The man on the rock

Every once in a while I see something that makes me think “I really, really wish I had my camera with me right now.” One of those moments occurred on the way to Church last Sunday. I was looking out of the bus window and saw a man sitting on top of a large boulder, smoking a cigarette. This in and of itself was not unusual; what made it picture worthy in my mind was that this took place in the median with cars, buses, and motorbikes whizzing past him on both sides.

I laughed at first, until we went past, and I looked back. I saw the sadness underneath.

The man was not just sitting on the boulder. He had a large piece of cardboard over a ratty looking backpack. I realized then why he was sitting the middle of the road. He had no where else to go.

[Disclaimer: the information in the following paragraph is based off of information I have only heard from other people. I haven’t had time to do a good internet search to verify this information, but I still want to include it in a post. I’ve been basing my thought processes on this information, so it is still pertinent for a personal blog but please don’t quote it as fact.] I heard recently that Vietnam had been moved off the developing countries list. If true, this would be a good thing, don’t get me wrong, but there are some serious ramifications as well. Some NGO work and Foreign Aid programs would end here, support some people here depend on. I was reminded by the man on the rock, and by the woman in the picture below, there is still much work to be done in Vietnam.



*Future blog post: The conundrum of trying to help without being condescending.