Project Vietnam Hanoi (2010)

Almost a year after PV Hanoi 2010, we’re still a team :)

During this time, I’ve met up with Son, Elaine, Yun-Ni, and Nick. I’ll be seeing Lily tomorrow, and she wants to come and see the volunteering network I’ve set up on my own after being inspired by SEALNet.

Connections unbreakable, connections strong.

Yesterday I turned on my laptop as usual in the morning with one hand while the other brushed my teeth, and found that one of the mentees, Tien, had invited me to like the Agent Orange Group on Facebook.

I clicked into it and found the photos of the mentees, found that the admins remained the same, found that the club had continued to live, long after the kids had forgotten the strange foreigners who had come to visit almost a year ago.

It makes all the hard work worth it, and all the connections we made during that two weeks, well it brings the network to life.

Thank you, dear mentees (although I’m sure you are all mentors in your own right), for showing the world that it is possible.

<3

Angie

So today, I have met up with the 8th member of our PV Hanoi team since we all left Vietnam, Momma Mona :).  Hanging out with her today, reminded me of the blog that I was suppose to do after I did Spot Light On, but I never did, so here it is.

After seeing Mona and the previous members that either visited me or I visited, I realized that what we did in Hanoi actually have a lasting effect.  The mentees are busy with their new club, AOV, while us mentors are mostly on our separate ways.  But occasionally we still meet up/chat/hang out/skype/talk, somehow keep on contact with each other.  I personally, have tried to contact with most of the member, and hope that we all can still keep in contact for as long as possible, forever.

I am really glad to have befriends with everyone on the team, from the PL’s, the mentors, the mentees, and Kin and Kat.  I have learn something from all of you, and it has changed me in more ways than I can imagine.  I wish that one day we all can meet up again and see where we all have headed off to.

For now my goal is to meet up with the rest of the group, so come to LA or invite me to where ever that you are :)

P.S. Canada is pretty awesome, it is not just America’s hat, it is something else :)

- Son

***if some part of this does not make sense, perhaps it is because I am pretty tire from being awake for over 24 hours, but yea this was something I had to say after hanging out with Mona.***

a tap on the shoulder, waist, arm: a call

in their hands grasping pieces of history, family

glimmering trinkets of not-so-distant dreams

open slowly: an invitation

arms

extending around — reaching

[falling? no, embracing]

reluctant trust turned solid

distant eyes — focusing

liquid darkness — clearing

flowing into a fluid smile with

teeth: slightly cracked | slightly dirty

lips: slightly chapped | slightly curved |slightly…

(no, fully) enthusiastic

saying: hum-m-m, mu-u-u-um 

echoing: hum-m-m, mu-u-u-um 

the window, a music sheet punctated by notes of rain

through the wet curtain, those traces of deeper understanding

like… we all live in a house called earth (1)

where… the toothpicks are the ethnic minorities (2)

knowing… even if we fall, we’re still one step ahead (3)

while believing… i can do it (3)

and moreover… we can do it (4)

because even though.. it’s a small dream now… at least it’ll come true (5)

filled with youth and excitement

and you wonder who they are behind the sheet of rain

wonder whether the dream you see past the droplets

past the storm, under the coverage of the other side

is too big / too wild / too impractical

/ too. /

not realizing that too [is too much]

because upon the clearing of the clouds

you learn that the dream—the people—you thought were separated by the rain

was actually reflected by the rain

had you waken enough

/trusted enough/

to simply turn around

you would’ve seen that the dream you imagined is indeed

very much so 

a reality

——————-quotes——————-

(1) van

(2) linh

(3) lanh anh

(4) hoa

(5) duc

——————-notes——————-

i guess this is my (very) belated blog posting!

in my defense, i was slowly writing it as the days passed, in hanoi

in my defense, i feel this is my way of wrapping up some of my thoughts

in my defense…

i wanted to keep these memories a little longer, just for me :]

miss you all.

see you all soon!

