Working at the Disability Hospital

I took the motorbike to the hospital (getting to be a little pro by now!!) and joined the physios to do some exercises with some of the kids. The mothers were there too distracting the kids whilst we worked on them. I explained to the physios that I have worked a bit in hand physio so they were eager for me to show them what I knew. They did not have any english but they got Nyung to translate "you are very helpful"! I was chuffed with that and I think it is my job now every tue and thurs morni9ng to work on all the kids upper limbs whilst the physios worked on their lower limbs. Most of them suffer from what I can see as Fixed flexion deformity in their hand so have no use at all from it, if only I had some materials I would fabricate an extension splint, it would help them function so much better. I really enjoyed doing it but was more eager to show the parents how to do some gentle passive exercises because in my eyes physio is something you do and not something you get so were not really improving their unction iof they only have an hour a week on exercises.

Weekend Number 2

So myself and Oda were lucky enough to start our weekend after the baby orphange on Thurs morning because there were enough volunteers to cover the teaching ( But shush dont tell Vanessa, she is already cursing the fact she gave me some donations because she thinks Im doing too much fun things and not enough work!!!) So our weekend started with an adventure and a half...............a crazy bus ride to Da Nang that we actually thought we not get out of alive! We were all crammed into this tiny bus that didnt even stop to let people off, you basically had to jump! It was passing out everyone and anytime I lifted my head from my book I could see an oncoming truck on our side of the road that was too close for my liking!! Surpisingly everyon obn the bus was so calm apart from Oda and I who were white with fear. I think a few people noticed that because then one of the guys said..."the busdriver is a very good driver".......... ya right!!! I cant tellyou how happy I was to evntually have my feet ob firm ground. I canty have much to complain about though because it was onlt 2 euro for an hour ride away and that was even with them charging us twice as much as the locals because we are albinos!! We then met the other volunteers at the GVN house and decided to go out clubbing for the nightt. Little did I know what this meant in Vietnam. We arrived at the club after me getting ready in 10 mins (no need for straightners or makeup in this heat!!) The first thing that hit me was how loud the music was, l;ike oh my god my heart was beating with the music. We were then brought to our table and we ordered a bottle of absolute vodka to share between the 9 of us. No mixers came though and we soon realised that it was traditional to take a swig from the vodka and then dip the fruit in the salt and chilli and thats your drink.After a few of these I decided I would die hiking a mountain with the kids tomorrow if i carried on likr this so I resorted back to the western ways and ordered a pepsi to go with it. The big plate of fruit on the table still went down well and now I can see why we bare a much fattre nation, we eat chips, nuts and crisps with alcohol while Vietnamese eat pineapple, mango dragon fruit and watermellon. For entertainment there were pole dancers who had far too little clothes on and moved theirbodies in far too many ways. to keep my blog safe I am not showing any photos Im afraid!!We then all went for a dance on the stage and because we are all ridiculously good luvking we attracted alot of attention from fellow dancers. It might have something to do with the fact we are the only white ones in there too! So we had our personal security man keeping everyone away from us as we danced!!! Was a great night but come 1 am I was ready for my bed!! The next am was torture, slightly hungover and very burnt after lying on the balcony for 10 mins in 35 degrees heat!! It was Kristyns birthday sobafter the mountain we brought all the kids out for dinner and gave Kristyn a big cake!!After dropping the kids off we decided to nurse our aching bodies and head and go to the cinema for some air con!! it was so nice that we treated ouselves to 2 movies!!
The next day myself, Oda, Leanne and Emma went to the Ba Na Hills. We took a long cable car ride up the mountain and took in all the amazing scenery. was out of this world! We then just went exploring and againattracted alot of attention with people coming up and asking to have a photo with us, so this is what It feels like to be a celeb. We then went to see the Buddha hich was amazing standing at a few jundread meters in height. Then to see the temple which was so magical, we met the monk and asked hime could we stay the night in the temple which much to our delight he agreed to and led us to this tiny room which had mats on the floor. Iknew I was not going to have the most comfortable nights sleep but who could turn down the opportunity to sleep in a temple. After leaving our luggage there we went up to the bar and had a tour around a wine cellar. We were then invited over to join a Vietnamese party and they offered us so much food and drink and we all had a sing and a dance. They say Irish are the most friendliest nation, I beg to differ! We then joined these hippy Thai peolpe who offered us more booze and sang and danced wth them most of the night. I actually slept reasonably well and in the am we thanked the monk and gav him a donation. It was such a magical weekend and one I will always treasure.........

