Time flies when you're having fun!

Time sure flies - some of it's fun, some of it not so much. Whew - where do I start? Well, the last several photos you saw were pretty tame - there are many more of kids tied up (due to the 'mom' to kid ratio), kids with mental illness and kids with scabies, heat rash and heart problems. The good news is that we keep on, keepin on! My friends and I have taken 5 kids to the doctor this week - two for rashes, one for scabies and the last two I just left in the hospital with the 'mom', both with high fevers. One is the twin of Baby Kai who is in HoChiMinh waiting for her open heart surgery. Now that Ka, the sister is in the hospital, it's likely we'll need to continue the fund raising to get her treated before she gets as bad as Kai.

I'm teaching more English this month which means I spend more time with teenagers and less time with toddlers. It's ok - I'm getting them to read Vietnamese comic books, playing soccer in the 90 degree heat and trying to enjoy their Summer, despite the fact that their living conditions are horrible. Many of these kids (about 20 of them) are at Social Support where they simply don't get the attention they need. This center should be for the elderly and disabled only. I'm trying to get other organizations that have regular school and vocational training to consider taking these kids in. I'm afraid otherwise, they'll die of boredom or will never have dreams of being outside this 'compound' that they live in.

I had them fill out a survey the other day. One wants to be a doctor, one a journalist, one a businessman, one a seamstress and two want to be farmers. Not bad for kids who eat rice three times a day and rarely get to go outside to explore the rest of the city. They trust me now and give me candy, bracelets and big smiles with a thumbs up when I crack the soccer ball in the back of the net! Today I brought them some used comic books (I bought 35 books for $8) and they were really excited. I created a 'library' so they can sign out books and return them when they're done. I'll have to keep the stock fresh as they seem to read these rather quickly!

One girl is reading Harry Potter in Vietnamese. I found 3 books here for her so far. (She'll be the journalist when she finishes school!) I told the kids I'd gather some volunteers Tuesday night and we'll come back to play some soccer. They're ready to kick our butts!

Meantime, we're fundraising to save Baby Kai who needs heart surgery in HoChiMinh. She should be healthy enough next week. Her sister needs to be looked at soon and the baby with the massive arm tumor is still getting her infection treated. No radiation yet. She might lose her arm if things don't get better soon. (She's only a few months old).

I've been asked by the local VN director to stay on and work for him as is operations manager. There is some much to do here both administratively and for the kids. I'm not sure I'll work with this group beyond July 30th (my initial agreement), but we'll see. I really want to see some of these kids moved into better situations. I saw a fantastic foster home in Hoian last weekend where a very determined Australian woman is raising 30 teenage kids with about 4 VN staff. It's a great operation. I think the Street Kids Program in Danang is set up similarly and GVN can learn a lot from both of these groups.

There is still a lot for me to learn. I'm experiencing red tape, corruption, lack of common sense and plain old stubbornness on a daily basis! But, that's what's so and I just have to learn how to work within the system. It's challenging for someone like me - direct, process oriented and with a compulsion for 'completing tasks on time'. LOL . (My old boss gave me that last one!) But, I started taking VN language lessons this week so hopefully I'll catch some of the conversation soon!

Anyway, I'm getting used to the heat - I'm soaked with sweat by 10 am most days and just ignore it. I played soccer in heavy pants, barefoot, today and loved every minute of it! Thanks for you emails, prayers, donations and well wishes. It means a lot to know you're all out there!
Much love, Jen