Reflections

Today is the last day of the adventurous trip to Vietnam. I am sad to leave because I have had an experience of a life time and have made many new friends which I am sure I will stay friends with. At the beginning of the trip I was a bit sceptical about how it might turn out. I was a bit scared of the amount of hard labour we will have to do, but in the end that turned out to be my favourite part. I loved working with the families on the build site and it made me work as a team with new people. The first day of work in Rach Gia I was put to the task of making a concrete floor. The boys made the cement whilst Deeksha and I made the floor. In my surprise, it was actually fun!! The next day was a bit less fun, well to be honest, it was boring. I had to scrape dirt out of in between tiles in order for the other workers to grout it. I was sooo bored!!! On the way back from Rach Gia, it made me feel how privileged I am to have shelter and I thoroughly enjoyed helping and spending time with the families in need. They were all so nice! From this experience I have learned how to work well as a team and how to help people in need. The most important thing I learned was to be grateful for everything I have and not to take anything for granted.  Life isn’t as simple as people think it is.

Kate Rogers

As the Vietnam trip comes to an end, I can honestly say that it was a life changing experience. At first I was uncertain of what to expect, and what the outcome of the trip was going to be, but once we got to the build site in the rural area of Rach Gia, I fully understood that just by helping carry a brick I was making a difference. Although the workload seemed tiresome at first, as time progressed, each volunteer could see the joy and the gratefulness in the eyes of the families. My contribution was small, but my intention to help the family in need was very big. My job in the build site was mostly digging holes, and it was tiring and boring, yet I kept telling myself that the family was not as fortunate as I was, and that my contribution was going to make a difference. Constantly repeating that to myself made me realize that there are many people out there that live in unspeakable conditions and if everyone does a small part to help, a big difference can be made. Overall, the experience not only made me feel like I was truly helping people, but it also made me realize that I am very fortunate and should be more grateful about my life and the resources that are available to me.

Ana Rudolph

The trip was very life changing and very special I learned many things. At first I thought that it would be easy but construction was really hard. I found out the importance of machinery and cement mixers the hard way. The build site was an agonizing 2 hours by boat. This made me realize how remote and secluded these places are. The build site was very hot and made me feel happy that these people who had no house would now have a decent place to live. I thought Vietnam would be a lot poorer but it turned out ok. I realized how lucky I am and how construction workers in places like the US are since they get machines and cement mixers. People are very lucky they do not beg for money. The Cu Chi tunnels were fun since. Vietnam was a very fun place and I learned a different but altered perspective of the Vietnam War. Vietnam food was very tasty but unfortunately made me sick. The Vietnamese weather was very hot. I got a good impression of Vietnam and I will always remember this trip.

Andrew Clarke

First off, this trip exceeded all expectations.

When the list of people who were going to Vietnam was first shown, I did not know half of them. I was not sure what to expect, especially because about half of the people on this trip were from grade 9. Although it was prejudiced, I was pleasantly surprised. The group was a lot of fun and I think there was a lot of good interaction, friendships have been made.

As for the work, this too exceeded expectations. The first day I had to dig out clay from the front garden of the house, and use the wheelbarrow to bring it inside. This was much heavier than I had imagined, especially because of the heat. But this was to be expected. It was great to see that at the end of the first day great progress had been made.

The second day the work was much better. Most of the day I worked inside, tiling the floors and mixing cement. This was the most rewarding part because after the second day of work, the difference was abundantly clear. On the whole it was great to see all the families working together, helping us and helping each other. The best part of the work was when we said goodbye to the families. The owners of the family thanked us and it was very rewarding to see the joy that we had helped give them.

On this trip I have grown as a person. I had not realized that so many people lived in poverty, and to see this first hand was an eye-opening, mind blowing experience. This trip has definitely affected me positively. It has been an experience I will never forget.

