Life Changing Experience

One of my life changing experiences was a trip in summer 2008 in which I took to visit a charity house with the Red Cross organization. My trip consisted of learning about the history of Vietnam and its medical implementations in Cu Chi Province, a suburb of Saigon city. Cu Chi Tunnel was one of the famous historical battlefields during the Vietnam War. It was a place where hundreds and thousands of soldiers from both sides were killed. Thousand tons of chemical warfare were dropped during the war mainly Agent Orange. This chemical not only inflicted immediate casualties for the enemy but also caused mutations in births in the following generation. The war ended more than thirty years ago, however, the horror of Agent Orange still reflects through the post-war children. The Vietnamese government took little interest on the lives of these children. Moreover, the world seemed to forget their existence. Their lives are compared to lives of the grasshoppers.

Fortunately, several privately funded orphanages in the area were willing to foster these children. Even though I had mentally and emotionally prepared for the trip, I was incompetent when I first arrived there. The charity home was in much worse condition than what I imagined. Most of the facility was in ruin. There were no such things as common playground or nurse’s clinic. Even the charity home which fostered 120 children with mostly brain damage from birth; did not have sufficiently the infrastructure to provide minimum care for these children. The children all lived in four rooms. Some were lying on the floor while others slept in the cradles. Upon being informed of our arrival, these children were really happy to see us there. They welcomed us with smiles on their faces. Relief and comfort soon replaced my awkwardness. I was able to interact with them better as the day progressed. The group’s mission for that day was to clean up the mushroom farm. The farm was the primary financial support and food source of the charity house. The owner utilized the profit on the farm to purchase most needed items for the orphanage.

The work was very exhausting. Nonetheless, it was fun and rewarding. I felt like the little work that I put in had an impact in these children’s lives. It was entertaining working along with the children by learning what they do in their every day lifestyle. The more I got to know them, the more fortunate I felt about my life. These children changed my life into being a better person. This trip touched every aspect of my life. After the trip, I appreciated how grateful I was to be born healthy and to be able to pursue the life and the career that I desire. It was a gift that I will take with me as I become educated in my studies to be able to visit again and make a difference in their lives as they did mine.

I believe that our team this summer 2009 will make an enormous impact in the lives of these children. We will change the world not because we have to, but we want to. Would you like to help our team by contributing? Visit our website for more information: http://students.washington.edu/vsauw/wgf.html.

- Patrick Pham