Hello from europe!!

Am sorry I have left it so long to write!!

Since I last wrote plenty has been happening... The last week in South East Asia was great Chang Mai is amazing and a place that everyone should see small little relaxed town, markets, great food and was a good ending to our crazy travels..
Mark and myself parted ways here and I could even begin to think about how travel will be with out him.
Through this journey I have had someone amazing with me to share every exprience, Mark Witt. So much I cant explain but will try... What someone goes through while volunteering is huge so many ups and downs and so many feelings all thrown in the one hour. I had someone there to support me through it. The feel of never feeling like you are strong enough to get through anything, Not strong enough to give these children what they need. But by having someone there who is feeling the same and helps you understand the situations in different eyes makes you get through it.
I was Lucky and blssed to share this time with Mark. I also had so much love a support from all my family and friends back home and other voluteers and the staff in the house were amazing aswell, now thought of as family.
I had such a hard time leaving and being in the "other" world, I felt my heart and my head was still there.
Mark had gone back and let me know what was going on sent me photos and told me about our kids, It helped so much but then also made me miss it so much.

I wanted to Thank everyone that supported Mark and myself with the fundraising for the new bathroom and soccer field... The bathroom looks fantasic and the children are getting great use out of it.. Also the soccer field is being put to use ALOT.. so I hear the children are on it every day!! We didnt quite raise enough to have it turfed however we had the filed cleared and level adn new soccer goals..

The Kids at red cross with new towels for their new bathroom..


 The older boys playing on the new soccer field.

I had hoped to return and play a game of soccer with the children by October however flights and money are not going my way I know that I will return it is just a matter of when..

So for now Europe is treating me well.. Paris was the first stop and I loved it only didnt spend enough time there only had a day after a plane delay and then headed straight to Roma.. Spent a week in Roma before i started work and caught up with some friends i hadnt seen in years and relaxed. Then on to Florence traveled with a good friend of mine Tatty!! first few days were just spent enjoying the company of my amazing friends and family here!! it is good to be back and I do feel like I comforts of home.
However the summer begun just as soon as I arrived so that ment WORK!!! lol but straight into it and enjoying it.. Learning italian language and cooking skills not so great and the language side but picking up the cooking!! lol...
So Mum and Dad arrive next week and I get some time off to show them around Italy and the boys are preparing a very large BBQ for them..
Unsure of plans for the next few months as yet but trying all options and I hope to return to my work as a volunteer soon..
Once again Thank-you all for the time and support you have given Mark, myself and all the children.
Untill next time..
Much love and thoughts

Bubble xx


The beautiful Florence by night!!!

Travels...

Once again i am so so sorry i think it has been about 2 weeks since i last wrote...
Well since then i can tell you a journey has unfolded...
We hit the South of Cambodia Ortess Beach... two nights and a day laying in the sun on and beach.. our diet was mango shakes and fresh fruit salads..Also have grown addicted to sugar cane juice.. need atleast 2 a day.. love it... it was great to just unwind for a few days..
How ever the regret of laying in the sun hit the next day... while having the worst sunburn all over the body and sitting on a 12 hour bus to Siem Reap jammed packed with people and driving on a unsealed road wasn't so comfortable but it was a expreince that we can laugh about..

Arrived in Siem Reap alive and very much in pain and in need of a shower!!! Staying at such a nice place Jasmine lodge in most lonely planets.. Staff amazing and free breaky..
First day we head out to the Angkor Watt temples...Amazing there are just so a many and all hiden away and each one with a story that unfolds in time...
Our tuk tuk driver Was more then willing to talk and tell us about each one..
One we visit was the begining of the red cross..
A temple was build, the Buddisht and Hindu Religion joined together to build a medical center for the people in the comunity it was build in the shape of a cross each four side is a element Fire, earth, water and wind, and it is surround by water because they believe (i too) that water is one of the most healing elements.
After the second world war everyone went into celabration so happy that it was over and then Cambodia begun to go into war itself with out half of the people knowing it was caled the Poi Pot war.. This One Man was trying to change a country on his own he didn't want the westen world to take over and tryed to make everyone into peasents.. he went on a rage killing everyone who believe in something he didn't over 3 million people had been killed in this time he sent his men through these town and the temples wasone of the many places, destroying and killing everything. Abandon now the temple one man had found the red medical temple and had begun to treat the wounded. He then brough a camel and rode around and treated those in need and brought everyone he could back for treatment.. This is when The red cross was first founded.. One man doing all he could and today it is still going. Everywhere around the world everyone knows what Red cross is.. He is a Hero in my eyes..
The tuk tuk driver telling us all this was so pasionate about it all.. We then asked him how he knows so much, It than unfolded that he himself and his family had lived in this time of war.. He thinks he is the only one of his family alive but he doesn't know.. Lost in time he says.. His story goes on for many hours and Mark and I can not belive that everywhere we go we are being sent these people with such amazing storys of life and so much hardship but they are all the most beautiful souls and we have learnt so much from each one...

