"There was such a summer"

Speaking of summer, each of us thinks of trips and vacations after months of hard work and study. And for me, my summer 2015 was also a long trip but it was more meaningful than ever. It was a long volunteer trip to Van Tho commune., Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province lasted for 12 days organized by the Youth Union of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH). That volunteer trip was neither long nor short, but it left me with many experiences and many firsts.

This is the first time I have worn a green volunteer shirt with the name of the school I am studying at – University of Social Sciences and Humanities – representing the youth of Humanities, bringing that youth to Van Tho commune to carry out and participate in volunteer work in the commune. Through that, I feel proud to be a student of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

That was also the first time I temporarily left Hanoi for 12 days to come to a new land with confusion, things that were too different from bustling Hanoi. Remembering the first time when I just set foot in Van Tho commune and moved to the house of a local - where I and 5 other friends would live for the next 12 days, I found everything quite good, except for one thing that took 2-3 days for me to accept it, which was the toilet. That was the first time I witnessed it with my own eyes, which I had only heard about from my grandparents before and I was really quite shocked. It was not a septic tank, there was no light in it and it was built quite simply.

Volunteering at Van Tho was also the first time I got to know, work and integrate into a group of 33 members, each with their own personality and character, but all under the same roof, the Van Tho volunteer team led by Ms. Nguyen Vo Hoai Nam - a sister, a mother who takes care of the members, most of whom are first-year students like me.

That was also the first time I was assigned the responsibility of being the group leader of 8 friends. At first, I was quite worried about whether I could complete the task because I had never participated in any activities or events at school before. However, after going to Van Tho, participating in volunteer activities with my group members, organizing cultural and artistic exchanges in the villages, I found myself a good group leader in organizing activities. And I also had members who were also my best companions throughout my volunteer journey in Van Tho. That was a beautiful memory that I will never forget. I would like to thank Ms. Hoai Nam for letting me be the group leader, helping me to know more about my hidden potentials, which if it weren't for this volunteer trip, it would have taken a while longer to discover.

This was also the first time I stood in front of a crowd to sing and dance with the locals. The image of me confidently expressing myself in front of a crowd was an image that I had never thought of in the past 18 years.

In fact, the volunteer trip to Van Tho gave me a lot of things. Van Tho showed me how affectionate and loyal the people in the countryside are. It gave me members and friends who worked with me here. It gave me friends who lived at Van Ve’s house who were as close as sisters, people who understood me like soul mates and we called our group “Buong”. Thank you “Buong” – my good sisters.

Thank you Van Tho for giving me beautiful memories this summer 2015. See you soon.