It is 5:30 am and already hot. I am sweating so much it would be useless to put on makeup. Needless to say, there is little – or no – air conditioning in the Volunteers for Peace Vietnam (VPV) barracks.
Even as I whine quietly into my cà phê, I feel humbled by the extent which Americans truly are “rich and spoiled.” We wake up every morning and simply expect to have running water. This is not the case for the rest of the globe. This is not the case for the VPV barracks!
In America, we expect everyone who comes to our country to speak English. I find that when we visit other people’s countries, we still expect everyone to speak English. If you don’t believe me, try shopping for a bath towel in Tay Mo.
For days, the cadets and I have been sending our family members and friends instructions for using a Vietnamese standard bathroom. We forget how lucky we are, even in the outskirts of Hanoi, to have one.
Actually, the cadets have adjusted amazing well. Perhaps they see our accommodations here as only a small step down from Stephen’s Barracks. They are not even using the mosquito nets that should go on their beds. In fact, they are having so much fun, they are only slowing coming to realize our “home” here would be a big step up for many Vietnamese.
We all agree the food is good, although we are not entirely sure what it is. It is impressive the way the cook here, named Mrs. Cuc, manages to pull together a variety of traditional Vietnamese dishes to suit the tastes and satisfy the appetites of 40-some young volunteers twice each day.
Despite the heat and the relative hardship, everyone here, volunteers and VPV staff alike, seem to pull together as a team in a joint effort to make a difference.
-Dr. Sarah Tenney
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