Yesterday was long and full of information. We left Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon and our good friend Oanh picked us up. We were able to learn a lot from her- primarily that the physical therapy program that happened at social support is basically non existent anymore. Social support was where we spent a great deal of our time on the last trip and where we will be spending a lot of time this trip as well. The children there are severely disabled, suffering from diseases such as cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus and the physio program is vital for them. We are going to work out details and kinks, but we are hoping that we will be able to fund one full year of physical therapy for the children with a therapist visiting 2-3 times a week. Oanh is a terrific therapist, so we are hoping that we will be able to negotiate paying her for a year of her time where she will provide assessments and help us track the progress. If this all works, we will hope to continue funding after the year is up to keep a physical therapist at Social. We will have more details after today, but the prospect looks good for this project.
We also found out that there is a baby orphanage at a church right around the corner form where we are staying, so we will start out day off there. The baby orphanage we worked at last time has since been shut down, but luckily all of the babies were set up for adoption before, but that means that more babies are being sent to other placements. Oanh will bring us to those new placements.
Its amazing being back in Da Nang. Oanh took us to a local restaurant for banh xeo, which is a delicious crispy pancake that you wrap in rice paper with different meats and vegetables and then dip in a peanut sauce. My camera battery was dead, so we unfortunately didn't get any pictures this time, but I am sure that that was one of may visits to this place. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, although I think both Olivia and I may have had one too many because we both felt a bit queasy last night. After dinner we went to the Big C, which is just a big shopping center in downtown Da Nang City, to buy basic supplies. This is where you realize the different between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City. There are many more westerners in HCMC, so we were not quite as much of a spectacle there, but very few westerners come through Da Nang. Its as if we are celebrities, with everyone staring and saying 'hello'. We had security guard follow and stare at us the entire time we were there. We must have seemed suspicious. At one point, a woman came up to me and poked at my rear end a bit, seemingly enamored. That was interesting. After big C we came back to the hotel which is only about a block from the Great China Sea allowing for an incredible view. Its funny, because it is so hot here, people get up very early to exercise, so when I went out on our porch around 4 am, there were tons of people speed walking down the street and walking the beach. I guess that's the way to do it, I felt hardly able to move when we got off the plane in Da Nang yesterday due to the heat.
We have a lot in store for us today and I can't wait to get to the children. I will post pictures and write an update tonight (most of your tomorrows).
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