Arriving at the airport, I was received by Thao aka Viola who also happened to be a Medical student where we waited for another PV08 participant Azusa from Japan. After leaving the airport for the Le Duy hotel, the thing that amazed me most was the HCM traffic. motorcycles aplenty, cars, vans and taxis abound, the vehicles weave through the roads and alleyways with complete disregard for traffic 'rules'. Zebra crossings have no significance, as do red lights. With this in mind, if anyone actually observed 'conventional' traffic rules, one might find him/herself in an accident pretty frequently. road lines also seem to be merely a formality, as vehicle traverse the lines carelessly, and I find myself sitting in a vehicle destined for a head-on collision. In addition, motorcycles weave in and out of traffic; mothers with toddlers in arms, ladies with stilettos as well as grandmothers. many a times I have found my life hanging by a thread, whether sitting in a taxi or crossing a road.
Arriving at the hotel, I had a wash up, and decided to 'explore' the surroundings. Knowing that petty crime was frequent, I decided to only venture to a nearby mall.It took me 5 minutes to cross a 2 lane road, which seemed effortless to locals. even on a '1-way' street, I had to look both ways before crossing; while walking on the pedestrian pavement, I had to look out for moving motorcycles; such is the state of HCM traffic. If anyone can cross HCM roads with ease, they would be jaywalking kings anywhere else in the world.
The team so far has been amazing, people from all over the world. Japan, Malaysia, USA, France, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam too. It is quite amazing how all of us, stranger to each other, gelled so easily together from day 1. Many of these other group participants from very prestigious institutions yet humble and practical/logical perspectives. Having been assigned to the leadership group, we were in charge of conducting leadership workshops as well as playing mentor to HCM's brightest high school students. These students have been quite impressive. Shy and reserved at first, they have slowly but surely evolved into confident young adults. Their standard of spoken english has also been quite a pleasant surprise.
Seeing the 'street' kids at the May-15 school of HCM and the mentees, it is quite shocking to see such a drastic difference in living standards. On one side of the room you have students with handphones and digital cameras and on the other side, students who have troubled family backgrounds, living conditions so poor, basic clothing and food are even a problem. While some can afford to spend all their time studying, the other group of students go straight to work after school, and work late into the night just to help out their own families. children in singapore are so fortunate. even the least fortunate families have guaranteed education, proper homes and enough food.
The SEAL NET project this year aims to lay the foundation in 3 areas.
1. Creating a basic computing program for students aged 6-11
2. Imparting Leadership knowledge to mentees
3. Creating a sustained interest in English learning.
So far most of the programs have been running quite smoothly, albeit some problems occurring with the english program as well as the computing program. But with this amazing group of people, I am quite certain this project of ours will be a raving success. ranging from 18-24 years of age, the diverse talents and qualities we each bring to the project is invaluable.
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