Phuc Tue Centre

 
I have now been at my project in Vietnam for eight weeks, which means the end of my placement year is  suddenly on the horizon!

My project is a centre for mentally and physically impaired children, which encompasses a whole spectrum of disabilities. There are around 100 children enrolled at the centre, as far as I am aware between the ages of 5 and 24. There are eight teachers and the pupils are split into four classrooms. The centre's mission is to provide opportunities for the children to receive education and to feel included within their local community.

Although many people believe that Vietnam is developing at a fast pace, there is still a lot of training and support that is desperately needed in some centres like this. A lot of factors make this project very challenging, and I certainly felt like I was thrown in at the deep end! This has been the first time I've had to work alone too, so I've had to be more independent and use my initiative to formulate any new ideas. Along with the heat, humidity, long days, commute, culture differences, language barrier, environment, distractions, lack of cleanliness and resources, I have learned a lot more than I ever imagined. I admit I struggled for the first week or two, it was all quite overwhelming and I began to think what was there that I could do here to benefit the centre or develop my own skills? But marching on through the tough start allowed me to plan my time more effectively and be productive. 

One of my projects at the centre has been to run physical therapy sessions every morning. A previous volunteer set up the programme from her experience in occupational therapy. Ten pupils with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities were assessed and had a personal intervention programme set up for them.
 
The therapy room in essentially one of the store rooms, so there is very limited space and few resources. It is adjoined to the youngest class, who like to noisily creak the door constantly and wander in and out and throw things over the outside wall. Not particularly ideal! So the additional distractions don't help the already challenging behaviour and lack of concentration. You can imagine my delight when we invested in a padlock for the door!

Nevertheless trying to think of purposeful activities and engage the children, whilst speaking very minimal Vietnamese, has been the biggest challenge to overcome. With each day of running the physical therapy sessions the experience has taught me a lot and encouraged me to use my initiative and have patience.

Within the intervention programme there are therapy goals for each child, mainly concerning gross motor skills, fine motor skills, drooling prevention, attention and participation. For instance one of the boys with cerebral palsy needs to improve his left upper limb strength and coordination. After a simple massage from his shoulder to fingers his hand opens up more and during activities like a fishing game he will now try to use his left hand to hold the rod and hook the fish. It took a while for him to do this though, as he refused to acknowledge his left hand previously. Hence seeing progress like that is incredibly rewarding and motivates me to keep on persevering through the hardest days!

Last week was the end of the school term too, so at the last assembly I donated a new resource box full of games and activities that can be used to improve the physical therapy sessions. During the summer term some students still attend the centre, so I will still be able to use them in my last few weeks hopefully!

 

Each day there is a three hour break, where the children eat lunch and have a nap in true Asian style. In the afternoons I have spent time in each of the classrooms, and now focus on the class for autism and hyperactivity disorders.

Following observations made in class and interacting with the pupils I came up with some ideas for my afternoons, primarily to bring in some structure to give the daily sessions a purpose. Initially my idea was to work one-to-one with the pupils creating a personal profile poster. However I also decided to incorporate English lessons into the plan, to teach some vocabulary for their posters. 

I was a bit apprehensive at first to do the English lessons, as I was by myself and have no experience teaching children with disabilities. I spent a few days lesson planning some simple topics and how I would deliver them. Feeling a bit more prepared, I tried my best and  started with 'Who am I'. I was extremely impressed that all my pupils sat quietly and still! Despite any disorders or learning disabilities they managed to complete every task of reading and writing, including their name, age, country and family. I felt very proud, especially when they were asking for more lessons every day after! I have done more interactive exercises with them since to practice, which has been a great chance to work with them individually. I have really enjoyed it and definitely feel this is something I would like to continue again in the future. I'm sure gonna miss these kids!
 


With this class I have also been part of their scheduled activities on Mondays and Fridays. Every Monday some Vietnamese volunteers come in to hold a creative therapy session with around eight of the pupils. We've done finger painting, clay modelling, self portraits and drawing things to do with summer. It's great to see the children using their imagination and giving them something to focus on. Also on Fridays I have visited another centre in the city with some of the pupils to have cooking classes. We've made all sorts of traditional Vietnamese cakes! I have really enjoyed being part of their trips and feel really attached to my class. My teachers are lovely too, I've been invited around for dinner quite a few times!



With only a couple more weeks to go I'm starting to feel very sad that I have to leave. But I know that this experience has opened up some new ideas and opportunities for me, which I look forward to exploring after my studies.

