The Global LAB Club is an afterschool program at Bronx Center for Science and Math in partnership with Global Learning Across Borders, a NYC international education non-profit organization. Our goal is to learn about important global issues through a variety of weekly lessons and activities, culminating in an international service project during the summer. Our first travel program will be to Vietnam, summer 2009.

We've already had a few meetings and now have 10 students signed up for the program. We had a slide show talk about Vietnam and we've brainstormed ideas about how to make this trip a reality and what we want it to look like. We've also started working on group dynamics and leadership skills so we'll become a strong team.

Stay tuned to our blog because this is where you'll find the latest news and info about our international adventure!

Posted by Global LAB at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few of the Global LAB Club members and Ms. Lob at this week's afterschool meeting.

At today's meeting we brainstormed the best ways to approach a community service project in Vietnam for next summer. We'd like to work with an orphanage or a medical clinic or education project of some kind, donating supplies as well as our time and labor and any skills we can offer.

We agreed that the best way to do this is to contact some organizations in Vietnam and introduce ourselves, asking them if there is anything they would like us to bring them or other ways we might be able to be helpful. This way, we know that we won't bring things they already have or offer things that they don't really want or need. So we've drafted some letters with all this in mind and hope to start some conversations with potential partner organizations in Vietnam.

We agreed we will each bring some photos of our life and families in the Bronx to share with new Vietnamese friends and we'll also bring some disposable cameras so we can give the orphans we meet a chance to document their lives and share their stories with us.

We also talked about ways to make the relationships we develop when we are in Vietnam become ongoing. Maybe we can exchange emails, invite our new Vietnamese friends to post here on our blog, and possibly even have them visit us in the Bronx someday.

We started thinking about different ideas for raising money to make this trip happen and came up with some ways we can begin fundraising online and by writing letters.

Mr. Eastman taught us a few words in Vietnamese, like how to say hello/goodbye (xin chao) and counting to three (mot, hai, ba) and showed us some Vietnamese money.

Ms. Lob helped us figure out how to convert US dollars into Vietnamese Dong using fractions and proportions--a real world use for our math skills! Today's exchange rate is $1 = 16,998 Vietnamese Dong.

The Vietnamese New Year called Tet is coming up at the end of January and we're going to try to find out if there are any events happening in NYC that we could attend to celebrate the Year of the Water Buffalo.

We set our next Global LAB Club meeting for 6pm on Dec. 3--parents will come so they can ask questions about this program and meet Mr. Eastman. Ms. Lob will bring Vietnamese food so we can have dinner together and start learning more about the kinds of food we will be eating on the trip.

We agreed that we would each post a picture of ourselves here along with a few words to introduce ourselves so stay tuned for that as we figure out the technology of blogging!

That's it for now.

The Global LAB Club Scholars @ BCSM

Posted by Global LAB at 9:50 PM | Permalink

Xing Chao!!!!
Hey there fellow viewers. We would first like to update our blog by saying thank you to everyone who are willing to help and support us on our soon to be GREATEST TRIP EVER!!! Today was such an exciting day because we were all so very anxious to meet up and share our new ideas for how we are going to earn money for our trip.
We all really agree on helping orphanages in Vietnam. We came up with things like donating teddy bears, spending time with the children who do not have any family members and bringing lots and lots of PENS!!!!!!!!!!
We send our condolences to Mr.Eastman. We are sorry to hear about your grandpa. We look forward to meeting with you when you return from Texas.

Posted by Ms Lob at 8:48 PM | Permalink

Today is a very scary day because Ms.Lob is looking at our REPORT CARDS. To those students that did a very good job they are really happy to show it to her. But the students that didn't do as well they are going to try harder.
Basically to go abroad to Vietnam our grades will have to be very good like 80 or above so we have to take control and try the hardest to do well to go on the trip this summer.
As we are doing the blog other students are contributing in other ways. Kiara and Dayana are writing letters to help us get donations from different people. Hopefully they do a good job and get the donations wanted for the trip. Tyler is doing the most fun job of all which is looking through the Vietnam tourist guide and looking at different places that the group can go to wether it is educational or fun and exciting places. I want to go not only to like the places but enjoy go to the beach or to speacial places.
To the Vietnamese citizens: We are going to be one step closer to visiting you guys and having fun. It is going to be a long journey for us but it will happen by the group working at its fullest to get to the trip. We are very eager to meet you guys and all the activities in Vietnam

