volunteers

Jo came from Australia to volunteer with GVN in Tam Ky. She was there for only a month and in that time we became good friends, but she and Audrey became sisters. She's a ton of fun and loved to run and play with the orphans, chasing and carrying them as much as they wanted. She was an all-star volunteer. Having her leave was pretty hard; Audrey wrote the most heart-wrenching goodbye letter ever. Still makes me teary-eyed.

As volunteers there, we are all excited to be there and quickly fall in love with those kids. The first couple of days, granted, were hard. Who knows what to expect? I know I only had some rough ideas and most were wrong. Soon enough, they wiggle their way in and you build bonds with them. It's such a strange thing, too, considering we can't really communicate beyond gestures. Somehow we all manage to understand each other and over time the friendship and the trust grows. It's the best part about volunteering. The kids know you are coming and wait patiently on the front steps for the bikes to pull in, for the car to park. Out we'd pour from the car and they'd run up and give us big leg-hugs, wanting to be picked up and carried as much as possible. Stuart always got mobbed on arrival. Being the only boy certainly had some perks when it came to popularity.

The only bad thing is that we all have to leave. There's no staying forever, though Hannah (who stayed for five months) might argue with that. And while the volunteer may grow tired of the simple, repetitive life of Tam Ky, it's never easy. There are always tears shed, sometimes a stunning amount. And yet, the orphans are oblivious to our sadness, kept sheltered from knowing that we are leaving and unlikely to return.

We were lucky and stayed in Viet Nam long enough for a return visit to the orphanage, but it wasn't smooth sailing the second time around.