Fun in the Pool!!!!!

We decided to treat all the orphans aso we all put in 15 euro and brought about 40 kiddies to a swimming pool and out to dinner after. You should of seen the kiddies faces when theyv realised they were at the pool, it was like christmas morning had creeped up on them without noticing. Within a minute they had all jumped in and were splashing around, was so great to see them so happy because they never get to leave the orphagae. The idea was to teacjh them to swim but they were having so mucg fun just splashing around we said we woule leave them be. There was a lot of splashing happening and then I got this little tip on my shoulderr and one of the girls pushed this little 3 yr old into my arms because he must of gotten scared with all the water. So we then had some chill time in the corner away from the chaotic. I really dont know who had more fun, the kids or us!! We had bought them inflattables too so they had so much fun jumping on them. After about an hour of fun we took a bus to this restauarant and got some pho for all. Its a Vietnamese traditional soup that is made with beef, noodles, beanspruts and loads of herbs. There is usually some fresh chillies on the table and some of the kids were taking big bites from the chilli and then drinking the soup! Crazy!!! I then got a great treat and was allowed to drive the motorbike back, was so much fun and in Nyungs words "You are very good at driving but not so good at stoppping"| think that may have something to do withy the fact we both nearlly went over the hand bars when I did stop!! All in all a great day out and were going to make it a weekly trip for the kids.

Tam Ky

It was now the start of my proper weeks volunteering and it started off with a visit to the baby orphanage. Once we got out of the car we were drowned with hugs and kisses from all the kiddies, such joy on their faces because they knew what our presence meant = PLAY TIME, food and sweeties! The reactions on their faces alone is one I will always treasure. I then was brought into another room with a much different ambiance.....BABIES ranging from just 4 days old to 18mths. They were all just adorable sleeping in their cots or lying on the mats and within seconds their carers hurdles 3 month old twins into my arms. I was a little nervous at first because it has been a while since I handled anything that small, but I couldn't get over how much tougher they were compared to Western babies and I didnt feel like I would brake them if I cuddled them too much! Nyung then explained to us that the other night the security found a 4 day old baby left at the gate during the night so she was now asleep in the cot. I was shocked and appalled but apparently its quite the norm over here. I just cant comprehend how someone could go through 9 mths of carrying the baby and labour to only abandon it at 4 days old. I suppose their life is just so much different to ours back home and maybe they thought they would have a better life as in the orphanage they get fed, looked after and get an education. I then fed the little baby and called her baby Grace, shes just beautiful. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera with me so I cant show you her but I will next time!
I then went to  teach at the community school and I must say it was a little daunting walking into a classroom with kids sitting down, copies and pens out and saying "good evening teacher, how are you?" I looked behind me expecting to see a serious Vietnamese teacher following me but no they were in fact talking to me!! yikes!!......Ms.Morrissey.........I think I could get used to that!! So I thought it would be a good idea to kick off my lesson with a little naming song so I could get to know the kids names, the kids seemed to enjoy it and we all did a little action to describe ourselves. Could not have done it without my translator though. I then thought them some new words by playing a matching card game and they learnt so many words like cake, pencil, sun etc, I was so proud. And then nothing like a bit of bingo and hangman to finish off an awesome lesson!
From teaching the abc's to the kindies I then went with another volunteer to teach the leacturer's at a university.........eeek!! was a daunting concept but they were all very easy going and we just went through different cultures and gave them a little quiz and then done a role play. They were really eager to know more about the Irish culture and I must admit I had to bluff some!!!

Why I chose GVN

After making a drastic change of careers from lab coats and pipettes to working with all people of different ages and backgrounds with many having mental and physical disabilities I decided that I wanted to have more exposure with working with people that have disabilities. I chose GVN Vietnam because it offered many things I craved. After having a pretty sheltered life I wanted to be completely out of my comfort zone and work in a developing country. I love the joy children bring and how resilient they are so I knew I would definitely like to work with them. GVN Vietnam was perfect for me then because it offers many opportunities to have a direct impact on childrens life by minding the babies at the orphanage, playing with the kids, teaching english and doing some physical therapy. With little hesitation and a quick phonecall to my Mum I sent off my application. I then found out that 3000 people apply every month and only 200 get accepted so I was a little dis heartened. Then a few days later I got a letter of acceptance and I was thrilled! It was then all preparation; booking flights, getting visa, travel insurance, vaccinations and doing some fundraising. I was fortunate that I had recently sold my 2 biggest loves; my horse and my car so I could afford to fund myself so any money I raised went straight to what needed it the most: the kiddies!!

