Our expedition
HOME the preparation off to Vietnam home sweet home!
OUR OBJECTIVES PHOTOS TEAM PICTURES
For many of us this was the first time we were meeting each other and going out of the country. To us this was a new journey we are venturing and the day we were waiting for had arrived...the PREPARATION WEEKS...
The things that we did during those two weeks...
fund raising
In order to raise money for our trip, we had to wash the lecturers' dirty cars!
However our hard work paid off - look at all the money we managed to squeeze out of the lecturers!!
t-shirt design
Our main designer, Joanne and Kelvin Seet have a hard time designing the logo and wordings for the t-shirt. After much discussion, leading to a democratic vote, we finally decided on the logo shown here:
the colours red & yellow symbolise the colour of the Vietnam
flag
the hands holding on together symbolise our team spirit
"vietserve" is derived from the word "Vietnam" & "serve"
learn more about PC
As the objective of the trip was to set up a personal computer (PC) lab for the orphanage, we had to learn more about the PC and it's various components. We had a great time dismantling & assembling the PC back together again & at the same time learn new things about computer hardware and software.
computer "geniuses" at work
medical check-up
To protect ourselves from any diseases, all of us had to go for a medical check up and receive 2 injections. We all had to wait for 2hrs for the doctor to arrive.
cultural items
Of course we did not go to Vietnam empty handed. We planned a cultural exchange performance and for that we practised really hard. Even our Mr Ong looked so enthusiastic during practice.
interaction time
In order for us to work well together, it is important that we learn how to interact with each other.
24th Nov
- Arrived in Vietnam 3.30 p.m. Checked into An An Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City and had
our 1st dinner in Vietnam (it was not cheap).
25th Nov
- We split into two groups. The first group went to "Ben Thanh market" to shop
for food items. The second group went to "Chinatown" to buy items for the
Sport's Day. Then for the first time we had 'pho' (Vietnamese noodle) for lunch
- it was delicious and cheap. After lunch we took public transport for the first time
to "Chinatown" (again!) for an incredible bus fare of 1000 dong (S$0.10). At night we had
a facilitation session on the differences between life
in Vietnam & life in Singapore.
26th Nov
- We were delayed by the search for accommodation nearer to the Orphanage
so we explore the area around the streets where we were staying.
We prepared the gifts for the Sport's Day. We divided ourselves into 2 groups, the
1st
group went to visit the war museum and the 2nd group went to buy computers and
other materials for setting up the laboratory at the
orphanage. At night we had a facilitation session on the effects of the Vietnam war.
27th Nov
- Whilst the search is still on for the accommodation, we took a 3-hour journey to the beautiful Long Sau Beach. We had
wonderful and cheap seafood for our lunch in one of the restaurants at Long Sau
Beach. We spent the
entire day there sun tanning, collecting seashells, throwing each other into the ocean.
Kelvin Chan went jet skiing. Chye Hock's nose bled while Yu Wei look after
our things because she sprained her ankle.
28th Nov
- Finally we had our accommodation! We packed our things and moved to Hoang Cam Hotel, Dong Nai, which was 2 hours
away by bus. In the evening we had a facilitation session on marriage. Different views
were put up by the guys and
gals.
29th Nov
- We woke early in the morning, went to the local wet market to
purchase ingredients to cook today's lunch. Finally we arrived at Thien Binh orphanage
for the first time.
Several of us cooked lunch. Others unpacked & set up the computers which have just arrived.
Many of us went around
the orphanage to explore the 5 hectare land in which it is located. Later that
evening, we
discussed the games and other arrangements for the Sport's Day.
30th Nov
- Today is Sports Day. In the morning, we prepared hundreds of water &
flour bombs. Even before the games began, we were already bombarded with the water
bombs & covered from head to toe with flour. During the events the kids & the OVS members had a lot of fun. Though it was a bit chaotic, it was worth
the efforts we put in.
1st Dec
- This morning we purchased 5kg of beef and 6 chickens from the wet market.
We were preparing the satay for the Cultural Night which was two days away. The first thing we did was to cut the chickens and beef into small cubes and then marinate
the meat with ready-made satay marinating sauce we brought from Singapore.
In the afternoon, we split into our individual groups and went around the
Orphanage to obtain more information about Orphanage itself, the farm and
plantations and last but not least the more than 100 children housed in the
Orphanage.
