Strengthening Community

by Kim Oanh Võ

Kim Oanh “Yes” greets everyone. Today marks the second day of working, socializing, and sharing together.

This morning, I opted to walk instead of taking the ferry so that I could enjoy the scenery and get some exercise (I'm afraid of gaining too much weight, haha). Interestingly, the roads here are shaded by trees, something that is gradually disappearing in urban areas due to the proliferation of skyscrapers.

Today, I was assigned to Zenda's library team (temporarily bidding farewell to Team 3, "Quá Đã"). Here, everyone has been cleaning up, drawing, decorating the walls and windows, and rearranging the books. Although I've only been at Workcamp for 2 days, I've witnessed the enthusiasm, high team spirit, and abundance of laughter. Regardless of how tired they may be from work, everyone still wholeheartedly supports each other. I cherish this greatly.

Even more special is the campfire tonight. We had the opportunity to interact with local students and enjoy delicious food such as bánh bỏ (steamed rice cake), bánh da lợn (glutinous rice sheet cake), fried fish balls, spring rolls, etc. This provided us with a chance to learn about each other's cultures, food, and many other things. The campfire concluded with a lively dance called "Such a good day," which further heightened everyone's happiness and sense of camaraderie.

That wraps up Day 2; everyone, have a restful night's sleep.