20 years old and the first volunteer season

Second year students are no longer as bewildered as first year but still enthusiastic enough to volunteer far away. So they put on their backpacks and go…For the first time in my life, I volunteered far away. The whole team of 26 people lay on the floor of a kindergarten classroom. At home, with my mother, I had warm blankets and soft mattresses, delicious food and nice clothes, but coming to this place, it was too far away. No blankets, no mats, no mosquito nets, and no beloved pillows... I slept well because of the warmth of 26 people. And the whole meal was noisy. Every meal displayed the VIP spirit, delicious to the last bite. I choked on my laughter. There were days when "auntie" Hai had to cover her mouth and run outside 3 times because she choked on the soup. Ngan, the "national baby" with clear eyes, always sat next to silly Nga because she was used to giving her rice according to her preferences. Sitting next to her and indulging her innocent wishes, I realized that a family was growing inside. Eating together, sleeping together. The whole team was panicking because of shingles. 8 comrades returned to Hanoi. The teachers at the school considered the plan to withdraw all of them to Hanoi. So tears fell, so a little girl sobbed during the meal. No one wanted to leave before the end of the volunteer campaign. I loved those moments so much that I - a little girl from the Journalism department - could extend my feelings about the Literature department of the Hanoi University of Science and Humanities. I remember the first days as a village teacher the most. Waking up when the sun was still sleeping, stepping on the grassy road, I and my friends walked to the village cultural house to teach. Day by day, that road was imprinted with our footsteps, the green volunteer shirts. The podium was the porch, the blackboard was the desk and chair, and the lesson plan was the textbook. The students' voices were chirping like birds. So innocent and strangely innocent!!! "Teacher, he no na xin chao". Dear, tomorrow when I'm gone, I will miss your innocent smile and the sunny sky. On rainy days, the whole team sat at home singing. Someone whispered: Hey, my hometown Thai Binh, the storm is coming, and Thanh Hoa too. Missing home! Missing home! Missing home, but everyone was sad because they were about to part. Nearly 20 days have passed, looking back now, it feels like a gust of wind... If I hadn't gone to Hanoi that day, if I hadn't gotten on the bus that day, if... I would never have had these interesting experiences as my 20s slowly pass by...