Day 7..Thanh Hoa Distribution
The Hotel Elegance III is new and quaint but a bit odd in its construction. The bath tub shower combo is very compact. The shower was hitting me about knee level and when I went to adjust it the shower head did one of those water snake routines and nailed Pat dead in the butt as she was brushing her hair. It gave her quite a morning pick me up.
After breakfast we met up with our distribution partners (Annetta De Vet, Truong Bao Long, Do Thi Thuy Hong and four volunteers from a local school who were along to collect stories from the recipients to report to FWM...a school project for the girls) and boarded a van for Thanh Hoa. March is a foggy, misty month for Hanoi and it was raining as we navigated morning traffic out of the City.
Horns are a must on the road in Vietnam. No way would I attempt to drive here. People pass on the right and left at their whimsy. In contrast to Cambodia the roads here are paved. However, there are vast numbers of trucks on the road that must be passed to make any progress...white knuckle highway is what we will term this route..
Thanh Hoa is 160 KM from Hanoi and we are figuring on a 3 hr drive. The scenery is way more verdant than Cambodia. There is water and rice paddies everywhere. Workers are out in the paddies early planting rice and tending to their fields. They were still working diligently up to dusk with only a hour or so break at mid day. The little towns we pass are more orderly than in Cambodia and appear to be a bit more organized. We pass a number of rivers and sandstone or marble monoliths which rise up from the rice paddies..strikingly beautiful. We are close to the ocean but it doesn't come into view.
At Thanh Hoa, we meet the head of the Vietnamese handicapped administration and the provincial chairman and a number of other officials for a traditional North Vietnamese countryside lunch. Another big feast for sure. It was all very tasty and different from anything we had yet sampled. We had several toasts with most accompanied by a challenge to down the whole glass. We matched our hosts stride for stride. Tommy was particularly vulnerable because they thought the " Big Bull" should be able to drink everyone under the table so he was challenged by every one including the hostesses to down a glass of beer. He had no problem with these challenges.
After lunch we went to the assembly hall which was teeming with activity. Wave upon wave of motor bikes and carts dropped off the disabled.
This distribution was for 100 chairs. In contrast to Sisophon. This distribution was pretty equally divided between frail seniors, amputee vets, handicapped young adults and severely handicapped children.
I was struck by the images. One very old and stoic lady clad in all black whose eyes spoke of wisdom and experience,a beautiful young woman who's right foot had been severely damaged and appeared to be terribly infected. It looked to me like the foot needed to be amputated. Annetta took down her name and we committed to help her get medical treatment. I doubt if the foot can be saved but hopefully her life will be.Several former soldiers still in uniform and missing limbs, many mothers patiently tending to their children with cerebral palsy or other debilitating conditions. It amazes me how patient these people are.The distribution was kicked off with a group of young student singers who were followed by several very good Vietnamese singers. It was great for the disabled since I'm sure they rarely get out for any entertainment.
After the entertainment, our family entourage was thanked by the provincial officials and explanations given about the various programs for the disabled in Vietnam.
Long gave a demonstration on how to operate and maintain the wheelchairs. Next the girl with the infected foot was wheeled up and gave a very touching thank you to us on behalf of all the disabled.
To end the several rows of the attendees were brought onstage for photographs. The whole distribution was filmed for the local TV station. At the closing we mingled through the attendees and revelled in the smiles and thank yous we received from the recipients. Moments like these are what makes this trip worthwhile. We will tell the story better through pictures and video upon our return.
After the distribution, we all headed to a village deep into the rice paddies. Little huts with all the farmers worldly possessions close at hand. We went to the home of one of the rice farmers and gave a wheel chair to his daughter. She caught some form of disease as a baby which rendered her deaf and blind as well as crippled. She is 16 and barely more than 3 feet tall. It is a tough life for her and her family. The gift of mobility clearly was on display.
We went to another small hut and gave a wheel chair to a 52 year old man that I think was suffering from cerebral palsy. His mind was alert but the body doesn't cooperate. He was over joyed and his parents that are still his caregivers were elated. The father had been a high ranking officer during the war and Tommy saw many medals on display when he peaked inside their humble home. Again the gift of mobility strikes a positive chord.
We were all feeling really pumped up as we said our good byes. Little did we know that the road back to Hanoi was in a more advanced stage of construction and packed with vehicles and heavy trucks ...all heading for Hanoi. Five hours later in a bladder testing and hair standing trek we made it back to Hanoi...very tired but very satisfied with the day.
