So I have been quite terrible at blogging lately! About two months ago (wow...) I went to Cambodia and Vietnam, and while I blogged about the great time I had in Cambodia with the members, I never blogged about the Vietnam trip!
So I didn't take as many pictures in Vietnam as I probably should have. I was able to meet up with my friend Thanh and his wife Lindsey and we went out to dinner. I really wish I would have taken a picture but I totally spaced it. I also had dinner with my friend Andrea who lived in the same host house as me when I was there 3 years ago. It was really good to see her and to catch up. I also was able to meet up with my friend Hau who I served with in Cambodia. Also no picture...And I was able to talk on the phone with Loc and Huy, two elders I served with but they were both out of the city and wouldn't be back until after I had left to come back to the States.
I got to do the two things that I love while I was there though. I was able to teach with the sister missionaries on Sunday and I was able to go to the hospital and visit my kids. I was so happy that I got to teach, even if only for a couple lessons with the sisters. Basically they have so many appointments at the church on Sundays that they do "splits" with members and so I paired up with one of the sisters and we taught one of their investigators. The only frustrating thing is that on my mission my "church vocab" was pretty much the only thing I really knew in Vietnamese but now I never use church words when I converse in Vietnamese and just the language that you use when teaching the gospel was so foreign I had a rough time trying to communicate. I could understand everything going on and I knew just what I wanted to say in English but just took awhile to get it translated over. I wish they had a Vietnamese branch here in NYC but they don't. Fortunately the sisters didn't care that my Viet was horrible - they were so happy to have help.
I also went back to the hospital/orphanage that I worked at when I lived in Saigon 3 years ago. It was amazing to see my kids a little more grown up and to see how much they had progressed. Kids that couldn't move on their own were walking and you could tell that they understood a lot more and quite a few of them went to "school" each day. There were a couple new faces as well. It was so great to be there and working with them again. It was also cool because some of the nurses remembered me from a couple years ago - plus I think they were really grateful to be able to communicate with one of the volunteers. They would give me directions and then have me tell the others.
So I didn't take as many pictures in Vietnam as I probably should have. I was able to meet up with my friend Thanh and his wife Lindsey and we went out to dinner. I really wish I would have taken a picture but I totally spaced it. I also had dinner with my friend Andrea who lived in the same host house as me when I was there 3 years ago. It was really good to see her and to catch up. I also was able to meet up with my friend Hau who I served with in Cambodia. Also no picture...And I was able to talk on the phone with Loc and Huy, two elders I served with but they were both out of the city and wouldn't be back until after I had left to come back to the States.
I got to do the two things that I love while I was there though. I was able to teach with the sister missionaries on Sunday and I was able to go to the hospital and visit my kids. I was so happy that I got to teach, even if only for a couple lessons with the sisters. Basically they have so many appointments at the church on Sundays that they do "splits" with members and so I paired up with one of the sisters and we taught one of their investigators. The only frustrating thing is that on my mission my "church vocab" was pretty much the only thing I really knew in Vietnamese but now I never use church words when I converse in Vietnamese and just the language that you use when teaching the gospel was so foreign I had a rough time trying to communicate. I could understand everything going on and I knew just what I wanted to say in English but just took awhile to get it translated over. I wish they had a Vietnamese branch here in NYC but they don't. Fortunately the sisters didn't care that my Viet was horrible - they were so happy to have help.
I also went back to the hospital/orphanage that I worked at when I lived in Saigon 3 years ago. It was amazing to see my kids a little more grown up and to see how much they had progressed. Kids that couldn't move on their own were walking and you could tell that they understood a lot more and quite a few of them went to "school" each day. There were a couple new faces as well. It was so great to be there and working with them again. It was also cool because some of the nurses remembered me from a couple years ago - plus I think they were really grateful to be able to communicate with one of the volunteers. They would give me directions and then have me tell the others.
This was Hieu. He did not have any birth or mental defects and so he was really fun to interact with. He is about 2 years old and is in that really cute stage where his Viet is adorable. He was my special helper while I was at the hospital.
This little guy is so smart. He loved to look at pictures of himself. He would point at the picture and when asked who it was he would point to himself and get a huge smile on his face. This is him making a number 1 with his finger. In Cambodia/Vietnam they say you are #1 all the time. It's a great compliment.
My pretty girl. She has the most beautiful smile and she smiles all the time. However she gets so excited when you are about to take a picture that she wouldn't hold still. This was the best picture I could get of her. She was one of my favorites from 3 years ago.
This is Thong - I think he is autistic. He is a complete cuddlebug though. He loves to be held and carried. He also loves anything that makes noise, I think he really likes the vibrations. He has gotten so big over the past couple of years.
Hieu and Bao Minh. Bao Minh is one of those who can now walk (if he has something to hold himself up on). It is amazing. He couldn't do anything on his own a couple years ago and now he can move around. It is so great.
I think this is my favorite picture from the trip. I can't help but be happy when looking at this picture of Hien since his happiness is so evident. He is obsessed with balls. He gets so excited and all he wants to do is play catch. He can't sit up but he uses his good arm to pick up the ball and throw and catch the bouncy balls. He was using a bowling pin as a bat this day. I just love how his handkerchief got twisted around so it looks like he is wearing a cape. His smile was so infectious, I loved playing with him each day.
It was such a great trip. Short but sweet. I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in years and to just hang out and eat my favorite foods and use my random language skills. I can't wait to go back in another couple of years.
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