Redbird lands in Hanoi
Posted on February 7th, 2010.
Putting the “Global” in Glocal (yes, you read that correctly), we welcomed our first team from Hong Kong in January! This was a team of students from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s “Redbird” program, which develops student leadership through community service. Trip organizer Echo Quang shares her memories of their time in Hanoi
The moment I got on the flight back to Hong Kong from Vietnam, I could not help thinking, “I will come back to Hanoi again.” Looking out of the window, all the memories of interacting with the locals, every smiling face and the scenes around that city came to my mind. This 6-day service learning trip offered our team a good opportunity not only to get to know and help out the communities there, but also to build up a long term friendship with the people in Hanoi. From the very beginning of learning how to cross the road to the end dressing up in local customs dancing over the bamboo poles, this lifelong experience was so valuable and memorable for every one of us.
It was great having GVI as our bridge to introduce us to the communities in Hanoi. We spent the first two days at SS3, playing games with kids and teaching them simple English songs. We also made Chinese traditional handicrafts with the kids for the elderly. I still remember clearly walking hand in hand with a boy into a grandma’s room, handing the fish-shaped decoration to her and putting up the Chinese character “blessing” on her door. At that very moment, I felt that I was part of this community- they looked so happy to see us there.
The visit to Lomonosov High School was fun. We spent the whole day together with around 30 local secondary students, having interactive group activities and making performances on the stage. I was so surprised to see how talented and enthusiastic these Vietnamese students were. It seems that they were born to be performers, actively showing their talents to the audience. What even more amazing to me is that most of them are able to speak fluent English at such a young age. After the visit to the high school, I was glad to have more understanding about the cultural difference between Hong Kong and Vietnam. However, the big contrast between the kids from Lomonosov and SS3 in terms of their education, material resources made me feel a bit sad.
Our last program was having a cultural exchange party with the Griggs program at the National Hanoi University. Those university students showed us great hospitality throughout our trip by being our translators and culture guides. The party was a great celebration of our friendship and diversity! The local university students prepared Vietnamese traditional customs for us. We took turns to present and share our own culture through games and performances. At the end of the party, we exchanged contact information and hope the friendship could continue.
When we recall the 6-day experience in Hanoi, every moment was so precious. Hope it won’t be long until our next trip to further our relationship with the Vietnamese people.
When in Rome: Hong Kong students Terry, Jeffrey, Cathleen, Alan and Easy blend right in as they don "ao dai," the traditional Vietnamese garb
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