The day started with a 6am wakeup call. After a delicious breakfast, we set off to the worksite for another morning of hard work. We were split up into multiple teams, some people were bending and straightening wires, others were mixing the cement for the foundation of the house with the help of the third team who was transporting all the materials to and from the working area. The wire straightening and bending was a task that took endurance and patience but was made easier with the addition of the entertaining and friendly children that we had met the day before. They were happy to see us again and it was gratifying to see them so excited even in their situation. Nearby was the second group shoveling up the stones, sand and cement mix into the wheelbarrows back and forth again to the worksite where the final group was. This group’s task was to mix the cement with sand, gravel and water and to pour it into the holes in the ground we had made the day before for the foundation, where it would be smoothed out. This was arguably the hardest task of the day. However, today was not a full day of work as we only worked for four hours in the morning. The workday ended at 11 and everyone had an hour to freshen up before lunch.
For lunch we went to a different location then the normal hotel, by ferry. It was called Anbinh Island. To start the meal we were served Vietnamese spring rolls that the waitresses made in front of us. The outside was made of rice paper and the inside had fish, lettuce, cucumber and mint. Afterwards, they served us a wide variety of other dishes that included shellfish, noodles and soup, with a dessert of Vietnamese fruit which included “Vu Sua”, a sort of milky apple, and “Man”, which is more of a watery red apple.
After lunch, we took the ferry to another island where the ceramic factory was located. It was interesting because we got to make our own ceramics but it was also very hot because of the lack of windows and the huge oven used to bake the other ceramics. We spent about an hour there, split into four groups of five, and got to make our own ceramics. If we wanted to, we could take the pottery home as a souvenir. It was also sad, however, as our tour guide informed us that the biggest pots were only worth around four U.S. cents and the workers only made about three dollars a day. Each of the pots would have cost around 150 dollars in Bermuda and it showed us how lucky we are.
In transition from the ceramics factory, we went to our final stop of the trip, a fruit farm on another island. Once there, we walked through the island to reach the farm where we ate more of the “Vu Sua” and they also offered us sugar cane. We also relaxed in hammocks that were on the island and were served Vietnamese tea. The fresh fruit was delicious and it was a great experience.
Then everyone returned back to the hotel and ate at the usual local restaurant to eat a filling dinner. Once everyone finished their meals, we were split into groups and got into different tasks. Two of the groups learned “Kia con buom vang” the local song about the yellow butterfly which all of the young children know about and the other two groups got to work on a video. We can’t wait for tomorrow, Happy Easter!
Marcus and Grace