After a huge day we head to the markets for some street food and a sugar cane juice for me!!!! love it..
So another regret... Ice in drink and street food.. dare i say the next week and any plans we had have now quite literally gone down the toilet.. 5 days later i make it ourside to finish the temple and visit one of the boys who works at jasmines jodges village .. still not really up for much but need to get out of the room.. The boys village we head to his older brother has started up a school out there.. it is a school for over 1500 students around the village free of charge and he has Cambodian people and some volunteers all working and helping teach the children for free..
The school has great facilities, a music room which a canadan man has donated all the guitars, they also have a fruit and veg farm, chickens, pigs!!, soccer field rooms with white boards and teaching tools.. all of it has been donated by passing volunteers and Sambath the older brother has done all of this on his own...
http://www.shcccambodia.org/ there is a video that explains more about it..
Like i say so many times i feel that everywhere we have been everything is showing me or linking all of this together for me.. i know that this is now what i show be doing volunteering.. everywhere i need..
However earning money is now also needed.. lol
We had to stay a few more day in Siem Reap still wasn't feeling well so now that we have spent most of our time in Siem Reap we have not much time left i fly out on the 29th and have to start earning the money so i can volunteer some more..
So in Chiang Mai now north Thai land.. That bus trip is also one or the books.. lol still wasn't well in a bus seated for 10 but 15 on there and all the backpacks jammed around me.. falling on me most of the time.. while have to ask to stop at a toilet every hour!!! lol crossing the boarder took about 2 hours!! lol but we are here!!! heading out to help in villages and work with the elephants tummy feeling bit better..
However this leaves no time for me to head back to Vietnam before i fly out.. Instead Mark is heading back to work there for a few weeks again and to see how the soccer field is coming along.. Thank-you everyone all the donations where amazing and all the extra help.. Mum has organised tracksuits and care packages to be sent over to the children which is just so amazing everyone has been so supportive through all of this and thank-you so much..
So Flight to Italy then working for a few months i hope to return to the children in october and work for a bit not wanting to leave then at all but knowing that i can give them more and spend more time with them if i have been working for 3 months.. recharge the bank balance and then head back i think was the best option for me.. Knowing Mark is able to come back and see them is also giving me peace of mind that i can leave..

anyways i have now been on the internet far too long.. lol more at later date
Smiles and thoughts
bubble xxxxx

And so the story continues...

So so so sorry that it has been far to long since i have written...
however i feel that it has taken me this long to really get my head around everything and relax... As Norway (good friend and volunteer) told me that this will be like a rehab week!!! It is just that you go through so many emotions in the time you are there and much happens it is hard to process it all when you are there...