//mo.

Dear all,
PV is on the news!!! :D It’s a Vietnamese article, so Hanh translated it to English for us (thanks so much dear <3). You can find the original article here:

http://www.baomoi.com/Home/HocBong/daidoanket.vn/Sealnet-Noi-nhip-yeu-thuong-giua-cac-ban-tre/4805306.epi

Enjoy! Miss and love you all :]   

Clarissa

SEALNet: Love rhythm connection between the young
SEALNet, whose idea originates from some American doctors, was founded 5 years ago. They are students in Stanford University in the hope of looking for volunteers and supports from international students, including Vietnam ones.
Since then, SEALNet has organized about 20 projects in different countries. In 2010, SEALNet has 2 projects in Vietnam. We’ve had a discussion with Nguyen Ngoc Anh Tu, a junior at UCLA, who is also the co-project leader. Tu said: “Our project purpose is to build a love bridge between international youths and Vietnam”.

- Can you tell us about SEALNet’s past projects?

Each year, SEALNet has 7-8 projects in different countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Campuchia, Thailand, Laos… In this year, SEALNet has 2 projects in Vietnam: one in Vietnam, which is to help victims of Agent Orange in Peace Village (Thanh Xuan); the other is to help the orphans in Long Hoa. This is the 7th time SEALNet has come to Vietnam.

- What is the main result of SEALNet in recently years?

In the first few years, SEALNet used to run charity projects in Ho chi minh City, such as: a project in The 15 May School. In that project, SEALNet built a IT and English educating room for street children in hope of after the end of the project, they would have basic knowledge for their daily lives. Besides, SEALNet has a volunteer team who are professional trainers about voluntary skills. In Vietnam’s project, we choose some local high school students to pass the touch, and let them know how to run a club, organize an event or find sponsors for youth activities in Vietnam.
In 2009, SEALNet had a project in Thanh Cong Secondary school in Hanoi. Here, we educated students about environmental awareness and using recycle stuffs. Particularly in 2010, SEALNet has decided to have 2 projects in both Hanoi and Ho chi minh city. For Hanoi, our purpose is to help the children build a new computer room with connected internet in Peace Village. We’ve got sponsors for 4 new computers. Viettel also agrees to provide free internet access for the village. In addition, we help Peace Village teach English, support in medial rooms and take care of the Agent Orange victims here. 

- Can you share how to become a member of SEALNet?

Each year, every SEALNet’s projects has the participation of international students. We usually receive applications from April or May for the summer activities. In each of the project, we have about 15-20 students coming from all around the world, including Vietnam. They are very interested in SEALNet. Our project this year also has some students whose motherlands are Hai Phong or Ho chi minh City. They all agree that if we just travel, we can’t understand the lives of people here as much as we join SEALNet’s service activities. 
On the other hand, every team member must be supportive of each other, passionate and healthy. In 2 weeks, we have only 1 day off and work for the rest. They all want to know not only the harmful effects of Agent Orange on human health but also how the children survive their sorrows. SEALNet pay all the fees for 2 working weeks. Team members only need to pay for their own travel tickets. When being accepted into SEALNet, everyone will need to commit to raise a fund of $150. This year, in Hanoi’s project, SEALNet has raised $11000 in total. It’s used to pay for team members and mostly for our project’s activities.

I stumbled upon this picture as I was browsing through pictures taken over the past two weeks, and it brings back one of the most treasured moment I had on the project. That day, my teammates asked me to join in on one of the activities with the mentees to make the number of participants even. Of course I said yes, not knowing exactly what it entailed. The activity was called the Blanket Game, with an objective of turning a blanket (in this case, a towel) over while standing on it. The catch was, on a piece of towel, there were something like 6 or 7 people on it…one of which was me. To say the least, I got a chance to really bond (albeit while sweating about 2 gallons of sweat) with the mentees then.

