Day 5 of Vietnam

Day 5 was the first day of the Residential Project. Jiawei began the morning with the assistance of the guide in buying the necessary materials needed for the Residential Project at the Cát Cắt school at San Sả Hồ e.g. Cement and paint.

We then set off from Sapa on motorbikes to the village primary school after breakfast, lugging with us all the books to be given to the school, weighing a total of 30kg(3 boxes of 10kg),all this still excluding the paint and cement bought for the work to be done at San Sả Hồ primary school. Upon reaching the school, children dressed in traditional clothing and some in worn present-day clothing are the very first people that meet our sight. Our first encounter with a school here has left us grappling with a little of a culture shock. Some wearing clothes so blackened by dirt, some evidently over the age that is meant for a primary school, the school a small compound of just a single block, a boy aged 10 crawling on his hands most probably because of malnutrition.

We first had a brief introduction with the teachers of the village school before we started our work in one of the classrooms. The teachers were surprised we came from so far away to help them refurbish the school and still brought them so many gifts of books and stationery. The work we were about to do was new to us too, city-dwellers afraid of mud, dust and paint. But we had to get down and dirty. We had to remove the flaking paintwork from a classroom, carry out cementing patchwork on the areas that have given way and finally add a coat of whitewash paint to the walls. It was quite satifactory to observe the end product of our work at the end though it was only halfway to completion.

While we were painting, some of us were helping to prepare lunch for the children of the school. We had to prepare the meat, the garnishing, the pancake batter and the biscuits. The children were eagerly awaiting to taste the french loaves (bánh mỳ) filled with salted lean meat, pancakes stuffed with banana slices and an assortment of biscuits. They were so eager it was hard to prevent the kids from running riot! The teachers helped us maintain control ensuring the kids received their lunch with both hands. We learnt that their usual meal does not consist of meat.We had really learnt a lesson in gratitude, simplicity, giving. All thanks to Mrs Raj and her wishes and contribution feed the children.

At the end of a tiring day, had whitewashed the interior of only 1 room though our food offering probable fed close to 80 kids! and their teachers too! We were very heartened by the thankfulness. One 10-year old H'mong girl even gave us each a friendship band through Mr Khoo because she was just too shy and yet thankful.

We were determined to carry on the painting for the school building exterior tomorrow. The fog has still not lifted, Sapa is still shrouded in thick mist we could not see the top of the mountain ranges. It continued to be cold and wet! We shall give the teachers and the kids another meal to remember tomorrow.