March 13 Nha Trang to Pleiku - Smiley Faces in the Countryside
On this day, while enroute to Pleiku we stopped at what we affectionately call a "Mystery Village". It is a mystery because we never know when or where it will be, we just stop some where enroute and do it.
The ethnic village we stopped at was on both sides of a country road. As our bus pulled to a stop we could see curious faces appearing at the doorway of the rustic wooden shacks. Most of the shacks are built up about 4 feet on stilts to ward off the ravages of the runoff during the monsoons.
Each of us emerged from the bus with some type of goodies in hand. Ellen had red licorice sticks which proved to be the icebreaker. What kid could resist candy?
We went in informal groups of 2 or 3 to each of the "homes". I had an assortment with ball caps, a few small stuffed animals and some special tennis balls.
What's so special about tennis balls? you might ask, well they were special because Gary had decided (while riding on the bus) to add to them a very elaborate smiley face and our organization logo "TOP". WOW were they a hit. One lady saw a child with one and searched me out to get one for her child. When I handed her a plain one without face she made it known that she wanted one of the "special" ones. Needless to say, Gary has now been busy "decorating" more of them for future stops.
The assorted ball caps I brought were also very popular. The young boys love them and just beamed when I put one of them on their head. Then I was blessed with a subject for a picture to capture the special moment.
My favorite hat presentation was made when I approached a shack with a young girl...maybe 14 months old...naked from waist down (no need for diapers here!). She sat on the floor of the meager shack with her mother, father and a couple of brothers while they watched TV. How they came by a TV and had the power to run it I do not know but the rest of their existence was very meager. Anyway, I had a very small baby size ball cap that fit her perfectly and she beamed upon receipt. That hat plus a stick of licorice which became 4 sticks of licorice, as she stole them from her brothers, certainly seemed to light her up (yes, Cindy I took lots of pictures).
Final presentation for me was at another of the homes. This one was constructed of brick with broken windows in the front. Over the window openings were rod iron grates. From behind the grates peeked out a number of faces. It was obvious that a very large, extended family shared this house. Out on the front concrete porch sat a group who included a very old, toothless man, a couple middle aged women and a small child about 2 years old. I had a small stuffed dog left so out it came and the baby's face lit up instantly. I did a very American thing holding the small dog in front of her face and said "Woof, Woof" Instantly the little one wrinkled up her face in fright, started crying and ran into the house. Boy, did I feel like a jerk! However all the adults laughed and smiled at my effort at interaction. I further added to my popularity by placing a very special ball cap on the old man's head, and was rewarded with his toothless grin and a prime opportunity to take his picture before I left.
By this time I was out of goodies but circled back to check out a group of kids playing and posing for other group members. One Vietnamese woman had brought a very small baby out to share him and have his picture taken. She was obviously very proud. It was very moving when one of our members who had not just a digital camera, but a Polaroid camera took a portrait of mother and child. There were tears in her eyes as she clutched the precious picture to her chest and said a heartfelt thank you.
As we drove away we could see the kids enjoying their new toys, playing ball and trading hats with each other. You could not see it, but the love was also there and we hope it perhaps made a difference.
All of Life is An Adventure
You just have to approach it with a smiley face,
Linda
The ethnic village we stopped at was on both sides of a country road. As our bus pulled to a stop we could see curious faces appearing at the doorway of the rustic wooden shacks. Most of the shacks are built up about 4 feet on stilts to ward off the ravages of the runoff during the monsoons.
Each of us emerged from the bus with some type of goodies in hand. Ellen had red licorice sticks which proved to be the icebreaker. What kid could resist candy?
We went in informal groups of 2 or 3 to each of the "homes". I had an assortment with ball caps, a few small stuffed animals and some special tennis balls.
What's so special about tennis balls? you might ask, well they were special because Gary had decided (while riding on the bus) to add to them a very elaborate smiley face and our organization logo "TOP". WOW were they a hit. One lady saw a child with one and searched me out to get one for her child. When I handed her a plain one without face she made it known that she wanted one of the "special" ones. Needless to say, Gary has now been busy "decorating" more of them for future stops.
The assorted ball caps I brought were also very popular. The young boys love them and just beamed when I put one of them on their head. Then I was blessed with a subject for a picture to capture the special moment.
My favorite hat presentation was made when I approached a shack with a young girl...maybe 14 months old...naked from waist down (no need for diapers here!). She sat on the floor of the meager shack with her mother, father and a couple of brothers while they watched TV. How they came by a TV and had the power to run it I do not know but the rest of their existence was very meager. Anyway, I had a very small baby size ball cap that fit her perfectly and she beamed upon receipt. That hat plus a stick of licorice which became 4 sticks of licorice, as she stole them from her brothers, certainly seemed to light her up (yes, Cindy I took lots of pictures).
Final presentation for me was at another of the homes. This one was constructed of brick with broken windows in the front. Over the window openings were rod iron grates. From behind the grates peeked out a number of faces. It was obvious that a very large, extended family shared this house. Out on the front concrete porch sat a group who included a very old, toothless man, a couple middle aged women and a small child about 2 years old. I had a small stuffed dog left so out it came and the baby's face lit up instantly. I did a very American thing holding the small dog in front of her face and said "Woof, Woof" Instantly the little one wrinkled up her face in fright, started crying and ran into the house. Boy, did I feel like a jerk! However all the adults laughed and smiled at my effort at interaction. I further added to my popularity by placing a very special ball cap on the old man's head, and was rewarded with his toothless grin and a prime opportunity to take his picture before I left.
By this time I was out of goodies but circled back to check out a group of kids playing and posing for other group members. One Vietnamese woman had brought a very small baby out to share him and have his picture taken. She was obviously very proud. It was very moving when one of our members who had not just a digital camera, but a Polaroid camera took a portrait of mother and child. There were tears in her eyes as she clutched the precious picture to her chest and said a heartfelt thank you.
As we drove away we could see the kids enjoying their new toys, playing ball and trading hats with each other. You could not see it, but the love was also there and we hope it perhaps made a difference.
All of Life is An Adventure
You just have to approach it with a smiley face,
Linda
posted by Cindy @ 10:08 AM
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