Reflections by Auntie Chris

As we sit in the Seoul airport, I have a few moments to reflect on our amazing adventure before we board the plane for Honolulu. We had a wonderful lunch with Chris' brother and father today in Insadong. Although we'll all be happy to see our families and breathe the fresh, tropical air of home, we are quite sad to have this trip come to an end. Some words that will forever spark memories of Vietnam: ostriches, traffic, mopeds, orphanages, ostriches, pig brain, honking, ostriches, villas, facials, massages, ostriches, and "DO YOU HAVE YOUR PASSPORT?" (Most of the time, the answer to that question was "yes," thankfully.) We've had many moments of laughter (ostriches), some of tears (saying good-bye at the orphanages), and some of pure wonder (how do people get through this traffic alive??). The students' blog posts say it all, and I won't try to recapture it here. I'm afraid that words can't quite describe all my feelings at the moment. (And I'm working on less than 4 hrs of sleep!) Let me close by saying that traveling with a group of 25 compassionate, energetic, intelligent and humorous students to Vinh's home country was an experience I wish I could share with all my family and friends. When some people say "kids these days. . .," I think, "thank goodness that the 'kids these days' will be in charge because I know we have a bright future." I was so proud of them all along the way, but especially at the orphanages as they embraced the children and shared so much of their hearts. Mahalo nui loa to Vinh, Mimi and 25 future leaders. I cannot thank you all enough.

Aloha,
Auntie Chris (had the good sense to stay off an ostrich :)

(PS Stay tuned as I will upload more pics, blog posts, and videos once we are back in Honolulu. All students will have a chance to write and be video-taped. Mahalo!)