Author: Prue Schwarz

   

Last breakfast in Mai Chau 

After a sad farewell to the wonderful people of Mai Chau and several hours on the (air conditioned) bus, we arrived back in busy Hanoi. We couldn’t have asked for a better welcome as our guide ushered us into a pizzeria for lunch. Multiple pizzas and plates of pasta later, we were absolutely stuffed and ready to begin the afternoon’s adventures. 

  
 
We visited the “Hanoi Hilton” prison museum to see what it was like to be held captive there. The prison has been used to hold many different convicts over the years, and different sections of the museum showed us what the conditions were like in each. Quite a few of us were a little apprehensive, as many people died within its heavily guarded walls. We left enlightened to a darker side of Vietnam’s past, and once we had freshened up, our mood only increased.    
   
  
After a delicious Vietnamese dinner,we stepped outside onto the darkened streets, and were greeted by the glowing stalls of the night markets, where we bought plenty of goodies at a bargain price (and some presents!). After another good day in Hanoi, and plenty of purchases, we prepare to leave to another beautiful city tomorrow. 

  

  
– Faye and Nicole 

  After day 2 of our community project the house is progressing well.

  
5 days into the experience of a life time and I am feeling excited but also a bit exhausted. The sound of the crickets at night and the bells of the running cows ( check Nicole’s post ) during the day really makes you know that you are in Vietnam. The adorable puppies roaming the streets makes you want to take one home and resisting patting them is a struggle. My favourite part of this trip so far has been the opportunity to be able to give a very poor family a roof above their heads and provide them with a good living space for the rest of their lives. 

P.S. Mum, Dad and Sara hope you’re all well  

Sofie 

  
I am overjoyed that I have had the opportunity to visit beautiful Vietnam. Although it is quite hot and humid, compared to unpredictable Melbourne, I am enjoying every aspect of Vietnam, soaking in every opportunity that I receive. My favourite activity that Vietnam Yellow has participated in was building the house. Although it was incredibly tiring, it was worth the feeling of goodwill.

-Meghna

  
The Big Experience is the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s only day five and we have already nearly finished building a house, experienced the tastes of Vietnamese food, watched an extravagant show of water puppetry and visited an Australian embassy. My favourite part so far was watching part of the water puppetry and building a house for those who are homeless.

-Tal

  
Vietnam is very different to Australia – and I am enjoying experiencing the different culture and meeting the local people. The most heartwarming experience so far was when we met the family and their son who we are building the house for. Building the house has been hard work, but worth it. The puppies that have been roaming round are so cute, and we are buying piglets and a cow for the family and they are also very cute. I have enjoyed every moment of this trip, and I am looking forward to sharing many stories. 

P.S Hi Mum, Dad, Sarah and Harry

-Anna

  
It’s only 5 days into the Big Experience and we have done so many amazing things which I will remember forever. Yesterday we met the family who we are building a house for and it was a really heart-warming experience. We finished the roof today and the Vietnamese tradies kept laughing at us when we were dropping the fronds as we were passing them to the roof. There have been so many funny moments but the cows were the best (check Nicole’s post). We’re having so much fun and can’t wait for the rest of the trip and experiences to come. 

P.S. Hey Mum, Dad, Josh & Sam 

-Faye

  
Along with the incredible experience of building a home for such a deserving family, the little things that happen along the way have made the beginning of our trip so amazing. For example, Sofie, Faye and I had the memorable experience of sharing a narrow road flanked by crop fields with a herd of cows while carrying palm fronds. Faye was pushing the wheelbarrow, which took up the majority of the path, and all was well – until we heard the clanging bells of cattle ringing down the road, followed by Magnus the shepherd. In fear for our lives, the wheelbarrow was discarded, and we raced into the rice fields. The cows thundered past, but not without colliding with our precious cargo. With our hearts thumping in our chests, we laughed almost until we cried, and it will be a story we remember forever. 

P.S Hi Mum, Dad, James and Charlie, hope you’re well! Xx

Nicole 

  
We are now in Mai Chau building a house for a deserving family. I never fully realised all that building a house encompasses- discipline, hard work, bucket loads of sweat, and an immense satisfaction that makes this all completely bearable, and somewhat enjoyable. Yes, we may have had to get used to the sounds of laughter from the Vietnamese people whenever they get a glimpse of our lack of coordination, but meeting the family we will be building this house for is so eye opening. It really gives us so much happiness to be helping this family and creating a better and stable life for them. I’ve been getting so close with everyone- Your Chau has become Mai Chau. 

