The Journey

Although these past two days have been nothing short of challenging, today felt like the greatest challenge of them all. My morning consisted of scraping the paint off of the tiles and sweeping the floors in order to make the classrooms look presentable for the seas of students who have would be arriving the next day.

In the midst of an unforgiving sun and the sweat and aches that came with it, what truly motivated me to continue working were the kids. A handful of them wandered into the classroom while we were working with watchful eyes, enthralled by our activities. I was particularly touched by one of the girls named Chau who had picked up one of the scrapers and eagerly joined us in cleaning the floors. With the help of Chau and the encouraging presence of the children, we managed to finish our task and clamber onto the bus before the sun had dropped from the sky.

Despite the day’s struggles, I left the worksite with a hopeful heart and the assurance that our efforts would help contribute to the futures of Vietnam’s youth.