iProject - Commitment of Hearts




Friday, 23 March 2007

Once-in-a-lifetime experience

It’s been exactly 5 months since we arrived at Vietnam. We had much to do before the trip, packing the goodies for the school, planning the itinerary for the days when we were going to the school, the games we were going to teach the children, etc. And finally, the day arrived when we met at Changi to go over to Hanoi. Since we’d reached, every time without fail, excitement will fill the air as we clamour up the buses wherever we were supposed to go. That kind of energy never seems to be present in Singapore.

It was a culture shock when we reached Vietnam, and most importantly, TaVan, as we finally understood how privileged we were. The village was rundown, there weren’t any proper roads, there were animals walking alongside humans, and they were just making use of whatever they have around them to pass time. The many challenges are seen when we found difficulties in communicating with the locals, the lack of tools, and feeling tired as the days went by. It was not easy keeping the spirits up when there was much to plan at night and the scorching Sun at our backs when we laboured on in the day. We might have actually experienced a communication breakdown between our groups as well, so it was difficult to carry out certain tasks.

Though it was tiring, it was pretty heart-warming to see the Vietnamese students coming forward to help whenever they have a break. To see their smiles and hear their giggles when you tease them while working, just magically adds energy back into us again.

As the old saying goes, “No man is an island”. This is true indeed. No one can lift a sack of sand on his own, this calls for teamwork. Teamwork allows time, as well as energy, to be conserved, and one will realize that that is the correct way to work. I hope this can be a stepping-stone for those out there who are still contemplating on joining an Overseas Community Involvement Programme. Hesitate no longer, this experience is definitely once-in-a-lifetime, and I guarantee that you will never regret it, ever.

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「 11:53 pm 」

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