OCIP Trip to Gia Bac, Vietnam
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| Arriving at Ho Chi Minh Airport, full of smiles (: |
The OCIP trip to Vietnam was a very meaningful and eye-opening experience for me. This has been said time and time again by all of us and I think that only goes to show the extent of its impact. This trip marks the second time I’ve been overseas for community work and I’m happy to say that both trips were great and in their own different ways. The Vietnam trip has definitely helped in forging closer bonds in the CCA, expanding our horizons and awareness for issues surrounding the world and most importantly, motivated us to do more for the less privileged.
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| A beautiful Gia Bac sunrise |
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| Opening the fence to welcome in another new day! |
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| Piglets :D |
It is quite the common sentiment that the most memorable days would have to be the days we spent in Gia Bac. It took us two days to reach the village because it was situated really far away so I think we were all really excited and pumped up to be finally at the village. I still remember the journey in the bus- we were all sleeping and the bus was just completely silent and going up the very rocky and (dangerously) steep road, surrounded by clouds and mountains. I woke up and was pretty startled to be suddenly up in the mountainous areas but the view was really a sight to behold. There were also small families of wild boars on the way and it was the first time in the trip that I saw boars there so I was quite happy since they looked adorable.
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| Just arrived at Gia Bac, Mr Harry briefing us |
I also remember the villagers that were idling and just sitting on their wooden stools, wondering what a bus filled with strangers and boxes could be doing in Gia Bac. The villagers were all really friendly and welcoming, albeit a bit wary and cautious of us. When we waved at them from the windows of the bus, most of them returned the gesture while some probably thought we were intimidating and resorted to hiding behind their doors or houses. It is really nice to compare how they were like before and after our stay and it does warm my heart to know that we have touched the lives of such different people, no matter how slightly.
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| The house of a family of five or six |
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| The adorably shy kids (: |
On the first day at Gia Bac, I was involved in the Publicity work and we had a tour with Mr. Harry around the village (the village orientation) and it was a slow walk, focusing on many little details that shaped life in the village for both the teachers of the school and the villagers themselves. We went into the house of a 15 year old boy (if I recall correctly) to understand the life of a high schooler in Gia Bac and also the conditions the villagers live in. The house was made with many pieces of wood nailed together and it consisted of a very humble and simple room with a small kitchen at the back. The boy and his siblings were present (the boy was the only brave soul who dared to talk to the strangers and Mr. Harry) but their mother was out in the fields.
One thing that caught my eye was their care for nature. On a wooden ledge there sat a little green bird and I didn’t realise it was there until Mr. Harry pointed it out and tried to pick it up. The bird was really small and fluffy but it was injured and couldn’t really move about so I think they brought the bird in to care for it. This is a really small gesture but considering how they don’t have enough for themselves and yet still have the heart to care for a bird really touched me. Besides going into the boy’s house, we also went around to see many things like the houses the teachers lived in, the disparity that is present even in the village (the different building structures) and the local clinic, to name a few.
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| The Gia Bac clinic |
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| The only primary school there |
Since I did not get the chance to teach the children, I can’t say that I have been deeply impacted by them. I spent most of the time doing construction work and we were tasked to build a water tank and a drainage system of sorts for the toilet and the tank. On the first day, the construction progress was slow because we didn’t really know what to do and I think we weren’t feeling the rush yet as well. We also started late and did not finish a lot of things, but it was a good start and prepared us mentally for what was to expect the next two days.
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| Clearing soil and uprooting plants |
Construction work was of course, very taxing and for us to do it under the sweltering heat for hours continuously was draining. I had to clear the soil (it was more of a mixture but I don’t know what it’s called...) from the drain and transport it elsewhere, which meant that I had to continuously bend down and go back up for hours. My back ached for two days after the end of the construction. There were also lots of interesting things that happened during construction- while digging the drain for the toilet, we dug into a maggot nest and we could see all the little maggots crawling from the hole in the ground. There were also lots of earthworms and exotic insects. As much as they frightened and disgusted us we had to continue working to complete the work. The construction work was tedious and very labour-intensive but it has taught me a few things: to persevere, never give up, and endure the pain and weariness and to also face my fears. It was also good that I could now understand what life is like for the construction workers in Singapore and by working together with so many other people in the CCA, it is inevitable that we grow closer and cooperate better.
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| Laying bricks and cement |
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| The wheelbarrow became a good friend |
Although I never had the chance to interact with the children (I didn’t interact with them much in the other village as well), from the stories my friends tell, the children are really precious and loving. Some of the children plucked flowers from the bushes and gave them to my peers while others often dropped by the library we stayed in just to say a Hello to their teachers in school. They are really thoughtful and I can understand why my friends didn’t want to part with them and cherished every moment they shared together. In the other village (ahhh, forgot its name sorry ><), one of the little girls plucked a fruit from the tree and put it in my palm. We were prohibited from eating anything the children gave so I felt quite bad for returning the gift but it was nice of them to give me something. When we were leaving in our vans, the children also ran after it just so they could catch a final glimpse of us and say their goodbyes another time. They always ran and found shortcuts to the road, and I thought it was extremely sweet of them to do that and it showed that we did bring about happiness to them, at the very least.
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Teddy bear as teaching material
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| Playing games with children in Phuong Thinh village |
To end off, the experience was really enriching. The exposure to poverty to not just a term we see being used in textbooks and books really opened our eyes. I’m sure everyone learnt to cherish everything that we have back home in Singapore but more importantly, to help make lives better for anyone in any way we can. Knowing that there are such nice and warm-hearted people out there who live in such conditions motivate us to do more for them and more for ourselves. Mr. Harry, Quang and everyone else in Vietnam who volunteered are also great sources of inspiration for all of us. They have selflessly sacrificed so many things and all for the good of others while never failing to remain humble and friendly so I believe that we can too. This trip has changed many of us for the better and I think the 3rd Saints Advocate is ready to bring the CCA to greater heights.
-Esther Soh, 12A06, 3rd Saints Advocates.
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| And we grow stronger as Advocates (: |
