and the cycle continues

By Ai Vuong

It’s been well over 12 days since I said goodbye to the Sunflower Mission Workcamp Team of 2011…and a week since everyone has flown back home and returned to the comfort and familiarity of their lives.

But since the moment I bade farewell, I’ve been lost at how to translate into words powerful enough to give justice to the thoughts and emotions that have been swirling in my head. All the photos, comments, and blogs really can’t encapsulate just how darn-proud I am.

There is no amount of words, nor the most heart-felt prose that will ever truly illustrate my gratitude to everyone, so let my words be few:

Dearest SM workcampers, you’ve entered my children’s lives (CoJet, Nhan, Dao, Phap) – and you’ve made everlasting impressions on them. I don’t know how I can adequately describe to all you beautiful people who’ve had a hand in shaping their lives just how this trip has impacted them. And thank you all for reminding me just how fortunate I am to be living this life of mine…how amazing it’s been for me to see the tantamount transformation in my kids.

And I tip my hat off to all the other “youngins” of the trip. I’ll more than gladly chaperone any other event with y’all, if you don’t mind hanging out with an old lady. =]

SM Flashback

By Kim-Tuyen Tran

As I come back to the reality of the grinding life, I kept thinking about those days in Viet Nam. It must be one of my happiest and memorable vacation/work camp. It is much more than a vacation since no vacation can give you such feelings of satisfaction and gratitude. Before going to Viet Nam, I was dreading the heat, humility and the scorching sun. But once we arrived and dove into the wall painting activities, I was humming along like a happy bee and did not let anything bother me. The sweat streaming down my face as I painted the wall were coming down so fast, I did not bother to wipe them at all. We joked about being in a sauna as we climbed up the table to paint the top of the wall. Strangely, we felt very happy and full of life as we sweated and worked together painting, cleaning, moping, and dusting...Anh Tuan walked by and said: "Working hard?", we replied: "No, hardly working, just playing and having a good time here". And that was exactly how we felt, we were very grateful that we had this opportunity to contribute our very small part in this mission. I have made many new friends with the volunteers from America and the group from Viet Nam. It was a privilege working together with Tho, anh Chanh, anh Quynh and felt their dedications. The youngsters in our team (Kody, Uy Viet, Gabby, Nikki, Co-Jet, Nhan, Frenchie, Van) were extremely hard working kids. Watching them played with the kids brought warmth to our hearts, we wished we could go and played like them. Chi Dao and anh Ty took very good care of their team and were meticulous with their works. We kept teasing each other as we worked side by side correcting each other mistakes. And this correction could go on for days if chi Dao had her ways . Anh Ty with his constant "this is weird !!!" had become part of our vocabularies.

At the end of the first day, I took a break and went in the medical room to take a look at the medical team. Dr. Joe and anh Khiem were attending to a room full of patients with sweat running down their faces. Vy, Dan and Nanhi were taking temperatures, blood pressures and occasionally urine sample tests and screened the patients as they come in. We thought our rooms were hot but they were nothing compared to the medical room. This room was stuffy and humid since it was full of patients, they had helped more than 60 patients that day. Seeing Dan struggled to translate symptoms into English was priceless, it really touched my heart to see how hard they have worked while their friends were playing with the kids outside.

I got a chance to talk with Hy and Ai, the 2 U.S. volunteers from Hue's group, who have been volunteered in Viet Nam in the past few years. At 25, they seemed very mature and wise beyond their ages. Seeing them interact with the kids from Hue, you could tell they were dedicated to their causes and have very generous loving hearts. I have much to learn from them and Huy, another Vietnamese volunteer. Everyone loves Huy and we were sad to see him leave us at Sao Viet resort. Huy later came back to see us at the completion dinner and gave each one of us a hand made key chain with our names on it that he made himself. All in all, everyone I met on this trip are very special people and I am so glad I have a chance to share this experience with them. It was a one in a lifetime life changing experiences and hopefully with God's blessings, we will one day come together again to contribute whatever we can for the children of Viet Nam.

50 Foods We Ate in Vietnam

50 Foods We Ate in Vietnam, a set on Flickr.

By Dan Dao

Some of you at home may be wondering, what was the food like on the Sunflower Mission work camp? Now you can check out just a few of the foods and drinks we got to try in Vietnam. Enjoy!

Note: Excuse me if I mispelled/mislabeled any of these. I'm not much of a food expert.

Via Flickr

m0nk3yf3st.

