I met Gabby, an amazing 35 year old American woman who speaks 9 languages and founded a nonprofit that helps children with disabilities in Vietnam, at breakfast in Dong Ha. Did I mention that she is blind?
Even though Gabby and I only conversed for an hour, I learned a lot from her. She took pranks against her in stride. When she lived in Rome, she described Italian boys trying to trip her as she walked with her red-tipped white cane. I called their actions “cruel”; Gabby said they were “curious.” She also explained that many of the things she does, especially using digital devices, take her longer to accomplish than it does for seeing people. She appreciates when that fact is acknowledged. She is not seeking kudos, but she finds that people are sometimes impatient and exasperated by the difference.
I am grateful that Gabby turned us on to Banh My Phap in Hue, our next city, because it was a delightful French boulangerie and restaurant that trains impoverished boys to become bakers. “Why not girls too?” I asked. A new location in Ho Chi Minh City is just beginning to accept girl apprentices. It’s an 18-24 month apprenticeship that results in living wage jobs.