Saturday, November 9, 2013

Blue Handprint: Leaving My Mark at the OBV House

We were back at the OBV house today.

Thuy resumed her work seeing the girls for individual check-ups and physical exams. I taught two Krav Maga classes today. Shortly after teaching our first class last week, I decided it best to divide the class into two groups based on age (older and younger) to provide a more tailored and personal experience.

Shortly after lunch, we inquired about the handprints on the wall closest to us. We learned that OBV was having each of the girls place a painted handprint on the wall to spell out the letters "OBV."

Like a five-year-old, I blurted out "Aww I want one...," not realizing that OBV actually did want their volunteers to participate, and that they had paint right outside.




Sister Ngoc took me outside to paint my hand. The paint was readily available, as the kids made their own handprints just a few days earlier.


Surprise! Lead-based paint. Totally worth it. My painted palm started to feel hot when it was exposed to the direct sunlight.


Sister Ngoc placed my hand along the path where the "V" will be created. The youngest girl (4-years old) in the house loves to get involved and help. She's on her toes pushing my hand into the wall.


The size of my handprint compared to the other girls was humorous.


Sister Ngoc then repainted my hand and took me to one of the two guest rooms to help create the "H" in "NCHP," Nhip Cau Hanh Phuc, which in English means "the bridge to happiness." It's the name of the consulting arm of OBV.


Sister Ngoc had me wash the paint off with gasoline. It got a majority of the paint off my hands. The youngest one offered to scrub some of it off with a towel.


I had to scrub vigorously with soap to remove the rest of the paint. There's still some in my fingernails as I type this. Hopefully that'll come off with a few more washes.

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