There is much more to be learnt than expected

Intellectual
- Opportunity to experience the culture and the lifestyle of the locals
Through this trip, I was able to experience the lifestyle of the Vietnamese where we got the chance to taste local food and to have some of our meals in roadside stalls (something we will never get to experience if we sign up for other tours). We also had the opportunity to stay in homes of the ethnic minorities to experience the culture of the ethnic minorities.

Deliverables
- Delivery of medical supplies, stationeries and cookies
During our trekking we carried some medical supplies and cookies we bought in Sapa before we set off. It was tough trek for all of us as we carried the supplies while going on unfamiliar tracks. We distributed the stationeries and cookies to the children in the villages we passed by. We also distributed the medical supplies to the ethnic minorities and many of us even gave away our personal medical supplies after we learnt that they do not have any access to basic medical amenities.

- Improving the learning environment of the local students
Our plan was to originally help out at Sapa Town Primary School, however, when we reached Sapa, we found out that the primary school was already quite well-off. Our guide suggested to us that the village school in Cat Cat village would deserve the help more. After purchasing the required logistics we headed to the school recommended by our guide. We helped to repaint the interiors of two classrooms and the exterior of the main block, we also set up and mini English library using the books that we received as donations. Our efforts were very much appreciated by the school and students. It was a pity that we were only able to stay there for only four days.

Emotional
- To appreciate what I have and what I am given
To see Vietnamese children being such easily contented by simple amenities such and toys (spinning tops and marbles), I was ashamed of myself who has continuously demanded for more material comfort . The children were delighted when they received gifts from us be it something significant like a pair of shoe or something as simple as a few cookies, while I complained that I received a pen as a present.

Adversities
- Weather conditions
One of the adversities we faced was the cold and misty weather conditions in Sapa. On the first day in Sapa we had to wear several layers of clothing to keep ourselves warm, but still many of us ended up shivering in cold while walking down the streets of Sapa. However, after spending several days in Sapa, we finally got used to the weather.

-Language barriers and cultural differences
We had a tough time communicating with the Vietnamese especially during our first few days in Vietnam, we were unable to speak their language and only few of the locals understand English. We had to rely greatly on our teacher-in-charge for translations when there is a need for communication such as purchasing of books and stationery and asking for directions. Throughout the days in Vietnam, we managed to pick up some very basic Vietnamese language and it came in handy especially during our last few days in Hanoi where we did most of our shopping. We were then able to communicate verbally with the shop owners instead of using hand signals and writings.

- Transportation of donations
Transporting the huge amounts of donations such as books and stationery we had received was a challenging task for us. Most of the time we did not have proper transportation devices such as trolleys and we had to carry them using our hands. We had to make a few trips from the train to the gate to bring all the donations out of the train station.

Learnability
Through this trip I was able to widen my perception of life. I was so narrow minded to think that all I could learn from the Vietnamese was just their culture, heritage and lifestyle. However after living among the locals for days I have learnt important lessons of life. One of which is to help others who are in need unconditionally. Our guide for example has stayed with us for our four days of residential project, helping out in whatever way he could, even tough he was not paid in the four days. We, on the other hand needed incentives to participate in community involvement programmes.