iProject - Commitment of Hearts




Sunday, 4 March 2007

Volunteering At Ta Van, an Awesome Experience!

It was only a few months ago that I found myself anxiously packing and getting ready for an experience of a lifetime! I have been to a couple of OCIP trips during my secondary school days. Thus, I knew that I was already optimistic about this CIP to Vietnam. However, I did not expect myself to love this trip to such a large extent. I can now safely say that this trip to Sapa, Vietnam was indeed one of the best moments of my life, something that I would never forget.

I was unable to go to TaVan Secondary School the very first day because I had lost my passport. So, I had to stay in Hanoi City for a day longer than the other iProject members. I might have missed out on the warm welcome received from the teachers and students of the school, but I still appreciate the other moments spent at TaVan. They have helped me to learn and grow as a person.

Some of the activities we engaged in were to help to construct the toilet, the kitchen and refurnish the hostel room meant for the students. There was a point where I had to go down to the river to pick up the stones and rocks needed to lay the foundation of cement on the ground. We had to use the shovel which was quite a physically tiring task for me. But with the motivation of my fellow iProject friends, I was able to push myself to accomplish the task.

Some of us also got the opportunity to teach the students English language. It was a very fun and enlightening experience. The students we taught were around 12 to 14 yrs old. Though language barrier was a slight problem, but they were all still very attentive and highly engaged in the lesson. I felt so pleased when the students responded to almost every single question we asked them.

Their active participation made me ponder about why we as Singaporean students, who have the luxury of a conducive learning environment, fans, sometimes even having tablet PCs with lecture notes on it and not stay engaged in the lesson? While these students who feel discomfort sitting on uneven wooden benches with splinters not get distracted by that and pay full attention. Sometimes, when we have all the opportunities laid out right in front of us, we fail to make full use of it and take it for granted. Only when it is gone, then we feel the pain and regret, telling ourselves ‘if only I had not taken it for granted...’ I have benefited from this. As now, I try my best to appreciate the people around me, the things I have and my experiences, be it good or bad.

One thing that has really touched me during the trip was the generosity and hospitality of the Vietnamese people. I remember my friend Marsha and I were just talking a stroll around the village area outside the school during our lunch break. Then a tribal lady greeted us and invited us into her small house shaped like a hut. She offered us a traditional Vietnamese tea and asked her son to take some stools from the attic for us to sit on. This made me realise that though they may literally have very little, they have a lot of compassion. From this, I’ve learnt to be more conscious of the people around me and treat them with the respect and compassion they deserve.

Thank you teachers, iProject-ians and everyone else who have played a role in making this service a success for everyone! The precious smiles of the Vietnamese kids, the beauty of leading a simple yet meaningful life and the lessons I’ve learnt will always be kept in my heart. I would not have traded this experience for anything else. Now I just can’t wait to go back to Vietnam and see the students of TaVan Secondary School again (:

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