By Don Dao

Nearing the end of our 2011 Sunflower Mission Work Camp, I think back and realize all the fun I've had throughout this trip through hard work and newfound friendships with not only the other members of our trip, but also with the local children. My favorite of the kids was Khanh, who everyone called Jose because he looked like a cute little latino boy. I miss his coming up to me and squeezing my cheeks and making a pouty face; I miss him coming up behind me and pulling me down by the hand and chanting "Cong Em Di" or "Give me a piggyback ride!" His two-front-teethless grin symbolized to me all the fun and joy of the kids as we played ball with them and their glee when they hung on to the rope swing that me and another workcamp member, Tim, constructed for them. To me, the swing represented our lasting presence at the school, so that each time any of them played on it, they would remember us. I had a wonderful time at the school, and even though I was extremely disappointed and sad that a change of plan in our schedule caused us to not have an official goodbye with the children, I was almost glad that we didn't because saying goodbye to those joyful, innocent faces would be too depressing. Following the finishing of the school, returning work campers Dan, Nanhi, Frenchie, and I, along with new members had the chance to visit the school we completed last year. Unfortunately, many of the kids did not remember who I was or when I had been there, but Sy (Football Boy) and Hao (Chuck Norris), two of the kids that I along with the other returning work campers had developed a close bond with, remembered us and hung out with us from the moment we arrived until we left. I still remember the feeling of sadness as I from the back of the bus watched Sy, who I still remember from both trips with his army hat and school shirt, pedaling as fast as he could behind our bus as we left for what seemed like miles and miles until he was finally just a small waving figure in the distance.

Today, we visited "Heaven and Hell", a series of caves in Da Nang. Later in the day we visited Ba Na Resort and took the 5 km cable car, the longest in the world, up the mountain where we walked to the top. As we neared the summit, I walked by a gathering of people who appeared to be observing a tree until I came closer and saw four monkeys lounging in it. At first, they were aggressive and protective of their tree until we handed out peanut butter crackers. They reached out and grabbed the crackers from our hands and each collected four or five in their mouths before scampering back up their tree. When we returned from dinner all of the kids packed into taxis and headed off to get facial massages at a local barber shop. Thirty minutes later, everyone returned to the taxis rejuvenated and amazed at how smooth their cheeks were and how silky their hair was. I just checked the clock and it is 1 AM here and I need to sleep because tomorrow we fly back to Saigon. Toodles.

A Note From Dad-Hy.

By Hy Huynh

A series of fortunate life synchronicities have brought me to this very table, in this very coffee shop, in this magically beautiful city of Huế. As I reflect on these transformative years I’ve had while living in Vietnam, I’ve come to understand that my passions have been prominently shaped and strengthened by the countless, inspiring individuals I’ve met along the way.

If you asked me four years ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you that my passions lie in community development, volunteerism, childcare, youth empowerment, and education. But, with one fateful dose of “duyên” that brought me back to Vietnam, to the FHF - Xuan Phu Children’s Shelter, I met over thirty young individuals who would permanently change my life’s course and purpose. And now, I am grateful beyond words to have found another community like Sunflower Mission that believes in these same passions.

It was an honor to join my good friend Ai on the 2011 Sunflower Mission Workcamp- not only to do service for the purpose of education, or to meet inspiring individuals in the Vietnamese-American community, but to also see four of my kids really seize this service-learning opportunity to help them grow into their own skin. Over the past nine days, I was able to observe my kids go through so many first-time experiences, and consequently a multitude of personal changes occurred within them. They have all grown in self-confidence, social skills, perspective, passion- the list goes on and on. I couldn’t be more proud of Dao, Phap, Cojet, and Nhan.

As the kids and I loaded our bags and stepped onto the mini-bus that would take us back to Huế, we all looked back to see the entirety of our Sunflower Mission team waiting to see us off. Each of my kids persistently waved their hands goodbye until after the group left our sight, as if they were desperately holding onto this last memory with the 2011 Sunflower Mission Workcamp. Moments after, I looked around to see all of my kids crying to themselves, each overwhelmed with their own personal joys, memories, and experiences- each probably thinking about the many different individuals who had just touched their lives.

During a ten minute span of bumpy-road, sniffling stillness, I could feel the atmosphere getting heavier with everyone’s emotions, and that’s when I decided to call an impromptu reflection meeting. We all formed a small, intimate circle, each kid wiping away their tears before trying to focus. The mini-bus continued to shake and rattle as we sped up the sinuous mountain roads, which seemed like a fitting metaphor for everyone’s heightened emotions at the time.

