had a home and food, even when that meant he himself went hungry.

The goal of my visits was to evaluate each situation to determine the level of assistance each family needs. My plan is to start a food share program and have each family receive a weekly allotment of food. I now have to find a food distributor that is willing to work with me and to develop a system to distribute the food.

My assistant/interpreter is finally leaving me this week. I have been introduced to many Vietnamese that are will to work for me, but it is difficult to find someone who has the ability to get things done. I have been blessed the past two months with the professionalism Nha Trang has provided me with. Fortunately Ms. Ly, the English teacher at VQ School has agreed to help me out for the next month during her break from teaching. She should be very helpful in that she knows many of the schools and should know who to contact regarding food distributors in the area.