iProject - Commitment of Hearts




Sunday, 4 March 2007

Tavanova - The Sole Reason

It was my class who initiated iProject, led by Ronald. I just rendered my support as I was also interested in the idea of going overseas and helping others who are less fortunate and need more attention. Our destination was Sapa, Vietnam. We were to help a school called TaVan School. We were supposed to help improve school conditions & environments and teach what we learnt in Singapore. Many meetings were done and lots of preparations were done to ensure we would have as successful a trip as possible. Days before the trip, we were feeling excited and the anxiety was unimaginable. We were already thinking what would happen there at Vietnam, how is the environment there, how can we adapt to their busy situation there and many-many more.

It was really a change in climate and environment when we reached Hanoi airport. The currency in Vietnam is Dong. I really felt like a millionaire when I changed a hundred of my US dollars. It was a certainly good feeling. We were greeted by students from HelloHanoi. They were really nice and a great help to us as we were very new to Vietnamese people and their language. This was the first challenge we faced, the language barrier. However, as pro-active students of Innova Junior College, we learnt how to speak Vietnamese language and communicate with the people there, slowly. Although one challenge is being overcome, we knew another challenge would come and we would not know if it is at a higher level to overcome, but we know we can handle them as a whole iProject team.

We reached TaVan School on the 2nd day after a long ten hour ride on the train. We felt energized and wanting to start our work at that moment but we still have to break the ice and know the people first before jumping to any work. We were introduced to the teachers and students there. They were really kind and generous towards us. They greeted us politely and made us feel like we were at home. This showed me that although they have a lower standard of living, they have basic courtesy and manners towards foreign people. I was more inspired to help the school, so that the students can study in a comfortable environment and the teachers could teach in a suitable environment. We worked hard and everyone really put in a lot of effort in upgrading the school and interacting with the teachers & especially the students. We found out that the students were a lot younger than us, and it was very difficult for us to connect because of different level of maturity and different frequency. This was the second challenge we faced, age group. Although they were a lot younger, I still felt that we are the same because we share the same qualities & status as STUDENTS. Both groups want to achieve something from school and I feel we, both, really did it. This creates something very special, “Tavanova”, a combination of two schools with big dreams.

We learnt Vietnamese dance steps and I’m really proud I have mastered it. And I now can speak Vietnamese better. I can count one to ninety-nine if you want me to.

Overall, I learnt something important from the Vietnamese people, never to take things for granted. In Singapore, I do not usually do the house chores and even make my bed as I have a maid. However, the students there did their own house chores and even make their own bed. I felt somewhat ashamed. Although, they were not as high class as us, they really have the values of high classed people. This really motivates me to improve myself on basic things and be to self reliant and not dependent on others.

We took a lot of photos of course. This was to show our friends and families back in Singapore what we done in Vietnam and what iProject is all about. In addition, the photos will always be kept to cherish the memories and remember the moments that we have at Vietnam as an iProject team. I just remembered it is the first time I went overseas with friends and teachers instead of my family. The overall experience was different as I really learnt how to be self reliant and not depend on my parents for safety and money-wise. I am really grateful that I am one of the iProjectors. And our slogan “Commitment of Hearts” will always be in me as I will like to continue this momentum of helping people that are less fortunate and need more attention after I graduate from Innova Junior College. iProject really opened my eyes and defined ‘volunteerism’ deeper. I hope the next batch of Innovians will continue our momentum of OCIP, just as we continued Mission 45’s momentum. This iProject impact makes me want to do something better for the present and the future as volunteerism will never stop for me. Hence, that is why I can state, “Tavanova – The Sole Reason”.

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