Halfway through volunteering: Missing and loving

When I first became a student, the word "volunteer" was very far away from me. That was voluntary, what else? Now, joining the volunteer student team of the History department to join the Green Summer at Tan Dan, I truly understand its meaning.It's been 10 days, half way through the volunteer journey, and I feel regretful. Time flies so fast! Soon I'll have to leave everyone, leave Tan Dan... Thinking back, I feel so foolish on the first day. The first day I have to go far away. I say go far away, but I've been living away from home for 2 years now, but it still feels like I'm about to go very far. My luggage has been packed since the night before: toothbrush, toothpaste, medicine,... I always try to think about what I'm missing. I'm both excited and scared because I'm living with people I don't know. 20 days, is it as long as 20 "centuries"? Or as short as 20 hours? Carrying my luggage on the road, it's not the first time I've worn a green volunteer shirt, but I feel a little strange. A little shaky, nervous and... I feel older. When I get to the school gate, I see everyone wearing green shirts. How friendly they are. Everyone is smiling and cheerful, which reassures me. Enthusiastic and approachable people. The blue shirt, the familiar yet approachable color. Looking at everyone, it was like we had known each other for a long time. The feeling was strangely familiar! “Put it here, hehe” - Miss Thao was reminding the logistics team. Here are instant noodles, cooking oil, cups, bowls,… What a logistics team. “If the rear is strong, the front line will be strong”, I remembered the front line and the rear to death. Around, everyone was chattering. “This morning we ate instant noodles” - “Oh, I only got a piece of bread” - “I haven’t eaten anything yet. I’m so nervous I can’t eat”. Nguyen Trai Street was still bustling with traffic. Taking a deep breath. Goodbye Hanoi, we’re going! Tan Dan - where we will go and stay. After nearly 2 hours on the bus, the whole team cheered tirelessly. Folk songs from the 3 regions of the North and South, cheo tuong,… Dang Huynh pulled out everything. The bus was filled with a bunch of stuff, everyone was carrying their own luggage, big or small. The car stopped in front of the alley of the small house. The whole team was teasing each other about staying here when... "We're there! Let's get down!" - Hai Black (team leader) shouted loudly. "Really?" - The whole team grinned. We went deeper, the alley was quite winding, there were houses under construction, big houses, small houses,... "When will this alley end?" - Huynh playfully sang along to the melody. The whole team had another good laugh. Looking up, there was a pretty pink 2-storey house. "Our team will stay here" - Quang, deputy secretary of Tan Dan commune's youth union, said to Hai Black. Just arrived, the spirit was still high, posing, taking pictures and selfies. Let's just say that no one is as good as our students. The first day the whole team got to rest and settle down. The owner of the house, Mr. Hanh, was about 50 years old, easy-going and generous. He treated us like his own children. There were bowls, chopsticks, pots and pans. I remember the first day I was hesitant to bring my stuff up. All 7 female monsters in my room shared a room. But they were so compatible. Hai Black always reminded my room to “laugh less”. As soon as he ran down, we burst into laughter again. Quynh, always proud of herself as Khong Tu Quynh, with a pretty “lark” voice. Bang “fat” was adorable but too innocent. Mui was teased as “Mui tran”. Chuc was quite pretty and had the nickname “Cốc”. Trang was skillful with paper fashion, paper flowers and painting. Ha “MC” was playful. Dung “bookworm” was always deep in thought with novels: Liet Hoa nhu ca, If there is still tomorrow,… and books. I swear I will never be able to read a complete novel. Ten days living with her without any improvement. Thao Miss was beautiful and knew many tricks. She was always the center of attention showing off and creating tricks to make my room laugh. Truly a volunteer student. Wearing green shirts, we were loved by the people: we got discounts when buying goods, we even got water spinach, etc. The children were amazing. I love them beyond words. The team's schedule for the first five days: Morning work, afternoon work, evening cultural exchange, playing with the children. Tired, but everyone was happy! This morning, Uncle Hanh also invited our team: sticky rice with peanuts. Eating sticky rice with peanuts warmed my heart, but I missed home, I missed the early winter mornings when my mother woke up to cook sticky rice for me. Every day, breakfast was: instant noodles, instant noodles and... instant noodles. Everyone enjoyed the change. Hello new day. The 10th day of volunteering.