PS. hi mum, dad, Stephanie and Laura!! Missing you all heaps xx

-Elise

  

  
On day 5 of our Vietnam trip we have already seen and experienced many things. I liked walking through and shopping in the streets of Hanoi. The food is really nice and there is heaps of variety. The house build has been fun but very tiring. I’m having a blast.

Hi mum, dad, will, Harry and Tim.

-James Cowie

  
On the 5th day of our big experience some heinous roosters woke us up in the morning. We then enjoyed a ripper brekkie, followed by heading off to the cracker village to do some groovy construction. The beaut of a house is coming along nicely and will be almost complete with another day of strenuous work. Big E is grouse.

Pat

  
On day 5 of our Big Experience, we were woken by the roosters which is incredibly annoying. What I love about the early morning wake ups is taking three steps down our stairs and looking across to the vast view of the misty mountains. Heading to the building site everyone is already sweaty and after the first few hours you feel like you have just come out of a sauna. The house is coming on a treat and I cant wait to put the finishing touches on tomorrow! 

Harry

  
We arrived in Mai Chau a few days ago after two nights in Hanoi. We visited places that I remember visiting before from my last trip. The loud horns and lack of road rules has all come back to me. We have nearly completed the build for a family in a village in Mai Chau only needing to completes was and touch ups. It has been interesting learning about techniques and materials used by the villages to create these huts. Big E has been a sick experience that has reached my expectations. 

-Connor 

  
We came to Mai Chau on the 3rd day of the Big Experience. We are staying in a house on stilts under mosquito nets. One of the most interesting things that I have found in Vietnam is the lack of road rules. Even crossing the road is quite a challenge; as it is possible that a motorbike will just come blazing around the corner. One of the hardest part about this trip is building the house. It is very taxing moving the supplies from place to place. It is like living in a oven here, with the high humidity and hot temperatures. The house is almost done and I can’t wait till it is finished.

P.s. Hi mum, dad and Charlotte.

Tom T

  
5th day and I’ve already lost my wallet too many times to count (dw mum and dad, I found it). I don’t know if it’s really hit me yet but it’s been good. The first hotel had a nice tv, good coffee. Everything here is made of wood. There are some pretty cute dogs here but none as great as my Bella, I miss her most of all (jk).

C u guys soon

James S-J

  
We are on our 5th day of our Big Experience, When we arrived in Vietnam we stayed stayed at Hanoi for a few days, to experience what it is like to be in Vietnam as well as going to see Ho Chi Minh and the Australian embassy. We then travelled by bus to Mai Chau via bus for four hours (boring!!) Once we arrived we were quickly greeted by the locals and taken to our home stay. We are staying in a house on stilts, with prepared meals and reasonably nice accommodation. Each morning we are woken up by the most annoying roosters. We met that family who the house is for and have enjoyed constructing the house each day. So far Vietnam has been great and I have loved the trip so far. 

Love and miss you all, mum, dad, Katie and Charlie!

-James Reid

  
After a few amazing days in Hanoi trying out the different foods, we travelled by bus to Mai Chau. Within a few hours we had gone from a busy city filled with scooters to a village crowded with cows, dogs and other farm animals. With such a relaxing first few days in Hanoi, the group wasn’t prepared for the immense poverty in Mai Chau. Once we had made our way to see the family that we were building a house for, we were immediately hit with the heat, humidity and labour of Vietnam’s rural areas. Our accommodation on stilts gave us a well needed rest for the days of hard work ahead. The first day requiring us to carry ferns, wood and cut down bamboo with the aid of machetes amongst other jobs to do. Today we assisted the locals in assembling the roof as well as nailing the bamboo to the floor. I’m looking forward to the days to come.

-Magnus Rodgers

  
So far the most euphoric experiences in the village of Mai Chau have boiled down to two very different things. The first being the abundance of puppies and other baby animals in the villages and the second being my interesting experiences in carrying large bamboo shoots to the building site. It started off as a simple thing, same as we had done before, but then we went off path, then we went really off path, and the next thing we knew we were testing our balance skills on thin walkways between mud filled fields of crops, some of us knee deep in it. This was quite exhausting and after falling in twice I had all but been defeated by the fields of crops. If this is what the next two weeks are going to be, it’s going to be fun. 

-Parker Stroh 

  
Today we had a lot of fun building the floor out of bamboo and nailing it in. We also got to pick pigs and a cow. This will be an amazing gift for the villagers. I also had a very intense arm wrestle with Mr G.

