So, on Sunday after dinner we decided to go for a little walk.
Partly to show the newest member of our little volunteer house around, partly to look around the neighbourhood.
Seeing as the beach is only about 300metres away, we ventured into the little laneways behind our house.
As you get further from the main road it becomes a smaller, dirt road. With low houses, much more of a country village feel!
We walked past one house (that we could hear from miles away!) who were having a Tet (new years - celebrated in line with Chinese new years) party. They (like everyone else on this lane!) shouted hello and waved as we went past. But they also dispatched a group of people to come out and follow us, and invite us in.
when we walked in to the party EVERYONE clapped and cheered! I felt like some sort of hero, not a complete stranger! there were probably 30-40 people in this back yard cheering for the 3 of us!
So we drank and were greeted repeatedly, hands shaken and cries of mot, hai, ba, YO! (1,2,3,cheer!). After we drank half our beers, they somehow decided that Sally and I didn't like beer (a true assumption, but I was drinking it so I didn't look rude!)I turned away for a minute and when i went back the beer had been tipped out and replaced with coke. Dan had to keep drinking beer, and everyone was doing their best to get him drinking as many as possible in the short time we were there!
Dan was the first pulled on stage to Karaoke. Which, I must point out is some sort of advanced level Karaoke where there are no words, or screen. Just a guy playing keyboard! Dan's rendition of "Happy Birthday Vietnam" went down well. Sally and I finally agreed to sing some old and faithful lion king "can you feel the love tonight" - with the aid of googling lyrics on a phone! We came unstuck however, when they keyboard player listened to the intro of the song.... and just played that. So there was no real lyrical tune!!!
We gave up after a struggled verse and a couple of belted out choruses (because, everyone can do the chorus!) and redeemed ourselves by doing a quick Rudolf the red nosed raindeer - songs that don't need music are much better!
When we left, the teenager who was the main translator (not that you could hear over the music anyway. they had 3 giant speakers- each more than a metre tall stacked up) walked us out and explained that tomorrow they are having a party at noon (11am) and we should all come.
Unfortunately that is the time our cook serves up lunch, and we had some jobs to do over lunchtime. However, I will definitely be making it a mission to wander down that road again.
I do have some photos..... but i can't be bothered finding my camera right now!
so you can wait :P
Monday 20 January 2014
Thursday 16 January 2014
Da Nang Baby orphanage
More photos.....
On Friday morning's we visit the Da Nang baby orphanage. They have only 10 children at a time, from new born babies up to 2/3 years. but hopefully/usually they get adopted by this time.
All the kids are developing typically (no disabilities), so we go just to give them extra attention, play games, give cuddles.
The kids in their room
This little baby is aparrently 3-4 months old, I thought she looked tiny and they explained that she was born weighing only 1000g. (I assume probably born premmie, but couldn't confirm that. Thinking about how much care and support in NICU our kids get when born that early - this little girl spent 2 or 3 days in hospital, then came to the orphanage. They all kind of thought probably she would die being so young and tiny, but she rallied! I am very impressed by her health and growth now!
On Friday morning's we visit the Da Nang baby orphanage. They have only 10 children at a time, from new born babies up to 2/3 years. but hopefully/usually they get adopted by this time.
All the kids are developing typically (no disabilities), so we go just to give them extra attention, play games, give cuddles.
The kids in their room
This little baby is aparrently 3-4 months old, I thought she looked tiny and they explained that she was born weighing only 1000g. (I assume probably born premmie, but couldn't confirm that. Thinking about how much care and support in NICU our kids get when born that early - this little girl spent 2 or 3 days in hospital, then came to the orphanage. They all kind of thought probably she would die being so young and tiny, but she rallied! I am very impressed by her health and growth now!
a story about Ngan
This is Ngan,
she is the most determined, beautiful little person i have worked with! She is 9 years old and has cerebral palsy (crouch gait, not sure if it would have developed anyway, or is because the did archeles lengthening surgery - she has so much dorsiflexion range it is ridiculous! ironically Has contractures preventing plantarflexion as a result of the casting post surgery!).
