It is our second day in Hanoi, so many senses are filled as we are staying in "the old qurter" where streets turn into one another and overflow with small businesses of every variety. It has been an adventure to get a little lost as we navigate, we have managed to find Hoan Kiem lake, delicious pho shops and small open air coffee shops. Markets densely packed with vegetables, fruit and meats. The growing excitement as Tet (the Lunar New Year) approaches, and red and gold decorations fill the streets, there seem to be flowers and oranges everywhere. The city is also celebrating it's 1000th birthday and we are grateful to celebrate with it. Our most moving experience so far was the visit to Nguyen Dinh Chieu school, which we found out about almost by chance, we asked kind ms. tinh (she works at the guesthouse where we are staying)if she knew of any schools for blind students, and she said,maybe nguyen dinh chieu? 1000 students attend , 150 of whom are blind, k-9. The blind students attend the same classes as the sighted students and a few additional classes.We toured their computer center, met some students and teachers, and just as we were leaving a teacher approached us, to have translated that she remembers Hai! The translator asked "Do you remember coming to this school," and Hai said,"Now I do, yes!" All the way from Ba Vi (100km) Hai had a brief chance to attend this sleepaway(at the time) school, and ms. nguyen remembered that shy student! We will post pictures! thank you to all the teachers who can remember students, and who reach out to shy children! We are so grateful to have some ground returned to under our feet. Tomorrow we will visit the orphanage in Ba Vi. It is possible that no one is still there from 1992, but we again are feeling so very moved that we can stand in the places where Hai was a child. We couldn't be here without all of you dear readers, thank you so much-in vietnamese "cam on rat nhieu!"