Posted by Ms Lob at 9:12 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ms Lob at 9:40 PM | Permalink

I am an outgoing and very intelligent girl. Many people will see me and think something bad about me but little do they know that I can work very good with people. I grew up with a very happy and funny family. As I was growing up I would never have imagined that I would be going to a place like Vietnam. I always thought that the farthest place that I would go to is the Dominican Republic, where my parents came from. As I grow up to be a women I learn that you can go anywhere in the world, you just have to put your mind to it.

Posted by at 10:26 PM | Permalink

Hello my name is Tyler. As a person, I am a funny out going guy who likes to experience new things when given the opportunity. If you see me in the streets you will probably think i am just a ordinary guy but if you get to know me you will be in for a shock. We are heading to Vietnam this summer for two weeks. While I am in Vietnam I would like to impact their community with our community service project. The most exciting thing i will like to do in Vietnam is to try a activity that they have which is slow motion shadow boxing. I am looking forward to visiting Vietnam, to witness history and be a part of their culture.

Posted by Tyler at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hi, my name is Katherine and would like to tell you a little about myself. I live in NYC and I'm 16 years of age. I really don't know what to say and i wanna say soo much but the most important thing is that i would like to welcome anyone and everyone to my blog. Feel free to write or send any comments... everything is welcome.

CALLING TO ANY DONATERS TO DONATE SOME MONEY FOR OUR TRIP FEEL FREE TO
CONTACT ME FOR ANY INFO OR DONATION .THANK YOU

Posted by at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Hellooooo! My name is Joselyn and I'm 15 years old. I attend Bronx Center for Science and Math High School. Im really excited my friends and I are going to Vietnam during the summer with Ms. Lob and Mr. Eastman. Im excited because I will learn from a different culture and meet many people. I look forward to helping the communities that we visit and also having fun with my friends while we learn from this different enviroment.

Posted by Joselyn at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Today was a long day, but this meeting is fun, the group ate rice, eggs, and sausage. the report cards came .i did good anyway, i feel stuffed. I am still excited about the trip. I really wonder how are we going to meet. But me and the group really want to see you guys. I have never been to Vietnam, so this is my first trip. I am so surprised that the group is going to a unique country, by it culture, people, religion, and food. I am going to donate some stuff to the orphanage, It is good to give something to the kids like food,toys,clothes, and some love.

Posted by at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Hello fellow viewers, as you can see my name is Kiara-lee and I really lo0oove traveling. This program has captured my attention because Vietnam seems to be such a wonderful place to see. I like to learn about other cultures because its always important to have an opened mind. I have been to Italy in the past and I had a blast =]
The food was great and so were the beautiful views. I cant wait to see Vietnam because I know I will learn a lot.

Posted by at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey there fellow bloggers. Well my name is Karina I'm 15 years old and i am very happy to say that i am coming to Vietnam in the summer. I like to have fun and explore my surroundings i'm basically up for anything. I am said to be very shy but really i'm just a girl who keeps to herself and her friends most of the time. I actually like to know what i'm going to be looking forward to so I researched a few things like food and beaches, two of my very important things. Hope i like Vietnam

Posted by at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Hey my names Clarissa im 16 years old and i live in NYC. Im a very outgoing person, i love trying new things and im looking forward to this trip. Im looking forward to helping other people learn about our culture and to help them in general .I cant wait to go to Vietnam and experience their lives!
=D

Posted by Clarissa at 10:47 PM | Permalink

Kiara and Dayana with their new Global LAB T-shirts

Posted by Global LAB at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ms. Lob instructs Karina in the fine art of using chopsticks

This week the Global LAB club celebrated Tet with a special Vietnamese meal of spring rolls (thanks to Vermicelli Restaurant) and fried rice with sausage and vegetables (thanks to Mr. Eastman's wife, Thu). We honed our skills using chopsticks and some of us even dared to try the fish sauce. Here's a video of the moment of truth, when Kiara and Ms. Lob taste it:

After our meal we wrote up our introductions for the blog and posted them below with our photographs. Then we talked about health and safety issues for our Vietnam travel program and we also worked on filling out the Vietnam Visa application forms.

