Showing posts with label Children hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children hospital. Show all posts

Friday, April 24, 2015

CSDS, Vietnam - Life is beautiful

CSDS goodbye present
After one week of being back home I can now better reflect on my last 3 weeks in Vietnam. I didn't have much expectations to be honest or at least I tried to not raised any. When I was preparing everything for my trip I read the volunteer guide that the organization sent me. In this guide I had all the information, from what I should take, a bit of Vietnamese history and also a little bit of what we should expect of being a volunteer.

Happy beautyful little girl
After reading all of it I thought "yeah I am not going there and change anyone's life!!" and it's true we don't change anyone's life by spending a few months with them and in my case even less because I was going to be there for just 2 weeks. When I started to think about it I wondered if it made sense to go for just 2 weeks... I was troubled with these thoughts for a while. But then, what does it matter if it's just for 2 weeks, 2 days or 2 hours... you can actually impact someone's life just by spending 2 minutes with them. We don't make a big change people's life but we definitely can have a little impact. And that my friends... that is exactly how I felt every day that I spend with the children or with the students in the community classes. Yes I didn't do anything special, I just played with kids tried to entertain them and I also only spoke english with the students, what does it matter?? I help the little ones go through the afternoon with a bit more fun and I helped the students to know even if just 1 more word or that Portugal exists and where in the map. Is this too little? Probably but... Well it felt like a lot to me. So looking back there is nothing that  would change about this experience. The CSDS staff was the most helpful and gentle that I could ask. I met very interesting people that do an amazing job to help their community, people passioned about their work, people that actually care. They do an amazing work with the little resources they have.

I learned through these weeks that life is beautiful, you help by giving whatever you have (english knowledge or just passion for children) and you get it all back. You get it all back by having just one little girl coming to play with you every time she sees you or just having students saying that they enjoyed the class and they wished you could stay longer.

At this moment I am writing with tears in my eyes. I really connected with the children I met, I loved the time I spent there and everyone I met. I just wished I could have stayed longer. But duty called.

Another learning is that, it is very good to travel alone. You meet a lot of people and you are a lot more open to talk with different people. You meet a lot of people that turn up to be really weird but that is fun too.

So I will probably repeat this experience... Maybe I will go back... who knows.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Day #18 - Last day volunteering

Tuesday's community class
Today was my last day in the volunteering projects. In the morning I went to give my last community class. It was so weird, I really enjoyed to do that and I also really liked my students - Is so funny to say My students! We talked about cultural differences and we had a very interesting conversation about this. At the end of the class they asked me if I was going to teach the class on Friday and I had to tell them that it was my last day. They felt sorry and said that I was a very good teacher (this was surprising to me) and they asked me to take some pictures with them. Of course I also took a picture of this class. On Monday I said goodbye to Nhung but I wasn't sure if I could hug her or not, so we just waved to each other, but today with the girl from the community class she said goodbye and then she came and give me a hug. Was so cool, I really wanted to hug Nhung to say goodbye but I wasn't sure if it was ok, so this time was nice to do that.

My goodbye postcards
In the afternoon I went as well on my last trip to the hospital. I didn't have any particular activity in mind but then Eve suggested them to make a goodbye card for me and they did!! This little boy that the day before was sad because he missed all the activities, he was there and the moment he saw me he smiled and then he did my postcard. It is a beautiful postcard where he also made a draw of myself. So cute. As we are in a children hospital we have children from 6 months to 16 years old, so yesterday this 16 year old boy was there and he wanted to practice his English. As he was very ill he was missing a lot of classes and he wanted to know my opinion about his English level. I have to say that it was very good, he knew a lot of words and could spell very well as well. 


Street Food with the local supporters
As this was my last at the hospital we went all for street food. The local supporters took us again and once more it was delicious. I have to say that my European body doesn't seem to be coping very well with the vietnamese food but I am not stopping eating, I take Imodium and hope it just goes away. Of course that when saying goodbye there was a lot of hugs and they also gave me really nice feedback which made me very happy. It is really weird to know that I won't be seeing the little ones again, in 2 weeks I just connected with them. Well, who knows me knows that I love children anyway. 