We are working on getting her walking, made much harder by the impossibility of trialling walking frames etc (have to just get them made by the metal works whe we decide what would be best), and the impossibility of getting any sort of AFO to support her ankles!
At the moment we use knee brace that the family have and use a basic 2 wheeled walker. lots of practising those ABductors and extensors to get her standing up as straight as possible. Ngan is incredible, every time we walk with her, she refuses the rests and keeps on going for one more lap. When we do side-stepping at the rails she keeps going until she pretty much collapses, then will be starting to pull herself up almost straight away! I have to enforce breaks!!
Having a rest break with her knee braces on ready for more walking! We were doing laps of the room behind us (and about a metre more in front of us), she would do 3 or 4 laps each time before having a break!
Practicing using both hands together. Ngan's left hand is quite difficult for her to use (actually, both arms and legs are affected, but the left side is worse!) so we are practicing using that left side as much as possible. This means I always make her use her left to reach into the bucket for more pieces of the toys or more beads.... she is a cheeky monkey and if if i am distracted at all will use her right hands.... then grin at me until I notice!
More 2 handed play, I look weirdly evil in this photo..... but Ngan has such a beautiful smile!!!
Standing to put balls through the basketball hoop, or do side-stepping.... Sometimes Ngan plays jokes like throwing the ball up through the hoop instead of down, or cheating and putting the balls straight into the bucket underneath instead of stretching up - then she laughs so hard she almost falls over!
I also must apologise to her, I do not have the ability on my computer to put the little haat above the "a" in her name... on the first day I met Ngan I was testing all her skills, and she aced drawing basic shapes, so i wrote N g a n on the paper, she immediately added the little hat over the a and gave me a hilarious little pouty face! It was soon after this, and being impressed by her copying of patterns with the beads that I realised not only can she communicate and write (albeit with some difficulty due to the stiffness and dystonia in her arms)she is actually bilingual and has some English! (colours, numbers, greetings, probably more than I even know about!).
I have to check on Monday, but I think this all might be considering that she actually doesn't go to school.... The father of a 5 year old we see told me the school wouldn't accept his child due to her disability, like Ngan she is purely physically disabled and sharp as a tack!
Ngan also comes in to see us every day that she can, If we are seeing another little person she and her mum will happily sit downstairs doing fine motor activities by themselves, just happy to use the resources available at the clinic. I assume this means she mustn't be attending regular school.
Monday 13 January 2014
Weekend adventures
For the weekend I ventured down to Hoi An.
It is a beautiful town.... very visually stunning, but so full of tourists! and full of people trying to sell you things, trying to get your attention. I just can't handle it! But just about every other tourist I meet anywhere says they love Hoi An.... So maybe it is just me!
We spent Saturday morning at a wedding,
very different to out weddings. The party was on Saturday, apparently with 500ish people! It only went for 2-3 hours. Basically lunch and extremely loud karaoke. Then as soon as the meal was over everyone just disappeared! I assumed it would go on with drinking and singing all day. Apparently on Sunday morning they had a ceremony during the church service, and then a party for the "old people" at the groom's parent's house, and a party for the young people Sunday evening. Sounds like a lot of organising to have 3 separate meals and set up of music, decorations etc.
Also worth special mention was the MC who performed magic tricks during the wedding (and apparently the exact same tricks at the second party on Sunday) and the use of fireworks in the immediate vicinity of a particularly flammable looking wedding dress and a whole lot of people in satin and silk!
On Sunday we got a bus up to My Son, the Cham temples to wander around. I really enjoy the bus rides through little towns and the countryside. My Son was busy (as i assume it always is). But it did start raining, which meant most people scrambled for cover and so if you didn't mind getting slightly damp you could wander and occasionally not see people :)
Unfortunately a lot of My Son was blown up by American bombs after being used as a hide out, so while some are standing lots of the walls and carvings have damage or bullet holes. I am keen to go the the Cham museum here in Da Nang, apparently a lot of the most impressive statues and carvings were moved the the museum before the war, so didn't get damaged.