Despite my constant complain, the game actually made me realize how much the mentees mean to me. They are not just some high school kids with whom I got to work and to whom I got to teach, but they’re my teammates from whom I’ve learned and whom I can trust. Standing on the same piece of towel as some of the mentees made me realize that I was just like them, I was there to learn new things and experience new memories as well…because I didn’t know how to turn the towel over either.

You see; it never really hit me until now that I’m sitting alone browsing through and stumbling upon pictures and memories like this one above…the project has actually ended, and I just realized that no matter how many times I’ve been through the ending of a SEALNet project, I can never get used to it. My teammates (mentors and mentees alike), as well as the children at Peace Village, have gone their separate ways…and I’m feeling utterly lonely. I’ve gotten so used to working and hanging out with my fellow SEALNutters around the clock for the past two weeks that the day/night just seems empty without them…I really can never get used to it.

Until next time….

- Simba K

Say YES before you know HOW

Everything is over all my expectations.. SEALnet - inspired

It’s almost the end of the project and everyday I find out a new experience and all, they are the most wonderful experiences ive met. I regret that I couldnt join all service and leadership workshop. I missed some meetings, that means I missed great time, missed inspiring time.

However, the time I did service in PV, the time i saw every members try to plan leadership workshop, the time I saw mentors tried their best to share everything they know to the mentees, these times are enough for me to admire and to be inspired.

I will miss the children there. But, Im sure, I ll come back PV soon. Im a Vietnamese and I live in Vietnam, I have chance to come back and I ll come back. Every time I play w them, I feel sth inside - strange but emotional. I love seeing their smile, I love seeing their happiness in their faces whenever we come. The service subteam is amazing, you did try your best to play with the kids though you all havent had any experience in special education yet. Elaine, you did a good job, so, never feel sad again. The teacher could help the kids to study and you could help the kids feel happier. I really appreciate your cool idea to make play-Doh. I have never had a such creative idea before. You are awesome. Everyone is awesome.

I spent almost time with leadership subteam. There, I often stayed quiet and saw everyone making plan (it’s not good, but i missed many meetings, so I felt actually bad). Then, every afternoon, whenever I was presented at leadership workshop, saw how you controled time, how you inspired mentees, how our best mentees did amazing things, there were some words coming up to my mind “exited, awesome, great” .

Kin, our peer mentor, you always guide us what we should do, give us effective advices. Jas and Pak, you are always be right time to support the whole team. These days, sometimes, I saw Pak and Jas some kind of *tired* in their face. I appreciate every effort u all did. Stay healthy and take easy, co-leaders. U did great job!

Only 2 days left…

1…2…3…. SEALnet

Lily (xoxo)

Since we started the project I’ve been working during service mostly with children in the physiotherapy room, and they’re generally very young children with mobility issues, and never have I had to actually teach them anything, or interact with them in any way but by bending and flexing their joints in a very textbook-like fashion.

Today though, I was in the life skills room and the children were being a lot more aggresive than usual. They were hitting each other, crying, and the focus of attention seemed to be this young girl who seemed to cry quite easily..

Before today I confess that I didn’t think about the day we would leave PV, because I was afraid of how gloomy I’d then feel, and how I would never see these children again, and wonder what will become of them in ten years’ time.. But today, I saw something that completely changed that.

Volunteers come to PV all the time, for many different lengths of time. But as much as we try, we’ll never be there forever, and we cannot be there all the time..

Going back to the story, the girl who was crying is the one wearing pink..

I had been hugging her and protecting her from her attackers for a while, when suddenly, the girl in the yellow top appeared on the scene, and pushed all the boys away, yelling at them to stop. And then she turned to her friend, wiped her tears away, smoothed her hair, and hugged her tightly until she stopped crying.

Then she fed her some imaginary noodles until they both calmed down.

And then I realized..

Friendship is not just a concept.. it’s an emotion.