2nd Dec
- In the morning, we were troubled by the fact that we did not have enough "agar agar" moulds. Mr Ong suggested we use egg shells
as "agar agar" moulds. So
a few of us went hunting for eggs while the others helped to get the egg whites
and
yolks out of the egg shells (* note-we need only the shells). But the egg
white and egg yolk were not wasted, we cooked these for ourselves and gave some to
the Sisters. In the afternoon, we dug out the flesh from the watermelon
and squeezed out the juice after which we use the juice to make into "agar
agar" and pour them into the eggs and some into the watermelon. Other than
watermelon "agar agar", we had pandan and almond flavour too. As we
have learnt,
nothing is wasted in the orphanage, so we went to spoon
feed the children at the orphanage with the dug out watermelon. They really enjoyed the cool
watermelon dissolving in their mouths.
3rd Dec
- We brought the children out to Saigon Water Park and spent the whole
morning there. The bus ride for some of the OVS members was a hell ride because
the children under their care had car sickness. They vomited all the way till
they reached the destination. We had lots of fun
together and enjoyed ourselves tremendously in the water. For lunch, we
brought them to feast on KFC at "Big C". For most of the children, it was their first taste
of KFC. After lunch, we played bowling with them at Superbowl which was located
right next to
KFC. At around 3.30pm, we sent them back to the Orphanage. At night, we had
our final rehearsal for the cultural items.
4th Dec
- The day had finally arrived, tonight was the Cultural Night. In the
morning, we started preparing the food. We were going to have Calamari, BBQ fish,
satay, drunken prawns, black glutinous rice ("pulut hitam"), and
"agar agar". We cleaned the squids and cut them into rings then soaked
them in salt solution. Later, we cleaned the fish and marinated them with curry
powder and sesame oil. The other group went to paint the walls at the dining
hall of the Orphanage. At around 3.30pm, we were told the district authority
came and asked to see our leader, Mr Tan. Later, we found out that the district
police required us to obtain permission even though we were not staying at the
Orphanage. Thus we were requested to leave the Orphanage until there was
approval. We were very disappointed. We walked back to our room to pack our
things and as we were walking back to the open area of the Orphanage, some of us
were already sobbing. We cried even harder when the children came out from their
rooms to meet us for possibly the last time. When the children found out what
was going on, they cried too. Later, we sang the songs we had prepared for the
Cultural Night to the children before we left the Orphanage...
5th Dec
- We had our lunch at Hoang Cam Hotel today. In the afternoon, we had
facilitation on the topic of money. As for the rest of the day, we were free to do
whatever we like.
6th Dec
- We went to "Big C" for lunch at KFC. After that, we went back to An An Hotel
at HCM City.
7th Dec
- Today, Sunday. In the morning, we went sight-seeing at "Orchard Road" in HCM City.
In the evening we were invited by the Hotel owner to a free buffet, "Vietnamese
style". The location of the buffet with more than 100 local dishes was spread
over a big piece of land with all kinds of native games and performances. On the
way back we were met with a most amazing sight - literally thousands upon
thousands of Vietnamese pouring out into the streets to celebrate their football
team's victory in the SEA Games. We have never seen such a display of patriotism
and nationalism. The streets were jammed with motorbikes and people screaming
"Vietnam, Vietnam!", many of them wearing headbands and waving the Vietnamese
flag.
8th Dec
- In the morning, we went to one of the Universities in HCM City and interacted with
the students there. In the afternoon, we went to 15 May School (a day-care centre
cum school for street children, not far from our hotel). That night, we had a
surprise visit from Sister Sumalee and some children
from the Orphanage. We were very happy to go out for dinner with them.
9th Dec
- In the morning, we went to Cu Chi Tunnel which was about 2 hours
drive away. We crawled through the tunnels which were used by the
guerrillas to protect their nation. It was indeed educational. After lunch, a
group of us went to the War Remnants Museum while the other group went to "Orchard Road".
10th Dec
- In the morning, we headed towards the Mekong Delta which was about 2
hours away by bus. We went through Meto town towards the Mekong river. We then
split into 2 groups and took a boat to "turtle island" and had lunch at the
orchard. After lunch, we went to a coconut candy making factory. We ended the
trip with a visit to the bee farm where we got to taste pure honey.
