8-23-09: The Last Day at Duoc Son Orphanage...

Pandoras' Box was unleashed when they found out we were leaving...

Some of the students trying to bid farewell to us...

Some of my girls and I...notice their faces...

A sad and almost surreal day indeed...

Our last day at Duoc Son orphanage was on August 25^th, 2009. My emotions can only be described as numb; a feeling I rarely feel. I didn’t know what to think, the last five weeks passing us by faster than a speeding train. Angie and I decided to ride our motorbikes to the orphanage and take in what was to most likely be our last ride to Duoc Son orphanage for many years to come. The ride there was very sobering, the green hills to our left, and the rural communities to our left. We decided to leave later than we usually do, so very movie-like, the sun started to set as we arrived to Duoc Son. The mood was a very uplifting one; we were much more emotional than the kids were. I honestly wouldn’t expect anything else; these children have gone through things I could not even imagine, so naturally, they were much stronger than us during this tough time. We started handing out gifts while tears spilled from our eyes, all the while, the kids were smiling ensuring us that crying wouldn’t help the situation. We danced, cried, laughed, and shared stories of our lives, and as fast as we had arrived, it was over. We started to leave and the main nun bid us a final farewell saying in Vietnamese, “You promised these kids you would come back one day, do not make false promises, we expect you back one day.” And just like that, our time at Duoc Son was over.

Students in Vietnam are vastly different than those in the United States. The first thing I notice between education in our country and those in countries I have visited is that we generally take education for granted. How else can we explain the ranking of sixteen out of the top thirty-six highest GDP countries in secondary education (source: UPI)? How else can we explain the 75% high school graduation rate? This waning of our countries educational systems are far from what I saw in Vietnam. Students who could afford school wasted no time in trying to do the best they could. The students who could not afford school, as sad as it sounds, wished for a better life through school. Every student that I was able to ask about education reminded me of how fortunate they were and how hard they work at school.

-Live from Vietnam, Sonny