INNOVA JUNIOR COLLEGE

laughing out real LOUD

sweetest & sexiest people :D

I've come up with a list of things that I've learnt in Vietnam.

1. Have no fear when you cross the road, otherwise the motorcyclists will think you're wimpy and won't let you pass. But then again, safety first. Eyes peeled with hearts of steel, and you'll make it across to the other side.

2. Miss Lin is very good at thumb wrestling. Some might say just a tad bit exuberant. Like the Vietnamese barista in Highlands Coffee.

3. Cementing potholes, huge ones at that, is no easy task. Kudos to all hard labourers for their ability to, er, tahan such backbreaking tasks and be awesome at them. I now appreciate the kind of cushy, comfortable lifestyle we have even more.

4. Social skills! We had gobs of chances to do that and it was great. With the high school and orphanage kids, the Hong Bang uni people, the night market vendors, and practically everyone we met. And of course with each other. I got to know so many people better on this trip. Which is great.

5. The art of sleeping in a cramped bus seat on roads that are: bumpy as hell, or congested with motorbikes. Driving on the latter road simply means you get more time to sleep. And of course, patience. Eagerness to get from Point A to Point B is kinda futile during peak hour on Vietnamese roads. So, patience is essential, young grasshoppers!

6. The skill of finding unlikely photo opportunities anywhere, anytime. Like when I took like 200 plus photos on the first bus ride alone. (of people sleeping etc. all the super tak glam moments, I have them, muahaha.)

7. A new appreciation for the life I have here - I mean, seriously, though everyone was saying they wanted to stay in Vietnam forever, I dont think we really meant it that way. I'm not saying that people who said it were lying or hypocritical. I said it too. But what I'm thinking is that what we really wanted was the kind of experiences that we had there, the memories that we made. Its the company and the context in which we stayed there, and not really the living conditions. Because the standard life for an average Vietnamese ain't that pretty. We recieved awesome treatment there. And it made me appreciate the life I have among the green green trees of Singapore all the more. But okay, if you think I'm totally off my rocker and that you reeeeally want to live there in future... well, good luck with that!

8. Learning to open your eyes and your heart can take no time at all in a foreign country. We did that in a heartbeat at the orphanage. And that was really great. Some people's true colours really shone there - and it was the fischizzle! For example. Dickson, Ravin and Joshua were really awesome with their adopted charges. Not saying the rest of you weren't great, I'm just saying that I never knew they had it in them. I mean, who knew? Just goes to show, never judge a book by its cover. I think I learnt this like a hundred times over during the trip.

9. Opening your heart and stomach to local food can be a double-edged sword. The first few days, I was thinking, Awesome, we get to try genuine local cuisine! After the first few heady days of eating clams in a variety of ways. And a straight seafood diet. I have never appreciated Singaporean food more. Rice and dishes again? Bring it on, baby. I've never really had homesickness in all my trips before this. This was the first time I was struck with Home(food)-sickness.

10. I think the skin on our legs now must be like rhino hide man. Compared to the mosquitos of Vietnam, the mosquito bites of Singapore are nothing more than butterfly kisses.

11. At the risk of sounding cliched. I think I also learnt the deadly importance of teamwork and cooperation. See, we made it back in one piece! And we completed all those tasks that looked so daunting. Cementing, painting, manual labour in general. And the hot hot sun of sunny Saigon. I know others before me have said this before. But seriously. It was really great that we all put aside our differences (more or less, let's not get too picky now) and worked together for everything that we had to do. Be it carrying luggage, shovelling / painting, shopping with scary vendors, or having a good time. So cheers to everyone for that!

12. Our teachers can become our friends. This trip really changed my opinion about the three lovely teachers that went with us on this cool trip. Especially Mr Wong. I mean, he looks really fierce and forbidding in school. (especially when it comes to uniforms and haircuts) But he was really great in Vietnam, laughing, slogging in the dirt, and even playing cards with us by the end of the trip. I think we all saw a different side of all three teachers on this trip. And now I respect them even more. Kudos to you guys, OCIP teachers, for being such awesome facilitators, and for becoming our friends, and for making sure we all got back in one piece!

Okay, I think my work here is done. To sum up my reflections:

The time we spent there was as sweet as sugar,
The things we've seen we'll never forget.
The food, perhaps a little jialat?
Vietnam, you haven't seen the last of us yet!

PS: Seriously. I'm going to be one of the first to join OCIP alumni.