By Kiara Zavala
“(The trip) made us realize that we are blessed to have the life we live back home.”-Kelly Gard, junior, on the insight gained from visiting her birthplace
Lying on the beach, hanging out with friends, getting a tan: that’s a typical spring break vacation. But for juniors Kelly and Lindsey Gard, spring break was far from the usual. Lindsey and Kelly spent their spring break in Vietnam visiting their birth parents. “It was nice meeting them,” said Lindsey. “It was very emotional, but a great experience,” she added. “It got overwhelming at some points, but we were so loved. It was something very special to me,” said Kelly.
The Gard sisters were adopted at the age of three months. At the time they lived in Vietri, Vietnam, but within weeks were brought to the United States. “I feel blessed to have the family I have now,” Lindsey said as she spoke about her adopted parents. “Before going to actually meet our birth parents, we used to Skype them and send gifts to each other,” said Kelly.
Although the main reason Kelly and Lindsey flew to Vietnam was to see their birth parents, the twins also took the opportunity to tour Vietnam. “We went shopping a lot,” said Kelly. “But we didn’t go to a mall; in Vietnam there are little shops everywhere, where people bribe you to buy their products,” added Lindsey.
While Lindsey and Kelly explored the everyday life, they also got to look at a different aspect of Vietnam. “We went to visit an orphanage,” said Kelly, “the one where me and my sister would have stayed at if we hadn’t been adopted,” she followed.
Being adopted helped the Gard sisters see all the differences between the life they have stateside and the life they would have had in Vietnam. “The main difference that I noticed was the poverty in Vietnam,” said Lindsey. “The things we take for granted here like clean water, electricity and air conditioning are all things they don’t have back in Vietnam,” said Kelly. “It made us realize that we are blessed to have the life we live back home,” added Kelly.
Exploring the culture of Vietnam exposed the Gard sisters to the poverty that takes place. They have since encouraged others to make the trip. “It’s a beautiful country regardless of the poverty,” said Lindsey.
As the Gard sisters headed back home, their goodbyes were emotional. “It was sad leaving, after having such a great time,” said Lindsey. “I for sure want to go back and be with my family again,” said Kelly.