The Hotel Elegance III is new and quaint but a bit odd in its construction. The bath tub shower combo is very compact. The shower was hitting me about knee level and when I went to adjust it the shower head did one of those water snake routines and nailed Pat dead in the butt as she was brushing her hair. It gave her quite a morning pick me up.
After breakfast we met up with our distribution partners (Annetta De Vet, Truong Bao Long, Do Thi Thuy Hong and four volunteers from a local school who were along to collect stories from the recipients to report to FWM...a school project for the girls) and boarded a van for Thanh Hoa. March is a foggy, misty month for Hanoi and it was raining as we navigated morning traffic out of the City.
Horns are a must on the road in Vietnam. No way would I attempt to drive here. People pass on the right and left at their whimsy. In contrast to Cambodia the roads here are paved. However, there are vast numbers of trucks on the road that must be passed to make any progress...white knuckle highway is what we will term this route..
Thanh Hoa is 160 KM from Hanoi and we are figuring on a 3 hr drive. The scenery is way more verdant than Cambodia. There is water and rice paddies everywhere. Workers are out in the paddies early planting rice and tending to their fields. They were still working diligently up to dusk with only a hour or so break at mid day. The little towns we pass are more orderly than in Cambodia and appear to be a bit more organized. We pass a number of rivers and sandstone or marble monoliths which rise up from the rice paddies..strikingly beautiful. We are close to the ocean but it doesn't come into view.
At Thanh Hoa, we meet the head of the Vietnamese handicapped administration and the provincial chairman and a number of other officials for a traditional North Vietnamese countryside lunch. Another big feast for sure. It was all very tasty and different from anything we had yet sampled. We had several toasts with most accompanied by a challenge to down the whole glass. We matched our hosts stride for stride. Tommy was particularly vulnerable because they thought the " Big Bull" should be able to drink everyone under the table so he was challenged by every one including the hostesses to down a glass of beer. He had no problem with these challenges.
After lunch we went to the assembly hall which was teeming with activity. Wave upon wave of motor bikes and carts dropped off the disabled.
This distribution was for 100 chairs. In contrast to Sisophon. This distribution was pretty equally divided between frail seniors, amputee vets, handicapped young adults and severely handicapped children.
I was struck by the images. One very old and stoic lady clad in all black whose eyes spoke of wisdom and experience,a beautiful young woman who's right foot had been severely damaged and appeared to be terribly infected. It looked to me like the foot needed to be amputated. Annetta took down her name and we committed to help her get medical treatment. I doubt if the foot can be saved but hopefully her life will be.Several former soldiers still in uniform and missing limbs, many mothers patiently tending to their children with cerebral palsy or other debilitating conditions. It amazes me how patient these people are.The distribution was kicked off with a group of young student singers who were followed by several very good Vietnamese singers. It was great for the disabled since I'm sure they rarely get out for any entertainment.
After the entertainment, our family entourage was thanked by the provincial officials and explanations given about the various programs for the disabled in Vietnam.
Long gave a demonstration on how to operate and maintain the wheelchairs. Next the girl with the infected foot was wheeled up and gave a very touching thank you to us on behalf of all the disabled.
To end the several rows of the attendees were brought onstage for photographs. The whole distribution was filmed for the local TV station. At the closing we mingled through the attendees and revelled in the smiles and thank yous we received from the recipients. Moments like these are what makes this trip worthwhile. We will tell the story better through pictures and video upon our return.
After the distribution, we all headed to a village deep into the rice paddies. Little huts with all the farmers worldly possessions close at hand. We went to the home of one of the rice farmers and gave a wheel chair to his daughter. She caught some form of disease as a baby which rendered her deaf and blind as well as crippled. She is 16 and barely more than 3 feet tall. It is a tough life for her and her family. The gift of mobility clearly was on display.
We went to another small hut and gave a wheel chair to a 52 year old man that I think was suffering from cerebral palsy. His mind was alert but the body doesn't cooperate. He was over joyed and his parents that are still his caregivers were elated. The father had been a high ranking officer during the war and Tommy saw many medals on display when he peaked inside their humble home. Again the gift of mobility strikes a positive chord.
We were all feeling really pumped up as we said our good byes. Little did we know that the road back to Hanoi was in a more advanced stage of construction and packed with vehicles and heavy trucks ...all heading for Hanoi. Five hours later in a bladder testing and hair standing trek we made it back to Hanoi...very tired but very satisfied with the day.
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