Jason Klanderman

I got everything I wanted out of this trip and more. Before we left we were asked to write our expectations for this trip, and I’m very happy to say I got what I wanted. I made new friends, even with the grade 11's and got closer to my old ones. During this trip I got the chance to learn about the history of Vietnam and the war from their perspective, which allowed me to open my eyes a little. This trip gave me the chance to learn a bit about myself and things in general, like I’m the queen at mixing cement and digging holes in the ground (anyone need help call me :), that I enjoy long long long boat rides, I do NOT enjoy the heat (I already knew that just wanted to point out that it was hot in Vietnam), I learnt that I really really love my shower, and lastly I learnt that it doesn't matter where you are, but who your with (quote from Kirsten Buckmaster :). I feel really privileged to have gotten the chance to go on this trip, very thankful to everyone who went as they were able to make this experience so much more precious, and especially to the teachers who planned and put up with all of us, especially me :P.

Li-Yen Sneah :)

To me, I would say this trip was wonderful, fantastic and all the best it could be and a huge success. During the trip, I not only helped the local community (which was the actual aim of the trip) but also learnt many things about Vietnam and its culture, and became close friends with people I have encountered, such as our Habitat for Humanity leader ‘Giang’ in Kien Giang and the guide (sorry, I don’t remember his name) who has guided us around Ho Chi Minh. I could feel myself being a part of the community and it felt really good.

In Ho Chi Minh, I have traveled many different places in South Vietnam and have gained lots of knowledge. For example, I was able to gain some background information about Vietnam’s history, culture, food and also about the people’s life. They were living poorly, however they didn’t feel down because of it; they were all happy and always had a smile on their face, and I was really impressed by it. While traveling around Ho Chi Minh, I could see that Vietnam War has left great traces in the society, and that was when I truly realized that wars are really terrible and should not be happening anymore. So I wished that North and South Korea’s situation would be solved in a way that doesn’t involve a war.

In Kien Giang, I and my group have contributed in repairing a house in Rach Gia. The standard of living there was even poorer than in Ho Chi Minh. Obviously, they didn’t have any access to modern technology and the house looked so fragile that it could barely protect the family from rain and sunlight. Watching the house, I have realized how fortunate person I am and thank god for being born as a Korean and for living in a rich country like Singapore, getting all access to the latest technology. In terms of helping the local families, I think we have done a great job even though none of us have really finished the houses. However fixing a house was a new experience for me, which I have never done before, and the kindness of the families have touched me greatly, and I am sure I have touched them as well.

Overall, this Vietnam trip was another great opportunity for me to help the local people, contributing to the global community. In the beginning of the trip, most of the time I was thinking of getting the credits for CAS (embarrassing but true) however, as far as I remember, during the trip I have never thought of CAS or any other academic stuff but have only focused on the benefits of the people. The bottom line is that I have really enjoyed the trip and it was a wonderful way to spend the last week of grade 11, and I am looking forward to another opportunity to come back to Vietnam and hope that the community would welcome me as warm as it did throughout the trip.

Eui Jae Hong

Overall, the experiences in Vietnam for Habitat for Humanity were wonderful. As Mr. Glover mentioned before the trip, we have gained life-changing and unforgettable experiences and memories from the trip. We became friends with each other from this trip, we worked and sweated together, and we made cultural interactions in both internally and externally among the community. The experiences we gained from this trip have not only met, but also exceeded our expectations.

The experiences about the primary purpose of the trip, which was building houses, were very memorable to me. I have never sweated as much as I did in this trip in my life before. It is especially memorable and meaningful because I put as much effort as I sweated for providing a habitat for people in Rach Gia, Vietnam. Although our team did not finish all of the building sites, we have contributed in leaping a great step to permanent houses. Also, I encountered a chance for cultural interaction among the villagers and the HFHV members. As collaborative work among the members was crucial in building houses, we naturally get closer with each other as we work together. We have learnt to count numbers in Vietnamese, which our local HFHV team leader taught us. Most importantly in cultural experiences, the food was the biggest mountain we had to climb over. Some of us became pretty familiar with ‘pho’, which allowed us to learn to use chopsticks. This was a great opportunity for some of us who are from Western culture to interact with Asian culture.