I talked to them about how we shouldn’t let these emotions bring them down. They needed to take these negative emotions of sadness, be true to them, and then transform them into positive emotions of appreciation to fuel their motivation to grow and learn. I asked them not to stop here, but to take everything they had learned from this trip back with them to the shelter. Our job was done. It was now their turn to help the younger kids become the best people they could be.

And just like that, I felt this connection and greater understanding of my own parents’ experience, as I was completely overtaken by this powerful sense of pride for my own kids. It’s this one emotion that continues to revitalize and push me in my work and life in Vietnam. Thanks to Sunflower Mission, this emotion is now overflowing in abundance.

There was this long-running “joke” (hopefully) over the whole trip that I was a 25-year old “Dad” for my kids and many of the younger workcampers. Well, as your “Dad”, I just wanted to tell you all how proud I am of all of you, and how proud I am to have been a part of your Sunflower Mission experience. Thank you everyone for taking all of us in like we were already family.

Frenchie Tran's Blog

By Frenchie

Today, I came back Huế and I am very sad and i miss everyone ,really I can not sleep and could not eat for two days. When I return Huế I look at the bag and I see a mango in and I remember david gave me mango. now I like frozen emotionally and feel I need to get back my senses. I looked at the wound in my knee and I remember the days when Britney bandaged for me .i cried a lot when looking at it. Thanks Britney for caring for me in recent days. and now I have a new mother that is cô tuyến , and now I can call her mother tuyen. thanks mother , thank you all for helping me become a better person . i miss and love everyone...
i love you like a fat kid loves cake...

Hello, Goodbye

By Monica Nguyen

"Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?" ~Anonymous

We left Phu Yen today for Hoi An, and unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to some people in our group. They have each touched my heart during the short time I have gotten to meet them, and I will miss them dearly.

CoJet is a cool girl who is willing to sing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" once she opens up, and who has a great laugh. Nhan may be shy, but she has one of the brightest smiles that I've seen. Frenchie looks suave when he puts on his black button-up shirt, even when it's a hot day, and he has a great sense of humor. Dao is one of the hardest workers I know. He is very genuine, and his facial expressions are priceless when Nanhi prods him into giving her a hug every morning. Chi Ai, who left a few days ago, can brighten any room or a soccer field with just a dried up tree branch, and Anh Hy is the laidback dad of the young'uns who balances his fatherly support with comical relief. Finally, Anh Huy, who is truly a kid at heart, is very inspiring as he interacts with everyone from the people in our group to all the kids we've seen throughout the workcamp.

Although it has only been a week since I have met these wonderful individuals, I will remember them for a lifetime.

mah friend.

By Dan Dao

Yesterday was our first day away from the school site and the kids I’ve come to know so well in just a short time. We stayed occupied with sightseeing in Phu Yen: visiting an orphanage, a 2nd century Cham temple and rock crystal formations at Genh Da Dia. As our bus moved from site to site, I found enough time to relax and reflect on my thoughts and emotions about my fourth work camp with Sunflower Mission.

As I grow older, each work camp becomes progressively more engaging, and this one continues to raise the standard. More than ever before, I have connected with the local kids beyond the superficial level. Since they’re only in elementary school, it’s hard to believe that we can relate to them or really understand them. But they're not just cute little kids, or sad stories; they're hardworking students and loyal friends. 

Returning to the medical team for a 2nd year, I had the opportunity to learn more about medicine under Dr. Joe while brushing up on my translation skills. On the first day of work, I smiled when I saw the kids peeking at us from the windows around the back of the school. During my break, I ran out to meet them, struggling to force out my rarely used Vietnamese words. By this time, many of our new volunteers had been able to meet the kids and discover how fun and entertaining they were. As we all awkwardly exchanged names and ages, I could tell that I was going to enjoy getting to know them.

Meeting my friend Duong reinforced my belief that real friendship doesn’t know limitations of nationality, social and economic status, or even age. At just 11 years old, he still carries a persistently innocent smile, but his questions and comments prove maturity beyond his years. Over the 5 days we worked at the site, Duong became my hangout buddy and partner in crime. Each day, while I helped Dr. Joe alongside Nanhi and Vy doing preliminary checkups on patients, he sat by the door waiting or came by the window to visit us. At every break I had, I would go outside and I would ask, “What are we doing today?” like I would to any of my friends back home. From soccer to Frisbee with the other kids to Vy teaching him slide slide slippery slide to just sitting in the sand and talking, we found our common interests like making fun of our little brothers, laughing until we can’t breathe, and bossing other kids around. On the 4th day, we were all shoveling sand and filling wheelbarrows in order to level out the schoolyard. During our lunch break, Duong led the other kids in filling up wheelbarrows and pushing them to the correct place, laughing at the fact that he was pushing more than his own weight in sand. His laugh always makes you smile, and it's not too hard to make him laugh. 

