13 July 2010 in 13 June 2010
13 July 2010 in 13 June 2010 is Day 9 of Ecoventure 2010
It was Sunday and what is Sunday? Sunday is a rest day! =) That meant that the day's schedule was going to be much more flexible and relaxing since there was no lesson for the children on Sundays and it's a day for us to take a break as well with no reforestation in the morning. What a treat!
The day started off with a visit to the needy households first. After breakfast, everyone gathered and headed for the students' houses together. We visited two households that morning and interacted with the families we met. As we chatted, we started to learn more about their circumstances, their health and various other aspects of their lives. It allowed us a closer look into their lives and helped us to understand more things we wouldn't have learnt from textbooks. These sessions, coupled with our group discussions afterwards, gave us insights into various issues from poverty to education and how such issues could be tackled and the obstacles that stood in the way. It would appear that we got nowhere with our talk but it certainly opened our eyes as to the reality of the situation.
Later, we were divided up into groups and began a tour of the village, each taking a path in a different direction. Our group's guide was Thang and we followed a familiar path towards the reforestation area.
Along the way, I was totally distracted by the colourful flutter of wings that passed us by. The butterflies came in all shades and sizes and each of them was so beautiful I was completely captivated and lured away from the group towards the shrubs and bushes amongst which the sirens of the sky flitted from flower to flower. With my camera in hand and only one single thought in mind and that is to capture the butterflies' graceful dance, I forgot about everything else. My group had to prompt me along before I reluctantly gave up my chase and followed them.
Thang introduced us to some of the things we saw along the way, including these tall trees that were characteristic of the highlands area of Gia Bac. When I looked at it, I saw something else instead though...
Did you see what I see? This photo completely missed the point though because I was supposed to capture the tree's majestic height that made it stand out amongst the rest. =X
A familiar sound caught our attention and made all of us excited - it was the ice-cream man! Happily, we went after him and nice Thang treated us all to ice-cream. It was a welcomed trip in the warm afternoon sun and we accepted it most gratefully.
Seeing the piglet cooling itself off in the water made us rather envious as it seemed to be enjoying itself. Well, we had ice-cream but it didn't! =P
Back in the house after our tour, the rest of the day was basically free and easy. Some of us watched a movie together. Some of us sat back and relaxed with a book in our lap. Some of us chatted with one another. Some of us wrote in our notebooks. Some of us folded origami. The atmosphere was stress-free and I personally enjoyed the time we had to unwind and catch up with friends like we would at a typical chalet gathering. Well, aren't you jealous? A chalet all the way in Vietnam up in the highlands! XD
Sunday is a rest day and a well enjoyed one at that too. =)
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