I have been meaning to update this here blog for a few days now, and as I am finally feeling mostly normal again, I have the energy and some inspiration to do so! The past few days, I had a feeling I might be getting sick. As I am usually reluctant to seek out medical attention, I tried to convince myself that maybe my symptoms were the product of my still unfamiliar, yet growing more and more familiar by the day, environment; my head and back were aching, but I figured these pains must surely be caused by lack of sleep or by my not so comfortable bed.However, when my temperature went up to 103.5°, I figured it might be time to go to the doctor. Feeling unwell in a foreign country is NEVER fun, but throughout my brush with sickness here in Vietnam, I was so glad to have the support of the program staff and my local friends to help me through this troublesome time. The doctor's office I visited caters to foreigners and was perhaps even nicer than my doctor's office at home! From the results of a blood test (I CANNOT believe, that I, Kate Jordan, girl who is pathologically fearful of blood tests, had her blood taken. I must have been delirious with fever, or maybe I am growing out of my fear; I hope it is the latter!), it looks like I have some type of bacterial infection. Who would have known! I am happy to report, that after one day of being on prescription medicine and sweating profusely through the night, my fever has broken and I am well on my way to being healthy again. Let's hope that my first time getting sick here is also my last!

Okay, enough talk of bad things, as I have had the opportunity to participate in some really GREAT things in Danang lately. Last Tuesday, we attended a party at the Loving House in celebration of the men and women that live there. Awards were given out for a range of achievements, such as being the oldest resident and for displaying leadership within the home. Although I could not understand all of the kind words that were being said by those who were presenting the awards, I still felt very privileged to be invited to such a celebration because it reminded me of how many awards ceremonies, school plays, dance performances, and other public displays of recognition all three of my parents, my step mom included, have attended on my behalf over the years. Throughout my life, my parents have continually made every effort to show me how much they love me, but I realize that I have not done very much to show them the degree to which I appreciate their support. The party at the Loving House reminded me of how important it is to show the people closest to you, whatever age they may be, how much you care about them and value their existence. When I saw how happy the gifts, speeches, and performances made the elderly men and women, it really made me want to do more to show my own parents how thankful I am to them for all that they have done and continue to do for my sisters and me.

The residents with their gifts
One of my favorite aspects of public ceremonies here are the seemingly incongruous performances that occur during the ceremony or beforehand. It is not unusual for there to be at least two or three karaoke songs sung at every gathering, in addition to the seemingly mandatory dance performance by little children in brightly colored costumes. I am not sure I understand the significance of these performances, but when I cannot understand a word that is being said in Vietnamese, they are often the highlight of the event for me!

During last week's home visits, we had the opportunity to meet a wonderful father-son duo; this was probably my favorite home we have visited thus far in our five weeks here. Although the fifteen-year old boy at this home was affected by Down Syndrome, his relationship with his father seemed the same as, or perhaps even better, that that of a typical teenager and his or her father. This particular father was quite an interesting character. For one, he and his family were observant Catholics, a religious affiliation that is significantly less popular than the predominant religion, Buddhism.From the early 1950s onwards, this man aligned himself with the Diem regime and fought in the Army to support the American backed government. Following the end of the war, he was sent to a re-education camp and subsequently has never been able to get a job due to this tarnish on his personal record. For the past few decades, he has focused all of his time and energy on his family and his faith. While I do not completely subscribe to the specific Catholic beliefs that motivate this father to help his son at all costs, I was really touched by all that he does to enhance his son’s quality of life, especially when the multitude of personal hardships he has endured are considered. Overall, I would say that this family should serve as role models for all families who have children with varying disabilities; despite the disadvantages they face, it seems to me that this particular family is thriving. However, I also acknowledge that the comparative mildness of their son’s disabilities, while they are indeed still limiting, also allow him to have a certain degree of autonomy in making choices and expressing his unique personality.

Father and Son
I thought this was a really sweet picture of the man and his wife.

Along with volunteer work we have been doing here, I have also continued to enjoy the pleasure of developing deep friendships. In addition to my Vietnamese friends, I have also been very lucky to meet two new Australian friends, Hannah and Lauren, who are here interning at a local orphanage. Every evening here is usually spent going out to eat local food with friends or at a coffee shop just talking. Sometime last week at one of these coffee shops, we had the chance to hear an impromptu performance of a famous Vietnamese singer. Her style was so unique and different that, when we heard she had a formal performance the next night at the same coffee shop, we knew we had to come back to hear her sing again. Unfortunately, when we showed up for the performance the next night, we were turned away at the door! While the owner claimed that the coffee shop was filled to capacity, we all thought that maybe they just did not want to let us in, as we had gotten chastised the night before for being too loud. Despite our initial disappointment, the night turned out to be a success--we ended up at a different coffee that did not mind our slightly rowdy antics!

A few weeks ago, my friend Map and I went to the beach early in the morning to watch the sun rise. What a cool experience!

With all of the awesome things that have been going on in my life as of late, aside from getting sick, it is perhaps more painful to address the more negative aspects of life. On a personal note, both of my sisters have had quite unusual and unfortunate experiences lately--one sister is living in Ecuador in the midst of government turmoil and the other sister got her two front teeth knocked out a rock concert! I hope the coming weeks hold better things for both of them.

However, compared with the awful circumstances we encountered during one of our home visits this morning, these problems seem quite small. The mother we met this morning has three children, ages 3, 5, and 8. The eight year old was born with hydrocephalus, also known as "water on the brain", and as a result, is completely incapacitated. This woman has no relatives and her husband abandoned her three years ago. She works every day until 9pm at a cafe, but still does not make enough money to buy food for her entire family(the five year old weighs around 12kg, or 24.6 pounds) . While she is at work all day, her 8 year old daughter is locked in the house alone and is left in bed, urinating and defecating on herself. When the younger children return home from kindergarten at around 6pm, they must wait outside of the house until their mother comes home at 9pm to open the door. It is hard to imagine that people live like this. However, from all that I have seen during our various home visits, I no longer have to imagine--I saw this morning how devastating lack of resources and lack of a support system can be to a family. In two weeks, we will return to this home to bring some much needed supplies and to hopefully figure out ways in which this woman can be receive further assistance. While it is incredibly upsetting and overwhelming to know that the plight of poverty is shared by millions of people throughout the world, I am extremely glad and grateful that we will at least be able to make a difference in the life of one woman.

The mother and her eight year old child