Usual mischief aside, Duong is smart and eager to learn. Every day, he would ask about things like America, airplanes, girls, universities, and my life at home. He listened well as I did my best to explain SAT’s, the feeling of ears popping, and the appeal of high maintenance girls. His curiosity about my life and his articulation of his own led to a mutual understanding of culture. He never gave up when I couldn’t understand his Vietnamese and didn’t mind repeating and spelling the same word ten times. 

On the day of the completion ceremony, Vy and I watched sadly as he placed each individual pen and pencil from the gift pack into his new pen bag, wearing a brand new SM backpack that was twice his size. We never got to say goodbye properly but I hope I see him again, the 11 year old that I look up to.

Playlist of my Life in Vietnam

By Nanhi Tran

"Today i don't feel like doing anything..." (Lazy Song- Bruno Mars) defined my feeling when i woke up this morning. "I just wanted to lay in my bed!" The Lazy Song was the feeling of everyday in the past few mornings. The Lazy Song was soon ended and replaced by the song, "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson. In 5 minutes, i got the sense of drive to get up and do something! This morning our agenda said we were going to visit an orphanage and then some tourist spots in Phu Yen. The orphanage was surprisingly not as sad as last year's trip to an orphanage in Da Lat. None the less, it was still sad because this group of kids' main form of communication is through sign language. they had 12 year olds in 2nd grade. The main thing that pulled at my heart was that the teachers started out pass out the clothes that my mom and I donated from my little brothers. Seeing another child's eyes light up while receiving a set of clothes that Noah was wearing only a few months ago made me want to cry.

The whole group at the Cham Temple

After the orphanage, we went to a temple that was built on a mountain 1000 years ago and crystalized rocks alongside the shore of a BEAUTIFUL beach. After the trip to the sites, we went to eat lunch and check into our new location at the Sao-Viet Resort.

Monica and i checked into our room... our mouths both went "OH MY GOODNESS!" when the lady showed that it was keyless entry. All you had to do was to wave the card in front of the sensor and the door opens! The room defined RESORT. The bathroom had a nice bubble bath kind of bathtub with an over head shower in the other corner. The song "Shoo Fly" popped in my head as the mosquitoes started to show up. The beach was next and everyone running on the oddly squeaky yet soft sand reminded me of the Baywatch show... Of course there were some of us who realized this and actually pretended to do that famous slow run but failing at being sexy like Pamela Anderson.

Dinner was fun. It truly was dinner with a view! Sitting outside wit Cojet and Nhan (The Hue girls)i was speaking to Cojet in English. She speaks VERY well. I can have a full short conversation with her now!

Now I am in the room. awake because i am too excited that i will be seeing the kids form last year once again tomorrow! Oh how Ive missed them! But I am homesick. i do miss my family and friends back home. I miss my Noah, Andre, my mom and dad, My entire family... that includes my best friends Jasmin and Don. Dan is with me so i cant miss him! I cannot wait to see them all again in a week! It is time to sleep... at least try to anyways... Goodnight world. "Hello Vietnam" (that song plays EVERYWHERE we go... haha)

Adventures in Vietnam

By Khiem Vu


Yesterday was the opening ceremony for the school we helped build in Phu Yen. From cleaning windows to painting walls, all the hard work and sweat had paid off. After several speeches and performances by the local children, we had the unique opportunity to personally hand the packages of books, clothes, and snacks we prepared the previous night to all the young students. Since it was the last day working at that site, I will certainly miss all the young kids I got to interact with. Among my favorite memories are the piggyback rides and their wide smiles as they call me "Anh Khiem". They are so full of energy, curiosity, and willing to play every time we arrive in the mornings. One of the observations I will always remember is seeing how the children can make any random situation or object into a game or toy, respectively. So far, my favorite toy is the string looped through two holes in a flattened-out bottle cap, which can be used as a pretty scary weapon if used improperly. They seem to be naturally intelligent and I have never seen them get bored at all! Although I am usually serious and reserved, playing in the sand with the children somehow brought out my goofy side as I entertained them with silly faces. Despite their occasional mischief and my being slapped and teased, I have also grown to admire the creativity of the local children and their ability to be grateful for the minor things in life I tend to take for granted, such as a plastic water bottle or a pair of old plastic sandals. I have never played with children like these before and they inspire me to further cherish the possessions I already have in America. With the completion of the new Sunflower Mission school, I certainly hope for a bright future for them.