Karaoke bar
Today was not only my last day in the volunteers house, was also Emma's and Sophie's last day, therefore, we all went for Karaoke after dinner. Yeah, Karaoke!! I couldn't come to Asia and not go for Karaoke, it would be outrageous!! So we went to this Karaoke place and we all got a room just for ourselves - it was hilarious!! I forgot to mention!! When we were going inside the bar I asked the guy if people could smoke inside (this was  stupid question, of course they can but I was just checking), I didn't use words I just put my two fingers, like people do to hold the cigarette, and put close to my lips. Well the guy understood something different, he thought I was asking if they do blowjobs in there!! He makes the move that everyone knows it's referring to blowjob and nods his head saying yes. It was hilarious. 

CSDS volunteers
Karaoke was amazing, so much fun. I was the oldest person in the room... does that really matters?? I was with friends and I was having fun. The waiters just kept on bringing beer and fill our cups while we were trying to sing. We had different music lists in different languages and it was just hilarious to see that when we thought we asked a song, actually it was something completely different that would show up on screen. Amazing!! I couldn't possibly ask for a better "farewell" party.

The volunteering is finished - sad face - and now is time to enjoy a bit more of the Vietnamese Paradises. Tomorrow I am going on a 2 days cruise to Halong Bay. Tonight I am staying in a hotel in the city centre and tomorrow early morning I depart and will spend the night in the cruise. For someone that doesn't really like boats this is going to be interesting. Yeah I know!! You are thinking "how can she not like boats when she did surf??!!", well is not the same thing is it? I am not in a cage that if it drowns, it takes me with it!! Anyway, I know is silly fear but I believe I will be ok. In the next couple of days I am also spoiling myself. this trip so far has been about low cost traveling but the next couple of days I will go on a very nice cruise and I will spend my last night in a very good hotel where I have booked a massage!! I believe I deserve this treat. I haven't done anything to celebrate my new job and promotion and also I got my bonus last month so now is... me me me time. I will be traveling alone the next couple of days which is also a experience as since I landed in Vietnam I didn't spend a minute alone. Wish me luck :)

Monday, April 13, 2015

Day #17 - Weekend and so much more



I have so much to tell, to describe, to share!!! I have done so many things and... Oh I don't want to go back... I am loving this here.

Cute little one that I wanted to bring to England
Let's start from the beginning which is actually the end... the end of the week. Friday work at the hospital started with a ride in a motorbike in Hanoi. I was super scared but then I loved it. Remember me saying that I didn't go when Nhum offered me a ride and I regretted, well I didn't miss my second chance... Once we got to the hospital, we did lots of cool activities with the littles ones. Was just so much fun. Ok not just for the kids for me as well. We did a puppet show, to tell the story of the three little pigs, we played duck duck goose, we danced the chicken dance (Passarinhos a bailar para os Tugas) and the hoky poky... so many things. Trying to teach the chicken dance to children with their parents watching is just hilarious... they make a lot of fun of you, is just impressive. And of course my little girl that just wants to sit on my lap was there and I made her dance, she smiled when I just put her up in the air (yeah I know that chicken dance doesn't do that, neither the hoky poky but I improvised... eheheheh) It was so cool, I took so many pictures and was just good to see everyone enjoying themselves. Oh and I met this cute little baby girl with whom I just fell in love with. I said to her mom that I just wanted to take her with me and when she told the little girl, she just started to cry. Awww, so sweet, so sweet, so sweet!!! After all the dance we managed to make everyone sit and listen to the 3 little pigs story, and the little girl came to sit on my lap and then another one also came and then... well lets say there wasn't anymore space for anyone to sit.
Watching the 3 little pigs
After finishing at the hospital the weekend started with the trip to Cat Ba island. We took the train to go to Hai Phong where then we would take the ferry to the island, this is a 3 hours trip. Once we got to the train station bought our tickets I asked the lady which platform we would take the train. She looked very confused and pointed in the direction of the train outside. I thought "well that's helpful, how do I know if this train goes to where we want??" so we just came outside to wait for the train and I realized that the train was in the platform waiting for 6 o'clock and there was only ONE train in the ONLY platform of the station!! "Oh that's what the lady tried to say!!! Got it!!" I went to Cat Ba with Eve and Amandine. Eve is blonde and that makes her very popular in this country so while we were waiting for the train the train drivers spent the time checking on Eve and smiling at her. When she just asked to take a picture of them... I think they fell in love. Ah, almost forgot to mention the train... Oh dear, when we saw the train from outside we thought "we will never make to Hai Phong tonight!!" but actually, once we got in it looked pretty ok. Is not the most modern but the seats were good, there was plugs to charge phone or laptop and screens. Oh the screens!! Let me tell you, I spend 3 hours of train journey listening to Vietnamese type of Eurovision show is not entertaining... but we survived. And let me tell you this was not the worst... or the best let's put this way. At some point, while I was almost falling asleep, Amandine does a fast move and wakes me. When I look at her she just says "I think I saw something moving on the floor, I felt something!!", "What do you mean you felt/saw something" - I say. She is French and her English is not very good but she used enough words to make me understand that she saw a MOUSE!!! The moment I realise this I put my legs up and at this time the ladies on the sit next to us, realising what just happened, start to laugh of us. Let's just say that I spent 2.5 hours of the journey with my legs up... my. feet. didn't. touch. the. floor. 

