blah-dee blah-dee blah...

We picked up trash and washed windows at the school for the blind today. Later on it is off to the street children's school for some English lessons. Yesterday was a trip to the beach. The day before, orphanage and hangin out at the street Children's school. The day before that...? More of the same, plus some meeting with Vietnam veterans.

The meeting with the Vet's was a lot of information about how the people of Hue staved off the Americans during the tet offensive. I took notes and listened diligently, politely, and about halfway through hearing the details of the battles I started to become irritated. By the end, I was ready to put my fist through a wall. I am still not really sure why about this...War is just kind of messed up, don't ya think? On a side note, it would be nice to hear the women's story of the war. They were there too...


The ride to the beach was incredible. Not only did I not get lost, but I found a quicker way back home. I swam in the South China sea. Okay time for lunch.

Orphanage

I have deffinately been lacking in postings but take what you can get I guess. Today we took a trip (a very long bike ride, up hill, both ways, in over 100 degree weather...with humidity) to an orphanage located at a converted Pagoda. After getting there and assessing the amount of sweat dripping off us we sat down at a table for a small talk with the head buddhist nun at the orphanage. We were soon joined with our volunteer counterparts and took turns fanning each other. We did small introductions of everyone and had quetion and answer about the orphanage, directly followed by child student interaction. We walked into this big open room with pillars and cement floors. There were children in a big circle and when we walked in they all started to sing. They sang us happy birthday and a few other songs in english. It was a great way to lift our spirits after that long, hot bike ride. For the next couple of hours, we played with the children as a group and then individualy. We gave them earth balls that we stuffed for them last night, candy, and happy face stickers. They seemed to have a great time and we all had a few that really took to us and we're never far from our sides at any moment. We also saw the babies. They are all beautiful children and a quite well behaved for what we saw. It was time to leave before we knew it and said our good byes. I think we could have stayed for the better part of a day were we given the chance. We all basically knew our way back so we went at our own individual paces but regardless, we were all soaked by the time we got back and were anxious to climb the 1, 2 or 3 flights of stairs to get to a cold shower!! We've now had lunch and are feeling fat and happy though we still all struggle to stay healthy and keep our digestive systems at peace.
For the rest of the day we will be preparing for our 3rd day of teaching at the Street Children School and getting all pumped for our free day (a whole one!!) tomorrow!!! For now, that's all from the almeister, thanks for checking us out!

Perpetual Awe

Allow me to work my way backwards. A boat ride along the river helped me forget my fatigue from biking and playing in the sun with children. A walk through old neighborhoods, with one hundred and eighty-something old house, surrounded by mature fruit trees and other growing produce helped me to suppress the urgent need to pee; and speaking French and English with the tour guide volunteers/interns, continuously trying to understand each other to simply communicate, kept me present. Earlier, the market: two stories of price haggling consumers and products up the walls and through the ailes. A maze of colors and shapes, smells, and tastes, from silk to smoke.

Yesterday was a visit with CPI and with survivors. This is a sadness that I cannot communicate at this time in English or French.

Hue City

Hue is a little less electric with more open air than Ha Noi. It is quieter, and more colorful, less contrasted. The patterns and shapes of and within the streets exude a less abrasive aura. Still, I like it.

My last day in Ha Noi was unforgettable. I wandered off with my guitar; must'a packed up my clear-consciousness and left it on the hotel bed with my luggage, because I ended up lost as hell, running late. I will spare the details, but the experience is worth mention.

The first full day in Hue was really no better in terms of unplanned, uncontrollable, unwanted circumstances. Sickness hit me hard around lunchtime, and I spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself that I wasn't dying. Once again, I'll spare the details.

But every time I go outside of myself, to the cultural exchange, to the orphanage, to the bike/boat tour with the festival volunteers, I am humbled and grateful for this time here, and reminded of the need to SERVE.

Motorbikes!!

I just have to say, when on a motorbike, they are amazing!! Walking is a different story. But while we spent a great deal of time on the back of them today, I came to appreciate the chaos that accomplanies the whole experiance. Today was a lot of fun and I really have a good feeling about the students we will be working with for the time we are here. Good day!