Sunday afternoon we got the local bus home (at $1.50 each for a 40 minute bus ride it beats walking!).
Back to the orphanage monday to finish our last few wheelchair modifications!
It is a beautiful town.... very visually stunning, but so full of tourists! and full of people trying to sell you things, trying to get your attention. I just can't handle it! But just about every other tourist I meet anywhere says they love Hoi An.... So maybe it is just me!
We spent Saturday morning at a wedding,
very different to out weddings. The party was on Saturday, apparently with 500ish people! It only went for 2-3 hours. Basically lunch and extremely loud karaoke. Then as soon as the meal was over everyone just disappeared! I assumed it would go on with drinking and singing all day. Apparently on Sunday morning they had a ceremony during the church service, and then a party for the "old people" at the groom's parent's house, and a party for the young people Sunday evening. Sounds like a lot of organising to have 3 separate meals and set up of music, decorations etc.
Also worth special mention was the MC who performed magic tricks during the wedding (and apparently the exact same tricks at the second party on Sunday) and the use of fireworks in the immediate vicinity of a particularly flammable looking wedding dress and a whole lot of people in satin and silk!
On Sunday we got a bus up to My Son, the Cham temples to wander around. I really enjoy the bus rides through little towns and the countryside. My Son was busy (as i assume it always is). But it did start raining, which meant most people scrambled for cover and so if you didn't mind getting slightly damp you could wander and occasionally not see people :)
Unfortunately a lot of My Son was blown up by American bombs after being used as a hide out, so while some are standing lots of the walls and carvings have damage or bullet holes. I am keen to go the the Cham museum here in Da Nang, apparently a lot of the most impressive statues and carvings were moved the the museum before the war, so didn't get damaged.
Sunday afternoon we got the local bus home (at $1.50 each for a 40 minute bus ride it beats walking!).
Back to the orphanage monday to finish our last few wheelchair modifications!
Tuesday 7 January 2014
custom moulding wheelchairs
So, a word of warning.... if I need a custom moulded wheelchair for a tight little body, I send them off to the wheelchair seating clinic, and a perfect little seat is made.......
Today, we made a custom seat for Tam. a quick trip to the mattress and foam shop for $8-10 of foam..... a meat cleaver and a lot of trial and error and we got Tam looking pretty comfortable!
She is a very stiff little body, but while sitting in the chair started to relax and let her arms drop down a little
Also have added some more photos of another wheelchair moulding today! I think by the end of my trip I will be pro at foam cutting and wheelchair moulding! for now we work on a trial and error system!
more photos of our adventures get posted here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Care-and-Share-Volunteers-Vietnam/663561607028208?fref=ts
Today, we made a custom seat for Tam. a quick trip to the mattress and foam shop for $8-10 of foam..... a meat cleaver and a lot of trial and error and we got Tam looking pretty comfortable!
She is a very stiff little body, but while sitting in the chair started to relax and let her arms drop down a little
Also have added some more photos of another wheelchair moulding today! I think by the end of my trip I will be pro at foam cutting and wheelchair moulding! for now we work on a trial and error system!
more photos of our adventures get posted here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Care-and-Share-Volunteers-Vietnam/663561607028208?fref=ts
Monday 6 January 2014
my first few working days...
My first few days of working and living in Vietnam...
we get up to a delicious breakfast every morning, fruit, bread, eggs, yogurt. Then about 7.45 head off to the redcross orphanage for the morning. They have 23 children, all very young as far as I have seen. perhaps 8 or 10 with disabilities. And maybe 3 or 4 carers?
We help out cleaning ears and eyes and hands and feet, and changing nappies of the kids we will see that day. then take them to our clinic room.