Seafood hot pot
We made it to Hai Phong safely and on Saturday we woke up to have breakfast and catch the ferry to the island. And the breakfast was just something... They had RICE for breakfast!!! Is not enough that I spend the time having rice for lunch and dinner, here at the volunteers house, I also have rice for breakfast in the hotel???!!! You are kidding me, right!!! Well, I didn't have rice or noodles, I stack with the toasted bread with butter and water. Then take the ferry to the island. We finally get to the island and went for some walking around and went to our hostel. Once we got there we ordered food and organized a half day tour around the island. Do you want to know what I had for lunch??!! Seafood hot pot, yeah, exactly that. It is delicious!!! Being in this island I had to have seafood. I have to be honest with you guys, I was worried about getting food poisoned but no, it didn't happen... and thank God because that would have made my afternoon a nightmare!! I could try to describe what a hot pot is but there's no words to make it justice. In the afternoon we went with our drivers (motorbikes drivers... we could have rented a motorbike but the english and french girls were a bit scared so we had drivers with us) around the island. We visit an Hospital cave that was used during the war with Americans, to protect from the bombing, we visited Cat Ba national park and went up the mountain. It took us 1 hour to go up and another hour to get down. I saw this funky spider with yellow and orange head and, what I believe to be a colorful crab. I pretended to be cool about it, but inside... inside I was Freaking out. Anyway, being on top and the view makes totally worth the hassle to go up. And great that was cold that day, otherwise I am not sure if I would manage to just take one hour to go up... I was boiling when I got there. And as I was so scared of being bitten by something I had my jumper and trousers down... so I was really, really, really hot!!

In the jungle, kind of
Trekking in the mountains was really cool and we met a lot of people... Foreigners - locals don't seem to do these things. I met a couple, he is American and she is Dutch and once I started to go down the mountain he told me "See you at the bar tonight!" and I thought "yeah see you at the bar." And guess what we had dinner at the same place and he actually ate the chicken burger that I ordered. This is quite a funny one. I order a chicken burger (yeah I know that right now you are saying, she went to Vietnam and is eating burgers - silly one.) yeah I can still hear all of you, but after so many days eating noodles and rice, I just wanted something different. Moving on... I ordered my burger and waited... waited and waited, once I got my burger I see that is not chicken burger. I call the waiter and told him that my burger was not chicken. He told me it was and I was like "Look this is not chicken, this is beef!!" and he looks at me, confused and say "That is chicken beef" - at this moment all of us look at him with a face like "really??" anyway they took my burger back and bring me afterwards my chicken burger and 50% discount. While I was waiting for the burger with the right meat, Travis (the American we met at the national park) said "hey I heard you ordered a chicken burger, is it this one??" Oh he had ordered a beef burger and the waiter just messed up with our orders and while I (Portuguese, European) didn't accept that, Travis (American, over polite, hungry guy) took the burger he didn't order because he thought they would through the food in the bin. Is just funny. We all ended the night at a bar where all the foreigners go. The bar is really cool, they have a jukebox... well is not really a jukebox, is a laptop where you can go to youtube and choose any song you want to listen at the bar... you end up listening to random music but is actually quite cool. I met people from everywhere, America, Netherlands, South Korea, South America, etc everyone just traveling and meeting at this place. You won't believe how many of these people quit their jobs to go travel for 1 year... so many stories and so inspiring. I had conversations about everything and anything, is just so good to meet people with so different and random life stories, so interesting lives around there. And I have to say that tell someone what my job is, is just hilarious... even more if they are from countries like South Africa, where Cadbury is like "The. Brand." Anyway was just really good evening. We went home at 3 in the morning and really happy... probably drunk as well.