11th Dec
- 1 more day left in Vietnam. We spent the whole day shopping around HCM city looking for the best bargains. Ben Thanh Market & Chinatown were
popular destinations for shopping.
That night we threw a surprise thank you party for our 2 LOs who had taken care of
us throughout the trip & ensured that we all return to Singapore in 1 piece.
12th Dec
- It's time to say goodbye to Vietnam. Once we had done packing, we
boarded the bus and headed for the airport to fly back to Singapore. Home Sweet
Home...
After 3 weeks in Vietnam, we came back with a new perspective of life. Below are some of our personal reflections regarding this trip & what we have learnt throughout.
Personal Reflections......
"So much happened on this trip, I feel that in whatever I do I should not give up easily. Team spirit is important so I'm really glad that I got to work together with the rest of the VietServe members. The trip to Vietnam is really a good experience." - Michelle Tan
"A very fun, learning, overseas experience " - Benjamin Kong
"I made a few good friends, learned a lot about Vietnam and a brand new perspective of life. This is a wonderful trip." - Kelvin Chan
"I really need to thank him for giving me a chance to let me learn a lot of things from this trip. Xu Ping who had decided to stay back to look after his father had made me learn how to treasure my family more than ever before. Many things happened during the trip but luckily we had a good and responsible leader. He always stayed calm when things happened and always told us not to worry, things would worked out well. During the trip, there was a lot of disappointments and sadness, I suddenly felt that things do not always work out nicely as what we want to, so we must treasure what we have now and do not procrastinate. When there are things you want to do, do it now or you may lose what you wanted to do. Besides that, the trip let me treasure the friends I knew during the trip. It also made me changed from the first impression I had of everyone in the group. All the guys in the group were caring, cheerful, friendly and humorous even our leaders, Mr Ong and Mr Tan." - Joyce Hooi
"Made a lot of good friends from the trip. Friends forever!" - Jia Hao
"We share joys and tears…Love you all always…" - Rex Tan
"Birds fly high, hard to catch. Friends like you, hard to come by. " - Kelvin Seet
"Independence, experiences, fears, joy and laughter." - JunXiong
"Happiness and joy cannot be purchased with money. In fact, happiness and joy are given and shared with one to another." - Chye Hock
"Going to Vietnam is a good experience. After the trip, I learn more about Vietnam, her culture and people and began to miss and love the country even more. Also because of the trip, I learn to treasure whatever I have right at this moment especially my family and friends. " - Joanne Ng
“A trip full of surprises. It's fun & enriching with great companions. Look forward to more of such experiences. I miss everything I had in this trip. " - Lay San
"The trip has its ups & downs. The experience is hard to learn from books. I will miss the people I met & the country itself. I enjoy this trip and hope that I will have another chance to go to this type of trip." - Sze Ying
"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. This whole trip has really given me the opportunity to learn how to relate to people and their feelings…how to endure and tolerate the existing atmosphere and also given me an open view of the world around me." - Irfah
"I have gained a lot of experiences throughout the journey. Most important I have accomplished the mission and task. I learn a lot of things from my team mates. We have a very great time together. Learn to treasure my family members and friends. Do not take things too easily. Learn to give and take. Learn to express myself and share. " - ZiJian
"After this trip, I have learnt not to give up easily, being more independent, decisive in whatever I do. I have also learnt that team spirit is important especially when we are in another country. I gained a lot from this trip. " - Wee Sin
"This is the most memorable experience I ever had. I learn a lot of things in this trip and had a wonderful time with this group of people. A lot of unexpected things happened during this trip, but the bonding between the team makes the team even stronger when going through hard time. Through this trip I learn a lot about myself, everyone in this team, the people of Vietnam and a lot more things from both teachers. I am really grateful to be given this chance to go for the overseas ITP and community service. If I had a chance to experience it again with the same group of people, I will. " - Yu Wei
"A new chapter of my life ... "
"Friendship started with laughers & tears, not by the first impression." -
Sam Kho
"Learn lots of new things there. Sincerity is the
word."
"We Singaporeans need to be more sincere. " -
Wen Qiang
"An exciting journey with a lot of exciting people. Hope that one day I get to do it again" - Darna