Today I went to a Deaf school and a Disabled Children’s Orphanage. Our guide mixed up which one we were going to first, so I thought we were going to the Disabled orphanage first. It didn’t really end up mattering in the end though. We went to the fourth floor of this building to greet the kids awaiting us. Some of the kids had mental disabilities, but most just had hearing difficulties or were Deaf. I was hoping that because ASL is 50% the same as LSF (French Sign Language) that there would be some overlap with Vietnamese Sign Language. Not really. Most of the fingerspelling was the same, but about 7 letters were completely different, so I couldn’t really communicate that way. Some of the signs were similar, but they meant different things. The little kids tried writing to me in Vietnamese, but I of course don’t read that. They didn’t read English either. Basically, I had no way of communicating with these children. Eventually, we tried drawing, but that didn’t interest them too much. Fortunately, some of the other students had brought stickers and balloons, which the kids absolutely loved. One of the lifelong learners, this really cool older Asian guy, had brought a clown nose and some magic tricks to show to the kids. They really loved those tricks. After, we tried teaching them the hokey pokey, but they didn’t understand that one very much. Then, we tried teaching them the Macarena, which they got and had fun with, even though there was no music (and they wouldn’t be able to hear it anyway). They were very cute. It is amazing how little children seem to act the same around the world, curious, expectant and trusting. I had a fun time there. I did notice that almost all of them had hearing aids, which are often very expensive, so I guess that must be one of the benefits of a communist system. They don’t usually help if you have extreme hearing loss but I guess that’s cool that they all had the opportunity to have one to see if it would help them.
After this school, we went to a disabled children’s orphanage. I am not completely sure what these children had, I think it was something like multiple sclerosis. I don’t know if Agent Orange caused it, though it is entirely possible that’s what happened. Apparently, the effects of Agent Orange last through several generations, which is quite unfortunate. Anyways, these children were very bad off, which I suspect is perhaps the reason why they all happen to be ‘orphans’. Most were in their own beds, lying there helpless. The beds resembled those single mattresses with metal boundaries that you find in the hospitals for infants. Our trip leader suggested touching them to see if you could get a reaction, as she was told that they responded well to that. I had some stickers, so I was going around giving them stickers, putting them on their faces of hands and trying to rub them some. Some were lost in their own world while others just couldn’t move like they wanted. One little boy had been rocking back and forth and once I figured out that he liked his head to be rubbed, he didn’t want me to leave. That was how most of them were, indifferent or taken aback at first, but then once they saw your love, they didn’t want you to leave at all. One little boy had me pick him up and walk him around the room. There are supposed to be 2 faculty members to a child, but they have to work around the clock, so that isn’t the real ratio. Nevertheless. these children weren’t receiving the touch and attention they craved. I was kind of disappointed, but then again, this is a problem that everyone tries to solve and I guess there is no right solution found yet. On the more hopeful side, I met a boy who had more faculties than the others. When I gave him a sticker, he brought me to his friends and indicated that they should receive one as well. He did the same for pictures as well. In fact, he figured out how to work my camera (not just the point and shoot, but the menu options and such) and started taking some photos of his friends. While I was there, I asked myself if I could ever do this kind of work. I’m not sure, I think I would become very depressed. I know this for sure though, these children really need human interaction to improve their trapped existence.
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