Linh Xuan Orphange

Hello Friends,

All is well. Had a wonderful experience at Linh Xuan orphanage today.Tad and the Orphan Impact crew, Robert (English teacher from Ireland), Barbara Wilson my sweet friend/host, and myself departed Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 AM for a 9:00 AM class.

All the kids at Linh Xuan are HIV positive. You might expect the atmosphere to be dismal and somewhat depressing. Not at all. These children were smiling, made eye contact and were generally cheerful. It was a revelation. They get medication every day, without it they would be in a bad way, on the streets or worse. Interestingly, when G.W. Bush was in his second term, he signed off on funding for medication for HIV kids all over the world. These kids are the benefactors of that funding.

So, just to share a funny side note. My friend Barbara went with me today to meet with Tad and the teachers. The team was going to another orphanage after the morning class not far from Linh Xuan. So Barbara and I decided to opt out and head back after the class to Ho Chi Minh City for some lunch and some adventure. As we were driving to Linh Xuan, Tad, the director of Orphan Impact got a text from someone at the orphanage  scheduled for the afternoon session that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were on site visiting, apparently one of their sons is from that very orphanage. Barbara and I decided to skip Brangelina and head back for some time together!

So, that is it for my volunteerism this trip. Tomorrow I pack and prepare to go to Cambodia  to experience Angkor Wat and relax. It has been an honor and a revelation to see and share a small snippet of these kids lives. Two things, when I was leaving the classroom, I found some very appropriate graffiti on a desk  that sums it up for me and  a sweet pair of shoes that were so beautiful, I will close with that.

Love to you. Will write from Cambodia.

xomaria