Author: fcreak

This morning we concluded our build on the Mekong River, with the majority of the walls finished. We handed the house over to the owners and they were incredibly grateful for our hard work. The smiles from the workers and owners were very touching and many hugs were exchanged. As we walked back from the building site we handed our gifts to the local children, who were happy to receive new colouring in pencils, books and small toys. We would have liked to stay longer but we had to leave early before the tide got too low, which we didn’t think of. After two boat trips and a bus ride, we arrived at a small island which we cycled around. It was an adventurous trek, but we had a lot of fun! It was a very different experience to riding a bike at home because the streets were very narrow. To ensure we were all safe we stuck to the right hand of the pavement unlike in Australia. Tonight’s dinner was made up of seafood caught from the Mekong river as our homestay is perched right upon it. It was unnerving for some to see a whole fish in the middle of the table, but for others this was the best part of the dinner. We made our own rice paper rolls with the delicious fish and other fresh ingredients. For the few students not so keen on fish, the delicious spring rolls were the best part of the meal. Following the meal we heard some traditional Vietnamese country folk music. This was played on traditional instruments by 5 local people. Luckily, Hiêú, our Mekong guide translated the meaning of the songs for us. At the end of the performance, the Vietnam Red group sang a song in return, led by Mr Tudor on the ukele. 
Our homestay is very pretty. The girls bedrooms are like old stables and the boys are in one dorm style room. The dining area is surrounded by hammocks overlooking the water. We are excited for the rest of the trip and are looking forward to proper showers tomorrow! 
Hannah and Issy 

   
    
    
    
   

With another early start to the day, we commenced our second day of the house build. Looking back at how we left the house the previous night, we are proud to see that our image of the house is coming to life. At about 8am we continued our productive journey along the Mekong delta, for the deserving family. The sun was out and unlike the previous day it was not as humid but a dry heat. Everyone got straight into the work they had been doing the previous day with few job changes. The cement mixers started off slow and tired, but with persistence they continued to make one of the most important parts to the house. The brick layers, with the help of the builders (who are referred to as ‘sêp’ in Vietnamese) continued to lay the bricks, using the scaffolding. Even with the language barrier the builders and students managed to crack some jokes. With everyone having different experiences it is difficult to pinpoint how everyone felt throughout the day. For us, it was wonderful having the builders look after us and show us how to lay the bricks accurately. Cement mixing was a difficult task, but we were all really happy and enjoyed one another’s company. Everyone on the building site had a really positive attitude and we were just happy to know that the hard work that we did would pay off. We cannot wait to see the look on the family’s faces when the they see their new home.
Theo and Charlotte 

   
 
  

    
  

  
  
 

This morning we woke up to the sound of a down pour, which was incredibly loud on the tin roof that was above us. Early in the morning, we were greeted by a screeching rooster that wouldn’t stop crowing. Around our beds we had mosquito nets that worked surprisingly well. Even though it was raining buckets it was still very humid. Luckily for us, the weather turned out to be close to perfect for our first day of building. Aside from the ground being wet, and getting muddy it was a very successful day. There were two main jobs for the building process, mixing the cement and brick laying. Both tasks were equally exhausting, however at the end of the day it was all worth it for the outcome. We also had to get in a ‘brick line’ when required to pass the bricks up to where they were needed. All of us were quite sweaty (some t-shirts were drenched) and worn out from the work. When we finished building, we looked back at what we had achieved and felt very proud. We had started building nearly every wall in the house. The foundation that we had seen at the beginning of the day was full of brick walls by the end of it. During one of our breaks, we were given coconut water straight from a coconut. A few people quite enjoyed the taste of the coconut water, whilst some others weren’t too fond of it. We were surprised and the amount of work we were capable of doing in the time frame of one day. At the end of the day, we had some down time to relax and discuss stories from our day. After the long day we all had well deserved cold showers. To finish the day we had yet another delicious dinner and discussed our thoughts so far on the trip.
P.S I haven’t forgotten to take my malaria tablets yet.

P.P.S I’m having the best time ever!!! 
Jorja and Elyse
  
    
    
    
    
 

After a slight sleep-in,Vietnam Red boarded the bus to set off on an adventure to the Mekong delta! Upon the bus, the guys and gals of Vietnam red commenced many bonding conversations and activities. The activities included, card games and chopsticks. We were even treated to a few live tunes from Mr Tudor on his ukele. The bus trip was around 5 hours. Outside the window, Vietnam gave us many sights to enjoy. It was very clear when the city of Ho Chi Minh disappeared and the rural area appeared. It was clear due to the increase of rice fields. We stopped for some lunch at a nearby restaurant and had some chicken sandwiches with hot sauce. 

  
After a half hour stop there, we hopped back on the bus and traveled deeper into the Mekong for another 2 hours. When we arrived we where welcomed by a nice man and his boat. This man took us on an interesting ride along the Mekong delta. On the boat trip we tried our best to avoid mosquitos whilst enjoying the scenery until we arrived at our home stay.When we arrived at our home stay, we were embraced by the nice family’s smiles and hospitality. After we had a look around our rooms we traveled down the foot path to have a look at the foundation of the house we are going to build and met the family we are building the house for. 

   
   
 After that we scavenged for a place to play a game of soccer with the local people. It was difficult to communicate with the people but in the end we still found a way to have a blast. We had a three on three soccer tournament which ended in nothing but smiles. After a very hot, yet fun game of soccer we sat down as a very sweaty group for some dinner. The food the cook prepared was delicious and organic. With full bellies from eating too much incredible food the group sat down to discuss the amazing trip so far.

Brock and Ben.

   
   
  

 After 4 days in the Mekong delta, Vietnam red has finished their house build project. The group is travelling well and Mr Tudor, Ms Anthony and myself were all incredibly impressed and proud of the students’ efforts throughout the build. We are staying in a different homestay tonight, where we have the first wifi since leaving Ho Chi Minh City. This is just a quick message to say that everyone is well. I will try and upload some of the blog entries from previous days, if this connection allows it. If it cannot be done today, they the blog will be updated upon our return to Ho Chi Minh tomorrow afternoon.

Vietnam Red is heading to the Mekong Delta for the house building project this morning. We are not sure whether we will have internet, so we may not be in touch. We will continue to write the blog and publish is it when we return to Ho Chi Minh City on day 8 (if we cannot before). 

The group is in good spirits as you can see from this photo at breakfast this morning.