So far, this trip has been amazing in terms of the handyman skills and cultural insights I have gained. The food is great and the mountainous landscape in Phu Yen is breathtaking. I have met a diverse group of people, made new friends, and worked with skilled and motivated volunteers. I have also grown to admire the dignity of the locals we worked with at the school site. They are very industrious and do not complain about the amount of construction they have to do. Despite a few barriers in communication, one of the young workers always smiled would always offer to help me with painting or dusting. Tomorrow we will work on another site, Phuoc Hau elementary school, and I look forward to similar, positive experiences.

Thank you!

By Khiem Ngo

Sunday 6/12/11

Today marks the completion of the school with a very heartwarming grand opening ceremony! And a soccer match with the local to follow where our young brave hearts (oh … and one old but “con` ga^n”) battle it out in the 2:00 pm heat. I believe that we’ve traded tons of sweat for an experience of a life time and a feeling that no pictures, no videos, or no … blogs can convey; a feeling that could only be felt when you’re there seeing those wide eyes on the little happy faces with no-front teeth smiles.

Thank you SM for this trip! Thank you each and every one of my wonderful companions who will be forever in my heart!

Beastly Work Camp

By Tim Dau


So far this trip has been a busy week. there was a lot of sanding window frames and then painting them. now my clothes are all messy and I even got oil paint onto my hair, and the only way to get rid of it was shave my hair off or use gasoline to clean it off, i used gasoline, i like having hair, lol. me and Don, another member, built a handmade swing which just consisted a 2x4 and a rope with a hook on the end.

Then today was the completion ceremony for the Sunflower Mission school, all the kids who will be attending the school was there. It was so freaking crowded with kids, and a lot of them were calling my name, but there were so many that I didn't know who called me out. It was all fun and everything, until the ceremony ended, and the kids had to leave to go back home. The sad part about that was that they left too soon, and we members weren't able to say goodbye to our favorite kids. Later that day was the soccer game that a majority of the members excluding me participated in. Our opponents were the school teacher of the school we just helped build up. it was a very close game, we lost 6-5. A lot of people got messy especially Frenchie, Don, and David.

CoJet's Blog Post

By Huynh Nhat CoJet

Hello! everybody, em khong biet co viet blog nen viet hoi muon i'm sorry! hihi the la ket thuc cong viec cua chuyen di roi. That su trong nhung ngay qua em rat vui, tuy lam cung hoi met thiet. Duoc lam viec voi nhung nguoi ban moi, tat ca moi nguoi deu rat vui va than thien, nhung em thi hoi buon vi van chua cai thien duoc kha nang giao tiep cua minh. Tuy cong viec that su co hoi moi la doi voi em nhung em thay no rat co y nghia. Duoc vui choi voi cac em nho, cac ban, thay co em thay rat vui. Em cam on moi nguoi da cho em co' co hoi de tham gia chuyen di nay va dac biet la nhung bai hoc quan trong cua cac thay co trong doan da noi cho em biet de rut kinh nghiem trong cuoc song. Chac co le em se khong bao gio quen duoc mua he nay, mot mua he dang nho va vo cung y nghia. :)
I love everybody <3
cojet

on the cyclical nature of things

By Ai Vuong

As I brush off the cobwebs of my Sunflower Mission Workcamp Adventure Book and carefully etch “2011” on another page, I can’t help but feel a mélange of emotions. At once, this gushing sense of familiarity that both warms and comforts the soul rushes in, as this is my 3^rd consecutive workcamp.

Then, a grand sense of anticipation takes over because…of course, each year is different. However, this year, it’s not about my own experience with the workcamp, but it’s about the workcamp through the eyes of my kids.

This year wraps up my 2^nd year volunteering/working for a children’s shelter in Hue, Vietnam. I had utilized last year’s SM workcamp as an experimental service learning trip for four of my children, all of whom had metamorphosed beautifully right in front of my eyes throughout the duration of the workcamp, so this year I thought…why not do it again? As an integral piece to my Service-Learning program within the shelter to identify kids with leadership potential and instill in them a sense of community service and turn them into active agents in their communities, the SM workcamp serves as their “hands-on training.” The idea is for these kids to engage themselves in an entirely new experience and see the value of giving, then return to the shelter and lead a volunteer club with the other kids at the shelter. What could happen when these kids, who previously have been provided so many opportunities, are the ones to give back to their community?

