Destination: Tam Ky.
Written By Ellis Silove.
What seemed like moments after
arriving in Tam Ky and settling into our accommodation, we were off again.
Orphanage bound. My excitement to see the kids was only bested by Anna’s.
Shaking with anticipation, the untapped euphoria bubbling from her was
awe-inspiring.
First up: Peace Village. Arrival at PV was met by many familiar faces,
and some new ones. However, indiscriminately, all concerned were overjoyed by
Anna’s coming. With a lot of hugging and shrieks of joy we made our way to the
main courtyard.
Anna told me that she didn’t really have a high expectation
of them remembering her. But! She underestimated the disabled children and they
did remember her. Ba, came running out, threw herself on Anna, repeating her
name and sobbing. The others, Truc, Cuong, Loc, Lanh, Thao.... all had the
biggest grins when she approached them. Some reached out to Anna and squeezed
her hand. Again, these kids trumped us. Hands down.
PV now have 56 residents..... when Anna left six months ago
there were around 24.... the carers here, super women with what they have to
deal with, were smiling and happy to see us. 3 carers to care for 56
residents who in reality, need 1:1 care!!!!!
Donations fund two carers here, which brings us to 5 carers
in total. Still a ridiculous ratio.
I went in search of Ngan. I found
her in the second room I tried. She was sitting on the floor playing with a
water bottle and its lid. At first she seemed to either not recognise me or at
least not notice me. I took the bottle from her hand and screwed the lid onto
it. A huge smile spread across Ngan’s face. When I picked her up I realised how
big she had gotten. Nowhere near the size to match the 17 years of life that
she has lived. But bigger than the toddler she had been the last time I had
seen her.
After putting her down outside and
finding the other kids. I came back and attempted to pick her up. Half way up
she pulls herself to her feet and sets off walking. Before I even have time to
register what’s happening, she is dragging me around the courtyard.
Whether it is because I have
become accustomed to the confronting nature of PV, or the overriding excitement
of seeing the kids again so grown up, my first introduction back into Peace
Village was to the say the least a very positive experience. We had to leave
after too short a time, but I left there wanting more than I had gotten.
Arrival at baby orphanage was a
similar if not a completely different affair. The majority of kids were at school
so the welcoming party was considerably smaller than that at PV. However what
the group lacked in size, they made up for in sheer noise. As soon as the car
pulled in the kids were already excited at the idea of visitors. However, as
soon as recognition appeared on the first kids face, the call went up and a
barrage of excitement hit us. “ANNA” “ANNA” AAAANNAAAA”. After a quick hug and
excited babble the first kids sprinted off into the orphanage to inform the
inhabitants of our coming. I recognised faces here and there as toddlers ran
out screaming bloody murder. Before long a sea of thigh-high toddlers spread
out around us, pinning us in.
For every kid excited to see me,
10 more were clambering over each other to reach their beloved Anna. Was I
slightly disappointed at the lack of attention? Yes. Was I jealous at the
massively superior amount of love and attention aimed at Anna? Hell no. The
look of pure euphoria spread across Anna’s face was one in a million. Her face
lit up like the proverbial sun. This expression put all smiles I had witnessed
on Anna’s face in the past 6 months to mortifying shame.
After making the rounds and
picking up a few strays, we headed out the front of the orphanage to await the
arrival of the older kids returning from school. The reactions were priceless.
Screams, shouts, outstretched arms. One girl Anna informed me later that she
wasn’t even that close with, burst into tears at the sight of her. A pair of
boys on a bike were so distracted by us that they rode headlong into a group of
girls standing next to us. I filmed the whole encounter; Capturing the raw
expressions and primal joy flowing off the faces of all involved.
14 newborns; Laid out in a row as
if on display at a supermarket. “Take your pick; we have one of every kind”. 3
boys and 11 girls…beautiful bodies of life. That first day in the baby room I
re-learnt three things: how to correctly hold a baby, how to correctly feed a
baby, and how to correctly become overly attached to a baby.
