Starting the day off with a refreshing 5:30 wake up was a delight for our busy day ahead. After a short delay at the airport, we were set and ready for the amazing city of Hoi An. With the short trip of only an hour, we were ready to start our journey around Hoi An.
From the plane flight, we headed straight to jumping off a cliff (in harnesses don’t worry). The long hike up the many stairs to the top of the mountain got the heart beating for everyone, making us ready for the adrenaline rush of abseiling. With lunch provided by the abseiling company, we were set to go. With a practice to start off, some passed, while some had to take it again. However, everyone passed eventually and were ready for the big jump. There were two jumps: a 25 metre high jump and a 15 metre high jump. As the students prepared themselves to abseil the 15 meter jump some were heavily surprised by the unexpected first jump of 25 meters. Everyone did a great job and completed both jumps. Some students did so well at abseiling that when they finished they were interviewed by a local T.V show, whilst other students were filmed during their exciting jump midway through.
After abseiling and a short bus ride to our hotel, we were surprised to arrive at an amazing hotel ( 4 stars ) with an outdoor pool and luxurious rooms. Most of the students had never seen a hotel of such and were absolutely blown away. Following a short look of our rooms, we went out to the tailor (Silk Road), to get our amazing suits and dresses picked and we were sized up according to our body. We were then left in small groups to get dinner on the main road of Hoi An. The food was very delicious and included wok fried noodles with seafood and spring rolls, though it was a little bit expensive, making us manage our money a bit more. Following the short walk back to the hotel, we were all ready to hit the hay for our exciting day tomorrow.
Finn, hope you did well in your exams mate. Mum and dad, hope you guys are doing great. Much love Cole x. Vietnam is pretty good- Toby.
Cole & Toby
Final comments from the orphanage visit on Day 3:
Emma: I feel privileged by the life I have, and even more privileged that I have the opportunity to make a difference with it. With my experience of working with disabled adults previously this year, I thought I would already know how to act and what to expect, but walking into the orphanage was one of the most confronting moments I have ever experienced. Unlike the disability within Melbourne being primarily mental issues, the children were physically deformed. The day was eye opening and whenever I was able to make a child smile, it put a smile on my face too.
Jess: Walking into the orphanage, in the beginning, I didn’t know what to do or how to react. With little experience around children with a language barrier, I didn’t know what do to as a lot of actions didn’t get a response. I eventually got over the initial shock and sat next to this adorable little boy and talked to him for a bit but then I sung “over the rainbow” and immediately felt comfortable, and I think this comfort was mutual as he grabbed my finger and smiled. Walking away from those children was so difficult as they all touched my heart and made me smile.
Danielle: The orphanage really opened up my eyes, and made me see a completely different side of Vietnam. Although at first it was hard to communicate with the children, I fell in love with them immediately and found a way to communicate to them through singing and touch. A little smile from the children really made me appreciate the things I have back at home, and it has definitely been my highlight of the trip.
Eve: On the bus to the orphanage I was concerned and worried about what to expect. I hadn’t dealt with many children let alone disabled so I knew it was going to be a challenge. When I walked into the orphanage I instantly felt nervous. I wasn’t sure how to communicate with them because of their disabilities and the language barrier. After some time I began to find a way to communicate and make them smile. When leaving the orphanage I felt amazing as I knew I had made many children smile and seeing Sister Kim speak to us about the impact we have made I instantly knew I had done something amazing.
Photos: waiting for the bus to the airport; arriving at the mountain for abseiling; a group shot before the abseiling began; learning the ropes (literally); Toby, Amelia, Jess, Zak, Cris, Lauren, Mia and Emma abseiling; and visiting the tailor shop, Silk Road.