This is Our World

To pass some of my free time here in Vietnam this weekend I began watching some documentaries online, starting with White Slums in South Africa, then Prostitution in Tanzania, then onto the Albino Witchcraft Murders in Tanzania too. Not light viewing I must add! But some of the most fascinating, shocking and inspiring programmes I have seen. I don't often think to watch documentaries in my spare time, but now I have loads of others lined up already! I've also been reading about some of Africa's indigenous tribes and sustainable living, including the Hadzabe tribe. This is the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa and one team had the opportunity to work alongside them on my placement in Tanzania with Raleigh ICS.

I feel like I am being taught about a whole new world that is easy to be ignorant of, which in turn is motivating me to learn more about it. I know I can't change the world, but my experiences this year have taught me to challenge myself and to get out there and do something.

Reversed racism in South Africa is creating a new underclass of white Afrikaners, living in slums and poverty. It's a controversial and sensitive topic after apartheid ceased only twenty years ago, and the media only focusing on black Africans living in poverty. I think Reggie Yates presents this really well too by exploring both sides of the story and if revenge is fair.

I found the documentaries on Tanzania particularly gripping because of my brief insight into the country, so it was interesting to learn more about the hidden problems that exist there. The poverty cycle leads many women to prostitution, whether from being tricked or a means to find food to survive. Sadly one woman in the documentary felt she had to sell herself to fuel her addiction to drugs, as there was little else she was living for. It's impossible to even begin to imagine what these people's lives are like and the only options available to them. As well with the Albino's in Africa, every day they fear being hunted, killed or dismembered. This is due to a superstition that witchdoctors uphold, claiming that bringing them an albino's limb will give you good luck and prosperity. I encountered similar beliefs when I was in Tanzania, mainly related to HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to campaign against discrimination in communities that have a deep-rooted belief system based on curses and witchcraft. In 2008 there was an increase of brutal murders of people with albinism, and still today many people suffer. Most have been forced to leave their communities, are unable to access education or have to live in camps separated from the outside world. All the while having to cope with the symptoms of deteriorated vision and sensitivity to the sun. This documentary follows a guy who has dedicated his life to campaigning against the discrimination of Albino's in Tanzania - and it is pretty gripping.

I don't want this to be all dark or preachy, just to ignite a little flame to get others thinking about the world out there!

One of the main objectives of my placement year is to explore the possibilities and consider my options for after I have eventually graduated. It has certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things - there are cultures, issues, beliefs, sufferings, rituals and discriminations that had never even entered my mind before. However I feel impelled to not just sit here and watch, but perhaps get out there and help those that are fighting for their life, whether from AIDS or a disability or being hunted for their skin colour.

Again, I know I can't change the world, but I think being aware is a good start.

Here's the links to documentaries I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to sit down one afternoon and watch!

Reggie Yates' Extreme South Africa: The White Slums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWOq4iBSW-4

The Horrifying Truth About Tanzania's Den Of Prostitutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UODCeqpVEEE

The Albino Witchcraft Murders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTawybZ4BIw

Lecture over :)
..x

Good Morning Vietnam!

My third and final placement is about to begin, I can't believe how far I have come already! I am looking forward to starting now and seeing how this experience contrasts from the other two. I am very glad I chose a diversity of projects, I don't think I could have stuck with one unpaid placement for a year, especially if not in an exciting exotic country!

I allowed myself a couple of days to settle in to Hanoi before coming to the volunteer house. I also treated myself to an affordable hotel as the first time in a room by myself, and even got a cheeky free upgrade! It has been good to absorb the new culture without rushing, with help from some friendly locals along the way. On my first day I met up with Izzy from Sri Lanka to explore the city with a couple of students, who showed us to the Temple of Literature, Botanical Gardens, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museums. Even more exciting that they took us around on their motorbikes! The streets of Hanoi are literally heaving with bikes, you can't escape them! To cross the road you simply close your eyes and walk...

I was also lucky enough to have a free food tour with Izzy, run by some students setting up a mini tourism business as part of a university project. It was fab! We rode around on the back of their scooters to some of the top spots for traditional Vietnamese food. First a street vendor, with plastic tables and stools spreading around the street corners between the bikes on the pavements. They explained how to go about ordering street food, what dishes to get, how to eat it without looking like a numpty and not being ripped off with a tourist price tag. We had phở trộn with a cabbage salad to share - it was amazing! Phở trộn is basically noodles, chicken, green veg and herbs, served with a side of chicken broth with ginger and spring onion. Ok so I may not make it sound that appetising, but honestly it was delicious!

