Saturday, April 15 2:03 - 2:08PM I see him from a distance walking down the aisle, and I hope he finds his way to me... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE? YES! Who walks by everyone else on the bus and sits right next to me on a 4 hour ride from Hue back to Hoi An is a lovely little buddhist monk, a REAL live one. The full gear, bald head, cool garb and sandals, maybe about 40 years old, very small.... half my size (really!), with a deep ruby red toga-like tapestry wrapped around him in a method that seemed haphazard yet [View Full Entry]

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Meet HOA (pronounced HWAH) Hoa is 16 years and comes from a poor background (his is the house with blue plastic bags). As if this wasn’t enough of a challenge, Hoa had been labeled by the town as “crazy” because of his severe mental “tantrums”. Last year, when Karen found him she had taken him to a doctor, where they learned immediately that Hoa was not mentally disabled, but rather had epilepsy, and simply never diagnosed. The correct medicine was prescribed for Hoa and he has not had a seizure since. The problem now is that he had already been stereotyped, [View Full Entry]

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I first heard of this family through Giao, a volunteer and translator I had previously met with Karen. Giao grabbed me while walking home from Tam’s house, and immediately proceeded into the story about Ly Chan Hung. Hung is the father of 6 children, ages 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 17. The 8 year old has Tuburculosis. I remember Karen telling me that most of the serious medical problems here could be prevented with proper vaccinations, or cured with simple antibiotics, but since it is not available or affordable the cases become so chronic that either amputation or death occurs. [View Full Entry]

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No, not my underwear. (or if you’re in Australia my sandal). I’m talking about our motorbike driver the past 2 weeks, Thong (pronounced TOM). When I was dodging for my life on the streets of Saigon I remember thinking that there was no way in hell I would ever get on a motorbike, especially considering my motorbike mishap in Greece 4 years ago. I have had a motorbike-phobia since. So when Karen asked me if I had a problem with 3 on a motorbike, it’s actually that I have a problem with ONE on a motorbike...ME. It is at least 5 [View Full Entry]

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The past few weeks have been more than a daily art class. Because I believe and agree with Karen’s Lifestart philosophy, I have chosen to be involved as much as possible with as many projects I can learn about or help with. Karen leaves Hoi An this morning and returns to Australia for 5 months so that she can continue to raise funds for the program. If I haven’t mentioned before, this is one of the reasons I have decided to stay in Hoi An, not only to volunteer as an Art teacher (and now English), but to help tie up [View Full Entry]

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Tam (pronounced TUM) is 17 and joined Karen’s outreach program for teens about 3 months ago. But it was only about one month into the program when he was in a serious motorbike accident. The accident had put him into a coma for 2 weeks, and left him with severe head injuries that required a series of neuro-operations. Remarkably, he is walking around today. But this is not the end of a happy story. I say remarkably because the first problem is the medical facilities here, well, they suck. And the operation was done without putting half his skull back into [View Full Entry]

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Phuc (pronounced "fup") is 13 years old. He is smart as a whip and speaks english well,"what’s up love?" I believe were his first words to me. Phuc supports his family of 7 by working both days and nights on the streets selling postcards from a plastic bag. Mom, Dad, 1 brother, 2 sisters and grandmom all live on the boat, which consists of a few rotting bamboo mats for a roof to help cover from the rain. Today I met Phuc's cousin, Bich. Bich is 22 with an 18 month old daughter. She is from another village outside of Hoi [View Full Entry]

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Trusting my gut over the years has been challenging, it usually defies logic, and very often refuses to conform to what would seem to be normal and rational, but it has always chosen the best paths for me, even if I can’t see it at the time. I need to say this first, because I am still amazed how a continuing chain of gut decisions along with dozens of “coincidences” had lead me Monday morning to sit at the hotel lobby internet next to Karen Leonard. I had a strong feeling to come to Vietnam, to fly to Da Nang, to [View Full Entry]

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I play it safe the next few days and stick to the sites and restaurants recommended by every backpackers travel bible, the Lonely Planet. I try not to whip it out in public (as if I don’t look like a tourist already), so I spend time in my room studying the maps and names of the streets. The language is really so difficult for me, all of the letters come with accessories meaning they have little accents which range from dots to dashes to squiggly “hats” and pointy shoes, the “D” even has a scarf...and all of them have a different [View Full Entry]

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GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! (you know that title was coming) I start my first day in Vietnam at 7am on a cyclo (see photo), I am willingly scammed to be taken to the first site on my list, the War Remnants Museum. Scam meaning, I pay $2 when I know it’s worth $1 for the ride. But since crossing the streets safely are a major life risk (remember frogger?), I accept. Conversations began with my new friend about his life and how he used to be a doctor before the war but the “re-education” changed everything. -HISTORY LESSON- Before the war many [View Full Entry]

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