Cat Ba beach - Paradise for me

Sunday we went to the beach. Dam' it was perfect. Beautiful beach, warm water... a paradise on earth, I am still amazed. Then we had to start the journey home and once we got back to Hanoi and took the taxi, the fun was not over. Our taxi driver was just insane!!! We came in a taxi with super loud electronic music and the taxi drove like we were in Fast & Furious 8!! I was in the middle on the back seat watching every. single. move. I thought I was going to die. Luckily I am still here to tell you all about this craziness.

Now I am just having my last two days at the hospital. Today we played with the little ones and when we were leaving, this little boy, that is usually always with us came from his treatment and he was so disappointed because he missed the activities... I felt so guilty for leaving him!! So I promised him that tomorrow we will do the same thing together. Feels so weird to leave them, I wish I could stay here for longer. I can't believe that it's almost over...

Friday, April 10, 2015

Day #13 - End of the week


Little ones with the masks
Oh this has been quite a week, ver busy. Monday I started to do the Community classes in the morning and go to the hospital in the afternoon and Tuesday and Wednesday the same schedule. This was a little tiring, trying to keep the students focused for two hours and entertain the little ones for three hours needs a lot of creativity and energy.

Community class @ Park
The Community classes theme this week was Traveling and one of activities is to explain to the students what is a bucket list and ask them to make their own bucket list. I gave examples and afterwards they had to write their own. To make them practice their English speech I asked all of them to share their list. This was quite funny, from being an Icon (for no specific reason, the student just wants to be famous), to visit the sea reefs, travel the world to... "I want to become a boy." Yeah you read it correctly, this girl wants to become a boy. In the beginning I thought that I didn't understand correctly but then she repeated. Once I finally understood what she meant I was a little surprised. Not only because I was not expecting that answer but also with her confidence to say and share that wish with everyone else in the class. The other students started to say that she just needed to go to Thailand and do the operation and she just replied "Yes, I know I can go to Thailand, I am already saving money, I really want to do this!" Well, if before I was surprised then I have got really impressed with her confidence (Go girl!) and also with the other students. Of course they made comments but none of them were malicious and once I asked another student for his bucket list, they changed subject and we moved on. I just thought "If this was in the Western side of the world this girl would be so bullied in this class!!" - is good to know that here is different. As part of the class on Wednesday we went to the park to talk about nature. We played games and the students had to create their natural world. They did some impressive creative things and I believe they also enjoyed it. By the way I also never took so many pictures with people. I mean, I never had so many people wanting to take picture with me, but I guess this just shows that they like me and that is a good thing. After this class Nhung offered me a ride back in her motorbike but I took the bus, I was not brave enough. I regret it now because I want to experience a ride in a motorbike and I might not have another opportunity... bug bummer!   

This week was also the first time that I had to take the bus by myself to go to the hospital - this was an experience. First I had to cross one of the busiest roads in Hanoi - well I stop by the road letting all the motorbikes pass until I saw a local. I waited for him until he started to cross the road and then crossed as well - I need some "support"! Then I got in the bus and everything seemed to go perfect, no major incidents... until I had to get out of the bus. I was by the door with only one lady ahead of me. The bus stops, doors open and the one lady ahead of me get out of the bus and when I stepped down and I am almost passing the door... The bus starts again and closes the door and I am hit by the door and pulled inside the bus. The girl behind me starts shouting to the driver and he brakes in a way that I go against the door again. He finally opens the door and I shoot out of the bus - I was not getting stuck in that bus with that driver again!! The lady that got out of the bus before me just waited for me to leave the bus and said something to me and smiled... I just shrugged and went to the hospital - I have no clue of what she said to me but I guess was something like "next time be faster they are crazy here!!" Going in a bus here is so funny, is almost like a roller coaster... Ok I am exaggerating but when the bus just slows down but doesn't really stop to people go in or out of the bus; When you hear the motorbikes "hitting" the bus all the way and nothing happens - I guess you understand what I mean don't you? I have told you that there is no rules in the road for motorbikes (well there must be some, they just don't follow) apart from: if it's a bus, it's bigger than you, let it go first.  

