The journey of a house – Community Service Project Vinh Long

In 2010 we starts our mission of connecting people by the first Community Service Project Vinh Long. We did make a great journey to give and to get at the community. The journey is full of emotion that we will never forget.

The first day for the Community Service Project Vinh Long.

We were a group of 3 students, 2 teachers and one project leader on a great trip of Community Service Project Vinh Long. We come to the town Tam Binh in one afternoon after a beautiful boat trip along canals and fruit gardens, old houses, folk music and fantastic fish dish. Vinh Long is a famous province for tropical fruit gardens. Our project and homestay are around fruit gardens too.

After the bus stop, we should walk a while along a cement road to come to the house of Ms. Na where we did have inspection before and decided to share a hand with her. We made her a new house. Along the trail, every body said hello to us from in the middele of nowhere. That made us so happy.

We came to her house and, as Long described before, it was completely rugged, and we needed to fix that before the raining season was coming. If we did not do that, the raning would make floor wet and muddy. The bed would be wet with leaking from the top. We made friends with the family and promised to come back the next day.

The real jump into the Community Service Project Vinh Long.

We started the day by digging soils to make the ground of the new house higher then before. This was important to avoid flood. We also did dig holes for the pillars to be installed later. This job looked easy but this made us boring for a while. However, the more we work the more we feel excited about the project. We really spent a whole day on moving soils to make the ground of the house higher. We did that with a support from axes, bamboo baskets, bambbo stretchers and even troleys.

We should wear helmets and gloves all the time as this would protect us from some accidents.

The excitement increased when we started to build the base of the house at the Community Service Project Vinh Long. We had one master builder and two assistants of him. They were in charge in the skillful jobs like building and planning. Meanwhile, we were very good at other jobs. We brough sands, cements and mix them with water to make mortar. We cut steels and attach one another to make frame of steels. We brough mortar and bricks to builders to make sure they always have enough  to build the house fast.

The sun was hot but we can have  a rest sometimes at teh shade of trees at the garden of Ms. Na. The fruit trees are still young, but still fruit trees.

We  had learn the basic knowledge about the construction with the instruction of the builders. We should clean the bricks and put them to water. These steps would make the cement work better with bricks.

Among the working process, we aften get supported not only by human labour but also fruits and sweeties. Some men had collect coconut from a garden nearby and we had so lovely drinks.

We also try to do something more skillful. Look at one of our builders of the day. We really did that and feel we truly got hands on building a house literately. There were mistakes done but our master builders are skillful enough to fix and make everything right again.

We were so happy to see the shape of the house formed. Things were done step by steps, and we had to do many things to arrive this. Our bodies were exhausted but we felt we were wtill very strong.

The most happy person were Ms.Na. She cried all day as seeing the shape of teh house. She walked in then walked out then did it again, wit tears. There were years this was just a dream and it was coing very near. Many people from neighboring houese also comes to share happiness with her. Every body was so haoppy for her.

This should be one of our greatest moments to remember among our the Community Service Project Vinh Long. Kanako had touch some buttons, with the instruction of the truck driver, to load the sand from the truck to the house.

At some dangerous parts of the project, we needed to atay away a short while. The master builders will do the job. making roof was of some small percentage of risk and we don’t want any. We stayed a the garden, having some games to play. And the roof was made in a very short time.

The shape of happiness at the Community Service Project Vinh Long.

We have make the floor great by the teracotta tiles. Seeing this picture and you should imagine that this was teh first time ever this girl can crawl in her house. It was soil only before and it’s even muddy at the raining season.

We continued by putting coconut leaf to frame to make the wall of teh house. We learn to do it very fast.

The happy moment of the whole family and our gang: we had fished the house. It was not splandid but it is much better than the house of Ms. Na before. She and her daughter and granddaughter would be warm in the house now even at raining season. Wind did not go thru her house now. Water did not make the ground slippery now. The grand daughter can crawl in her house now. We have  changed life at a poor community in Mekong Delta Vietnam.

We get changed too. We are happy to bring happiness to other people. We feel the value of sharings and giving to the right person.

We did it.