These children don’t often remember their own names, or their own ages, and sometimes it’s very frustrating trying to teach them, or trying to get them to pay attention, but today I learned that they are smarter than us all, and it is us who are disabled, not them.

Despite their difficulties, despite their inhibitions, despite their short term memory, they can remember the way friendship makes them feel, and they gravitate naturally to the people who can make them feel that way. They stand up for each other, they protect each other, and they are friends who look past physical attractiveness and other capabilities and see and feel the real thing.

They may need volunteers at PV to help move things around and keep the kids happy and interested, but we must remember that the children there know the importance of having each other’s backs and taking good care of each other.

And that’s what being a friend is.. and I aspire to become a better friend to all who know me..:)

A big lesson, from two little girls whom I truly met for the first and last time today.

I think it’s now not so hard for me to let them go, because I know that although I’m not there, they’ll still be there to take care of each other, and that’s what matters. :)

Angie!! :D xxx

Lan Anh, “We’re lucky enough that there is 15 of us that were brought together and have experienced this together. If we never take that step up, how can we ever reach the top? Even if we all take one step and fall, at least we took that step for someone else and a further step for anyone else. There’s a lot we need to go, but it’s not about whether you have friends, or money, what you need Is passion.” (quoted by rough translation)

Today was another day at Peace Village, the days are numbered which is a little depressing.  Each day stuns me with what level at which the mentees are mature and able to work.  In today’s workshop, we gave them some time to discuss amongst themselves about the reality of starting a club and it ended up taking a bulk of the time. I think it made a lot of us realize similarly that the mentees are aware of the difficulties ahead but we just need to continue teaching what we can.

It is inspiring that they had such an intense discussion because it shows how aware they are of the realities of the difficulties of starting a club, especially with students of different years, different goals, different schools, but at the same time, this has its advantages. It is amazing how they have realized their ability to work together as a team.

Other than that, hopefully we can steer them in the direction they want to be in. AND, I’m very excited for the carnival tomorrow and I really hope everyone enjoys the activities..

VAN :) 

Every SEALNet project has its own unique way of leaving a mark on me, and today I was left with a huge mark…from the mentees.

The major activity of the day was having our mentees discuss whether they want to start a club to continue the work at Peace Village together after we leave, and the first thing that struck me was how they asked for multiple extension and turning a 20 minute-long discussion into an hour long session of intense talk. Initially they all came up with a list of benefits they will gain and challenges they will face, and quite a few of them were still quite concerned and uncertain about the feasibility of the idea. However, when we brought them back together and Diana asked them to individually raise their hands if they think the idea is feasible when the challenges have been addressed, practically everybody in the room raised their hands…and that almost left me in tears, knowing that the passion is there but they’re just uncertain, just like how I was when I first joined SEALNet in 2008.

The amount of passion in this group of mentees was unprecedented in all my 3 years of involvement with SEALNet, and that has been constantly shown throughout the past week and a half, including today. They have shown to me how much they care; they have shown how much they are willing to push for it; and most importantly today, they have shown that despite the daunting task ahead, they’re willing to go for it…they’re willing to raise their hands up when asked if they want to do it.

To me, that was the most important part of what will make them successful.

- Simba K     ;)

I have been reminded today, that absence of fear is not leadership, rather, having more fear than anyone else could ever imagine, but managing to conquer it, is the greatest strength an individual could hope to achieve as a leader.

Because the secret is not to dream, but to wake up after..

And realize, that despite all the challenges that life presents to us, that there is a way ahead, and as Lan Anh said today in a speech that brought tears to many eyes: if you fall down whilst you’re climbing the stairs, at least you’re still one step ahead from the rest of the pack..we have the passion, and we can do anything. Let’s go.

