CSDS, Vietnam - Life is beautiful

CSDS goodbye present

After one week of being back home I can now better reflect on my last 3 weeks in Vietnam. I didn't have much expectations to be honest or at least I tried to not raised any. When I was preparing everything for my trip I read the volunteer guide that the organization sent me. In this guide I had all the information, from what I should take, a bit of Vietnamese history and also a little bit of what we should expect of being a volunteer.

Happy beautyful little girl

After reading all of it I thought "yeah I am not going there and change anyone's life!!" and it's true we don't change anyone's life by spending a few months with them and in my case even less because I was going to be there for just 2 weeks. When I started to think about it I wondered if it made sense to go for just 2 weeks... I was troubled with these thoughts for a while. But then, what does it matter if it's just for 2 weeks, 2 days or 2 hours... you can actually impact someone's life just by spending 2 minutes with them. We don't make a big change people's life but we definitely can have a little impact. And that my friends... that is exactly how I felt every day that I spend with the children or with the students in the community classes. Yes I didn't do anything special, I just played with kids tried to entertain them and I also only spoke english with the students, what does it matter?? I help the little ones go through the afternoon with a bit more fun and I helped the students to know even if just 1 more word or that Portugal exists and where in the map. Is this too little? Probably but... Well it felt like a lot to me. So looking back there is nothing that  would change about this experience. The CSDS staff was the most helpful and gentle that I could ask. I met very interesting people that do an amazing job to help their community, people passioned about their work, people that actually care. They do an amazing work with the little resources they have.

I learned through these weeks that life is beautiful, you help by giving whatever you have (english knowledge or just passion for children) and you get it all back. You get it all back by having just one little girl coming to play with you every time she sees you or just having students saying that they enjoyed the class and they wished you could stay longer.

At this moment I am writing with tears in my eyes. I really connected with the children I met, I loved the time I spent there and everyone I met. I just wished I could have stayed longer. But duty called.

Another learning is that, it is very good to travel alone. You meet a lot of people and you are a lot more open to talk with different people. You meet a lot of people that turn up to be really weird but that is fun too.

So I will probably repeat this experience... Maybe I will go back... who knows.

Day #8 - Happy Easter from Vietnam

Easter @ Hoan Kiem Lake

Well, Easter in Vietnam is just different. Why? well, there is no Easter here. Instead of celebrating Easter today I went to walk around Hanoi city centre again and buy souvenirs.

As Sunday, today the day started later and we headed to the city centre and get some food. I am not proud of myself today because I went to eat something western. Today was a day full of western things. Maybe I was missing being at home for Easter... but actually I think I was just not brave enough to go somewhere without a local that knows the place and the people. So today there is no pictures of food, I am too embarrassed. 

After lunch we went for shopping and I had my first try on bargain. I did some shopping and I tried to bargained in all of them. But there was one point that I felt very very guilty, more like an hypocrite. I was challenging the price of a tshirt that was 70000 VND which is 3.24 USD!! I challenged and I paid only 50000, 2.32 USD. This money doesn't even pay the tshirt!! I left the shop and I was thinking how hypocrite I am. I came here as volunteer to help and I don't want to pay 3.23 USD for a tshirt when I was wearing a 20 pounds one???!! Just felt wrong. I can't fix the world but this just felt wrong...

We spent the afternoon walking around and we went to a shopping centre on the other side of the town that it was like we entered in a different world. Suddenly, the streets with the open drains and people cooking on the street, parking their bikes anywhere and having shops stuffed with clothes and other articles was like a different planet. In the shopping there was Dior, Cartier, Kenzo, etc and a man to open the doors for us. The differences that you see between two worlds in this city are gigantic. This is the type of thing that I knew to exist but when you see with your eyes is just awakening... and sad. And as anywhere in the world, as more simple and modest the people are, nicer and more welcome they are.

After a nice walk in the sun around the lake we sat to relax a little and a group of students approached us. They are having English classes and they wanted to practice so they asked our help. I spent some time talking with them. About what I do as job (this is always a funny part of the conversations), my hobbies, the reason to be in Vietnam, what did I visited and where do I go next. They took sometime to explain us the legend of the Hoan Kiem Lake (in english, The lake of the returned sword) and after they asked me to tell something about where I come from. After explaining that my job is make chocolate, this is the best part of the conversation. I told them that I was from Portugal, their faces, like everyone else, is of confusion - they have no idea where Portugal is - so then I shoot the miracle question "Do you know Cristiano Ronaldo??" Their faces open with a massive smile and say "Cristiano Ronaldo?? yes!! I am a big fan, he is so handsome!!" - job done, everyone knows from where I am. Thank you so much Cristiano, you have no idea but you made my life a lot easier here around Vietnam, probably anywhere else I go too!!

Our English students

To finish, do you remember when I said that everyone here was very polite and respected a lot the elderly people by giving their seats on the bus??!! Well, not everyone, there is assholes in Hanoi as well. Surprise, surprise!! When this old lady got in the bus, Amondine (another volunteer here in Hanoi) stood up to give her seat and another lady took the seat. When we pointed to the older, very fragile lady to show that the seat was for her, she completely ignored us and the lady. In my best Portuguese I said "cabra do c$%&"#$"!

Tomorrow, my first community class and another afternoon at the hospital :D   

I also skyped with my family today. Was nice to talk with everyone and also see my niece. She is so big. I never spent so long without talking with her and also neither spent so much time away from home like now. This was also the first Easter in 30 years that I was not with my family and without my Kinder egg. Well, I did a lot of good and nice things as well and I always have next year. I am sure I do. But... I do miss my homeland.

PS: First Imodium tablets taken... my belly feels funny (very worried face)