Sleepless in Hanoi by Lan Lan

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  Hanoi, Vietnam
Monday, December 15, 2008

Hey all,
  I am definitely sleepless in Hanoi.  Not a single wink.  We paid the price for giving Ani ice cream.  It wasn't even much... a few little nibbles.  We had a Vietnamese girl tell us "not good for baby, too cold".... we laughed and threw caution to the wind.  Now we so solly, no more throw caution to wind, only lice cereal and formura for rest of trip.  We think she had a belly ache and cried hard, harder than we've ever seen and with lots of tears.  We felt so bad and vowed not to do that again.  It was just so fun to see her loving the taste of these things...but so not worth her pain and our lack of sleep.  It was all Rob's fault anyway, I usually know better.  
  We had many old people commenting on how we dressed Ani, apparently not warm enough.  It is cooler here but feels great compared to Saigon.  They all wear winter coats, scarves, and knit hats as if it was 40 degrees.  It is maybe 75 degrees here.   We get a lot of looks from everyone here which come with commentary about us and they don't realize that I understand.  The boys call me their spy.  Generally everyone says things like "oh look at that Viet baby with the American",  "Is that a boy or girl",  "isn't that baby cute in the baby pack",  "the older boy looks like both parents but the little one looks nothing like them",   "They should dress her warmer" .  Looks and commentary are the only free things around here , and now we are so used to it, doesn't even phase us.
  We have talked to so many young people about their lives and how they have managed to survive.  They make $40 to $60, if they are lucky enough to have a job...if not they are living on the streets.  One young girl we met and took to dinner with us.  She had never in her entire life had that much food to eat.  She was overwhelmed by the extravagance.  She makes 800 dong (Viet $) per month = $50.  Our server said he only makes 700 dong.  The two kids were comparing their wages and asking each other if they knew any jobs that paid better.  He lives with his family.  She moved to the city to find work and send money home to her family who lived 2 and 1/2 days drive away.  We took her home and I asked if we could see where she lived.  She was so embarassed and ashamed.  She said that this was no place for a lady like me to be and that she would feel sorry for me to be there.  Her "apartment" was the size of a full size bed and this she shares with another girl.  This room costs her $25 of her pay and she had $25 left to live on and then send some home when she can.   This scenario is not uncommon here.  It's everywhere you look especially in Saigon.  They are some of the lucky who have a job, the rest live on the streets.  I fully expected to see poverty here, but knowing about it and putting a face to it has knocked me off my feet.  
   We went to a restaurant today called KOTO (Know One Teach One).  It was founded 10 years ago by a Viet who lives in Australia.  It is a place where kids are taken off the streets and live, train in restaurant hospitality, and learn english here.  It is a non profit restaurant and school and has 100% success rate and job placement.  They are all now each other's family and now have a future.  The food was some of the best we've had here in Vietnam.  We went to a huge shop where all the handicrafts were beautifully created by handicapped children.  Here they are trained in all these arts from lacquer painting to thread paintings, sewing.  They are deaf, blind, missing arms and legs, deformed...many side effects from agent orange....ramifications from a war over 30 years ago.  Some of these deformities, I have never seen before.  Man did humanity screw itself up!  But the are proud and working and wow the beautiful products they create.   Of course I bought the place out...I'm a sucker for a good cause and gorgeous art.  It's a win win for me.
   So today is our last appointment.  It is the interview with the US embassy and hopefully we can walk out with her visa which is what we are hoping for.  At the latest, we may get this precious visa on Tuesday.  There have only been a few rare instances when people were denied, but nothing as of late.  We don't forsee any problems.  Wish us luck in our last bit of red tape, then we are packed and the Free Fam is back on the road again.  Thank God she is a good little traveller, she sure does fit in with our family because we are definitely a family on the go. 
   See y'all in a few days, Can't wait!!!!
   Lan
  

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