As the fourth day winds down, under a breezy shady tree, on the pile of sand dunes in front of the newly built school, I took a seat and watched as my kids were stepping out of their comfort zones to mold their own experiences within the workcamp. One, whom I had taken last year, is the most comfortable, so he dived right in, being the charismatic boy that he is. Another, while naturally reticent, has put himself out there and made so much effort that the older sister in me is choking back the pride. My two girls have had more difficulty, as they’re both working through their personal timidity, but today they were playing and laughing right along with everyone. I love witnessing their experiences, as their eyes widen with new sights, new friends, and new ideas. Their curiosity is peaked, and each day brings more things to explore and understand.

Tomorrow is the opening ceremony of the school, and I hope they understand the value of their hard work, why they volunteered their time and energy to lend a helping hand in building this school. I hope the value of the past 4 days of hard work isn’t lost on my kids, as they become part of the hands who will pave a path, carve an opportunity for others.

I took a hands-off (observational) approach to this year’s workcamp because I truly just enjoy watching the other workcamp-ers’ first experiences. Their joy in working under a hot Vietnam summer sun and their energy in entertaining local village kids put a smile on my face, as it reminded me of my summer in 2008, which ultimately lead me to return to Vietnam in 2009 and volunteer in Hue…so that I can now watch my kids experiencing the same workcamp. This Vietnam adventure book of mine has gone full circle…and the pages keep multiplying.

06/11/2011: Last Work Day at Hoa My Dong II

By Thanh Nguyen

Today, at Hoa My Dong II, we had our last work day. It was a bittersweet day where we both saw our huge accomplishment: all of the walls, windows and the name was completely painted. After days of hard work(especially today finishing the final touches like scraping the leftover paint). Yet I am sad that we had to leave the worksite. I feel that today was amazing in that we were able to provide a school that was clean and functional. The school is beautiful with its final touches and the sign for the school says it all: Sunflower Mission with the sunflower logo. The sunflower is a symbol for me that we are providing for the children the facilities for education and a newer and better day. Even though I feel accomplished that I made an impact for the children, I will keep with me the wonderful memories of playing with the children (especially the frisbee and the climbing games) and interacting with the workers. The children taught me a lot about myself and how I am lucky to have the things I have while they have so little. However, I end with this note: thank you to the children for providing me the insight and the drive for me to keep helping the Vietnamese community.

Tình nguyện?

By Ho Tuan Huy

Ai có hỏi mình đi đâu, làm gì, mình đều nói là đi từ thiện, đi tình nguyện.Nhưng mình đã làm được gì? Thật sự là không nhiều. Và mình sẽ làm được gì thì mình cũng không chắc.Vì vậy, cố lên thôi. Dường như mình có khả năng làm người khác vui, cười. Tối qua đúng là vui với "Panda mission", chắc các bạn M,N,K,K và sau đó là B cũng vui. Được "trẻ" như các bạn ấy thật vui, sống hết mình, không lo lắng, không vướng bận.

Các bạn trẻ lần này, mỗi người một kiểu nhưng tất cả đều dễ thương. Hi vọng mọi người có những ngày vui và ý nghĩa vì mọi người đã đến một vùng quê nghèo để biết rằng có những người còn nghèo, còn khổ còn cần sự giúp đỡ. Mọi người sẽ sống xứng đáng hơn với những gì mình may mắn hơn người khác mà có được. và mọi người sẽ cố gắng hơn để sau này có thể giúp được nhiều người hơn vì còn nhiều người cần giúp đỡ.

Hi vọng sau chuyến đi này, mọi người không nói "Tell me why" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j6IBdHW_rY ) mà sẽ là "I know what i have to do"

My New Best Friend, Khanh!

By Kody Khoi Ngo

Today was our fourth day at the school site. There wasn't as much to do compared to the last two days at the site. All we had to do was to paint another coat on the walls and windows and it was off to the beach!!!

Over the last two days, I made quite a few friends from both from the school and the volunteers for Sunflower mission, but there was one friend that stood out more than the others. A local 5 year old boy, Khanh, who has a dark tan, and wears clothes that are always one or two sizes bigger than usual. He would always come back for piggy-back rides, water, candy, etc. He is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen!!! I just hope that you or any other person who's reading this can meet a child as sweet as Khanh!!!!!

Gotta Get Down on Friday!

By Nikky Phi

Today was the third day at the work camp! We arrived at the school around 9 in the morning and broke up into two different teams: painting windows/doors and painting the walls. When we arrived, we didn't expect the kids to be up so early and waiting outside the school for us. However, they were up and more excited than ever!

Kids playing games

We immediately started painting, but the kids were so distracting! Each one is so cute and they kept asking us to play. We couldn't resist! My entire team decided to take a break after about 45 minutes of working to play with the kids. Don brought three balls; the first kids to get them wanted to keep them for the entire day, so they buried them under the sand before they went to eat lunch! But when they came back, no one could find the balls! We spent 20 minutes digging through the sand to find them. The kids played catch, frisbee, soccer, and made up games with everything they could find.

