March 8 Ho Chi Minh City - Experiencing Hands of Magic

Our first humanitarian experience in Vietnam was at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu school for the Visually Impaired. They have 180 students and of those 100 live in residence. It is a modest setting on the outskirts of Saigon. Typical stone buildings with concrete floors and some tiled spaces. Today was "Ladies Day" in Vietnam and so the male students were busy huddled around cooking pots on the floor cooking up a special meal for the females. They were very proud to show us their accomplishments and to have us shake their hands and greet them. Many of them tended to stick in groups of two or three...perhaps a comfort factor due to their very low vision.

A small group had a sweet welcome song to sing for us and short speeches to share. This is a regular stop for Jess and his group of TOP volunteers so the welcome is very warm and a coming together of friends.

Next we proceeded on to a nicely decorated meeting room to have the school principal, Mr. Tam brief us on the school and their work with the children. Many of these boys and girls are visually impaired due to very poor nutrition and lack of Vitamin A (something we take for granted in our "Supersized" America). There is just not enough food to go around and so, during the formative months of their mother's pregnancy and their early years of life, they do not get what is needed. This loss of vision is usually not correctable. Some of the children are born blind or suffer from an injury, but the malnutrition aspect was the one that seemed the senseless.

Also at our meeting with the principal we presented them with supplies and gifts. TOP in the past has provided inexpensive tape recorders for the students to use in their studies as well as for a little entertainment. They have 20 new students so TOP brought recorders for them. We also had some T-Shirts and other items. It gave me great joy to see the expressions of glee as 4 of the students opened and began to "play" music/make noise with the little 88 cent flutes I brought over. Had I only known I would have brought more. Also in the gifts from TOP were braille playing cards, chess, checkers and other games...all very much appreciated and I could tell from the overall setting that these will be well taken care of and last them for many years.

Once we had finished the meeting, greeting and giving...they wanted to give back to use. Part of the vocational training for some of the students there is a school of massage. Any of us who wanted were invited to go upstairs for a masage. Myself and another TOP participant, Ellen, ventured up the winding staircase to put ourselves in what we hoped were the skilled hands of these students.

The blind young gal who came out to lead me back was about 16 years old, very shy, and plain appearing. She spoke very litle English but had some basic phrases memorized. First one Ellen and I heard was "Take your clothes off". We complied and were soon laid out stomach down on massage tables.

Looks can be deceiving and I was amazed by the power of the hands that began to smooth out all the wrinkles from our long days of international flights. As the intensity of the massage built up I would have sworn that she was using a wooden hammer on my back, but no it was her skilled hands. She would pound a bit and then lean over and ask me "Are you comfortable now?" Not quite sure what the correct answer was, I woud say "Yes" and she would resume the strong rhythm of patter on my back. She must have known what she was doing as I felt great afterwards...not because she had stopped but because of the results.

It was almost something magical when I looked at her again after she had used such skill on me...She was beautiful and she beamed with the pride in her work and having a skill that will no doubt carry her through a life of means rather than the life of poverty she might have had without a pliable trade.

More later...it is "rush hour" in Saigon and our bus is dodging bicycles and scooters...too rough for now to continue but lots more to share.

Life is an Adventure, you just have to let yourself experience it!
Linda

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