Day 7 Monday November 3, 2008

After an early business meeting, I went by the orphanage to collect five of the kids for the trip back to Hanoi. We all wondered what we would encounter in Hanoi. The major flood made news not only locally but also on CNN and BBC. The rain had not stopped, streets were still flooded, food delivery to the city was interrupted, food prices were doubled, there was a loss of electricity, and worst of all the government warned of possible disease outbreak. On the way to Hanoi, we went through flooded rice paddies, crested rivers, and people fishing in unusual places. When we got to Hanoi, the rain stopped and life appeared to be back to the normal pace-- at least in the city center and near my hotel.
After we arrived in Hanoi, one of the kids had to leave to go to work. The other kids and I went to visit Thien Nhan. Flood waters were gone, the house appeared normal. I could tell it was the right place from the sound of Thien Nhan’s loud voice coming from the house! The kids had read the story of Thien Nhan and they enjoyed meeting the young celebrity. Thien Nhan’s fan club continues to grow.
In the news: for many months, people in Hanoi City have had problems with the public buses. The problems: bus stops in many locations have been placed up to 10 meters away from the bus shelters. Quoted in one of the local paper: “So when it’s raining and the bus appears like a bat out of hell before screeching to a halt at the stop, would-be passengers have to dash from the shelter to the door. Often elderly or sluggish passengers, or those lost in a pleasant daydream, get left behind.”

Photo: orphans from Hoa Phuong Orphanage and currently are in the TM2F program, Thien Nhan and his adoptive Grandmother (far right).