Todays note is written by Tam, our SE Asia director;
Tet store is a great program that GIBTK has done over the years. This is a program that everyone from GIBTK's team really wants to get involved because of one reason: adding value to families. We can see the value of it and we can feel the happiness of families when helping them buying things they want for their families and for their children.
Emotion hits me strongly when I start to write this journal. I have tears in my eyes right now. It is so much different from any other years that we have done this Tet store. Needless to say about the meaning of this Tet store, what hits me the most is the people I talked with and the stories I experienced. One of the man's story brought me flood of emotions. We both cried.
Duong Van Thu - a 53 years old man caught my attention when he asked me for help to get items for him. He told me that he could not get in the crowd to pick stuff because people may injure his incision. I did not ask much and just grabbed a plastic bag to go get stuff for him. After getting a full bag of cookies and candy, I returned to him and asked questions because of my curiosity on why he did not do it by himself. I found out that he has stage - 4 colon cancer, spreading to his liver and lung. He found himself in this cancer in August 2020 and then had a surgery in October 2020.
Hearing this from him made me burst into tears because he reminded me of my dad so much. I had to paused for some minutes before I could continue my talk with him. He just went through 4 times of chemo. Few more times are waiting for him ahead to lengthen his lifetime. When I asked about his wife, it was another sad story in his family. His wife was a teacher but since the accident, she had to stop teaching. The accident in 2018 left his wife's both legs and one arm broken. To date, she still has to use a walker to be able to move inside the house. Although his family has gone through so many tremendous incidents, he still stays positive. What a great attitude to walk through the darkest time in life! He was so happy and excited about the items he got for his family and his two children. He thanked GIBTK for doing this meaningful Tet store for poor families.
Another young man that caught my attention from the beginning was a 25 years old father. He walked toward the clothes station with the support of a cane and an intern. He said that I wanted to get a dress and a top for my 4,5 years old daughter. My instinct told me to follow him till the end of the process. When we could sit down, I started asking questions to get to know his family more. He told me that he had an accident when his wife was in about one month pregnancy. He was on his way to pick up his wife after work and then an accident happened to him. This accident caused his skull cracked and left him paralyzed one side of his body. Then, when his daughter was about 6 months old, his wife left with another man. His life and his daughter's life totally depend on his 53 years old mother who is a farmer. He shared that every year we don't have much for Tet. We could get few simple things from the market but this year we got a lot. He said this with a big smile on his face: "Before I left home this morning, my daughter asked me to remember to buy her beautiful clothes and toys. I am so happy and proud that I could get these things for her and a basket with stuff for our family. Thank you so much".
Or here is another story from our great story-teller, Chinh. If people in America usually have turkey at Christmas, watermelon seed and sweet are the must-have things for Vietnamese people on their Tet holiday, as these things are used as treats by family hosts to their family members, friends and relatives when they come over to chit chat and share the things that happen during the last year to each other. These kinds of food are also the biggest happiness for children in Vietnam, the things that they all yearn for. But not everyone can afford that. The Covid-19 pandemic negatively effects every corner on this planet and poor people are those who probably face the most difficulties and losses, especially poor children. The ten-year-old little girl Hien is one of those. Storms, flood and drought destroyed her family's crops, washing away their effort and hopes at the same time. Additionally, Covid-19 and lockdowns prevent her parents from getting hired to work for others, so her family has been in a very difficult situation for a long time.
"Each time, Tet comes, my heart is full of worries. My only wish is that my three children could have new clothes and enough cookies and candies to enjoy the Lunar New Year to the fullest. They are supposed to be happy, not be put in worry and concern about such many things.", Hien's mother shared. Knowing that her family would be invited to GIBTK's Tetshop, Hien was overjoyed. She asked her mother to buy her a new T-shirt which has the photo of a cartoon character that she really loves and her mother agreed, because it is what that good girl deserves to have. The last days of the Year of The Mouse are going to pass. We are pretty sure that many of us are pessimistic about the future, but if you were at our Tetshop seeing those broad smiles from Hien, her mother and every one else there, you would only see hopes filling the venue, just like someone has said: "Face
masks cannot hide smiles."
I hope your doing "ok" in these uncertain and difficult times. If per chance you can help to partner in our TET store, it can be done safely on our website www.gibtk.org or mailed to GIBTK
10112 Stonybrook Dr. HB, Ca, 92646
Robert Kalatschan
