~ SRGCE Lao Cai - Memories Unerased: Chapter 3 - An Air of Heaviness ~

We reached Hanoi, Vietnam. From there, we had to take a train ride to Lao Cai, before starting our Fansipan climb. But before all that, we had to visit the Friendship Village there. Along the way there were a lot of things to see, and I witnessed the stark contrast of Vietnam and Singapore.

I mean, just look at this. Building differences, and motorcycles all over.

A couple of pictures here and there, but that would be missing the point of this blog entry, wouldn't it? Here's what I could dig out of the photos I have with me, so this is Friendship Village. This picture below is the best I could take outta that place... Wished I had taken pictures of those kids affected by Agent Orange, then I could've made that difference by waking you guys up to the horrors of war and making you understand the value of peace, by which this place got its name.

Friendship Village. Symbol of peace after the scars of war.

Ah, here it is, one of the rare pictures with people on it.

Kids who would have deserved a better life if not for Agent Orange. Courtesy of Barry Choo, one of our Lao Cai expedition team mates.

Take my word for it. Dioxins are not to be fooled around with it. The kids down there affected by Agent Orange are born with deformities, some become mentally challenged, others become physically disabled. These people live down here, to learn a trade that can help them survive out there in Vietnam on their own. Depending on the seriousness of their condition, some can get out to make a living for themselves after a year at best, sometimes a decade to do so, and sometimes they can simply spend their lives here, doing the same thing over and over again like a robot. Yet they can take joy in what they are doing, so why shouldn't we do so, instead of complaining about bad school grades, school bullying, having trouble understanding school authority, and the like?

Actually, their architecture isn't that bad after all. Funded by several

nations, it seems to be better than the rest of the surrounding buildings.

Joy in their work brings beautiful yields. These flowers are made of crepe paper.

Another beauty of children under God's embrace.

Well, these children shouldn't have been like that in the first place, and honestly, while interacting with the kids, I never felt so helpless in my entire life before. Not knowing Vietnamese is the big barrier which all of us had to break via body language, and I interacted with a Vietnamese boy whom, I was told, was "untalkable", meaning that he can't really articulate his words properly, which I learned later. Hmm, how then do I put my ideas across to this kid then?

It may seem weird, but this entire time, I was thinking about fishing. Patience, just like fishing. I made it through with that thought in my mind, and the kid was finally responding. Yes!

This trip made me realise how there's only so much that one person alone can do. Imagine if you had to take care of all that bunch of kids with this condition. It is not an easy task, and I salute these teachers who have to double up as caretakers. Kudos to you!

The idea of peace, fantastic. Friendship Village - a bittersweet peace that the Vietnamese have. Appreciate it, guys: it's valuable and precious.