We didn't really get much of any down time lat week we tried to fit as much as we could in...
The last weekend we were in Da Nang was full on packing and organizing as well as we wanted to see the kids and take them out.. On the Sunday we picked up Viet, T, On, Little miss, Thru and took them to the park it had a little adventure park with rides.. They were really loving it we got ice-cream and sat on the grass.. Our little dude Viet didn't want anything and sat away from us.. when i asked what was wrong he told me that Miss T and mark you leave tomorrow you leave Viet... I said yes but we come see you very soon..
I didnt get much of a reply to this..
After this we took them to KFC for lunch (1st time i had to order family meal) oh and you should of seen them they loved it they were all feeding each other and little miss pour her chips into the potato and gravy and ate the whole thing ( a large chips and large gravy) laughing and the boys trying to wipe their greasy hands on Mark's face...after Many wipes and face washing we were in the taxi on the way home.. and sitting next to our little dude Viet he asked me
"Miss T when you and Mark some back?"
I told him "soon very soon"
"you promise Miss T?
I then said "if i promise to come back you have to make me a promise, you have to promise me that you will stay safe and go to charity (private sponsorship) and if you stay safe for me, Mark and I will come back to see you"
He really is not the fond of going there because it mens he is away from his friends and "family" (the other children)
 however this place is alto safer and will offer him so much more out of life it did break my and Marks hear making this decision however over all he is safer and at social i feel he is in harms way.. (as i feel most of the children are but one step at a time)
He then Promised me he will do that for me..
Saying goodbye was not easy but i do know that i will return so so so soon so this makes it easier....

So since this day... We struggled to get on a plane train or bus out of Da Nang and so we took it as a sign and stayed another night finally on a 16 hour hard seat  train ride we made it to Saigon...
Our days were jammed packed first we saw the war museum and things all started to click together.. i know that i high school we were taught a small amount of it but until you are there following the path it all started to come together... The place we were working was the largest first spot that was hit with the aging orange bomb..
The children that we were working with were still suffering and the families that we met and grew to love have lived through so much pain and to still be welcoming us and have the hearts they do really is so outstanding..
I had alot of trouble trying to understand how someone can do so much pain.. However if the Vietnamese people can grown and forgive after they have lived this then i could try and get my head around it..
most of our time in Saigon was spent learning so much about the history and the war in Vietnam..
We then got on a tour up the Mekong River and Met and old kiwi war viet.. more stories and so much more to learn..
The Mekong was amazing sleeping under mossie nets and seeing floating markets, coconut farmer, snake wrapping themselves around us and loving every experience.. Reach Cambodia first days we went out to the killing fields and the sk1 prison this was also much more eye opening and  teaching us more about the war history we were so naive and unaware about...
So the last week has been like i sad full on and learning a lot... This whole time there hasn't been a moment that i haven't been thinking about my kids.. So much over this last 2 months has happened and like i sadi it all is alot to process when it is all still happening around you..
So me and mark are now on a beach in south Cambodia and taking our rehab day.. sleeping in a bungalow on the sand under and mossie net i thin k is about the right way... lol
Will send more update soon but for now a day to not do anything..
smiles and thoughts
xxxx






_

Chapter 1 Ending

So yesterday was my last day working with the children...
It was extremely emotional and saying goodbye was heart breaking.. (after plenty of beers last night) I am trying to look at all the amazing things i have gained and what i hope the children also have gained..
Recalling my first week was just as hard and thinking to myself all the time can i do this am i strong enough but it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the children/ souls i worked with... They gave me my strength everyday!!

Social which i have talked about abit is the goverment run home for homeless men, war widows, mentaly unstable adults, orphan children and children with disablities... This home is where i felt the most pain, the children are getting abused by homeless men and the unstable adults, many babies and pregnancies have are the result. The girls with disablities i could not even begin to image how traumatic this situation is.... Coming in and see this happen most days and now leaving and feeling like i can't change this situation is just ohh dont have words...
However i did voice how i felt about this issue with the boss here, Mr Viet. I told him that i felt that this is the main problem within this home i feel that once this is gone the children will be able to function and live alot happier. Mr Viet is very aware of this issue and it is something he tells me he has been trying to change for quite sometime but like everywhere there is red tape to get through... He tells me that he is looking in to moving the social to a place where the homes for the mens, women and children are all secure and seperate...
I have hope that this problem is being taken care of and although it may take a while to get through the red tape and get it up and running i have hope that in the future these children will be safe from harm...