I worked with two children on Monday. Both with very severe cp, torticolis and positional plagiocephaly. so lots of encouraging them to look around, stretching and positioning tiny little necks and making peanut pillows.
trying to show the carers how to position them in their cots, to decrease the flat heads, but not Di too much side lying as they are also starting to get scoliosis. There are also a few children with Down Syndrome, hydrocephalus and intellectual impairments.
Today we worked with two boys with hydrocephalus, stretching out their limbs, practising sitting up and giving them practice to hold their heads up. Very tight and stiff little guys, really contracted and hard to move. But if we can make them just a bit more comfortable, or help them build that strength to hold their heads and look around, that has to be better for them!
They have a variety of wheelchairs, all far too large and very basic, but at least we can get the kids up, outside for a little bit each day, and sitting upright when they get fed instead of lying down.
Sally (volunteer Ot) and I are hoping to buy some foam and start making inserts and shaping the chairs better. Maybe have some chance of slowing down some of those scoliosis's and halting the windswept legs a little.
We also take some time to play with the children, give them some cuddles and encourage games like kicking a ball around or sharing toys.
We head back for lunch around 11.00 and have time to relax. Write some notes or talk about what we have been doing all day.
Then around 1 we head to a clinic that is part of a school for autistic children (school soon to open) assessing and helping kids with a range of disabilities.
Finishing there at 4.30 and back home for dinner. On Monday and Wednesday we then head out for after dinner English lessons at an orphanage for kids who's parents can't support them, are too poor or maybe they only have one parent. Kids from around 10 to 18. We help them with their English to help give them a head start, other families apparently pay very handsomely to have their kids in English lessons, so for these kids to have native English speakers to help them is a bonus!
Tonight we venture to "Big C" the shopping centre with everything apparently. We all need to pick up some bits and pieces for ourselves.... but am also hoping to find some better toys, (not just soft toys, but things with rattles, bells, maybe cause and effect toys) and things that we can attach to the cots so they are there ready for the kids, not stored away in a box! And maybe some storage for the toys already at the orphanage, there is a whole cot full of things, but it is hard to dig through the teddy bears and find different types of toys. we are hoping to sort it out a little and make it easier to access!
Photos:
the morning drive to work!
Playing ball with a couple of children
One of the children in the wheelchairs..... can't wait to get that foam and see what we can do with these!
walking home after a shopping trip one night, I don't understand the obsession with neon lights.... it is like Vegas on Acid! but it makes for beautiful scenes at night. You can't quite see in the photo, but the bridge is actually a Dragon
.JPG)
we get up to a delicious breakfast every morning, fruit, bread, eggs, yogurt. Then about 7.45 head off to the redcross orphanage for the morning. They have 23 children, all very young as far as I have seen. perhaps 8 or 10 with disabilities. And maybe 3 or 4 carers?
We help out cleaning ears and eyes and hands and feet, and changing nappies of the kids we will see that day. then take them to our clinic room.
I worked with two children on Monday. Both with very severe cp, torticolis and positional plagiocephaly. so lots of encouraging them to look around, stretching and positioning tiny little necks and making peanut pillows.
trying to show the carers how to position them in their cots, to decrease the flat heads, but not Di too much side lying as they are also starting to get scoliosis. There are also a few children with Down Syndrome, hydrocephalus and intellectual impairments.
Today we worked with two boys with hydrocephalus, stretching out their limbs, practising sitting up and giving them practice to hold their heads up. Very tight and stiff little guys, really contracted and hard to move. But if we can make them just a bit more comfortable, or help them build that strength to hold their heads and look around, that has to be better for them!
They have a variety of wheelchairs, all far too large and very basic, but at least we can get the kids up, outside for a little bit each day, and sitting upright when they get fed instead of lying down.
Sally (volunteer Ot) and I are hoping to buy some foam and start making inserts and shaping the chairs better. Maybe have some chance of slowing down some of those scoliosis's and halting the windswept legs a little.
We also take some time to play with the children, give them some cuddles and encourage games like kicking a ball around or sharing toys.
We head back for lunch around 11.00 and have time to relax. Write some notes or talk about what we have been doing all day.