The houses we worked on would mean not only shelters for the people but also hopes for future that will allow the people to carry on their lives to lead better future. In broader perspective, the building works were not just for providing individual happiness. The works would as well contribute to further social and economic development of Vietnam. As a student studying human geography in school, the Habitat for Humanity activity came as an opportunity to discover the differences in economic development in both global and regional scale. In order for a country to achieve development, it is important to ensure the welfare of the nations of the country. I feel proud of myself that I contributed, although very little, in helping to reduce differences in level of development in both global and regional scale.

Apart from the laborious yet meaningful works for Habitat for Humanity, we learnt about the history of Vietnam form visiting historical sites including War Museum and Cu Chi Tunnel. Such experiences allowed us to have wider perspectives about the history of Vietnam, in which we do not usually get chances to encounter. Although the time we spent in historic sites in Vietnam, it was a great chance to better understand and accept the cultures of Vietnam. Among the historical sites, Cu Chi Tunnel remains as the most memorable place in my life. It allowed me to not only briefly understand the consequences and impacts of war, but also to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences. As I went through the tunnel which I could barely fit in, I had to crawl. If not for this trip, I would have never tried this experience which I gained an unforgettable memory to encounter an opportunity to have first-hand experiences about the history of Vietnam.

Once again, the experiences in Vietnam were really life-changing and unforgettable. The experiences influenced me in cultural, some physical and historical aspects that I now look forward to have greater perspectives in my life. I made new friends and built stronger friendship, encountered many opportunities to experience great things and contributed in providing welfare of global citizens. Vietnam trip will forever remain in my memory and have influence great changes in my life.

Jin Haeng Lee

This trip wasn’t a life-changing experience, for me. I’m not even sure I believe in life-changing experiences. Life is too big to be moved or changed in one swift move, much like how we couldn’t build four houses in one week. Life comes down to the breakfast cereal we eat, or the movies we watcheas a child, or the way we wash our hair; it’s the floors we tiled or the dirt we shovelled or the ground we pounded. And for the homeowners we tried to help, that may have helped them.

I don’t believe we made a huge difference in those people’s lives, but I’d like to think that, just like us, they benefitted from the experience in some, albeit small, way.

Going to Vietnam certainly opened my eyes to the imminence of poverty in South East Asia. Singapore is an island of prosperity and cleanliness, and yet we make it our standard for proper and adequate living. I constantly have to remind myself that the way my friends and family and I live is so privileged, and that the world, though I see it as clean and rich, is looked at by the advantaged through rose-coloured glasses.

Honestly, when I got on the plane to Vietnam, I didn’t know anyone else very well. By the end of this week, I’m glad to say I made some friends. Yet I’m not naive enough to say those friendships will last, or that we will keep in touch. Yet that doesn’t bother me; I know by the experiences we shared over this week, that even if we lose contact, we will never lose these memories. It’s those that are invincible.

Kirsten Buckmaster

The trip to Vietnam was definitely one of the best and most interesting experiences I have ever had. First coming to Vietnam was just overwhelming with so many motor cycles and just the different lifestyle the people have there.

I think I learned a lot about the Vietnamese culture and the history of Vietnam which will also benefit is in our TOK essay next year.

Not only was it hard work but it was fun and enjoyable to get to know other people as well as having fun with them, but it was also a experience I will never forget. Although the work was hard and it took me to my limits, I really felt like I helped these people with renovating their houses and getting a better living standard. I also think the experience we got in Rach Gia is something we should cherish because not everybody gets this opportunity to do this.

In conclusion I would say it was one enjoyable and exhausting trip which I would gladly do again.

Melina Knoblich