– Andrew Cole 

  
I have been quite amazed how the house is going, but a house is a house. What I am really happy about is we had lots of extra money so we could buy two pigs and a baby cow. I enjoyed nailing the floor down because I was nailing with this very happy and funny worker. I can not wait to see faces of the family we are building the house with their little baby boy.

-Will Faulkner 

  
The food we have eaten is amazing. Every meal has been so delicious that it’s hard to imagine that they could have existed. Some things have been a bit unusual but the hungry children I am traveling with were so good that they just continue to eat it until the plate is empty. It is amazing here. The people who we have met so far have embraced us with open arms and are so kind. While sometimes the work is a bit hard it is worth it. I am having so much fun, with every new day come new and better things to do.

– Meg Wareham 

  
Mai Chau has been a very interesting experience. The actual village itself is much quieter than Hanoi and some people are very poor. About an hour away we are building a house for some very poor villagers. The house is hard work to build but it is coming along nicely and it is very satisfying to see the house become constructed over time. The money raised from the walk is paying the wages of about twenty workers who are building the house, the materials for the house and because we had extra money we are buying two piglets, one cow, an electrical wire to give the family electricity and some other things like mosquito nets. The experience of building the house for these poor villagers has been very satisfying. 

Tom N 

  

  
Today started off with an early wake up call and a breakfast of banana pancakes and yogurt. We started our one hour walk to the worksite where we have our three day building project. The countryside is really beautiful. 

   

    
  
We met the family for whom we are building the house and saw how grateful they are for our help. We learned about the difficulties this family has been through and how they have been living in a tiny lean-to and were caught in the poverty loop. The father lost his parents and his brother and he himself has had health problems. They have a three year old child called Tien. They seem like a lovely family who are extremely appreciative of what St Leonards College are doing for them.

  

When we were working on the house our jobs included bringing bamboo and palm leaves to the building site. We then had to split the bamboo into small sections for the roof and floor. We also needed to assist in raising the main house frame and chopping down big bamboo trees for the house construction. 

   
    
  

 
   
 
  
  
It was very hot and we had to remember to drink a lot. For lunch we had a welcome break. We walked to a village and ate a bento box, with chicken, rice, beans, meatball and a kebab.

  
At the end of the day we were all very tired but content. Today proved to be very satisfying day. We felt as if we had done something good and were helping a family in need. 
Andrew Cole and James Reid

The teachers would like to add that the students did a magnificent job on the worksite today. It was hard work but everyone pitched in and did the best they could. 

.

   
Today was an engaging but peaceful day. Although the scorching sun and humidity accounted for buckets of sweat, our spirits managed to prevail. We were sticky as soon as we stepped out the door, and we were fanning ourselves 24/7. We immediately wanted to get on the bus as we wanted to get out of the heat. First we had a very yummy 7am buffet breakfast and then began our journey to the historical and gripping Ho Chi Minh Complex. We started by seeing Ho Chi Minh’s corpse and it was a little freaky as we were waiting for him to come alive! It is not everyday that you see a corpse, and because of this we were a little disturbed but still interested! We also two houses where he had lived. It was quite overwhelming, everyone began to take their cameras out to take a snapshot. There were a lot of guards everywhere and we were glad that we didn’t have to walk around all day in those uniforms. 

    
 We stopped for an ice-cream and saw many animals to avoid because as most of us had not had our rabies shots. We hopped on the bus once again and the bus was filled with excitement and very terrible singing! Feelings of nervousness and excitement towards building the house filled the bus. 

We stopped halfway (around 1 1/2 hours) for lunch in a little cafe. There was a really small and cute kitten who was playing on the table and chairs and a larger dog who we were very tempted to pet. Another hour on the bus and we stopped for some amazing scenery of authentic Vietnam (or Vitnam as quoted by Meg!) 

   
 
   
   
The final hour on the bus was filled with mental preparation for the village and finally we arrived at our destination, the beautiful Mai Chau. We moved into our long rooms in a quaint little home stay. All of us were mesmerised by the beauty of the small village, we were given free time and commenced our exploration of the village. It was filled with colourful ornaments and clothing, which made us very tempted to purchase products! Men, women, children and a variety of animals filled the streets which was quite unusual for us to see the odd stray dog walking around. There were many puppies, and it was extremely hard not to pat them. 

   
   
Today posed its adventures and opportunities. We are having a fantastic Big Experience so far. Parents, do not fear! We are all having a great time, it truly is a BIG experience.

  
Having fun but missing you all,

Meghna and Anna.