Little girl with her plasticine creations
All my afternoons I spent in the hospital playing with the kids. We did a lot of things; from playing with plasticine, making portraits (I made my own portrait and all the kids couldn't stop laughing, I guess it just shows how good I am at it), making our own masks, make origami, singing songs, etc. Sometimes is really hard to start with them but now they recognize us already which makes it a little easier. There is this little girl that in the first day I spent the time trying to get a word from her. Ok I wouldn't understand but would be nice to have a little word. She also wouldn't give me a smile. I sat her on my lap and we started to make a puzzle. She was really shy but when the other kids started to play with plasticine she also wanted to do it but she is just too little, she is just 3 years old. Let's say that my skills with plasticine are close to none but I know how to make balls and strings and that's what I did for her... And I got in return a beautiful little smile - Yahooo she was so amused with those that I spent the rest of the afternoon doing it. The day after the moment I arrive at the hospital and she saw me, she came right after me and when I sat she pointed saying that she wanted to be on my lap and we started to play again. She even sang a bit, and that was all the words she ever said to me.

Yesterday I gave to them the animal masks that Alison Pirie donated. They were so happy, you should have seen it!! Was so nice to see. One of the boys got the Lion mask, he loves lions because they are the strongest and the king of the jungle. We didn't need to do anything else the rest of the afternoon we just played with the masks, making the sound of animals - this was hilarious. There was this little kid... he is such a cheeky little monkey!! Just running around, with a cheeky smile... so cute!!

Pho Gà
Every time I go to the hospital I always have a local supporter to help us translating. And one of the days Hóa and Doanh came with me. They asked me if I had children and how old I am. When I said that I am a single 30 year old they explained to me that in Vietnam that is unacceptable. Hóa is 24 years old and her mother is asking her if she has a boyfriend. I didn't have to ask to see that she doesn't and she said that in Vietnam is very difficult a woman pursue a career and not get married. When I asked her what happens to the women that don't get married, she said that people won't talk about her and with her. Knowing this was a bit of a shock to me and I just told them, that in the West is easier to have a career than a husband - at least I managed to make her smile. After finishing the day at he hospital the girls invited me to go try Pho and it was delicious. I had Pho Gà (chicken noodles) and it was really good, I used chopsticks and a spoon to eat it - like a local. Another tick in my list of things to do in Vietnam.    

In the volunteer house things have been funny as well. On the same night, I went to a shopping centre here in Hanoi that is like a palace and then went for drinks to Tom's, our Vietnamese local bar, to have a couple of bia with the new volunteers. Once we all went back home, C. found a mice in one of the bathrooms. Yeah , A MICE!!! I just ran to the kitchen and went on top of the chair. The other crazy ones just stayed in front of the bathroom door trying to find the mouse. In the meantime in the kitchen... we closed the door so the mice wouldn't come in and M. started to toast some bread. We were so focused in making sure that the mouse wouldn't come in that when the toasts were ready and jumped we all jumped as well... we got scared!! This was just hilarious!! We ended the night dancing on top of chairs avoiding the mouse.
My cutest little friend

And now is the weekend and myself, E. and A. are spending the weekend in Cat Ba, an island close to Halong Bay. The weather this week hasn't been warm at all, just 18ºC, at some point it felt like I was back in UK's summer but the heat is coming back in the weekend, hopefully, we will be able to enjoy some sunshine by the seaside and get some healthy color.
Plasticine creations (none is mine)



Monday, April 06, 2015

Day #9 - Teaching and Street Food

Community class 
Today I had my first full day of volunteering work. I started in the morning with Community classes. In these classes we have the university students that want to learn English but can't afford to pay the classes.

I started the class by introducing myself and as I mentioned before once I say what my job is I cannot not spend 30 minutes talking about chocolate. They wanted to know how to make chocolate and I think I managed to explain in the most simple way possible. They were so excited that when I said that my first job was in coffee, they also wanted to know everything about coffee and here when they learned that Vietnam was the first country to export coffee they felt very proud. They also have good coffee here.

After talking about me, chocolate and coffee we started the class with theme traveling. It was very good and I had lots of fun. Hopefully the students from tomorrow will enjoy as much as the ones today. As part of one task they had to create a "bucket list" and one of them just wrote "pretty wife", I thought it was fair, who wouldn't want that?!

