An Adventure, Not Just A Holiday

An email from Sarah updating me on the whereabouts of the 1997 class reminded me that many of our ex-students travel overseas in their late teens and early twenties as many of their peers do. With that in mind I decided to let you know about an overseas trip that Margaret and I took recently hoping that you might consider something similar.

In late July we flew to Vietnam to join other Global Volunteer Network members for a one month stint in the capital of Phu Yen province, Tuy Hoa.

Orientation was in Danang then we took a seven hour ride on a sleeper bus to Tuy Hoa. Our group consisted of a 19 year old Canadian couple on their uni summer break, a Kiwi lady in her forties, an Irish 25 year old and another Aussie in her fifties.

We shared a very nice two storey house close to the beach and had a cook visit to prepare most meals.

We visited the local orphanage five times a week to play with, comfort and cuddle ten orphans. Five of the children had severe disabilities and the attention we were able to give them was the only "loving" that they got. The orphanage "mothers" did a very good job feeding and caring for the children but did not have the time to provide extended one on one affection.

I had the priviledge of taking Tai, a thirteen year old boy outside in a wheel chair for the first time in his life. The wheelchair had been acquired by one of the four volunteers who started GVN's placement in Tuy Hoa the previous month.

	Tro is a six year old boy with a variety of disabilities. He can't sit up by himself and he spends most of his waking hours as he appears in the photo.
	With a little love and affection Tro giggles and even laughs out loud.

Three nights a week we taught English to 49 very keen street kids aged from eight to twenty two. That was a very interesting and enjoyable experience made more challanging because we set up the program from scratch. How do you teach English to kids who don't speak it at all?

Twice a week we took a class of 37 wound up four year olds who were a little hesitant at first but soon came out of their shells and wanted to have fun.

We also took classes at one of the local high schools once a week and did some art/ craft and sport with deaf children at the disabled school.

As we drew closer to finishing our initial posting we decided to extend it by another month and we are certainly glad that we did so. We got a new batch of housemates, a Kiwi in her late twenties, a 24 year old American girl and an Aussie lady about my age.

We travelled together to Dalat and Quin Nong on weekends. The GVN program ensures that all volunteers are free from Friday lunch time each week so that they can travel to nearby tourist spots.

Living in a community for a month or more allows travelers to gain a deeper appreciation of the culture and lifestyles of the local people. Working with volunteers from varied backgrounds and ages to assist needy children and adults can be a very rewarding experience. A trip becomes more of an adventure than a holiday.

If you feel that you may be interested in having go at volunteering check out GVN or by contact me.

Rob Briggs

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