We also tried a traditional sweet dessert called chè, which is popular as a summer refreshment. It's a sweet drink with lots of sugar, ice, jelly, coconut and lotus seeds. Finally we were taken through silk shops, down an alley and through an old Chinese house to a cafe overlooking Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Six floors up the view was spectacular! Here they offered the famous Hanoi egg coffee - like a latte but with frothy egg on top. I am not a fan of coffee but it was acutually quite nice! I've since tried the egg and green bean drink too, again it's surprisingly good!

 
The food here has been described as rice is your wife and noodles are your girlfriend - you eat rice at home everyday but if you fancy something different you go out and enjoy noodles! Luckily I love rice and noodles, so I am enjoying the food a lot. It is all really fresh and I'm loving all the green vegetables!

 

  After a few days of wondering around Hanoi it was time to head to the volunteer house, which is just outside the city centre. On the ground floor is the CSDS office - Centre for Sustainable Development Studies - which is the NGO I will be working with. As with most Vietnamese buildings it is tall, long and narrow, six floors up with two rooms on each floor. The first two rooms are the kitchen and lounge, then each subsequent floor has two bedrooms and a roof terrace at the top. Unfortunately we have to sleep on creaky bunk beds, but I was over the moon when I saw air conditioning and hot water - absolute luxury compared to Sri Lanka! We have two lockers each as well so I finally don't have to live out of my rucksack.

When I arrived there were eight volunteers and two long term workers living here, but over the next two weeks I will eventually be the only volunteer remaining until a new batch arrive. Two of the volunteers have been working at my project in the Phuc Tue centre for children with mental and physical disabilities. They have been establishing physical therapy sessions for a select group of children to assist their motor development and encourage interaction and engagement. I will be observing them until they leave and then hopefully carry on the sessions, with the aim to bring in more ideas for future volunteers too.

  In a couple of weeks I will update you on what I have been doing at my project and how I am adjusting to life in Vietnam!
..x

Lassanai Ceylon

After our adventure up Adam's Peak we decided to visit somewhere that didn't require as much stress and effort, hence Ella was the perfect solution for the next weekend. Up in the hill country, Ella is a pretty little town with gentler walks and waterfalls, a great opportunity to relax. It was really nice that it was slightly cooler there too, I loved having a thick blanket to snuggle up in at night!
   
 It was a very chilled weekend; I simply enjoyed wandering around the little shops, delicious milkshakes and curd, catching up on wi-fi and finally trying to get over my Adam's Peak illness with a couple of other sufferers! 

Well we thought we had to do something a bit more active, so on Sunday we set off at 5am to see the sunrise at Mini Adam's Peak. We managed to make it to the top this time! The walk was only small and gentle in comparison, but we cursed the steps as they arose! The view from the top was certainly worth it though. There was a great scene of Ella Rock with mist and winding roads covering the surrounding mountains. The walk back was pleasant through the tea plantations and endless greenery - postcard perfect!  

Nevertheless this is Sri Lanka and there couldn't be a weekend without a bit of a nightmare. When we were waiting for the bus to Colombo and all smiling and saying how smoothly the weekend had gone for once, we realised that we were waiting in completely the wrong town. We had to scramble on the next bus, along with the other thirty local fighting their way on, with all the seats and standing room already taken. The prospect of six hours standing amongst sweaty body as the bus swayed down the hills was horrendous, plus Ieva and I were already feeling pretty nauseous. Instead we spent the majority of the journey scrunched up on the dirty floor, squished between a tangle of legs, probably getting in the way but just closing our eyes wishing for it to be over! I have never been so happy to see the streets of Maharagama, all part of the experience though I suppose!
     

I'm not ashamed to say I spent my remaining weekends on the coast. Project life can be so draining and I knew I had months of it still to come! So what better way than to appreciate the beauty of Sri Lanka whilst relaxing on a beach :) I stopped off in Hikkaduwa again and then fell in love with Mirissa on the south of the island. It has everything you could possibly want... fresh seafood, great prices, Ayuverdic massages, whale watching, cooking classes, beautiful beach, rabbit warrens, snorkelling, beach parties, cheap accommodation, and most importantly... The Rotti Shop. I'm pretty sure their speciality Banoffee Rotti is the best thing I have ever tasted in my life, like heaven in my mouth! It was so amazing that it brought me back to Mirissa four times!  

