Day Two at Friendship Village and Reflections

No words can adequately describe today. We again split up into two groups - one group gardening and the other working in classrooms with the children at Friendship Village. After lunch we sat with a group of veterans. Through several translators, questions were asked and stories were told. One of the first questions came from a veteran who asked what we thought of the war and them. One of our students raised his hand and told them that he thought they were brave, human beings, and that war was not good for any person, no matter who they are. (I was crying too hard to remember his exact words, but that was the gist of it.) That set the tone for an amazing rest of the afternoon. 

I am incredibly proud of our students. These past two days have not been easy - learning about the war, seeing first hand the devastating human aftermath of Agent Orange, and having serious conversations about all of it. I feel so lucky to be a part of this life-changing experience they are having.

We leave Hanoi early tomorrow morning and head to the coast for two days of exploring and fun. Two students shared below an incredible experience a few of them had today.

Goodnight from Hanoi.

-LJP

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Today was another life changing experience. In the morning I worked with kids in a classroom. I I drew with them and helped them with math. I then went to another classroom and made art work with paper. One of the girls was amazing at it! I had lunch and then talked to Vietnam War veterans. It was amazing how they didn't have any grudges. They even wished all our families good health and luck. During our free time some of us visited dorms. One dorm had a student in there crying. I sat with him just rubbing his back. The dorm mom said that he likes music. Kayla started singing and I joined in. Eventually there were 7 of us singing to him. Soon enough he was sitting up and laughing. I was smiling so much because of him. At the end of the day at Freindship Village we had to say goodbye to him which was heartbreaking. I will never forget him laughing when we were singing to him. It was a once in a lifetime experience. 

-Colleen

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"My father was a veteran. I am very lucky," our kindhearted leader from Friendship Village said through her tears. She was describing how lucky she was that she had not been affected by Agent Orange, the herbicide that Southern Vietnam and America sprayed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The side affects from this chemical is still affecting people today. All of the children in Freindship Village have many disabilities. The most prominent one was a boy who was mostly deaf, blind, and he was very unable to control his body. The boy started to cry and Colleen immediately sat next to him and rubbed his back. He started to calm down and then Kayla and Colleen sang to him softly. Gradually, more of us joined in. By the end of our jam session, Colleen, Kayla, Juan Pablo, Chandler, Dani, James, and I were all singing loudly and the boy was smiling, laughing, and moving his body. It just showed how we can all connect to music and it showed me how much we can connect with people, even when language is taken away. 

-Stella