Week three began just like the two previous weeks, with a trip to Nha Mo. There, we continued teaching the children simple songs and games, while Vi worked with the older children on their pronunciation. The children at the house, shy at first, are now very open and playful with us. It makes me feel good that we have positively impacted their lives in some way. In the afternoon, we travelled to visit the Bien Hoa orphanage and our friends there. We delivered the first part of the basketball hoop we had planned to build them, and promised them we would return on Friday to put it up. Helen, one of our volunteers, had the idea of developing pictures we had taken with the children, and bringing them to the orphanage along with some posterboard to create a collage with the children. They loved decorating it and it looks great. All of the children played a part in its creation, and it is now hanging in their bedroom.
On Tuesday, we learned that the Middle School at which we had been teaching was under inspection, so we could not hold classes there. We spent our time planning for the night class, as well as touring around the city to visit some places we hadn't been. The night class of course was a lot of fun. The C students learned some spoken word, while the A and B students continued their different subjects, such as colors, date and time, shopping terms, food, and more. The classes have filled up completely, and we now have around 250 students at Nha Thieu Nhi (Children's House, or Youth Center).
On Wednesday, the group traveled to a place about 10 km outside the city. The temple and surrounding areas used to be a place for Vietnamese culture, and was about 500 years old. When the French occupied Vietnam, they made it into a weapons factory, but upon the liberation of Vietnam from French rule, it was returned to it's original purpose. There is a temple to past great Vietnamese leaders, as well as a museum of different things that were made there. It is a very peaceful and relaxing place, and it was nice for us to see it. The night class was a bit of a challenge because a few of our volunteers weren't feeling very well, but we adjusted and the night was a big success. We combined 2 of the small classes and they had a lot of fun learning together.
On Thursday, we spent the morning seeing some more of the city we now call home, and in the afternoon, planned for the night classes at the youth center. Being the last day of our 3 day week there, we incorporated music to keep the students excited over the weekend. The students had a lot of fun learning new English songs and dancing. Every class learned a different song, and you could hear the students singing them long after we had left.
On Friday, we returned to Nha Mo to finish the week, and played games and sang songs with the children there. They are always so happy to see us and it's so nice to just sit and talk with them. After, one of our volunteers cooked for everyone at the house, and the food was delicious!! In the afternoon, Bao and I traveled to the Bien Hoa orphanage to complete the construction of the basketball hoop. We purchased a large piece of wood, a wrench, some screws and some nails, took it to the orphanage and went to work. We fastened the rim onto the "backboard", created some holes in the wood (by hand... no power tools!!) and bolted the completed hoop to a tree. It is amazing!! I am very proud of how it turned out. Although the ground around the hoop is dirt, it is nice and flat and under the shade of a large tree, so the kids can play even in the afternoon. We call it "jungle ball" and it's a lot of fun!! The children helped with the construction as well, and now they have a hoop to call their own.
The third week was when we really got close to our students at Nha Mo and the Youth Center. Next week will be our final week in Bien Hoa, so rest assured we will make the most of it!! Thank you for reading, and check back every Monday for updates!! Take care everyone.
Victor, ETA4 - Dong Nai/ Bien Hoa
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