The festival that we put on this week was so freakin amazing. It was what definitely topped everything off for the whole semester. It made me realize how important volunteering was for these students and how, even something simple as a tiny festival, could make a difference to these students.
For the festival, we had different stations: playing games, arts and crafts, sports, and a crazy snack table. When all the kids first came out, they seemed really shy. They were just walking around, trying to figure out what was going on. It made us scared because we didn't know if they were going to enjoy the festival. In a few minutes, though, it totally changed. Everyone started rushing to the snack table, trying on wings and masks, throwing the rice bags at the water bottles, etc. At one point, the students got into a soul train and danced together to the kids music. It was so freakin adorable seeing how much the students enjoyed theit time. One student named Quang has been there for the longest time. When I asked him to say something to the camera, he said, "Today is a really fun day. How can I even describe it?" That made me so happy.
What was really interesting was to see how all the parents, nurses, and volunteers reacted. I think they were really surprised by how well the festival was going and TRUST, we were just as surprised too. You could tell that they were interested in seeing what we had to offer. I wonder if this festival will be able to transcend this one moment. I really hope that this festival gives folks some ideas on how to allow the students enjoy their time at Hoa Binh Thanh Xuan, how to change it up a bit for the students, and how to make them feel like any other ordinary child. And I hope we can put this in our letter, too and hopefully one day, see the results of our work. If not, I hope we created a good experience for the students.
They are really amazing and I don't know how I will be two weeks from now when I won't be able to see their beautiful faces. I've become so attached to them, to playing games with them, to seeing them light up at new activities...And I've also gotten to know my service learning group so much better. Overall, I'm so glad I had this service learning experience. It was truly amazing.
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