vietnam trip 2007 - part 4 - more on social poverty.

i should have written this in the last posting, but i forgot. triggered watching a friend's vlog on youtube about his time in india. the vid is called "hardest part" on www.youtube.com/zzolaman, if you're interested.

before i came to vietnam, i had already been told by my friend rita about the poverty there. she mentioned a story about a woman asking for money carrying a baby when she was there. of course, this was under the blistering vietnam sun. rita's immediate reaction was telling the woman that she should get the baby indoors, into the shade. probably anyone's first reaction.

so, that was the story that i thrived and regurgitated on when i talked to people about my then, impending trip to vietnam. now of course, seeing it for myself, including my own experiences mentioned earlier, the depth of this problem is apparent, it just burns a hole at the bottom, even further.

i had also seen the woman that rita spoke of. this time, her child was not a baby anymore. by the looks, probably 3 or 4 or 5, still breathing, i imagine, flung over her shoulder. skinny. malnutritioned. even if you give this mother money, it's evident, it's not going to her child. it's seemingly hopeless unless the people are educated or made to understand that you can't do this to a being. this child is used a prop. it's sad. and true, it exists in this part of the world.