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Day 1: Cultural Appreciation and Historical Awareness
Day 1: Cultural Appreciation and Historical Awareness
The War Remnants Museum reminds me that we should not take our lives for granted and we should appreciate whatever privilege we have as not everyone has privileges we often take for granted.
Akif - 3/6
It is important to learn about Vietnam's history as we may say something that is sensitive to the people in the country, and to also understand how different the culture is in Vietnam compared to Singapore, and what they have gone through in the past.
Gabrielle - 3/3
Day 2: Empathy and Resilience
Day 2: Empathy and Resilience
I learnt that the children there are just like us. They are capable of doing the same things as us. There was a language barrier and it was hard interacting with the children and also relating to them but we were creative and used universal gestures for both of us to understand.
Safeenah - 3/7
After experiencing what Viet Cong soldiers that fought in the Cu Chi tunnels went through, I understand how determined and resilient they were to win the war at any cost even in the most harsh conditions and unimaginable circumstances, especially after I went through the neck-breaking and narrow tunnel.
Jivethan - 3/6
I learnt that people can still bond and play despite differences, and have fun despite difficulties and challenges faced. The story told by the guide where a young Vietnamese girl took an American pilot hostage stood out to me as I found it hard to believe that someone that young can take someone much older and more experienced captive.
Cody - 3/2
Day 3: Sustainability and Community
Day 3: Sustainability and Community
Generally, life in the Mekong Delta is heavily reliant on the Mekong River, where the people there rely on it heavily for food or their livelihood. In addition, there was not much technology used there as they still used horse carriages. It was quite a rural and quiet place and the people there were however satisfied with what they had.
Haziq 3/6
I can reuse that which is reusable such as plastic bottles and maintain a sustainable environment.
Nurul - 3/1
The Sokfarm inspired me to think about sustainability as they were able to make so much out of the little they had. Only through the clever innovation of coconut syrup, they were able to make multiple products such as coconut sauce and coconut drinks. Additionally, they were able to build a whole house out of coconuts. This is very sustainable as today I have learnt that once a coconut tree has fully grown, they would be able to harvest syrup for 50-70 years. Personally, I find this superb as through the use of just one fruit they were able to make so much out of it and it is a sustainable source as coconut trees were said to adapt to the environment well.
Julien - 3/7
Day 4: Service and Collaboration
Day 4: Service and Collaboration
I contributed by clearing out and painting the windows in the library and playing freezetag with the children, and helping to mix the paints for the murals.
See Wai - 3/3
Teamwork helped in my activities because I learned how to communicate better with my teammates and learnt how to listen to instructions better.
Leonard - 3/3
Teamwork helped me to delegate manpower to where it was needed the most and to ensure no time was wasted.
Leon - 3/6
There was some misunderstanding and miscoordination among each other which made people frustrated...
Nashwa - 2/7
The children were talking amongst themselves in Vietnamese and a girl had some difficulty with numbers, so I used my fingers and helped her!
Nurul - 3/1
We got over the issue of language barrier using simple gestures such as pointing, we also had people at the pairing area and people making the paint to help get over the resource management issue.
Ian - 3/3
At one point I was very overstimulated, I realized that it was because the task of painting had become daunting and not fun. I was very anxious about what others would say about the painting should it not look up to a certain standard. By the time it got to lunch I was very vulnerable and did not want to continue but the bond between my team ignited the spark in my heart to keep on trying.
Ranvier - 3/3
WhatsApp Video 2024-11-12 at 09.38.29.mp4VID20241112093727.mp4Day 5: Perseverance and Impact
Day 5: Perseverance and Impact
By persevering through the hot sun and even the rain, we were able to complete the mural painting and most of the outside wall. We were able to also interact with the children at the school more and get to know how they are more in general. We were also able to finish building four shelves for the library.
Himeko - 3/4
I hope OVIA’s work will make a good impact towards the community and students through getting a more stable education with the presence of the library to enhance their reading and conversational skills.
Luthfiana - 3/4
Everything was starting to come together which made the school really bright. It showed that it can really make an impact, which made the kids really happy. I hope I will put a smile on peoples' face.
Nashwa - 2/7
I saw that everyone was more organised.Most of the things that we've set out to accomplish like the mural, gate and library is almost done. Today's activties were very mentally straining since we had to quickly adjust from the hot sun to the pouring rain. I think when the sun was super hot we still persevered and tried to complete the paintings. While when it was raining we had to think of how we could try and preserve the mural painting that was not covered in varnish.
Amanda - 3/7
I hope the progress made will leave a positive impact on the students as they have a picture to look at while they are washing their hands, and that the students will get inspired by it to know that they are recognised in the community.
Jaivant - 3/7
Day 6: Gratitude and Reflection
Day 6: Gratitude and Reflection
I was able to see the fruits I bare when making the library which took sweat, blood and tears. Even though it was tiring it was worth it at the end as we would know that we benefit them greatly. It showed me when doing community work with people you know it would be very fun.
Raphael - 3/2
I am most grateful for the opportunity to get to see another side of the world through volunteering as well as helping out local communities of other countries other than Singapore which allowed me to expand my viewpoints of the world. It broaded my perspective and I realised people around the world are not as fortunate as myself and I feel more willing to volunteer in singapore if given the chance.
Leon -3/6
I learnt that community service is about the intention to make the place better and not about getting praised or thought highly of.
Natasha - 3/7
Firstly, I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to participate and take part of this OVIA, through this I was able to learn many new things. Secondly, I am grateful to my group members of Team 3 and the whole OVIA troop my experience would not have been the same without them.
Before this trip, I thought community service just meant that you go to an area help to clean and that’s all. However, after this trip, my whole perception of community service had changed. Now, to me, community service is helping people not just too clean but to help and educate people and in this case students. Through helping them clean, we could possibly spark a passion in cleanliness and possibly help educate the other classmates and need further the whole school. Another example of this butterfly effect is building a library for the kids. Imagine this, a kid picked up a book about English through reading it he learnt more and more. Then, after learning English he picked up more books in that language and it’s a science book possibly sparking a passion of science, and he may pursue it possibly creating a future doctor. Despite all of this hypotheticals, helping them was very rewarding not only for the kids but also for us.
Julien 3/7
It made me feel satisfied about our work at the school. Seeing the students and teachers smiling and appreciating our work made me feel appreciated and accomplished. It also made me feel sad that we were going to be there for the last time after spending hours there together and interacting with the children.
Isabelle - 3/6
Day 7: Economic Development and Connectivity
Day 7: Economic Development and Connectivity
When I got back from Tra Vinh, the differences between the countryside and Ho Chi Minh City were so obvious. Tra Vinh was so peaceful, with wide-open spaces, lots of trees, and everything moving slower. It felt really calm compared to the noisy, crowded streets and tall buildings in the city. People in Tra Vinh seemed super close and friendly, like everyone knew each other, while in the city, everyone’s rushing around and kind of doing their own thing. It was really cool to see how different life can be in the same country.
Iman - 3/3
There are less opportunities for jobs in rural areas and the people there have to rely on their own small businesses for income. The rural areas can have an opportunity to become more developed when resources can be traded throughout the country to help develop all areas of the country.
Brice - 3/7
The city area would have more economic growth since there are more job opportunities unlike the rural areas. Connecting with other countries would help with economic growth one example being having lots of tourist attractions to attract tourists to visit the country hence increasing economic growth.
Phoebe - 3/7
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