Last Two Weeks!

Hi everyone! I come home to the U.S. in just under two weeks from today, which is crazy! I can't believe it's all almost over, the whole trip has gone by very fast. Lauren is already home, and Lisa is off on another volunteering trip in Africa. I think I speak for the three of us when I say our volunteering experience in Hanoi has been amazing, and we are very happy we did it. We have all of our donors to thank...the generosity people showed when we sent out letters months ago was really incredible!
We ended our program on April 15th. My last few weeks working for MSD were really great. I wrote about the trip I took to one of the project sites in my last post. Those two days were awesome because I got to see a part of Vietnam I would have never seen if I wasn't volunteering, and observe the organization at work with the small community in Thinh Long. Besides the trip, I spent most of my time at the office finishing up the sponsorship opportunities database that I had started when I began, which should continue to be updated as they fulfill different deadlines for grants and applications and new opportunities arise. With a small ngo like MSD, the effort to find new sources of capital can be challenging, and I hope that the examples of sponsorship that I began applying to on behalf of the organization continue to be pursued. I am still in contact with one of the potential sponsors, World Monument Fund, for which we nominated the Fishing Villages in Ha Long Bay to be considered for placement on their list, which would lead to specific project funding. Doing all the research and initial letter writing about MSD projects turned out to be really great practice for me. The staff often did not give me very much direction, which I felt was a negative aspect of my volunteering, but in the end I realized that while it was a problem in many ways it also forced me to take a lot of initiative myself (as a beginner) and figure out worthwhile projects to keep myself busy with. Besides the sponsorship work, I was often correcting documents that would be used for certain events with other ngos and partners, and it was important for them to have correct English.
The ngo I worked with was very new compared to some of the others linked up with VPV, so I think that it's fair to assume they will become more efficient and directed as time goes on, but the fact that they already have some successful projects in process is good. I think Lisa's ngo ended up being an amazing chance for her to contribute her skills (she has a lot of them) to a very well run organization that has a clear goal in mind (micro-financing). Lauren's project at Friendship Village was a huge success too. I went to work with her a few different times, and playing with the kids was great. They have a range of disabilities, but are for the most part very high functioning, and giving them more one on one attention is really beneficial for them and for the volunteer alike. Lauren decided to organize VPV volunteers to paint the classrooms, which you can see in her pictures. The classrooms were very depressing looking when we first got to Hanoi, and when we finished our program, they were gorgeous. One morning when I went in with Lauren, the teacher was even using the paintings of fish to practice counting with the children. Considering the sad lack of motivation that teachers there usually show, this was very cool to see. The classrooms were brighter and happier, and totally shifted the atmosphere  in Friendship Village!
None of this would have been possible without all of you. We want to thank everyone who supported our trip so much, we will always appreciate it! Vietnam is an amazing country, and we encourage everyone to go for a visit to see it for themselves!

Since the end of volunteering, Lisa, Lauren, and I took a trip to Ha Long Bay, which was beautiful. I believe Lisa put up pictures of that. After that, she had to leave, and Lauren and I left to do a little more travelling through northern Thailand and Laos with her brother Sean. We visited Chiang Mai (during the water festival!), took a two day boat along the Maekong River to Luang Probang, enjoyed that for a few days, and then moved on the Vang Vieng and Vientiane. Laos was a beautiful, I only wish we could have stayed for longer. From Vientiane Lauren and Sean made their way to Hong Kong so they could fly home to New York, and I took a bus back to Hanoi so that I could teach some English for a few weeks before I head back myself. So far teaching has been going very well. I am only working a few classes, mostly kindegartners, who are way too cute for words... Many of the kids are already very good, and pick up on things so fast!

I hope everyone is having a great May so far, and I hope to see as many of you as I can when I return home! Thanks again everyone!

Jenny

Friendship Village Recap

Here are some scenes from our life in Tu Liem! 

Our dorm! 

Here's a photo of the rice fields on my way to Friendship Village! 

This is bun cha, a delicious traditional Hanoi dish. It's composed of two different types of pork, sweet sauce, lettuce and rice noodles. It's our favorite! 

Jenny and Lisa on Hoan Kiem lake outside in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The lake is home to a 200 year old turtle that is very important to Hanoians. It guards the sword that helped the Vietnamese expel the Chinese. 

Vegetables from our local market. 

Another rainy day and another muddy bike trip from our dorm to Friendship Village. 

The kids walking hand in hand to lunch. 

The Second Classroom Completed!

Jungle Theme

The Third Classroom! 

Sunset Safari