Afternoon I went to the hospital again and played with the children. In the beginning is always hard to get their attention and will but with time we manage to lure them to participate in the activities. Boh was there again and we made a face mask together. But today there was this little girl, she must be 3 years old and she wouldn't say a word or give a smile. I tried everything I could without being able to say a word i Vietnamese until I think she gave me a smile... I think, I am still not sure about it.
Enjoying Vietnamese Street food

The day ended having Vietnamese street food (they say!), Vietnamese pasta and pizza, all very delicious, however I only had a tiny bit. I am not feeling great - my belly is not right!! It was something I ate but I am not stopping eating...  food is just sooo good. I am just going to lay on my bed and sleep! Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better. I so much hope so! 

Today is short, I am just not feeling very well.

Friday, April 03, 2015

Day #6 - 1st day at the Hospital

CSDS Vietnamese volunteers

Today it was my first day at the Hospital. Before I came some people were telling me to get ready for what I was going to see but I don't really think you can make yourself ready for anything. Of course I know that in some countries the health system is not good and is very poor, but one thing is knowing, the other thing is actually seeing it. And as much as any of you right now is thinking "I knew it" I can tell you: "you know nothing!!". Don't get me wrong is not that the conditions here are miserable... is not that. The thing is that is nothing similar to what we have in the west. 

I took for the first time the bus here in Hanoi, to go to the hospital - that was interesting. First, because I need to remember my way to the bus stop because I will go by myself next week; second because I have to cross a massive, busy avenue. Have I told you how the traffic works here? Well, if I did, I will repeat myself. Well you are not suppose to wait for them to stop (they won't stop), you are not supposed to run to the other side (it makes the drivers confused); you are supposed to just go for it, cross the road walking slowly until you reach the other side of the road. Well, I did that today and I thought I was going to die. Eve my volunteer colleague just kept saying: it's ok, just keep walking, you'll be fine. And I was !!! yahey \0/!! But I thought I was going to die... was cars and motorbikes behind me, ahead of me but we managed to cross the road... alive.


My attempt to cross the road


We got in the bus, which thankfully had air con and we went to the hospital. I still remember my way. Take the bus after the big bridge there is a stop I don't go out on this one, I go out in the next one. To come back it's exactly the same, pass by the big bridge, there is one stop - I don't leave on this one, I get out on the next one. I think I will be fine... at least I hope so...

The day in the hospital was very good. We got there and the first thing to do is to try to make the children come and play with us - this was the hardest bit. Not because you do try to make the kids come play with you but because you actually need to go into the rooms and see all the sick little ones. It can go from small babies, up to 6-10 years old. The conditions are minimal. They seem to have everything but the minimum of course. We are working with kids from the nephrology ward of the hospital. Some of them look very weak and they need to have their parents with them as there is no nurses spending any time with them. Family need to take food for them, nappies and anything else the kids need. You see the families carrying their houses up the stairs of the hospital, carrying their kids with them. The breeze they had was from the open windows because there was no air con... All of this just reminded me of how much we take for granted in the west all our health system, how much we complain about it and we forget completely about people that live with a lot less, and because we don't see it, we don't live with it we ignore. Because we know... everyone knows about these countries and the poor conditions they have, but no one does anything about it... including myself.

Boh, his dad and myself sneaking in


Once we managed to gather a few kids we started to play with them. I stayed with the little boy Boh (I don't think this is correct but I will keep it from now on) and the puzzles. I was just helping, not doing much, just giving him pieces. He was so shy in the beginning, we did a couple of puzzles and he kept without saying a word. The local supporter asked him if he wanted to know my name and he said very promptly "No!!" I kept playing with him and we made minions out of toilet paper cartons and I finally won him!! He wanted to know my name but as he was really shy he wanted his father to ask me!! In my very poor Vietnamese I said "Tên tôi là Juliana" he smiled, I wanted to take a picture with him but he didn't want it and ran away. As I was trying to take pictures, Ling this little girl got fascinated with the camera and started to take pictures from everyone.
Ling, the photographer

She was very demanding, waving to everyone to get closer so she could take a picture from everyone. She didn't want to give me the camera back and I just couldn't take the camera from her, so the pictures that you see from today are not mine... they are all taken by Ling. And at the end she made Boh to take a picture and I ran next to him so we could take a picture together. At the end he was so smiling and happy... everyone was playing and enjoying themselves. The local team is just amazing and they definitely d a great job here. Is great to see what they do and how much effort they put into organize activities with the little ones and make sure that there is always something more suitable for the different ages. But first of all, it depends always on what the kids want to do. They are in charge!!!  
Me and Ling - she loves a camera!!