After lunch, we had to go back to working and finish painting the window frames before the day ended. Luckily, that didn't take too long, and when we were done, we went back to playing with the kids. We taught them a bunch of different games, but the thing that they loved the most was taking pictures with our cameras and posing for the pictures.
Around five, we all said our goodbyes for the day as our group headed towards the beach. Then we walked back to the hotel and ate dinner there. I can't wait to go back tomorrow and finish the school!

Chom Chom

Meeting the kids

By David Brhlik 


Since my arrival in Viet Nam, I have found the people to be extremely friendly even to me, a white person.  Here, where many people have never seen my color of skin and eyes, I get many strange looks and stares. I for once am an exotic creature! My fellow work-campers and I are all entertained by this wherever we go. Today it seemed like every motorcycle we saw on the street today could spot me wherever I was in the crowd.


Every day I'm learning more of the Vietnamese language. Thanks to my friends, I now know how to say "Cam on" and "toi khong noi tien viet." And I am putting it to good use! Whenever i try to speak to the locals, they are always very amused and of course friendly.

Chom Chom

To me, one of the largest differences between back home and Viet Nam is the food. The fruits here are amazing! I have tried dragonfruit and chom chom, and they are my new favorite foods! In fact, I ate a whole plate of chom chom yesterday! I can't wait to try jackfruit and durian. Before I went on this trip, I was not able to use chopsticks very well. I now use them for every single meal!

Handmade in Vietnam

By Monica Nguyen

Today was our second day at the worksite. After working for only a day, we've started to get a rhythm down, and we moved pretty quickly in the morning. The kids have also become a lot more comfortable and daring around us, which makes for interesting times. And as the excitement and newness of being here starts to die down a little, the knowledge of what we still have to accomplish settles in. There is a lot of work that is left to be done, but I know when we finish, there will always be a feeling that we want to stay just a little longer.

Whenever I take a break, I like to just sit and watch the people work as the little kids run around and play in the sand in front of the school. It's very striking to me to see how this building is being built. The local people make ladders out of tree trunks and branches, and they mix tons of concrete by hand and pour it out one barrel at a time. I admire how hard these people work. It's just their way of life, though.

At the end of a work day, we take an hour long bus ride back to our hotel. The scenery is breathtaking along the way with miles of rice fields and mountains in the background. This is truly a very beautiful country, and everyday that I'm here, I grow to love it even more.

Ngày Làm Việc Đầu Tiên

By Võ Minh Đào


Ngày đầu làm việc thì có hơi lạ, cũng chảy nhiều mồ hôi nhưng rất vui vì được gặp nhiều người phú yên, cùng làm việc và vui chơi với mọi người. Mọi người rất nhiệt tình và chăm chỉ trong công việc, những trẻ em ở đó thì thân thiện, dễ hòa đồng, làm cho chuyến làm việc được vui vẻ và thuận lợi hơn. Sau khi làm việc xong thì cùng tắm với mọi người trong hồ bơi,rồi sau khi ăn tối có một số người đi shopping còn tôi cùng Pháp (Frenchie) và Dan do xuống trễ nên đi uống nước mía. Nói chung hôm nay em ăn nhiều món ăn mới, ngắm nhiều cảnh đẹp, đã làm nhiều việc ...điều đó làm em thật sự rất vui.

El Primer Dia

By Gabby Phi

Today was our first day working at the school. We arrived at the site around 8:30. Even though it was rather early in the morning, all of the locals were already hard at work: some were laying down tiles, pushing wheel barrows of dirt, and installing fans on the ceilings. We split up into 3 teams: the medical team, the wall painting team, and the window/door painting team. I was in the wall painting team. We attached tree branches to the paint rollers to reach the higher spots on the wall. We painted a total of 3 rooms today! We have one more room to paint tomorrow, the room that was used for the medical treatment today, and then we're going to paint the outside walls of the classrooms.

As we painted near the windows, the local children gathered around us from the outside, asking us our names and ages. Unfortunately, none of them could say my name. Instead, they just stared and smiled at me as I repeated my name several times. One boy even asked if I had a husband!

During the breaks, we played with the children. There was a cow behind the school and I got to pet it! The kids gathered around us and the cow and we asked them to sing a song. One of the little boys started to rap in Vietnamese! I had never listened to Vietnamese rap until today, and I must say, it was pretty great. We also played other games with the children like tug of war with a rope that we found, limbo, and piggy back races. At one point, we even formed a Hip Hop dance circle.