The children even know they go through horrific things, they are amazing... Ha is this amazing boy how has a few mental issue (undiagnosed) he just is beautiful only know hello and goodbye in english so this is all he says... screaming at you as you get out of the bus waiting to shake your hand HELLO..... HELLO... GOODBYE... GOODBYE...we have taught him "thank-you" and "how are you".!! Ha is amaizng with the other children always making sure they are ok, feeding the ones that can't feed themself fruit first, walking the babies around. He also has a best friend Tam who had exteme phsyical disabilities and spends his days on a hospital bed with wheels.. Ha wheels him around they talk to each other, Ha make sure he is feed, Helps lift him when he needs it is so great to see that relationships like that still happen in places like social...
The children at social have taught me so much and made me look at my own life and relationships... I now treasure my amazing friends who have giving me support through this wish the others who didn't the best in their life, and hope they have as much happieness. The love i have for my family has grown so much i can not begin to explain how grateful i am to have them behind me in my life.. I see them all in a different light and hold them closer to my heart..
The children, friends, fellow volunteers and what i now call my Vietnamese family will never leave my heart.

The other placements that i have worked at are Red Cross this is where we can change the living conditions and we have!!! together with the amazing support from everyone back home, here and gvn, the bathroom and soccerfield are well on the way to making the now and the future for the red cross children alittle bit more comfortable.... I know i have said thank-you like a million times but what we have done for these children is amazing and i hope to come back very soon in the near future to get my arse kick in soccer on the new field!!!!!

Also My kindy class that i used to dread first thing monday morning 30 2 year old screaming and jumping all over you, eating the puzzels, throwing books at your head and snot wipes of you shoulders!!! however you still can't walk past them with out hugging them and laughing with them... Last week i had lost my voice and had a chest infection i still went to my kindy class dreading it and trying to sing the hocky pocky!!!! after we got through one round of hocky pocky one of the girls pilled a chair in the midle of the room and made me sit down all the children sat around me and one at a time came up and sang to me in Vietnamese and gave me a hug after each song... Ohh i just loved it and it really sums up the Vietnamese culture, they are always trying to make you feel better and more welcome they have so much love to give you and their hearts are huge...

One more huge thing... Mark who has been just amazing and with out him here there would of been somedays that i just couldnt of done it.. his out look on life is so upbeat and happy he turns everything into a laugh the kind of personalitly you need here.. so an huge big thank-you to him for everything and putting up with the my melt downs!!!! haha there was a few!!! just a few!!!

Ok so now i have just wasted half your day making you read so much i will finish up... however know that this is not my last blog page!!! we have photos of our time and i wish to return about end of may to see the soccerfield.. also i have asked the volunteers and Mr P and Mr T to send me updates all the time and i will continue to let you know about all of this... I will be also keep a very close eye and following up on our little dude Viet, so sorry to say but thins is not the end of me!!!! haha
I hope you all have a great weekend and so much love to all that have supported me through past 6 weeks!!

Love Bubble xxxxxx

ohhh my days!!!

Ohhh today is definatly not one of my strong days at all...
Red cross my last class we did the world ... we had to draw our own world map... it was so much fun however russia and asia has a river through it and europe and uk are not joined.. america and south america has a ocean through it and there is s funny dog island next to south america!!! at the start of the lession i said this will be my last lession for a while and i promise to come back to Vietnam and i really enjoyed teaching you English..
They were asking so many question teacher why you go? teacher when you come back? teacher how far you home?
finding it so hard to answer any of these questions with out lossing my shit!! (ellie) I showed them my home on the world map and we continued the lession making the world... one of my beautiful boys only 16 drew a plane from Australia to Vietnam and wrote teacher on the plane... said teacher i see you again...
We were hoping to see the finished product of the soccer field however few thing have been delayed (as in all construction). We do have to move on the because the cost of paying to stay here is adding up.. but we have now made plans that May 25th (Pat's birthday) we will come back and play soccer on the new field!!! plenty of photos so you can all see where you hard work as gone!! Bathroom on the other hand has gone up so fast and maybe finished with in the week...

