Day 3: First Day Volunteering

Our first day of volunteer work. It was only a half day, we bussed to the hospital after the lunch time siesta. HCMC basically shuts down from 12 to 2 due to the heat. We spend our time sitting on the couch, waiting for the oscillating fan to come back to your spot. Mid day naps are also nice.

LTK is a daycare for disabled kids at the hospital. Their parents drop them off for the day and come to pick them up in the afternoon. Our other volunteer location is at the Ky Quang pagoda. We will be going there tomorrow.

Felt so lost when I first walked into the play room. There were children on the floor throughout the room. Some just laying on the ground, rocking back and forth or unresponsive. Others running around. Slowly picking up what to do, I eventually was able to help a kid change into fresh clothes, and wipe his face with a damp cloth.

Once I got the hang of things, it was good. The kids are really helpful too. They can't communicate in traditional means. Even if they have the ability to speak, we are not speaking the same languages. Even still, they do their best to communicate with us. Its funny because some kids are able to communicate with us easier than the nurses can. 

A boy named Duy came up to me and showed me his notebooks. He has all the foreign volunteers write down their name, age and home country in it. His list was 3 pages and counting. I think I will take a picture of it next time I go in. He then asked me for my 2 favorite colors from a stack of colored papers. He then gave me 2 sheets of paper with his favorite colors, red and brown. He showed me how to make a ninja star with my favorite colors, as I followed along with his colors. We then exchanged ninja stars. The one I made him, he put in a bag with the rest of the ninja stars all the previous volunteers have made for him.

Short profiles on some of the other kids:

Khanh - He likes to play with my watch. He'll press the buttons over and over to watch the colors change.

Thi - Thi can't speak, but when I first met him, he had a notebook with English sayings. He would point to questions like "What is your name?" "How old are you?"

Punk - He points at Jackie and gives her the thumbs down. Booooo.... But he's a really sweet kid. Just likes to kid.

Pilot - Pilot likes paper airplanes (well, most of the kids do). Everyday as we're leaving to go home for lunch, he would come up to us and asks if we'll be coming back at 2. Also a sweet kid!

The Gentleman - The Gentleman is a boy with cerebral palsy. At lunch, he makes sure that I tie a towel around his neck, and lay another on his lap before his meal arrives.

Cassius Clay - Cassius sits at a table with Duy, Punk and The Gentleman. He likes to punch my hands.

Nam - an older girl. She likes to help the nurses with getting the other kids ready for lunch.

Jing -  although she can't speak, she's learned to communicate really well by pointing. She's probably around 4, but she's super intelligent and likes to help other kids.

Power Ranger - he always runs up to us and gives us hugs when we come in. He likes to tell Jackie to draw him as a Power Ranger.

"Becky" - a young girl with downs, she's really intelligent and has great dexterity. She likes to take photos and tells you how to pose and where you should be sitting.

more to come!