Meet some of the kids!

Most of my time at Thien Phuoc is spent with a dozen children in the physiotherapy room. They've all grown on me in different ways. At first I thought they were much more limited, but they've opened my eyes. I now see how they work with their limitations and how they emphasize their strengths and build upon them. It's a lesson in the amazing adaptability of humanity. I am continually impressed by them. Everyday they trust me a little more and open up to me. The smiles and excited cries I receive when I enter the physio room are undeniably the highlight of my day. I feel very lucky. Today I'd like to share a little of their magic with you! So without further ado...

Meet Huy:

I call them Mr. Huy since there is another smaller Huy also doing physio. Mr. Huy is non-verbal, I've never heard him speak even a word of Vietnamese but he understands a great deal of English and Vietnamese alike and can communicate with actions and facial expressions. He spends his physiotherapy hours on his verticalization machine, removed from the other kids. Still, he makes his presence known by his undeniable good humor. While I'm working with the other children, usually as I'm giving another child a turn on the massage machine, I glance over at him and stick my tongue out at him. He responds in kind and I am immediately rewarded by his look of pure delight in the interaction. He's great at giving high-fives, even though such a precise movement is obviously very challenging to him. When I work with him, we work mostly on practicing such precise movements. He can't walk but gets around great in his special half crawl. I have a great video of this that I want to share on another day! Days that I get a hug from Mr. Huy are incredible. His determination and positivity are an inspiration.

Meet Tai:

Tai was a lesson in paying attention and letting go of pre-conceived ideas for me. For the first week, I thought he was non-verbal and not particularly clever. I didn't get attached to him at first for the simple reason that he sweats a lot and hugging him wasn't pleasant for me. Embarrassing when I think back. Now he is undeniably one of my favorite kids in the world. One day I realized that he was in fact able to talk, in his own special way, and it was me who didn't hear or understand him! Like Mr. Huy, precise movement are difficult for Tai. He can control his motor skills with great concentration. He can in fact say easy words like "hello" and "Aki" and "I'm good", they just sound very different because of his difficulty in making his body do what he wants. On good days he can form 3-4 word sentences, on bad days single words are extremely challenging. I then discovered that he is incredibly clever! He can do a 64 piece puzzle with a little help: he can't control his movements enough to pick up pieces and put them in place, but he does know where they go! I learned to watch him carefully and realized that he'll point (with a arm that's shaking uncontrollably) to a piece and then to where it goes. And he's always right! In the same way he can play "memory" and beat me! I'm now intrigued by what is hidden in that brain of his, just waiting to come to light! Our favorite way to say hello is with a wink and a couple clicks of the tongue, like he's doing in the picture. Tai taught me to open my eyes in a whole other way and to embrace the possibilities.

Meet Phuong:

Oh little Phuong, or Monkey as we all call her... she's stolen my heart! If you've seen the video I posted earlier of her, you know she's just a bundle of laughter. She is also completely non-verbal but easily communicates her moods to those around her. I want to spend my whole day playing with her and making her laugh. She's tiny, like a toddler, but is seven years old. Unlike the other children in physiotherapy, she can walk, with her little hand grasped tightly around someone's finger. Except for her size, physically she seems to be "normal". I work with her to try to convince her to walk on her own, which I'm positive she can do if she just trusted herself to try! I'm also starting to challenge her intellectually, without any results so far. She doesn't seem to be interested in learning how to do puzzles or other games. I did teach her to blow kisses though! Any moment spent in her company makes me glad to be there. Monkey has taught me to slow down and just enjoy the simplicity of playing.

Meet My:

My is still a mystery to me. She loves music, LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem in particular! She'll sit there pumping one hand into the air on the beat with a big goofy grin on her face. She can speak rudimentary Vietnamese and knows a dozen words in English but is very quiet... In fact, she seems to be hidden behind her friend Tien most of the time. (I'll introduce you all to Tien in another post with more of the physio kids soon!) She spends her time in physiotherapy practicing to crawl, without getting bored or tired of it. I'm impressed with her will and stamina! Recently I uncovered a great sense of humor in her. We now pull little practical jokes on each other. I look forward to learning more about her. Thien Phuoc has a startling number of visitors on a daily basis. It's no wonder that the children take a little time to open up and trust a new face. As the weeks pass, I see My opening to me a little more, showing me a little more of herself and what she can do. I can also see that she's hurt when I don't show up when I'm supposed to. She's taught me the importance routine and stability to children.

On that note, it is strange for me to think that I'm already half-way through my stay at Thien Phuoc. The taught of leaving all these kids in little more than a month makes me cringe inside. There is such a difference between living in an orphanage full time and visiting one for a few hours every day as I did while in the Philippines. Moreover, since there isn't a group of volunteers here to hang out with and unwind with, my whole life revolves around these children. I'm with them from the moment I wake up until they go to bed at night. Even during my lunch break I'll pop in to spend some time with those who aren't sleeping. They've invaded my head and my heart. I can't imagine living here for a year as A. is planning to... I would never be able to leave them! It will be hard enough as it is, but it's unavoidable. As with everything in life, this is a temporary situation. At the same time, knowing it is so helps me focus, slow down, and appreciate it that much more.