Surrounding Struggles

Hey!


From now on if I blog it will be more about things I have noticed while traveling and being in a completely different country. For the past three days I went to HaLong Bay which was absolutely beautiful, google pictures if you haven't already- even though they don't do it justice. It was so relaxing and I was starting to feel myself again after my volunteering. It was calm and relaxing- just what I needed to take everything in. It's crazy how we don't realize how much our surroundings really do affect us. 

 

Today I had an entirely different experience in Vietnam. I was in Hanoi which is where we are currently staying. It is full of people and crazy scooters that don't stop... ever. We were about to leave our hotel and just before we got out we heard a big crash. We looked outside our hotel door and saw an old lady underneath her bike- she had been hit by a taxi. The taxi did stop (which is unusual) and helped her. Other than that people just walked by her or kept driving on. She was fuming and definitely did something to her ankle as she was limping to the side walk. My brother and his girlfriend also shared stories about how they have seen a couple of people crawling in the middle of the streets trying to get to safety as bikes and cars drive right past. I got really upset seeing this and really really frustrated... so much that I had to blog about it. I didn't know what to do, all I wanted to do was go up to the lady and give her a big hug- just to let her know that somebody is here and somebody cares for her. People always say to be vocal and act when something goes wrong, to intervene when something isn't right or is unjust. I couldn't do something this time, I felt helpless and hopeless. Here I am standing in a strange country where the language barrier plays a huge role in everything we do. I wanted to help her but I didn't know where I stood, maybe she didn't want help? Maybe it's inappropriate for a white person to just grab their hand and help them up. I didn't want to disrespect them in any way and it really truly bothered me. It's really difficult to find the distinction of when to help and when not to. It just amazes me how people here don't care for one another like we do back home. Sure it probably happens every day but does that make it a norm... and if so does that make it okay? Maybe I'm just not used to? But on the other hand, just because I'm not used to their way of life doesn't mean it is okay or acceptable. It's a really difficult think to grasp and I am really struggling with it. Once again it brings me back to that commercial about restoring somebody's faith in humanity that always plays on the radio... Coming from working with the kids all they wanted was to be loved and played with all the time and we knew that, but here we don't really know what is acceptable and what isn't so it's a tough call. But today I didn't act, and to be honest I feel guilty. There is so much more I could have done, even if it was just getting ice, but I didn't. I just froze on the steps and watched... was that acceptable? Should I have done more? Truth is, I really don't know. It's crazy being in a different country than your own but to see different values and cultures up close is mind boggling. One thing for sure, it really makes you appreciate Canada. The first thing I thought of was getting her ice, something that they never did... my little education on minor health fixes makes a big difference, something I didn't even think about. People in Canada are so caring for one another, even if it's shown in the smallest of ways. I couldn't be happier to be from a country like Canada, I am so blessed. However, it's really important and something that I am recently discovering, but I am really blessed to have the opportunities to travel- not only volunteering- but just to experience other cultures and lifestyles. It really helps me understand more about the world and helps me to realize and appreciate a lot more about my life. 

I apologize for my rant... this day just really bothered me and I needed to vent about it so I figured I would blog- more of a reflection than anything. I am still absolutely loving Vietnam, it is a beautiful country- from what I have seen- and am meeting a lot of fun backpackers! I am off to see a water puppet show tonight and then heading back to Thailand tomorrow! Hope everything is going well back home.


Love and Miss you,
Bianca