With less than four days to go until we leave for Vietnam, the excitement is contagious. None of us can wait to get on that plane Thursday afternoon, and already we've begun to get to know each other. I remember back to one of our first meetings, when Mr. Glover told us, jokingly, that by the end of this trip we would all know each other 'intimately', which then seemed a little silly, but now seems a little closer to the truth than previously thought.
Over the past few weeks, we've had several lunchtime meetings, with Ms. Bentin, with staff from Habitat for Humanity, and I've begun to realise just how big a change it will be to go from Singapore, one of the Asia's most prosperous, developed cities, into a poor, rural Vietnamese village. From what I am anticipating, I believe it will be a humbling experience, but also a trip that, as Mr. Glover put it this afternoon, a trip we will 'never forget'.
Whether it's getting your hair cut to keep it off the (no doubt sweaty) back of your neck, pulling out the oldest clothes you can find, going to the doctor to get your Tetanus/Typhoid shot, or buying copious amounts of sunscreen, we have all made preparations for this trip, in expectation of what will be a great trip. Yet what exactly will happen? Well, that's what makes it so exciting!
The only way to know is to stay tuned to this blog: here, twice daily, members of the group will document our experiences and stay connected with everyone at home, while preserving our memories of Vietnam. And we start today: here is a list (to be completed as we go along) of the expectations of the trip prior to our departure, from all the participating students. Let them tell you what they're looking forward to.
Kirsten Buckmaster
At the beginning of the school year, when I just joined OFS, one of the first things I heard about was the OFS Vietnam/ Cambodia trip. From the start of the year, I have been looking forward to go on one of these trips. I chose the Vietnam trip over the Cambodia trip because in Vietnam there were more days of work at the Habitat build site. On this trip, I am looking forward to going to the build site and roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty. I think it will be a most rewarding experience and a great learning experience. Not ideal are the rather basic hygiene facilities; however that is not going to be a problem. On the whole it should be a great trip that is both very enjoyable and rewarding.
Jason Klanderman
My expectations for the Vietnam trip are that we will be able to really get a feel of how some people are still living and that we will be able to help them. I’m expecting that I will have to work very hard but that at the end will get a great feeling of accomplishment knowing that we have just given a family a place to call home. I think this will be a very rewarding trip and a good experience to have. Also I think that it will be a educating trip as we will be visiting history museums and this might help us understand why the country is the way it is and why we need to help these people. Overall I think this will be a very rewarding and fun experience.
Caitlin Muller
This Thursday, 27th of May, I will be flying to Vietnam for service – to help people. I am really looking forward to this trip because it is my first time going there and because I really enjoy traveling to new countries as well as doing charity work. I chose to join this activity because I’ve been used to helping people since when I was young, and it is a great pleasure for me too. I used to watch lots of documentaries about people suffering around the world and I’ve always wanted to do something to help them. So I’ve been involved in numerous charity works and have been helping people in many countries like Cambodia and Papua New Guinea or organizations such as UNICEF. Those experiences made me feel like I was a true member of the global community and I expect the same from Vietnam. While I am in Vietnam, I hope I can be socialized with the people, even though I believe there will be some communication issues. I personally believe that nothing is impossible if we put our will to it, and hence I will try to embrace their culture and understand it. Also, I also hope I can be socialized not only with Vietnamese people but also the students who are going with me. This will be a great opportunity to improve existing friendships and create new ones. Thus, I will also try my best to be close with everyone, rather than favouring someone. It is important that I become involved in the activity but more importantly, I will have as much fun as I can since it may be my once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in Vietnam. Therefore, I hope that this will be another great opportunity to catch three birds with a stone – fun, charity, socialization – and hopefully it will be an unforgettable experience and it will make me a more mature person. Therefore, I am really looking forward to it.
Eui Jae Hong
I hopefully expect to encounter an opportunity to discover my new self from Habitat for Humanity in Vietnam. It will be a meaningful experience as I will not only construct a house, but also provide the people with hope which they can have better future with the permanent shelter. Although the work is expected to be laborious, I expect the trip to be successful in terms of discovering satisfaction from the work that I have achieved providing a ‘habitat’ for the people in Vietnam. As the world increasingly aware of the significance of globalization, I personally feel that it is important to encounter with opportunities to participate in volunteer activities in global scale which will promote welfare of all global citizens. In addition, the trip will allow me to become more social and have more leadership as I get along with the other participants in the trip.
Jin Haeng Lee
I expect to meet new friends, build houses and sweat a lot. I expect to enjoy the trip to the fullest and have a lot of fun. I hope that it’ll be a lot of fun and that the experience will be one that lingers in my memory for years to come. I hope that we new comers uphold our positive representation as OFS students in Vietnam. Truth is, expectations are variables, I don’t know what to expect, but from what I’ve heard, the mutual expectation is that this is going to be a great experience for all of us on it.