For our final weekend altogether we spent one night celebrating in Hikkaduwa, partying in our apartment then on the beach then in the club, with maybe a tad too much arrack... But it was the best night out and I had so much fun with all the other volunteers one last time!  When I felt alive again the next day a couple of us headed to Mirissa yet again, why not spend our last hours in our favourite place!  

All too suddenly it was our twelth week of projects and time to start saying goodbye. I had a great lesson planned for my youth teaching class, with games and prizes and all sorts! I wanted to treat them for their efforts and say thank you, whilst continuing to build their confidence speaking in English. So when I arrived to an empty classroom I was devestated - we hadn't been told they had an assessment workshop that day! My temple youth teaching class made up for it though, with our little kids party! We played Pass the Parcel with English questions and chocolates, Pin the Tail on the Elephant, Hangman and Shop Roleplay - they loved it! Saying our goodbyes at the Special Needs Home was the most sad - I have met some charming and inspirational ladies in there and each ward has those particular few that always make me smile. I know I will have gained a lot from my experiences at the projects and hopefully those skills will shine in my future placements.  

For my final week in Sri Lanka I was lucky to be able to stay once again with my wonderful Sri Lankan family, this time with a few special visitors! My mum, stepdad and godparents were there to spend it with me :) We celebrated two birthdays, ate too many delicious curries, and I resisted stealing the cute baby living next door! I had to visit Mirissa one last time with Alys, spending it purely at the Rotti Shop and on the beach, perfect place with perfect company :) 

So there it is, the end of that chapter. Let the next adventure begin!

..x

The Half Way Challenge

After a few weekends of exploring the island we decided to brave ourselves for Sri Pada, also known as Adam's Peak. The sacred footprint at the summit is worshipped by Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims, therefore making it the holiest mountain in Sri Lanka. There is a lot of legend and history behind Sri Pada, which has been interesting to find out about, especially concerning the mysterious footprint, which lies beneath a precious gem covered by a large boulder. There are different routes to climb to the peak too, with Ratnapura being the oldest, longest and viewed as the most difficult. We climbed up the Hatton trail, with about 5,200 steps up to the peak, 2,500m above sea level.

The pilgrim season runs between the Poya (full moon) days in December and May, with weekends bringing the largest crowds. So we were expecting it to be a tad busy. But we had no idea what we had actually let ourselves in for...

We started the ascent at 1.30am on Saturday morning, so that we could see the sun rise from the temple at the top for Rachel's birthday. So this left us a lengthy five hours, plenty enough time for some leisurely rest stops at the tea stands on the way up too. Our friends had made it up in under three hours a few weeks previously, so if anything we thought we'd be waiting around in the cold for too long at the top!

However nothing in Sri Lanka is that simple. At 4am the queuing began. One step every ten to fifty minutes. With absolutely no clue how long or how far it was to the top. I remember thinking that we were so close at this point, and when someone said it might take two more hours we scoffed and said that was ridiculous! As if!

Seven hours of queuing later...

So we eventually reached the peak at 11am, feeling drained and delirious, five hours late. But with a huge sense of achievement for our physical and mental determination! The temperature and morale had plummeted after a few hours of queuing amongst thousands of dedicated people, compacted all the way up the narrow staircase to the top. Luckily we'd taken a few extra layers, but I think it was the biscuits, singing and laughter that pulled us through! Although we weren't at the peak for the sunrise and the apparently spectacular shadow it casts, I must admit we had a pretty incredible view. It forced me to appreciate it a whole lot more, and I was actually kind of glad that I was able to just stand there and take it all in properly. I also gained a lot of respect for those that were climbing for their beliefs and religion. It was really motivating and inspirational to see some of the people who had already made it to the top - elderly, sick, disabled, mother and baby, with most of them being barefoot. I saw a man with one leg and another man with prosthetic legs, which just goes to show their dedication to their religion and their belief of a better rebirth. I reminded myself of this when I wanted to complain and moan - if they could do it then we could too!

We hadn't anticipated being out in the sun and heat at all, so after some celebratory photos and chocolate at the top we had to get on with the steep knee buckling descent! Breakfast was waiting for us at 2pm, eight hours late, which we needed after no sleep or food all day. It was an extremely long and exhausting day, and most people did not want to speak about it for days after as the memories were still too painful! Nonetheless I thought it was still an absolutely amazing experience and the view definitely made it worth all the hard work! This challenge marked the half way point for my time in Sri Lanka, so the achievement celebrated what we have accomplished in our projects and life in Sri Lanka.

