Well the day finally arrived and after much anticipation the participants of the OFS Service trip to Vietnam finally got underway at a bleary eyed 5:30 am from Changi Airport this morning... Despite the early departure time the students were in great spirits and everyone was excited to finally be on their way... We landed in a bustling, sticky Ho Chi Minh and caught our bus to the air-conditioned sanctuary of our hotel.
After some much needed rest and freshning up we headed out to a Vietnamese restaurant to feast on "banh xeo" a type of pancake cooked on charcoal and stuffed with all manner of meats and vegetables and then eaten in a pouch of various leaves and herbs... Needless to say everyone wolfed down the delicious food and immediately took to all of the new flavor combinations.
After lunch we headed back on to the bus once more, to navigate the unbelievable jam of bikes and people as we made our way slowly to our next destination, the War Museum.
As we wondered past shocking picture after shocking picture, much of our exuberance was tempered by the realities of all that the Vietnamese people have endured in their
recent history and we realized that this is the same place featured in so many of the movies we have all seen. These weren't scenes from a movie though. This was graphic reality. As we left the museum, more quietly than we had arrived, I for one took solace in the fact that we are all here to try and do a little to help people who have clearly endured more than I could possibly begin to imagine.
Right now we are back at our comfy hotel ruminating on all we have seen already. As we shelter from a thunderstorm and prepare for a nocturnal adventure to the night market and food stalls we all have a lot to think about... I have no doubt that by the time everyone makes it to bed tonight we will all be ready for a good long sleep .
Tomorrow is is another early rise and a two hour bus drive out into the jungle where we will meet the people whose house we are all going to try and build.
Great first day report. This is a fantastic idea for the parents and friends who have been left behind. We fell like we are participating in this adventure.
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