Hey everyone!
I can't believe that I'm actually going to Vietnam the day after tomorrow. I leave Wednesday night at about 8pm and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) at about 10pm Friday night. I've been in touch via e-mail with an girl from Arizona that I'll be living with, so I'll definitely have internet and be able to stay in touch.
For those of you who I haven't talked to recently, I will be volunteering in a pediatric oncology unit of a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for the next three months, and then I'll be heading up to the northern highlands of Vietnam to volunteer in an orphanage. I'm planning on volunteering about 25 hours a week, but the program advisor said the hours are flexible. Although I am going for the health care experience, I am definitely planning on getting a good amount of traveling in as well!
The program I am volunteering through is called Experiential Learning International, and I decided on going through them after doing some research on volunteer programs and talking to the coordinator at ELI. My roommate there is doing the same work, so it will be reassuring to have another American to share the initial culture shock with.
I don't know much Vietnamese yet, nor do they speak all that much English from what I hear. However, there is ultimate frisbee in the city, and that is definitely a language I'll be able to communicate with the Vietnamese people in! According to the Saigon Ultimate website, it seems like it is well-developed, and the Sunday pick-up is only about two miles from where I will be living. I couldn't be more excited to get back into playing and to see what ultimate is like across the globe!
I would love to hear from all of you over e-mail (shira.klane@gmail.com), but I'm not sure yet if facebook is accessible there. Of course I will take hundreds if not thousands of pictures and update this blog as often as I can. I will miss you all dearly, and I would love to hear about what is going on in your lives! Also, please let me know if you or anyone you know has been to Southeast Asia and has any travel, food, or sight-seeing suggestions.
Can chen (cheers) for now,
Shira