Hue...the life of the rich and famous...well, the later at least

So yesterday was our travel day. We hung around for the morning, took the ride back to the airport and had sudden pains of airport syndrom all over again. We were still checking our bags at boarding time so we were cutting things a little close so by the time we got on the plane they were just about ready to shut the doors and get ready for take off. The ride was only 55 minutes and to us felt like a walk in the park...a short one. We barely had time to get comfy and we were landing. our ride from the airport to the Inn was a very sudden realization that this was a much different place than Hanoi. Light traffic, cleaner streets, much less honking. This place is much more open and spacious compaired to Hanoi and it doesn't smell like trash!! Once we reached the hotel, we came to a second calming realization. This place was sooo much nicer and more peaceful (and friendlier) than the our previous residence. We all had our spirits lifted and I think experiancing Hanoi (the big city) first allows us to appreciate Hue so much more.

We got to the hotel and after the family and staff (tiny girls) in a loud, confusing mass lugged our suitcases up the stairs as we claimed rooms, we relished in our new home for the next three weeks and some of us (me) unpacked. Then we had an early dinner (since most of us, if any declined the prepackaged, processed meat sandwich on the plane). Practiced for the cultural exchange, and I thin all but three of us fell asleep (whether we wanted to or not) before 9. Today we met our volunteer interpretur counterparts. 9 female vietnamese university students. we said (and spelled) our names several times around before playing a gazillion rounds of name games. (still don't know who's who and took us the entire morning to even figure out if we were pronouncing the names right). Vietnamese is hard...

After the meeting time we had a little free time, then lunch (a feast might I add) and then last minute practicing before the cutural exchange then on the road to the school. Crazy experiance! I rode on the back of Nhi's (n-ee) motorbike while the rest of the group rode rusted cruzers. It was awesome facing death trying to cross the road and manuvering the busy streets of people and bikes and whatnot. When we got there, and walked into this old gymnasium, it was as if we were celebraties! university students against the walls and in a balcony above with the middle as the center isle for us, cameras flashing and people yelling and clapping and pointing. it was like a movie. incredible! We all did our profomances and though we deffinately didn't spend half the time on ours as they did on theirs I still think they appreciated the effort and our precence. If they weren't impressed with our singing skills they were deffinately impressed with Emily, Danny and my balloon animal skills. We're lucky to have any balloons left for the kids after that frenzy!! At the end of the experiance we all had a great time and felt very excited by the energy that was flowing around the room.

Our ride back the the inn was a wet one with raining pouring down. The rain is beautiful. It has cooled everything down and the smell of it is amazing. I think sleeping tonight is going to be very nice.

More bottles of water than I ever dreamed possible

The packed streets and sidewalks of Ha Noi are seething with cyclical movements of energy. People, produce, bicycles, and motor bikes, meats, pots and a certain pipe all beg me to touch, listen, and indulge in every flavor. This country is that exciting.

Few words come to mind at the ready to describe this experience as of yet. My mind is twisted, thumping, ready for some mild sedation. My body moves as a spinning shadow amidst a backdrop of chaotic darkness and flashes of light; and I like it.

Welcome to the 2006 Group

Here it is... the third and final year for JSC to lead an alternative break to Vietnam. Friends, family, and any in and around and outside those definitions are welcome here to read the daily adventures of this group. They were selected in October of 2005, and have been working together ever since: fundraising, planning for their service, learning about Vietnam, learning about peace and war, getting to know each other. No small investment, and it will all pay off as they fly into Saigon and meet with Nhi, the star translator, guide, and friend. The three weeks will fly by, in a blur of new food, sights, sounds, and smells. They will learn basic words while communicating with the people in a whole new way - through work, patiences, waves, and smiles. They will sweat like never before, and then shiver through a recovery watching Chinese game shows in their rooms at night. They will reflect as a group and as individuals, challenging themselves to grow and act. What an intense and beautiful experience - made all the better by words from home encouraging them to share the stories and the nuanced details.

Johnson State 2006 Vietnam Break Away

Below is a record of the 2005 trip, should you want a preview to the 2006 experience. There is also a link to the 2004 trip on the right hand side of the blog.