Ok here it goes.
Sunday night I took an overnight bus with Vi to Dalat. It was actually pretty comfortable to sleep in even though I was clutching my stuff with the strongest grip you could imagine (paranoid about my stuff being stolen!)
We arrived in Dalat at 5:45 in the morning...boy was I out of it! We took a taxi to our guesthouse and attempted to sleep a bit before the day.
I felt a little uneasy in the morning (emotions and fatigue will get the best of you) but a chat with my mom helped me calm down -- the two times I can talk with people back home are in the morning or late at night so I'm glad she was available!
We went to my internship and at first no one was there because it was lunch time. Then when the doctors started to arrive, none of them spoke any English (I was told there would be an English speaking doctor that I would work with) and they said I would only work in the clinic from 8-11am.
I immediately got upset and angry. I didn't fly across the world to work 3 hours a day and then bum around in the afternoon!! And also not be able speak with the doctors!
I voiced my concern to Vi and to the program director in Saigon and said I would rather go back to Saigon and work at the women's shelter where I could work all day and have a direct impact on people. I told them I would go to the internship the next day but I was pretty upset with the situation. So word for the wise: follow up on what your abroad internship entails and make sure it's the experience you want!
After talking it through with a couple friends and my parents, I was exhausted and hoped that a good night sleep would give me a clear mind in the morning.
Well I didn't sleep that great and I woke up (to a rooster at 5am outside my window) and knew I needed to go back to Saigon. There are more opportunities there and I would be able to travel a bit more than if I was in Dalat.
Today at my internship I watched about 70 children get vaccines (wow did I cry and squirm that much as a kid when I got shots!?? Sorry mom and dad!). I also saw a couple adults get the rabies serum. When I asked what exactly I would be doing, Vi told me that after awhile I could start giving injections to adults and then help with wrestling the children. As cool as that would be, it's no guarantee and not many adults come through. And no one speaks a lick of English. I can't justify coming across the world to only work 3 hours a day.
So after a chat with my parents who were super supportive about my decision to go back, I've decided to return to Saigon. The program will set me up at a clinic (hopefully) and I will also be working at the women's shelter that I visited last Friday. Although Saigon will be much busier and hotter!, I believe it's the right decision for me. I know I will be unhappy if I'm bored in the afternoons and by myself.
So Vi and I left Dalat last night, the chilly highland city of fruits and flowers, on another overnight bus back to Saigon! I'm trusting that this is the right decision for me and that I will make the most of it. I'm thankful for such supportive parents and friends! I'm ready to settle in one place so I can finally unpack and send my laundry out!!
We arrived around 5am and walked back to the guesthouse where I stayed before and where I will be staying for the next 5 weeks. After switching rooms, I'm hoping that my room won't have any issues though it may be loud because it's on the first floor. We shall see.
Across the street from us there was a Buddhist funeral procession that started on Sunday and it's still going on! Apparently it lasts from 9am till 11pm...blasting music and people visiting the family. I'm told it will go on until Sunday because the daughter of the woman who passed is coming back here from the US.
After resting a bit, Vi and I went via bus to the women's shelter. My program director, Dao, was there and we had a private conversation and she apologized that the internship in Dalat wasn't what I was expecting. Apparently previous volunteers only wanted to work in the mornings so they could explore so she thought that was what I would want as well. Those volunteers were only there for 2 weeks max so she could understand why I wouldn't want to do that for 5 weeks!
She found a clinic through one of the sisters that works at the women's shelter (it's a Catholic shelter run by nuns) and I spoke on the phone with a doctor there to set up a time to meet tomorrow! She speaks English which is so refreshing! I'm excited to see if the clinic will be the right fit for me and if I can help out in any way. A group of us at the shelter relaxed and talked for a bit which helped calm me down and feel comfortable. The head sister, Sister Theresa, is so so very kind and inviting. She took some pictures with me and was so excited that I will be here for the next 5 weeks. She invited me to come on the weekends and go to mass with them or to just help out around the shelter. I'm so eager to help and work that I can't wait to see how I can help them. Also - a woman at the shelter will have her baby soon which is so exciting!
So tomorrow I finally begin! I will meet Vi at the bus stop - she will help me figure out my commute situation for the first couple of days. It seems like an easy commute (one bus and then walk or taxi to the shelter) and should take around 30-45 minutes. She also mentioned to sit at the front of the bus because the bus driver will start to recognize me and let me know when to get off and such. Also the bus costs 5,000 dong which is basically 25 cents...wow!
I have to say I feel so much better today and I hope this feeling continues. I knew coming to Vietnam wouldn't be easy so this is just another experience that will help me grow and figure out what I want for my future. I'm excited (and somewhat nervous) for the self-reflection I will have during these emotional and eventful times.
We arrived around 5am and walked back to the guesthouse where I stayed before and where I will be staying for the next 5 weeks. After switching rooms, I'm hoping that my room won't have any issues though it may be loud because it's on the first floor. We shall see.
Across the street from us there was a Buddhist funeral procession that started on Sunday and it's still going on! Apparently it lasts from 9am till 11pm...blasting music and people visiting the family. I'm told it will go on until Sunday because the daughter of the woman who passed is coming back here from the US.
After resting a bit, Vi and I went via bus to the women's shelter. My program director, Dao, was there and we had a private conversation and she apologized that the internship in Dalat wasn't what I was expecting. Apparently previous volunteers only wanted to work in the mornings so they could explore so she thought that was what I would want as well. Those volunteers were only there for 2 weeks max so she could understand why I wouldn't want to do that for 5 weeks!
She found a clinic through one of the sisters that works at the women's shelter (it's a Catholic shelter run by nuns) and I spoke on the phone with a doctor there to set up a time to meet tomorrow! She speaks English which is so refreshing! I'm excited to see if the clinic will be the right fit for me and if I can help out in any way. A group of us at the shelter relaxed and talked for a bit which helped calm me down and feel comfortable. The head sister, Sister Theresa, is so so very kind and inviting. She took some pictures with me and was so excited that I will be here for the next 5 weeks. She invited me to come on the weekends and go to mass with them or to just help out around the shelter. I'm so eager to help and work that I can't wait to see how I can help them. Also - a woman at the shelter will have her baby soon which is so exciting!
So tomorrow I finally begin! I will meet Vi at the bus stop - she will help me figure out my commute situation for the first couple of days. It seems like an easy commute (one bus and then walk or taxi to the shelter) and should take around 30-45 minutes. She also mentioned to sit at the front of the bus because the bus driver will start to recognize me and let me know when to get off and such. Also the bus costs 5,000 dong which is basically 25 cents...wow!
I have to say I feel so much better today and I hope this feeling continues. I knew coming to Vietnam wouldn't be easy so this is just another experience that will help me grow and figure out what I want for my future. I'm excited (and somewhat nervous) for the self-reflection I will have during these emotional and eventful times.
"Change is inevitable, growth is intentional." Here we go!
Love
Whit
P.S. I need to always remember to bring my umbrella! This raincoat cost about 35 cents and saved me from a surprise downpour -- hello wet season in Vietnam!
P.S. I need to always remember to bring my umbrella! This raincoat cost about 35 cents and saved me from a surprise downpour -- hello wet season in Vietnam!
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