Photos

The weekend of a Volunteer!!

So the weekend has arrived and all the volunteers are very lucky that we finish up at 10.30am and dont have work at the weekends so most usually go away for the weekend. We decided to hike a mountain on Fri, I know a crazy idea in 35 degrees heat but we knew the views would be worth it and its good for the bikini body!!So we all squished into the taxi and off we went. The roads were crazy on the way to the mountain and I asked one of the volunteers did they see many accidents and they said they have not in the last 2 weeks and then 2 mins later we saw a truck with a motorbike underneath its wheels and then a 100 meters down the road there was a man lying in the middle of the road :-O I hope I did not jinx it! We then got to the mountains which were beautiful with temples scattered throughout. It was a steep stair climb which really worked our butts and thighs but we stopped loads to admire the views and take photos.We saw people absailing of the mountain cliffs so when I go back next time in proper footwear I am going to give it a go! It was a real enjoyable hike and the exercise felt good. We then did a bit of shopping and headed back.

We decided to go and stay at a beach resort in Hoi An so Sat am myself and 8 other volunteers took an hour taxi ride to Hoi An. There is a good mixture of us; a few from Oz, NZ, Norway, Canada, Switz, Spain, UK and then Im the only Paddy!! We obviously look like tourists but Linda is from America but has Vietnamese parents so instructed that all the "white people" stayed in the house and she haggled with the price which worked as it only cost us 3 euro each! We arrived at the hotel which was beautiful and had a nice big pool! There was a bit of a problem with the rooms because I had rang up and booked for 6 with 2 rooms of 1 dbl and 1 single in each room but surprise surprise they did not understand me so they had booked us 1 single room and 1 dbl room. Thankfully it all got sorted and we went to our rooms which had the best thing of all.............AIR CON!! We then went for a stroll through the market which was an experience itself!! so many people selling all sorts of things, was so crazy! We even saw frogs getting skint and their heads being chopped off and them still hopping about!! Hoi An is famous for getting dresses taiolered for you so we found a nice stall and the ladies through piles of magazines into our arms and said "you choose and I'll make" It had every dress imaginable and in the end I opted for a nice summery one and chose a blue satin material and then a dress Lauren Conrad had on and I choose a black and lace material. Needless to say it did not look quite the same on me as it did on L.C but they did a good job. We then met up with the others and went for a lovely lunch overlooking the river. Alot of the volunteers have a strick rule of Vietnamese food during the week and Western at the weekends and ordered pizzas, pastas, burgers etc but  I much rather Vietnamese food so ordered a green mango, shrimp and chicken salad.....yummy!! We then went back to the hotel and rented out bikes for 50 cent (bargain or what) and took a lovely ride to the beach through paddy fields. We were so hot when we got there so we all jumped into the sea and then spent the rest of the bright hours sunbathing and getting fruit and drinks delivered to our beds.........HEAVEN!! Returned back to the hotel and took a little nip in the pool and ordered some mojitos, were on holiday after all!! Then off for dinner we went and went to a fab restaurant, sticking to vietnamese food I ordered this dish (cant think of the name) but it was like marinated pork that you wrap in rice paper with green mago and loads of different types of herbs and then dip in a satay sauce.......DELICIOUS!!We then just strolled around the streets and were all amazed to see how different it looks at nights with lit up lanterns everywhere!! We were pretty exhausted by then so just wandered back to our hotel and went to sleep in a cold room, fab!! The next am we had arranged to go on a boat to an island and go snorkelling but our transport never came so we just went back down to the beach after a bit more shopping! we stopped off at this really quaint restautarant that was on decks in the lake called "slow lives slow food" was so cute and I got another gorgeous Loftus root salad, no idea what was in it but it was so tasty!! As myself and another 2 volunteers were placed in Tam Ky we had to get the hour and half taxi ride there while we said goodbye to the others who were all returning to Da Nang. We all got on so well and we have all ready planned another weekend away next weekend!! You see even Mother Teresa has fun at the weekends.