Also our last class today teaching social able children.. I had a joined class tonight, still only 7kids, took Mark's Class because Mark wanted to take Viet (little dude) to go see Charity another private run orphange that  he has gotten a sponser for.. Viet hasn't really taken to moving again so we are praying that if we slowing let him see what is better for him he will make the right choice. It is so hard though breaking up these 4 beautiful children (as i talked about last sunday we took them to the movies).
The class went really well we did body parts and had a few giggles.
At the end i had brought a few gifts for my kids i teach and and giving them stamps and letter so they can send me letters back home and let me know how they are going.. Thu told me that she promise to keep learning english and when i visit again she will be very smart at english...Said thank-you you make me very happy to learn english this month... (trying to hold my shit together) i told her she made me happy to teach english and i'll miss her..
It was heart braking i know that it has only been 5 weeks but you give these children all of yourself and they in return give you so much love and you see the beautiful souls they are.. I can't explain how much this last 5 weeks has given me and i hope i have given these children the same.
When say good bye to my little Viet he didn't say anything he just gave me a hug and together there was a few tears... This little boy has been through so much and at 13 he is trying to take on the world..
I just want to share with you something Mark had written about this beautiful boy.

"I have been with the GVN program now for 3 weeks. In this time I attend classes at “social” and taught English to the advanced speaking class. In this class is little Viet.

 From the first moment I met him I knew he was a special boy, little in size but with an incredibly big heart. His English communication improves week in week out and when he isn’t wearing his heart on his shoulder you can see this boy is bright and willing to learn. 

This afternoon we sat down and he told me his story as I being the one receiving this time wore my heart on my shoulder. Viet has been at the Social support complex for 1 year and 9 months. He was born on the 8 of August 1997 and currently attends the local school and is in grade 7. Before being taken to Social he was living with his elderly grandmother however her age and condition was deteriorating and she was therefore unabke to take further full time care of her grandson so he was then passed on to his uncle who lives close by. Un able to care for Viet with a minimal wage he was then at last resort taken to social. When Viet was 7 he’s mother died in a traffic accident. His father then remarried however 5 years later also passed away in a construction site work related incident. He’s step mother lives in Ho Chi Min City (Saiygon) but has been out of contact with Viet ever since the passing of his father.

His voice is different to the Viet I play soccer with as he sits and tells the history of his short lived life. My next question and turning things more positive was his career aspirations. “I want to be an interpreter so I can travel and meet lots of people” he says. When he attends university he tells me he wants to be a doctor. His big heart is shining now.

Viet is all smiles when he is kicking the soccer ball or spending time with the other kids at social and sometimes you catch him sitting in his own world enjoying the shade from the big tree as he sits and reads his comic books.

I ask the final question this afternoon. The one I had been both avoiding and regretting to ask since we first met. “Do you enjoy living here”. With my heart and he’s both in the back of our throats he stern reply being “no, I want to go home”.  "

Mark and I have grown so much with this amazing little boy.. leaving him and knowing how hard his life has been and that we brought love into his life for couple of months but have we done enough is what we do ever enough.. But now leaving!! just dont feel i have the strength.. Asking every angel for help to get us through this moment....

Tomorrow is another day and i hope i can see little bit of light..... i know that i have done alot in my time here but just that personal battle of is it enough!!!!

Thank-you all so much 

Have a fun day tomorrow :)

last week!!!

Myself and Mark have now been here for 5 weeks and decided that this will be our last week. It wasn't a very easy decision to make and everyday we work here we grow more and more in love with the children..
We were very torn however we do have to move on.. It was extremely hard today was our last day up the mountains doing physio and the children are just amazing it was really heart braking to say goodbye...
We feel confident that our red cross project will be close to finished by next week so will be able to see that finished product.
It is just now the thought of have i done enough have i given the children all i can give and i know that i am leaving some of the children in the same situation as i came... This is the most painful that I've seen and have so much pain for the situation but i am still unable to do anything about it... ahhh it is just a personal battle and i know that i can't save them all but i so wish i could....
Mr P is an amazing physio here in Da Nang and he has the kindest heart and the children will see so much love from him and the new volunteers so come..
My time here has just been amazing and i know that this will not be the last time i am here.. i feel my heart grow everytime i am around these beautiful children / souls and i feel at home here...

Taking the children from social  swimming today can't wait they got so much out of it last time... am really excited... will post photos so we can all share in the laughter!!! haha

love and thoughts
Therese xx