Help the poor

Just received a phone call from the Red Cross (perhaps getting a bit cross with them helped?).  They did not get the prices on all items, but the rice and noodles will be purchased and distributed post haste.  The remainder will be later.

P.S.  The price of the rice was 12.5k/kg now.

Ciambella wrote:

Ciambelle (the way you wrote it the first time) is doughnuts, the plural of ciambella, one doughnut -- in Italian.  I've been using that handle for more than 20 years, a tribute to my husband who has a crazy sweet tooth.

A Mystery is revealed!

I never looked up the meaning.  A pretty, stereotypically-sounding Italian name, with "pretty" in it.

You can translate a word to English, but only literally. It comes without the flair.

Bootneck wrote:

I suppose this is related to this post, I was surprised to read yesterday in the VN Express about the number of expats that are broke, homeless and living on the streets in Saigon and are living on food handouts from local Vietnamese volunteers..most are saying they have lost there teaching jobs due to COVID and some are saying they can't get home to their country of origin.. ?

I've read the comments followed that article and I couldn't understand how judgemental some expats can be in regards to other expats.  I'm not saying we expats should hold hands and sing Kumbaya around the campfire, but no one should criticise other people without knowing their circumstances.

Whatever happened in the "lost" expats' lives, why their finance is a mess, or whether they were only using excuses to stay, it's irrelevant.  The fact is that there are many expats who wanted to go home but could not, and they're not to be blamed for their situations.

Many people do not have $1500 - $2000 to buy a one-way ticket home after paying the rent, food, visa extension fees, and other expenses while having no income at all for months. 

Why didn't they ask their consulates for help?  Many Consulates do not help their citizens abroad anymore.  At least, the US Consulate doesn't.  In fact, they haven't helped US citizens in VN for about a year now.  Let me tell you a story before we get back to the matter of expats on the street. 

A man in my husband's coffee klatch in VT was discovered with a brain tumour last year.  His friends in VT appealed to the US Consulate for help.  The Consulate insisted that his family in the States must be responsible for his affair. 

While trying to find his only family member, a daughter to whom he was not close, his friends terminated his lease, sold his belongings to pay the last of the rent, took him to Ba Ria Hospital, then Cho Ray Hospital in Saigon. 

They requested the Consulate to pay for his flight home where he could be taken care of by the VA.  The Consulate said they would pay for his way only, but someone must sign a promissory note, and he must have a companion as per the airline's rules.  I talked to a member of this forum who was willing to accompany him, but the Consulate did not guarantee this person's re-entry to VN (this was during the 2nd phase of Covid) so the plan fell apart.

After a couple months, the patient died and was cremated.  The daughter was finally found but she was in and out of rehab, not a stable person, and didn't have the fund to pay for the transportation of his remain.  His ash is still in Saigon today, almost one year later.

Fast forward to the present time.  The US Consulate office has been closed for almost 6 months now, and the multiple email that we received all emphasised that they do not (not cannot, but do not) help American citizens in any service. 

Now, with evidences such as the Consulate's refusal to help a person at his death bed, then the abandonment of his remain in a foreign country, then the multiple announcements that they do not help their citizens in VN, then the closing off of their office for months, do you think they would say yes to the lost expats who came begging?

I truly hope other countries' Consulate have more concern for their citizens' welfare, but I understand why some American expats end up relying on donated meals from a group of Vietnamese youth. 

I also hope that the expats who commented on that article happen to read this forum so they'll see that the poor in Vietnam are not only the Vietnamese.  The lost expats also need our sympathy, our empathy, and our help during this tragic ordeal without having to listen to our sermon.

Ciambella wrote:

Bootneck wrote:

I suppose this is related to this post, I was surprised to read yesterday in the VN Express about the number of expats that are broke, homeless and living on the streets in Saigon and are living on food handouts from local Vietnamese volunteers..most are saying they have lost there teaching jobs due to COVID and some are saying they can't get home to their country of origin.. ?

I've read the comments followed that article and I couldn't understand how judgemental some expats can be in regards to other expats.  I'm not saying we expats should hold hands and sing Kumbaya around the campfire, but no one should criticise other people without knowing their circumstances.

Whatever happened in the "lost" expats' lives, why their finance is a mess, or whether they were only using excuses to stay, it's irrelevant.  The fact that there are many expats who wanted to go home but could not, and they're not to be blamed for their situations.

Many people do not have $1500 - $2000 to buy a one-way ticket home after paying the rent, food, visa extension fees, and other expenses while having no income at all for months. 

Why didn't they ask their consulates for help?  Many Consulates do not help their citizens abroad anymore.  At least, the US Consulate doesn't.  In fact, they haven't helped US citizens in VN for about a year now.  Let me tell you a story before we get back to the matter of expats on the street. 

A man in my husband's coffee klatch in VT was discovered with a brain tumour last year.  His friends in VT appealed to the US Consulate for help.  The Consulate insisted that his family in the States must be responsible for his affair. 