And waking up to reality, when the mentors stepped out of the room, and being left to fend for themselves in a simulation of what life will be like without us, actually created in our mentees the enthusiasm that weeks and weeks of workshops and service might not have been able to achieve. Passion to work it out, passion to search through information and experience, passion to manage the logistics and listen to everyone else.. All these things weren’t things we taught the mentees. All these things had always been there, waiting for them to wake up to find..:)

I also wanted to say that Jasmine’s dad, Mr Nguyen, came over to Ha Noi and brought the team out for dinner tonight.

When I saw him, I recognized that he would be her dad immediately. Apart from the obvious facial feature similarities, there was just so much pride in the way he was looking at his daughter, and so much appreciation as he spoke to us; and all in all, his presence was what has touched me the most in the project so far.

I am grateful, not only to him but also to my own parents back home, who are talking to their friends about me with hopefully the same look of pride on their faces, and if I were to have been in her place, would have supported me just the same in my endeavours, and would have believed in me without asking or needing any proof of my abilities, or when nobody else would, and would have loved me unconditionally, too.

Because that is, in a nutshell, what family support is: The roots of the world’s dream tree. :)

To all the parents out there, thank you, for everything.. :) xxx Angie!!

I don’t expect you to remember anything I’m telling you. But I know you will remember this — that nothing good ever ends. If it did, there would be no people in the world — no life at all, anywhere. And the world is full of people and full of wonderful life.

Especially here. Especially now.

Coming to this project I was complacent. I thought I could determine, beforehand, exactly what I was hoping to achieve. I thought I could set goals, and come here and expect to achieve them, simply because I am, by nature, a planner, and I had come to believe that all in life could be attainable simply by being meticulous about the way we went about realizing our dreams and destinies, and having backup plans when things didn’t go the way we needed them to.

Since I’ve come here, I’ve had all sorts of people remind me that life doesn’t come with a lesson plan, and that sometimes you need to let loose and drift along the seas of enlightenment, picking up things on the way. My teammates, my co-leaders and their mentors, our mentees, and the children at Peace Village, as well as the staff there have all been.. incredible.

We were in the life skills room for the medical component, and one of the kids was doing a puzzle. He had the number 7 inverted in his hand, and he was trying to put it into the hole for the number 7 but the right way up. He knew it was number 7 he was holding, and he knew he was meant to put it into the slot, but he just couldn’t. So he looked at me in frustration, then turned the whole puzzle instead of just the piece he was holding in his hand. We both sat there admiring the completed puzzle for a long time. We didn’t say anything because there was such an awful lot to say, and no language to say it in.

There is no substitute for the team here at PV 10 (Hanoi). Every single person here has given me an opportunity to travel through their hearts and eyes and fall in love with humanity again. As we get to know each other better I have altered my world view, I have gained insight into all of them, and I have met friends that I hope I can keep forever.. :) SEALNet roadtrip again to the pottery place in 10 years time!!! :D

The mentees we’ve met from Hanoi are some of the best young people I have ever had the opportunity and good fortune to meet. I am so inspired by the way they have dreams, like Duc and Nam, who want to start a club at their university for Peace Village, and so inspired by the way they are grateful for our leadership workshops and so appreciative of the work we’ve done. I would love to mention you all here in this post, but you know who you are, and you know that it has been a great feeling to know that we may only have met you for 2 weeks, but that our interaction will present changes in you that will last forever, and I am so proud of you all for wanting to be great :)

I once asked a kid about his greatest ambition. I was teaching poor children in a hot and dingy upstairs room in Kuala Lumpur, and the afternoon sun was scorching and the books were boring as they pored through their workbooks. I expected him to say something like doctor, teacher, or even hawker, but he said he wanted to be a passenger.

A passenger? I asked, unsure if he knew what it meant.

Yes. A passenger. Sitting on the seat next to the steering wheel.

In what? A car? A bus? A plane?

I don’t know, but I will enjoy it. I will get a snack too.

Cảm ơn bạn và ban đêm tốt, bạn bè thân hữu.. :)

[Thank you and goodnight, dear friends..:)]

Angie!! :D xxx