Then around 1 we head to a clinic that is part of a school for autistic children (school soon to open) assessing and helping kids with a range of disabilities.
Finishing there at 4.30 and back home for dinner. On Monday and Wednesday we then head out for after dinner English lessons at an orphanage for kids who's parents can't support them, are too poor or maybe they only have one parent. Kids from around 10 to 18. We help them with their English to help give them a head start, other families apparently pay very handsomely to have their kids in English lessons, so for these kids to have native English speakers to help them is a bonus!
Tonight we venture to "Big C" the shopping centre with everything apparently. We all need to pick up some bits and pieces for ourselves.... but am also hoping to find some better toys, (not just soft toys, but things with rattles, bells, maybe cause and effect toys) and things that we can attach to the cots so they are there ready for the kids, not stored away in a box! And maybe some storage for the toys already at the orphanage, there is a whole cot full of things, but it is hard to dig through the teddy bears and find different types of toys. we are hoping to sort it out a little and make it easier to access!
Photos:
the morning drive to work!
Playing ball with a couple of children
One of the children in the wheelchairs..... can't wait to get that foam and see what we can do with these!
walking home after a shopping trip one night, I don't understand the obsession with neon lights.... it is like Vegas on Acid! but it makes for beautiful scenes at night. You can't quite see in the photo, but the bridge is actually a Dragon
.JPG)
Saturday 4 January 2014
Home in Da Nang
Finally arrived!
after what feels like days on planes. I am very happy to get off and get out of the airport.
Driving through Da Nang to the volunteer house was definitely a relief. Although it is a mad experience where whole families fit onto one moto (plus the weeks shopping!) and driving seems to be a competitive sport!
I even got to the house to find a big bowl of pho waiting. Feels a little bit luxurious, having all my meals cooked for me everyday!
Anyway, just posting a quick note for those who might be waiting and watching to confirm I am here :) Facebook doesn't seem to want to function for me tonight.
But now, I need sleep!
additional:
Sunday, a quick orientation and a long walk with Sally (volunteer OT).
I feel like if you stayed in Vietnam long enough you would begin to feel like a celebrity, constantly being happily greeted, by adults and kids alike, being invited into people's homes or to karaoke. Or having wild declarations of love shouted at you.
Everyone we met today was very happy to have a quick talk and then leave us alone. Taxi drivers and fruit sellers are more than happy to take no for an answer, and just continue on their way. Our brief walk/getting lost in some sort of suburban back streets was very interesting.... a man we passed while we where wandering towards a dead end stopped us and provided directions before we got in too deep!!
Tomorrow I will start work, and start meeting the children. This afternoon I will go to the beach, I hear it is only about 300 metres away!
after what feels like days on planes. I am very happy to get off and get out of the airport.
Driving through Da Nang to the volunteer house was definitely a relief. Although it is a mad experience where whole families fit onto one moto (plus the weeks shopping!) and driving seems to be a competitive sport!
I even got to the house to find a big bowl of pho waiting. Feels a little bit luxurious, having all my meals cooked for me everyday!
Anyway, just posting a quick note for those who might be waiting and watching to confirm I am here :) Facebook doesn't seem to want to function for me tonight.
But now, I need sleep!
additional:
Sunday, a quick orientation and a long walk with Sally (volunteer OT).
I feel like if you stayed in Vietnam long enough you would begin to feel like a celebrity, constantly being happily greeted, by adults and kids alike, being invited into people's homes or to karaoke. Or having wild declarations of love shouted at you.
Everyone we met today was very happy to have a quick talk and then leave us alone. Taxi drivers and fruit sellers are more than happy to take no for an answer, and just continue on their way. Our brief walk/getting lost in some sort of suburban back streets was very interesting.... a man we passed while we where wandering towards a dead end stopped us and provided directions before we got in too deep!!
Tomorrow I will start work, and start meeting the children. This afternoon I will go to the beach, I hear it is only about 300 metres away!
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