Clothes are getting ready to go....

Thanks to some sales on eBay (with some more coming soon), I was able to raise about $75 toward shipping some packages to the kids in Tam Ky. I got some of the smaller boxes together and it'll take way too many of them to send them that way (though it is quick and a good deal: $37 for the flat-rate box). I just can't get enough of the shirts in there. I did pack one full of 16 pairs of pants, so that'll head out to them early next week and should be there within two weeks. Fingers crossed. I'm also going to send some handmade Xmas candies to the volunteers there.

Then I was thinking maybe you guys could mail off some Merry Christmas or Happy New Year cards to them, as well. You could include cards for the volunteers, Mrs Hanh, Yen and/or the children at the orphanages. Just do NOT send cash. It'll get pilfered long before it gets there.

So send some cards to:
GVN Volunteers
158 Hung Vuong
Tam Ky, Quang Nam
VIETNAM

and give them all a reason to smile. I'll get a box or two of pants, socks and candies off soon and the holidays will be a bit nicer for those who are away from their families.

She's a published author!

Yea for Audrey. Here's the article. You might not be able to read it, but that's okay... you should just buy a copy of the magazine. Seriously, support New Moon and these kinds of publications. They are rare these days.

The pictures are of Audrey with Thuong (I think) and Truc at the Home of Affection, Audrey with Kieu/Emma at the Baby Orphanage and a shot of her. The other is some stock photo of Vietnam (we've got better! -haha).

And here's a preview of her book we're working on. It's the story of a girl named Quy (kwee) who lives in Vietnam. This is the first of a series that she plans to write. My former students Ha and Man helped out with the translation. Her grandma is helping her color the illustrations with watercolors. Whee! We'll be working on pictures over the next couple of weeks and will have books ready for Christmas. If you are interested in getting your own copy, please let me know via our Vietnam With Kids site.

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.