I don't think I have ever had this much fun before! Playing with the kids was an absolute blast. They were so happy and joyful when they played with us. They can literally make any situation fun, making games out of the simplest things like a rope. I absolutely can't wait to go back tomorrow!

1st workcamp day

By Chanh Nguyen


This trip is my 2nd consecutive year with SM in VN. I'm very pleased to see few individuals I have met last year. This year I brought with me some experiences from last year trip & continue to add on more enjoyable experiences by meetings from new and former members on this year's trip. The temp was around 100 degrees F today at the school so there was plenty of sweats although all of the work was inside out of the direct sun. One of a memorable event today was our lunch under the shades of 3 big trees.

Interesting Day

By HoangVy Tran

We woke up quite early unfortunately. However, the cafe sua da that Nanhi got me was soooo good that it woke me up instantly. The breakfast served at the Oscar Saigon Hotel was really good and Dan got to enjoy his favorite xuc xit. After that, Nanhi, Gabby, Nikky and I took our first walk together around the streets of Saigon and exchanged money. We saw stores like Gucci, Milano and multiple other small gift shops. The streets were quite crowded very early in the morning. One of us almost got ran over by a moped driver. That was the uncool part. We all went to lunch after that at this really delicious restaurant called Nha Hang Ngon before the short flight to Phu Yen. Everyone got to enjoy multiple dishes and desserts.

After we all stuffed ourselves, we got to fly to Tuy Hoa. Even though the rule of no smoking is strictly enforced on airplanes everywhere, apparently it could be broken by our own very "cool" pilot. About thirty minutes into the flight, the pilot walked out of his position down the aisles of the plane. Most of us totally agreed that we could smell it strongly as he walked past us. That was strange!

The flight was pretty short, and we took a 30 minutes bus ride to Phu Yen Saigon Hotel. From here, we got to meet the kids from Hue: Frenchy, Dao, Nhan, Jet. They were all really cool people. At first they were shy, but after our multiple games of ice breakers. We attempted to learn to everyone's names and interesting facts about each person. The game was extended to like an hour because our bus was late. After that, everyone was pretty hungry and we all went to dinner and enjoyed some local Tuy Hoa food. That's pretty much it for today, goodnight everyone!
Photos by: Dan Dao

4 AM, Wakin' up in the morning.

By Nanhi Tran


4 AM in the morning.

Gotta wake up gotta get downstairs.

Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein' everything, the time is goin'
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'
Gotta get down to the airport
Gotta catch my plane, I see my friends!

I woke up at 4:35 AM yesterday. My mom took me to the airport after our usual and mandatory starbucks stop. Once we got there, Dr. Joe was the 1st person to spot me. He screamed out my name and smiled such a huge smile. He looked happy and excited to be going on the workcamp again. Hoang-Vy, Justin, Gabby, & Nikky were the next bunch to arrive. After that, the Dao Le family strode in. Each guy had his own luggae in hand. Bac Duy-Loan walked behind them looking all mighty and powerful with coffee in hand! HAHA.

After pictures were taken (serious and semi-silly), it was time for our goodbyes. My mom and i hugged for the last time before i left and i got teary-eyed. The brief sadness was conquered with the feeling of excitement as soon as i took the first step into the security line with Dan. To know that i would be reaching my destination sooner with every step and second gave me chills and smiles. The 1st flight was to Dallas,TX. It was a 45 min trip and we all just slept. Khiem Vu finally joined us in Dallas, and we all ate Mexican food for lunch! Finally, at 12:30pm, we all boarded the American Airlines 777 plane. Everyone was dreading the 13 hour flight to Tokyo. I sat next to Justin. We did not talk much. Instead, we slept. Him more successfully than me. There was little kid behind me who kept kicking my seat over and over again. I turned my creativity on and decided to put Lily (my lion) onto the food tray, and leaned forward and slept like that. It was a short nap because, the lady in front of me could not stop moving position in her seat. She was practically dancing and that caused her seat to hit me on my head constantly. I watched a total of 5 movies. (Cedar Springs, Hall Pass, Adjustment Bureau, No Strings Attached, and Just Go With It). After that flight, the group had to endure one last 6 hour flight from Tokyo to Vietnam. i slept most of the way.

Now, i am in the Oscar Saigon Hotel blogging, talking to Hoang-Vy and Dan. I do miss my family and friends already, but i am looking foward to seeing and spending time with the Vietnamese people in Phu Yen, Hoi An, and Da Nang.