Like everyone in the group, I started out the visit going room to room handing out stuffed animals and candies to the kids in each room. I thought I would continue with this for a while, but that was until I stumbled across the second room. This room contained around 6-7 kids, and most of them contained some form of brain defects according to the lady named Bay Hien who is in charge of the room. My attention was immediately focused on two Down syndrome boys eating their lunch in the front of the room. The two were extremely shy as I handed them each a stuffed animal and tried to show them how to hug them. Tuan Anh got a Spongebob wearing a Christmas hat, while Hoanh got a little bear in pajamas holding a pillow. As they continue to eat, I tried to keep them entertained. I grabbed Hoanh's bear and pretend to talk to him through the bear. He started laughing, and it was probably one of the most adorable, innocent, and joyful laugh that I ever seen. I couldn't help but laugh with him, while at the same time found myself with a small strand of tears rolling down my eyes at the same time. I think I might have gone a little too far when Hoanh laughed so much that he choked and started coughing. I was so worried and tried to pat his back, but thankfully he was okay. I shifted my time between Hoanh and Tuan Anh. Though Hoanh disliked being fed, Tuan Anh loved to be fed, and so I fed him during most of the time that I spent with him. When I left, Tuan Anh climbed from his crib to give me a hug. I hugged, helped him down, and said goodbyes.
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| Tuan Anh |
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| Hoanh really loved his stuffed animal <3 |
Tuan Anh and Hoanh were just two of many forgotten orphans. Even in the orphan world, there are different types of orphans: Those who are normally healthy and those who are not for example. I spent some times to talk to Mrs. Bay Hien and hear what she had to share. According to her, those who are mentally ill were practically forgotten. They eat the leftover food after the normal kids eat first. In addition, they receive the least attention when there are visitors, for the visitors tend to play more with those who are normal. Finally, for those with mental illness, their toys were also hand-me-downs, given only after they had been used by other kids in the orphanage. Maybe that was why Hoanh and Tuan Anh held on so tightly to their stuffed animals.
We left the orphanage at around 12:30 PM, and I was definitely hesitated to leave. Though the stay at Ky Quang only lasted for less than 2 hours, Hoanh's laugh and Tuan Anh's hug would forever imprint in my memory.
(Pictures will be up later)
-Tuan
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