When asked by Dana last year if I would be interested in going with her to Vietnam, I jumped at the chance.  My father was a soldier in Vietnam.  He met my mother and they married.  My mother has only returned to Vietnam once in the last 40 years.  I was excited to visit the land where my mother grew up and possibly meet my cousin.  I was also very nervous.  I had never traveled out of the country and was leaving my young daughter and husband for seven days.  Needless to say the flight to Vietnam was exciting and nerve racking.  Before I knew it, Dana and I were walking off the plane and entering a new country.  It was the beginning of a life changing experience.











I was very nervous to go to the orphanages.  I was worried about the living conditions and the treatment of the children.  I was in for a big surprise.  Our interpreters and facilitator treated us as family.  The orphanages were clean and the children were well cared for.  There were many women that were volunteering their time to help play and care for the children.  It was very strange at first.  Looking around at the children I felt I was looking back in time when my siblings were little.  They looked so similar.  It was very emotional knowing that these beautiful babies and children needed loving homes and their appearances were so close to mine that I felt I was leaving my family behind when we left.















While in Vietnam I had the honor of meeting my niece and aunt for the first time.  I was very nervous.  I wondered what they would think of their American family.  The interpreters helped me to negotiate with the University to allow my cousin to come out and meet me.  It was very emotional.  She had a picture of me with my husband and daughter that she had kept.  As soon as we left the university, my cousin stated that she would go find my aunt who was staying close by.  It was deeply humbling.  My aunt had traveled many hours over rough roads to come and meet me for only a few hours.  This is an expensive road trip by their standards and very tiring.  She had left her own daughter, who had recently had a baby, to come to see me.  Although we spoke a different language and shared small talk on how each of our families was doing, the emotions were high.  When it was time to say goodbye, I had a difficult time letting go of my aunt.  It was unforgettable.


My trip to Vietnam was an amazing whirlwind.  The culture is rich and the food delicious.  Despite the obvious poverty in the country, the people are polite and helpful, and happy.  Dana and I had some exciting and heart stopping shopping adventures.  I was very impressed by the orphanages and their care of their children.  There are so many children that need homes, it is difficult to put into words the emotions that were and are inside me.  The beauty and spirit in those children is heart warming as well as heart wrenching.  It is an experience I will never forget and hope to repeat in the future.