Saying that though, the remainder of the weekend still didn't go to plan... When we got back to the guesthouse we realised that no one had our room key, and after an hour of searching we had to get the bolt and padlock removed, pay the damage cost, then got stuck in a bad traffic accident on the windy hill roads and then caught in torrential rain, eventually arriving at Bentota seven hours later for the rest of our 'relaxing' weekend by the beach! I did have my first Sri Lankan train experience on the way home though, with people hanging out the doors and the sea being right out the window only three metres from the track! So the weekend was certainly an adventure, but left us feeling physically and mentally exhausted for days, so much that most of us were unfortunately vomiting and bed bound for the rest of the week!

Lets Go Exploring

Due to popular demand I have decided to write about my weekend adventures around Sri Lanka, which means that I don’t have to update everyone individually too!

After our first weekend in the jungle we thought it was best to spend our time enjoying the beautiful coastlines of Sri Lanka, so we decided to visit Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa for the next two trips away from Maharagama.

Our bus arrived in Unawatuna just in time for the most amazing sunset, the perfect start to our weekend! It was nice to finally relax and soak up the sun, away from the intensity of our week-life. After dinner next to the stilt fisherman we had a night out in Happy Bananas, it was a treat for me to hear Western music again! Saturday was spent on the sand under the palm trees, swimming in the clear water of the natural sea bath, and sea food on the beach for dinner – paradise!

The next day we were lucky to have a private tour of Koggala Lake, where our homestay family are building a holiday villa. We were paddled across the water by two fisherman, with some planks of wood in between their boats as our seat! We saw jumping fish, bats, birds of prey and also some boats fishing prawns on the edges. The lake is huge and comprises of different sized islands - Bird Island, Temple Island and Cinnamon Island. Afterwards the fisherman took us to the tiny Cinnamon ‘factory’ nearby where the leaves are burned and used to make oil. It was really beautiful, apparently the director of Harry Potter lives next door, alongside other celebrities!

The following weekend was spent in Hikkaduwa, again arriving to see the sunset on the beach. That night we went out to a bar called Vibrations where there were Kandyan dancers, fire eaters and traditional drums, it was incredible! On the beach the following day we were delighted to find they had beds, with some mattresses in huts shaded by palm leaves. What more could you want? The waves are a bit bigger in Hikka so it wasn’t ideal for swimming, but a few of the others hired a board and tried out surfing! On the Sunday we stopped off in Galle on our way home and demolished some chocolate rotti’s at our favourite Dutch Café in the Colonial Fort.

After chilling out for two weekends we decided it was time to venture further into the island. We caught a bus from Colombo to head to Uda Walawe National Park, so we were up before the sun rose for our safari. There were hundreds of species of birds, lizards and crocodiles chilling in the lake. At one point our jeep became surrounded by a heard of mother and baby elephants grazing, they were absolutely fascinating to watch so close up in the wild! Unfortunately we didn’t spot any leopards, there are only around ten in the entire park so they are very rare to see. We also visited the Elephant Transition Home nearby, which cares for orphaned elephants and aims to rehabilitate them in order to release them back into the wild.

 Then for the six hour bus journey from Embilipatiya to Deniyaya, which was surprisingly enjoyable! I sat right next to the windscreen and loved the scenic route through the tea plantations on the narrow winding roads, watching the ladies plucking the tea. Another early start at 5.30am the next day to climb up to a rock temple, with a beautiful view of the sunrise over the hills on the way up. The view from the dagoba at the top was worth the steep trek up, on a clear day apparently you would be able to see Galle lighthouse too. We observed the chief on his morning meditation, pacing alongside the temple one hundred times; it seems a bizarre concept doesn’t it!

For the following weekend I was excited to stay with my Sri Lankan family again, three years after my first trip here. The Friday was Poya Day, so every full moon is a bank holiday (I think Sri Lanka has the most public holidays in the world!). In the evening we visited Panadura Temple for their traditional offerings and prayers; I was the only white person in sight so I got quite a few stares! Then we headed to the beach with all the locals to enjoy the atmosphere and the stars. The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with the family, walking along the beach, playing with their cute nine-month-old neighbour and getting a good night’s sleep! On Sunday we also visited Bambalapitiya Hindu Temple in Colombo, it is so ornately decorated and it was really interesting to watch their prayer routines!

I will leave it at that for now and update you on the remaining weekends soon!