First time teaching 30 kindigardens = CHAOTIC!!!! and visit to the orphanage

So Thurs am myself and some of the volunteers went to teach the kindigardens! I had a class to teach so I just went through the alphabet and colours and then some instructions like right hand left foot! when I felt like they were good enough with those I incorporated it into a game by getting circles of different colurs and playing a game of twister!!! the kids had so much fun but were kind of crazy!! i did not mind though......I was high on their enthusiasim!! they really do anything to get your attention so trying to do something with one or two kids never work because then they are all just on top of you! I then finished off the class with some songs like "head, shoulders, knees and toes", "old mc donald" and "the wheels on the bus" Some of the kids knew the words better than me!!! So that was the end of my first experience as a kindy teacher and it did not put me off straight away but Im pretty sure you would age very quick! I was sad then that there teacher came in and hit them all with a stick, which I presumed was for misbehaving :-(
I then went to the orphanage which I must admit was a huge shock. I face the hard reality of how different these kids lives are in comparison to the kids back home. They were all in metal cots and there was not a single blanket in sight so basically they all just slept on  the metal bars, it nearlly made me cry and even more so when I lifted one up and saw all the bed sores they had. They did not seem to mind but I suppose they dont know any differ. We then just took all the kids out of their cots and placed them on mats and played with them. A lot of the kids had Cerebral Palsy and hydrocephalus so we done some massage and physio to them and just changed their positions alot becaus they are constantly on their backs. one of the kids were in a pretty bad way, he has hydrocephalus and a liver problem and a big swollen belly even though his limbs are so timy, was so sad seeing him like that. He really needs to go to the hospital and have an operation but the orphange only gets 10,000 dong a month from the government for each kid to be spent on healthcare which is only 33 cent so covers nothing. I am going to try my best to organisee some fundraising for him because no kid should live like that. There was also a lovely little girl that had a cleft lip so the food keeps going up her nose and one of the other volunteers fell in love with her so I think hes trying to organise some funds so she can get it fixed. There is one healthy baby there who is just adorable and his laugh is so infectious, its just not right having him here, there is no stimuli at all as he is in his cot for most of the time and the only toys they have is some building blocks. Hopefully now that GVN has started working there the orphanage will improve and some of the volunteers have brought toys to bring. It really did give me such a shock though and I pomised there and then I will never moan about anything ever again in my life because I am truly a very lucky girl!

Derby-London-Singapore-Da Nang-GVN House

So all packed up now and goodbyes done I was at heathrow airport about to board the 13 hr flight to Singapore. I was a bit anxious about it because the longest flight I did was 6 hrs to NYC and I thought that was bad enough!!!! but surprisingly i really enjoyed the flight, there was no one sitting beside me so I got tp sprawl out and watch 4 different movies and a couple of episodes of glee, gossip girl and miranda...........perfect!!! the food was also surprisingly good and I may have taken a bit of an advantage of the free bar............woops!! ill regret that in a few hours!!!!! I then had a 6 hr stop over in Singapore which was my night time but early am in singapore so it was too hot and bright to sleep. However there was plenty of things i could do to keep me entertained. Singapore airport is amazing - it has a cinema, a gym and a swimming pool in it, so a few lenghts of the pool later I was feeling nice and refreshed. Then it was only a 3 hr flight to Da Nang. After moving swiftly through emigration I was grreted my a lovely GVN assistant named Minh Chau who brought me in a bus. She explained that the rest of the volunteers were at the park with the kids from the social support so we stoppwd of there to pick them up. I was greeted with big hugs from some of the kids and then we all squished into the bus to bring them back to there the center. The 38 degrees heat was not the only thing to hit we, the chaotic roads caught my attention more. There were motorbikes EVERYWHERE and there seemed to be no structure at all but somehow it kind of worked! Also I was so surprised to see that all the Vietnamese ladies on the bikes were covered up from head to toe with face masks and everything! I could not imagine wearing any more than the little dress I had on but Minh Chau explained to me that men considered white women to be more beautiful and that dark represented poverty!! After dropping the kids off at the centre we arrived at the GVN house and was introduced to the cook. We had dinner then which was a nice egg fried rice dish. i was then brought up to my room which was very simple compromising of the 2 most essential items.............a fan and a mosquito net!!! We then just chilled for the eve and I went the rest of the volunteers to an Italian, I just had an ice tea though because I was still stuffed from the rice!!