Mekong Delta

I was asked by Felix's friend named, Twinkle, if I wanted to travel with a bunch of people from the bank he works at. They were volunteering their time to help an organization called Viet Nam Scholarship Foundation VNSF. They were planning on handing out scholarships to poor children along the Mekong Delta. It was a 3 day journey, going to 3 Provinces, visiting schools and the homes of some of these children. Of course I would love to help! The cost was $2,000,000.00 vnd, that price included everything, transportation, hotel, and food. Don't worry, haha, 2 million vnd is only $100.00 usd.
Chapter picked me up on his motorbike at 5:30am, Friday, March 18th. He drove me to Twinkle who was in a taxi down the road. He didn't know where I lived so Chapter came to get me and brought me to him. I will say, that while waiting for him, I stood on my balcony to listen to the area so early in the morning. There were plenty of people taking a walk before the heat and humidity came, some women jogging, even some dogs roaming the streets, looking for breakfast.
Chapter and I picked up another woman and we drove to the pick up point. There, we filled the two vans waiting for us with brand new backpacks and stacks of new journals. We were each given a hat and shirt with VNSF on them. There was a little confusion as to where we were going because less than 24 hours ago, they received a phone call letting them know that we were not welcome in Ca Mau. That if we went, there would be government officials opposing us openly, maybe even fighting. Our leader did not want to put us in any danger. It is a time of voting for them, so it is a political fight. The VNSF was upset because Ca Mau was the Province that needed us most. They are hoping to return in May when things have calmed down. The plan was to have us split into 2 groups, into 2 vans and visit 2 different towns in ea. Province and meet up in the evenings. Now the plan was to still go into 2 groups in 2 vans, but on the last day, instead of Ca Mau, we will travel together to the same school.
The vans are loaded, we have our seats, so off we go. We will be driving for hours before arriving at our first destination in the Tan Chau District. There, we pulled up to a church, students were congregated outside. You could feel their excitement. The head priest came to greet us. We started to remove backpacks and fill each one with 2 journals. The students were seated outside. One of the leaders called each one by name off of a sheet he brought with him. They sat in the order that they were called. This is such a special day for them. The scholarship is not just for one year. Most have been receiving this for a few years. If they keep their grades up, it is guaranteed for the next year. This is a promise from VNSF to them, that if they apply themselves and study hard, they can receive funds to allow them to go to school and college. The scholarship will allow them to graduate college! These kids are living in such standards that it is hard for them to attend school. Their family may be so poor that the children need to help work on the farm to survive. Or school may be so far away for them that walking is too far. So the VNSF will provide them with a bicycle. It is an amazing organization and I am so honored to be a part of it. There was 30 of us altogether, volunteering our time. Paying $100.- towards our expenses. Almost all of the money donated goes to these students. Out of the 30 of us, only one was a paid full time employee for the company. And she was great! VNSF will travel to the homes of these children to make sure they are in need. We visited a few homes, amazing how they live. I have attached some photos for you. We traveled across the Mekong Delta by ferry, we also rode the Mekong Delta for fun. We were in homes that you cannot imagine surviving in, and still we learn that 9 people are living in the tiny house with out a bathroom or sink, just a faucet to wash in. No beds, just mats, rolled up on top of each other. On the wall, I noticed some artwork, small drawings with pencil and ink. The boy was about 12, using my hands, I asked him if he did the work, he nodded, so I took his photo standing next to his friend with the artwork in between. The look these boys had were kind of sad. I didn't see them smile once, very shy, and when they spoke, it was in a whisper. I don't think they were sad. Maybe this is such an important day for them, they don't want to lose their opportunity to get out of this lifestyle. And maybe the fear of not knowing what the "other" lifestyle is like.
Handing out these scholarships was a highlight of my trip to Vietnam. I met a girl, now 22, named Tuc. When she was born, her father died. Her mother remarried shortly after. Her stepfather started beating her when she was still a baby. As she grew, he would beat her more. The day she met members of the VNSF, she still had a puffy face from the stepfather. She was about 16. Soon after getting her scholarship, she left her home. She found shelter in a rice shop, sleeping on a mat in the back of the room. If there was some rice left over from the day, the owner will give her some, if not, she goes hungry. I got to meet her on the last day. She is graduating next year as a nurse and wants to go on to become a doctor. She is amazing, such hope and strength. I sat with her and with another to translate and I promised to help her. It will only cost me $10 a month to help her. I also told her that if she wants to study in the states, she is welcome to stay at our house. This young woman is just one of the stories you may hear about while here.
During the van ride, I sat next to a woman named Wien, she spoke broken English. She is small, cute and I'm guessing close to 24. We shared a room together too. I brought my small backpack, filled with my essentials for 3 days. Wien dragged in her large red suitcase. She is so cute. She will tell you something but will try to say it nicely. For instance, we were at a school all day. We got to the hotel around 4pm. We are exhausted, so we go to the room to take rest. I shower and wash my hair. No hair dryer available so I put on a headband. We are meeting everyone downstairs in a  few minutes to find a local cafe for dinner. We find a place close by, there's 30 of us, and the cafe starts moving tables together for all of us to sit. If we were in the states and wanted a table for 30, we would have a long wait, or would be turned away without a reservation, and yet, within minutes, we were seated, enjoying another hot pot of wonderful veggies and fish. When we were done, we decided to go to a local market for an hour. That's when Wien leaned in and said, "Lassnite you heauh loo betta, mmmmm, nowa it loo flat, no pweety, fit it" which translated means, "Lastnight your hair looked better, now it looks flat, not pretty, fix it." I looked at her in disbelief, how funny! I said, "It looks flat?? If it bothers you, you fix it" and gave her a couple of barrettes, haha. She looked at me like I should be thankful that she told me. I went out to the van and tried to FIT IT, but alas, the headband won and I really didn't mind. My feelings were not hurt and I was not self conscious. Thank God I have worked through any self image issues I may have had when I was younger. I know it is her age too, she had packed dresses, lots of shoes, make up, lotions, etc. I was wearing the same jeans I had worn the last couple days. The next morning, I have on skinny jeans and a yellow polo. She looks me up and down. And ever so politely, she says, "ooohhh, you shurt you wea yeterday lookt nice.........." I look at myself in the mirror............I ask, "Do you like this shirt?" "Dis shurt too sort for yuuu"  (OOhhhhh, the shirt you wore yesterday looked nice on you, this shirt is too short for you)  No kidding I'm thinking, I bought this shirt here and it's an XL. I did change the shirt and put on the shirt they gave us before loading the van, she started laughing like I was playing a joke...........and I wish you could have seen her face when she realized I was really wearing it, it was classic! I have taught myself to be happy and comfortable in my life. This was a chance for me to feel uncomfortable, to feel like I don't fit in. I've already lived for years like that. And please don't think I was upset with her, I honestly enjoyed it. It showed me how far I've come and I'm thankful for that. We are in different times in our lives, what is important to her is not as important to me. My appearance is very important to me, but not because I feel uncomfortable, there's a difference. I don't change my appearance to feel accepted. I have accepted myself and that is the most important lesson one can have. Love and acceptance of yourself allows you to love and accept all walks of life.
In the end, we made a difference in 113 lives. They are all going to school, some are even receiving bicycles to get there. We met wonderful families that are so thankful for the gift of education. Education to them is their ticket to a better life. Not just a life of surviving day in and day out, but to live and grow and be able to give back.
I am attaching a link to VNSF, I was told it is being updated shortly with information about our trip. If you have time to donate, I highly recommend it:    www.vnsf.org

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