Imagine you don't have a clue about the circumstances surrounding how and when you were conceived. You don't know anything about the first two years of your life other than pieces of paper of proof that you existed in a foreign place; in an orphanage... in a land you know nothing about. Imagine you live this amazing life based on everything you know, a secure and happy life and just like that, you have a chance to go back to your roots. Your true roots in a culture that is so beyond anything you know. Not many people reading this can possibly imagine the emotions witnessed between two people today who share similar stories.
It took 35 hours of travel, lots of laughs, a little culture shock, and an unbreakable bond between friends who get each other, we arrived at the Majestic Hotel in Ho Chi Minh city. It is still unclear if they truly call it this or Saigon. Saigon is everywhere but the most up to date name for this city is Ho Chi Minh. Also, a fun fact is that the beautiful hotel we are staying in is the only hotel that wasn't bombed and destroyed in the Vietnam war. Kim and I arrived and were unable to get into our rooms-- all we wanted to do was shower. But... part of traveling is knowing that unexpected events will arise and you need to trust everything will be ok.
Today we learned so much about the culture, thanks to Suzanne, our new friend from Allambie orpahange, who you will learn more about tomorrow. We learned that you walk across the street, in traffic, without stopping or running, and expect the cars to go around you. We learned that being "white" shows a sense of status in the country and therefore, women dress in full clothes despite the heat so they don't get tan, we learned that this is one FRIENDLY place but we need to be very careful because as westerners, they will take advantage of us because it is assumed we are "rich." We learned some very disturbing information about the truth behind Vietnamese orphanages, which really changed our thought process on all we knew about adoption. Suzanne is a remarkable human being and we can't wait to share more about what she teaches us about giving back...
Tomorrow we get to visit the Vietnam War Memorial and the orphanage with Suzanne.... it is going to be an eye-opening and emotional day. I've had trouble posting for a couple days now so hopefully I can tomorrow so you can follow along! Thank you, for supporting Kim!
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