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Alex Kwon, Junior, Sage Hill School:
My Rewarding Experience with Vietnamese Kids, Adults, and Elders Through GIBTK: Making a "Dent" in Each Other's Worlds
My week-long trip in Vietnam was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life. Through Giving it Back to Kids (GIBTK), I was able to interact with Vietnamese kids, adults, and elders-helping them, learning about their stories, and gaining new perspectives. One particular individual is ÄoaÌ€n Thį Kim, the recipient of the first wheelchair I helped build. An 86-year-old woman,
Kim was once a rice farmer and tended to her chickens and ducks. She has 8 sons (3 of whom died in the Vietnam War), over 20 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Unfortunately, she can't walk anymore due to old age and the effects of Agent Orange. As my group and I built her wheelchair and presented it to her, my heart was warmed when I saw her sincere excitement. Although it was difficult for her to move her muscles, she was actively attempting to smile and was also shaking in excitement.
Kim said what she looks forward to doing most with her wheelchair was visiting family members such as her children and grandchildren in her village. I was amazed and impressed with how much she cared about her family. It reaffirmed my belief that family always comes first. Before my group and I left, Kim said to us in Vietnamese "I will never forget you-all of you". I greatly enjoyed learning about Kim's story and hope she has been able to visit some family members.
Interacting with the kids from the GIBTK homes was also a rewarding experience. I learned so much about the kids and their lives, as they spoke some English. They live in gender-specific homes and study hard in fields such as engineering, IT, hospitality, and medicine in preparation for the real world. As I learned about these kids' lives and their limited opportunities, I felt more grateful for what I have back home.
What touched me the most was that although these kids unfortunately don't have a lot in their lives, they were still very welcoming and proud to share what they did have. We shared laughs, sang songs, played basketball, built mazes, chowed down on pizza and cake, splashed each other in the pool-the memories go on and I'll never forget them. I especially enjoyed hyping up 8-year-old Hao during PSY's "Gangnam Style" as well as hyping up a few Vietnamese boys as they sang John Legend's "All of Me" in perfect pitch.
However, not only was I interested in the kids' lives, but they were also interested in mine. They asked me where I was from, how old I was, what I liked to do in my free time, what type of music I liked, and more. The funniest question I got was from a few Vietnamese girls who asked me what I thought of the girls there. I said I thought they were cute, and we shared a good laugh afterward. Overall, I loved learning about the kids' lives, and hopefully they enjoyed learning about mine. The kids I met were all so bright, motivated, and hard-working. I hope these traits will guide them toward a better future.
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The girls of Lighthouse
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This trip also opened my eyes to global health issues. Before this trip, I simply knew that less developed countries such as Vietnam had limited access to healthcare compared to the U.S. It wasn't until this trip that I saw the severity of this problem. During a layover at Ho Chi Minh City airport, I learned from Robert that surgeries such as heart surgeries cost $2,500 each in Vietnam. $2,500 each! Not only that, but patients living in rural areas must often drive several hours to urban areas to receive proper treatment. I was very surprised by both the exorbitant cost of surgeries and the lack of healthcare in rural areas. I was also disturbed when viewing images of people affected by Agent Orange at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. These unfortunate people suffered from deformities and other health problems that could've potentially been prevented with better healthcare.
Despite Vietnam's limited healthcare, I was so happy to learn about GIBTK's support for surgeries. Specifically, the organization has funded almost 900! I received the opportunity to read a patient book and couldn't help but smile as I saw a picture of the cheerful patient after a successful surgery as well as a heart-warming thank-you note from the patient's mother. Reading this patient book allowed me to see that support for surgeries from GIBTK and individual donors has a real and profound impact on people's lives. This trip has reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor and help others around me.
I love the name "Giving it Back to Kids", but I learned that it's much more than just a daycare for kids. It's an amazing organization that helps kids, adults, and elders. It saves lives. It's the epitome of hope. And it's a gift to the countries of Vietnam and Cambodia. I hope that the new perspectives I've gained from this experience will help me create significant change in my current community as well as subsequent ones. My trip in Vietnam and the people I met there through GIBTK have "dented" my world; I hope to "dent" theirs in the future by finding a way to support this cause even more-to give back to Giving it Back to Kids.
With love Alex
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