Hue Mission Extended as Floods Recede
8a.m.
All is well! The waters have partially receded so that a bus can take us, albeit through flooded streets, to the Operation Smile Comprehensive Care Center. A generator for back-up is being wired to each room to ensure safety. 14 year old Duc, who will have lip revision surgery, watches expectantly from the pre-surgery area as he draws a picture of a building that he labels “Hanoi”- I later figure out just what that means.
6 pm, post-op area
Shelia and I have just finished disbursing the Operation Smile bags to all the kids who have had surgery today. The families smile and nod, bobbing their head as we pass, so grateful for the bags of goodies containing small toys, a toothbrush, comb, soap, and coloring books. Duc’s mother stops me and hands me a two page letter written in Vietnamese, and I thank her, although I do not know what it says. I immediately take the letter to VanAn who translates it. Duc’s mother is giving us heart-felt thanks, and she says that her son’s cleft lip was fixed 10 years ago in Hanoi, and although she was very happy with the results and thought he looked beautiful, Duc was distressed with the scarring.
She said that although he is very bright and does so well in school, the children call him “hare lip” and the girls tease him, as there is a noticeable scar. He has wanted to go back to Hanoi to have it fixed, but his mother did not have the money. Duc told her he would one day save the money himself and make the trip to Hanoi to have it fixed so he would not be ashamed. She thanks us for her and for all the children for not just the surgery, but for providing the transportation, food and shelter, as she could not have afforded any of this. She especially is thankful as we were able to make his dream come true despite the flood, and she wants to express her gratitude for not only her, but from all the children who have some to this mission. I return to Duc’s bedside later, and she smiles. Duc tries to signal through his pain and the lip bandage, but instead nods his head and I see the smile in his eyes.
8 pm An array of Vietnamese fare is spread before us, the entire Hue local mission members, family style. I am struggling with the chop sticks, and it takes about five minutes each for me stab the food onto my plate, and to down the stringy kale-like greens, piece of spicy calamari or the fish served whole, eyeballs and all. I try to attack the chicken, and fail miserably. Shelia, originally from China, feels my pain and serves the meat for me, spearing the cheek meat from the fish, and instructing me on proper stick etiquette. I drop the cheek meat on my lap and then fling rice across the table. No wonder they are so thin here… the physical act of eating is enough to work up a sweat!!!
Floods continue all around us, but we are now semi-dry have extended the mission by a day so that all the kids can be served. Since Hoi An and Danang are still underwater, I have decided not to go there (duh) as originally planned, but will head up to Hanoi when I finish for a few days, and then come home two days early. I’m disappointed, but relieved that we can even get out, that all is well, and that the mission did not have to be abandoned!!
Tam Biet
- Cathy Snyders, Operation Smile volunteer