The place my heart resides...Vietnam

I'm not really sure what my definition of home would be, or what has to be present in order for me to feel like I'm home, but one thing I do know is that I always feel like I'm home when I go back to Vietnam. Maybe it's the fact that I know my way around the big cities, or have watched a good number of the street children grow up, or have lived in the orphanages , or maybe it's because it's where my little sister is from. I'm not really sure, but what I do know is that I love the smells of Vietnam, the food, the culture, and most importantly the people. They treat me like family welcoming me into their homes. They've shown me what the definition of generosity means.

I've been on many trips to Vietnam. I went with my whole family when I was twelve, with my mother when I was fourteen, with a group of teens when I was fifteen and sixteen, with my mother and two siblings when I was seventeen, with an older and younger brother when I was eighteen, and by myself when I was nineteen. I can really say that I know the culture...I know the do's and dont's. I know some of the language. And I know a lot of the people.

Some of the different things that I have done on my trips are traveling around to the tribal villages, visiting leprosy colonies, taking toys to children in the poorer hospitals, doing hard labor work in orphanages, reaching out to the street children and taking them on fun "field trips", spending time loving on the orphans and doings crafts and taking them to water parks, developing relationships with college students, volunteering in a cafe that employed street children to rescue them from the corrupt street lifestyle, teaching english and cooking techniques, and living in orphanages doing all that I can to help (mostly in the baby houses). I could keep going but I will spare you.

One reason I am able to keep going back is because my parents have started a non-profit organization in Vietnam called Homes of Love. We have established about a dozen homes all over the country of Vietnam that rescues at-risk-children. Most of the children are from poor tribal families, children of prostitutes, orphans,etc... They each have their own unique story. We have rescued around 90 children, and I love to go back and see them. They are my family, and I love them with all my heart. If you want to know more about them check out on their website. It is truly amazing. www.homesoflove.org