“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
I’m on my way back to Gainesville, in Paris, coming from Vietnam. I’ve just spent 11 hours on the airplane thinking about what I could say on my “goodbye post,” the one my fellow volunteers always do when they leave. It is hard to explain how amazing those three weeks were, because you have to live them to understand.
Walking around the chaotic city of Hanoi, you can see how well the culture has been kept. For example, you see people speaking Vietnamese and eating street-food on the sidewalks -which serve the best food ever btw. Maybe, while you admire the landscape you’ll have to move to a side because of a motorbike, because there’s always a motorbike -even inside of the houses.
However, as amazing as walking around the city and visiting the country can be, the best part of my trip was meeting the people I met. From my sweet student to the great volunteers I’ve lived with, every single person has had an impact in my trip, and I can even say in my life. Because I had something to learn from everyone.
I went to Vietnam with very high expectations, thinking it’ll be great to be part of something as special as volunteering is. But I’ve never imagined it will be like this. You've impressed me, Viet Nam.
I really don’t find the words to say how thankful I am for this unique experience, and I hope if you’re thinking about volunteering you’ll do it. You’ll never forget it.
Thank you to my students, the teachers, the volunteers, UBELONG and especially VPV Club for making this possible!