Sebastian Kratz
I'm expecting to have huge amount of experiences that I might not had in the past or will not have in the future. From those experiences, I might feel more closer with different kinds of life. I might also get the idea of disparity and inequality fully. I'm also expecting to have more of cultural interaction as I have never been to vietnam. However, I also fear that there might be some cultural differences and I might make some mistakes for vietnamese. I have heard many regulations and special actions that I should not take in vietnam and I am kind of scare if I might forget some kinds of actions that I should not take in vietnam and behave rude. My biggest hope in this trip is to get alot of experiences so that I will be able to look at things in the wider views. I am really excited about this trip!
Tae Min Kim
I hope that I can become closer to my current friends, make new friends
especially with the people in Grade 11. During the time we are in Vietnam,
I want to be able to have lots of fun with everyone but also be helpful to
the people in Habitat for Humanity. I hope that this trip will not only be
enjoyable for me but the other students going and especially the teachers
that organized this trip. Most of all, I want to be able to come back to
Singapore happy and proud that the trip to Vietnam was very successful.
Li-Yen Sneah
On Thursday 20 students including myself are setting off for a trip to
vietnam to help homeless people. When we get there we will be building a
new house or building houses for the homeless people who don’t already
have a home and live in slums.
There are a many things that I wish to gain from this experience such as
learning about the lifestyle in a place where there is no modern
technology and how they take such little things for granted such as water.
It will be a shock to see the major difference between two total different
lifestyles.
I will also wish to gain knowledge about vietnam and their history, and
what they’ve done to make their mark in history.
I am really looking forward to this trip and I want to make it a trip I
will always remember.
Xavier Dell
For the trip to Vietnam, I have quite high expectations as my brother had
gone on the trip last year and told me that it was amazing and one of his
favourite holidays. I am a bit nervous about the amount of work that will
be done, but I'm sure i will have great fun anyway. I am looking forward
to meeting new people on this trip and interacting with the locals of the
village we are helping. I am also looking forward to writing on the daily
blog, as i will be wanting to update my family of all the things we have
been up to. Overall, i have every faith that this holiday will be one to
remember and that i will have an amazing time.
Kate Rogers
Going to Vietnam I hope to gain a little bit of knowledge about Vietnamese history and the Vietnamese People there. Also I hope to have a really enjoyable experience in Vietnam because of the positive feedback I got from some students who already went on the trip, who told me that it was a lot of fun.
What I am most concerned about is that the work at the building site will be really hard physical labour, so that maybe we won’t be able to finish a lot of work because the work is so exhausting, but I am looking forward to it because I hope in the end of the day that I will feel like I have something achieved and contributed to building a house.
All in all it will be a really hard but enjoyable trip.
Melina Knoblich
I have lived in Singapore for about 4 years, and I must admit that I have become accommodated with the fact that no clear disparities can be seen. By going to Vietnam, I believe that I am going to suffer a ‘reality check‘ and clearly see that the amount of people in need are much greater than what I think it is. By being part of the Vietnam Habitat for Humanity trip I want to be able to help those that are truly in need by building houses that will provide shelter for entire families. My family has always donated funds to charity, but this time I want to feel that I am going to make a difference. I hope to learn through experiences and ‘grab‘ memories that will be remembered forever. Memories that will make me reflect on my future decisions. Memories that will hopefully make me a better person. I am also hoping to learn more about the culture of Vietnam, and hence be more acceptant of the different cultures around the world. I also want to meet new people, and use this trip as a way to make more friends. Up to this moment, I am not fairly certain of what to expect, and personally, I think that is what makes the trip exciting.
Ana Rudolph
While I am impressed by the whole concept of Habitat for Humanity, which brings people from the more economically developed countries to less economically developed countries to help construct affordable housing to get families out of unsanitary and unsafe conditions into stable and clean houses, I cannot but help wonder whether the money (including airfare, hotel accommodation, food, etc.) would go a lot further and have a much greater impact on the people of Vietnam if they were simply given as a cash donation to a community. If helping poor communities is the goal, then surely a cash donation could do a lot more for a community than a dozen inexperienced builders building a couple of houses over five days. The opportunity cost of houses that could be built if we donate the cash instead of going to the country seems to indicate that the idea of a Habitat for Humanity trip is economically flawed. However, the glowing testimonials by previous participants of Habitat for Humanity suggest instead that there might be more to the trip than simply building as many houses as possible. I cannot wait to find out.
Deeksha Chandraprathaban
In the week we are going to spend in Vietnam for Habitat For Humanity, I expect to accomplish many things, both for the habitat and for myself. My expectation this time is to build as good of a house as we possibly can, and complete as much work as possible for my own part, knowing that I am capable of the physical labor just as much as my friends. I would like to also understand their culture, environment, situation, and just as much as possible, since I have been wondering why we can’t be dressed too “revealing”. My ultimate expectation is to feel accomplished that I’ve made the world a better place and feel good about myself while doing all the work and after seeing the result of the work.
Sean Lee