While trying to find his only family member, a daughter to whom he was not close, his friends terminated his lease, sold his belongings to pay the last of the rent, took him to Ba Ria Hospital, then Cho Ray Hospital in Saigon. 

They requested the Consulate to pay for his flight home where he could be taken care of by the VA.  The Consulate said they would pay for his way only, but someone must sign a promissory note, and he must have a companion as per the airline's rules.  I talked to a member of this forum who was willing to accompany him, but the Consulate did not guarantee this person's re-entry to VN (this was during the 2nd phase of Covid) so the plan fell apart.

After a couple months, the patient died and was cremated.  The daughter was finally found but she was in and out of rehab, not a stable person, and didn't have the fund to pay for the transportation of his remain.  His ash is still in Saigon today, almost one year later.

Fast forward to the present time.  The US Consulate office has been closed for almost 6 months now, and the multiple email that we received all emphasised that they do not (not cannot, but do not) help American citizens in any service. 

Now, with evidences such as the Consulate refused help to a person at his death bed, then abandoned his remain in a foreign country, then the multiple announcements that they do not help their citizens in VN, then their closing off their office for months, do you think they would say yes to the lost expats who came begging?

I truly hope other countries' Consulate are more responsible of their citizens' welfare, but I understand why some American expats end up relying on donated meals from a group of Vietnamese youth. 

I also hope that the expats who commented on that article happen to read this forum so they'll see that the poor in Vietnam are not only the Vietnamese.  The lost expats also need our sympathy, our empathy, and our help during this tragic ordeal.

I'm not saying we expats should hold hands and sing Kumbaya around the campfire, but no one should criticise other people without knowing their circumstances.

UK same, we are just an annoyance interrupting their afternoon tea & crumpets (tiffin) on the Embassy lawn & G & T of an evening at what ever Embassy is laying on a soiree that night.

Ciambella wrote:

Bootneck wrote:

I suppose this is related to this post, I was surprised to read yesterday in the VN Express about the number of expats that are broke, homeless and living on the streets in Saigon and are living on food handouts from local Vietnamese volunteers..most are saying they have lost there teaching jobs due to COVID and some are saying they can't get home to their country of origin.. ?

I've read the comments followed that article and I couldn't understand how judgemental some expats can be in regards to other expats.  I'm not saying we expats should hold hands and sing Kumbaya around the campfire, but no one should criticise other people without knowing their circumstances.

Whatever happened in the "lost" expats' lives, why their finance is a mess, or whether they were only using excuses to stay, it's irrelevant.  The fact that there are many expats who wanted to go home but could not, and they're not to be blamed for their situations.

Many people do not have $1500 - $2000 to buy a one-way ticket home after paying the rent, food, visa extension fees, and other expenses while having no income at all for months. 

Why didn't they ask their consulates for help?  Many Consulates do not help their citizens abroad anymore.  At least, the US Consulate doesn't.  In fact, they haven't helped US citizens in VN for about a year now.  Let me tell you a story before we get back to the matter of expats on the street. 

A man in my husband's coffee klatch in VT was discovered with a brain tumour last year.  His friends in VT appealed to the US Consulate for help.  The Consulate insisted that his family in the States must be responsible for his affair. 

While trying to find his only family member, a daughter to whom he was not close, his friends terminated his lease, sold his belongings to pay the last of the rent, took him to Ba Ria Hospital, then Cho Ray Hospital in Saigon. 

They requested the Consulate to pay for his flight home where he could be taken care of by the VA.  The Consulate said they would pay for his way only, but someone must sign a promissory note, and he must have a companion as per the airline's rules.  I talked to a member of this forum who was willing to accompany him, but the Consulate did not guarantee this person's re-entry to VN (this was during the 2nd phase of Covid) so the plan fell apart.

After a couple months, the patient died and was cremated.  The daughter was finally found but she was in and out of rehab, not a stable person, and didn't have the fund to pay for the transportation of his remain.  His ash is still in Saigon today, almost one year later.

Fast forward to the present time.  The US Consulate office has been closed for almost 6 months now, and the multiple email that we received all emphasised that they do not (not cannot, but do not) help American citizens in any service. 

Now, with evidences such as the Consulate's refusal to help a person at his death bed, then the abandonment of his remain in a foreign country, then the multiple announcements that they do not help their citizens in VN, then the closing off of their office for months, do you think they would say yes to the lost expats who came begging?

I truly hope other countries' Consulate have more concern for their citizens' welfare, but I understand why some American expats end up relying on donated meals from a group of Vietnamese youth. 

I also hope that the expats who commented on that article happen to read this forum so they'll see that the poor in Vietnam are not only the Vietnamese.  The lost expats also need our sympathy, our empathy, and our help during this tragic ordeal without having to listen to our sermon.

Greetings Ciambella, Yes I agree that some of the comments made by fellow expats were a bit harsh, I hope their situation will improve and they can either return to their home countries..or return to their previous employment here if they are legally able too