Our parents joined us so they could meet the group and ask Mr. Eastman questions.

Next up: we get down to the business of fundraising so we can make our plan to visit the other side of the planet come true.

Posted by Global LAB at 2:25 PM | Permalink

WELCOME! So I am Joselyn and i am going to talk to you, my fellow audience about our afternoon in room 226 with ms lob and my classmates =] So today we are looking for $$$ money. $$$ Any donations out there will help us! My classmate Clarissa (aka my sister) is sending out letters to our teachers to let them know where they can donate. Karina my best friend she's looking for any company or person donating. She just found about Walmart's foundation giving $1,000 to schools. Tyler is also searching for any donations as well as Jay. The reason we all looking for donations is because we have a goal of $5000, which includes money to donate to the orphanage in Vietnam :)
At the moment we have $250 Thanks to our 1st donor Clay Dillard who will be receiving a beautiful postcard from us!!

Want a beautiful post card!?
DONATE POR FAVOR!! (PLEASE) =D

So I'm DONE & OUT

Posted by Joselyn at 8:58 PM | Permalink

I am Jayeola olusoji. I ama 5 feet,10.5 inchs tall.I am a African/american boy, very soon this summer , the group are going to visit you kids. we are fundraisng to meet you and give you stuff likke food,clothes, and toys.I like traveling places before. i hope you will travel around the world with your friends. You can expand your minds to learn new things, plus you are getting a new experence in this summer. WE will learn new things together. by the way. I could teach you learn how to draw cars. bye.

Posted by at 8:46 PM | Permalink

Hello I am Tyler and this is my first time on the blog. We have just recently had a pizza sale at our school. This sale was great and we had a lot of fun doing it. We sold 15 boxes of pizza and made 150 dollars. We plan on having another bake sale this month and surpassing the amount of money we made last time. We are also working on a way to get in Bronx newspaper and radio broadcast so more people can donate money. Today in Global Lab we watched a documentary called As The Call So The Echo featuring an American doctor showing Vietnamese doctors how to use doctor equipment. The movie was really gross but it also showed how beautiful the country really is. We accept donations at this website--thank you for supporting us!

Posted by Tyler at 9:29 PM | Permalink

Coming to the end and plan going strong. We recently last week just applied for our visa at the U.N and are going to get them soon. The Bronx Net Video team interview us while going to apply for the visa. Of course though we hit a roadblock when we didn't have to pay $65 when it was actually $75. Ms. Lob being the good teacher that she is paid for us but, of course we had to pay her back. Anyway we the group are getting closer to the trip which is more than a month away.

We are so excited to be so close to reaching our goal. The group only needs two things to do: get the grades up and get the money. It all depends on this last marking period. We the group are very scared for this last marking period. See you next time.

Posted by Tyler at 8:43 PM | Permalink

Vietnam Packing Tips
The basic philosophy here is very simple: once the essentials are packed, less is better. The lighter you pack, the happier you—and the rest of your group—will be. There will be plenty of opportunities to do laundry. And if you forget something chances are it can be easily replaced in Vietnam. Really challenge yourself to leave behind all non-essentials. If you are in doubt about whether or not to bring something, that is a great sign you can leave it at home. Part of the beauty of this experience is in learning how little you actually need in the way of things.

• Medium size roller suitcase - This will be your main suitcase for the trip.

• Day pack Small, light, nylon bag with straps - a school book-bag is fine. This is what you’ll take with you on day excursions. It should be big enough to hold a water bottle, camera, some food, a raincoat, and a book or journal. This will also be what you use as carry-on for the flights.

CLOTHING
We strive to be model visitors, and therefore ask that participants bring clothing that is light-weight and durable, but that also covers the body well, and looks respectable. Tie-dyed t-shirts, cut-off jeans, torn or grungy clothes, tight fitting leggings and tank-tops are inappropriate, as they show disrespect for local cultures, which place a high value on modesty. This is not to deny your cultural norms, but to respect the cultures that you are visiting. Girls most often wear skirts with t-shirts that cover the shoulders, or light-weight sun dresses or pants with t-shirts. Boys wear long pants with t-shirts. Clothing that does not show dirt, is lightweight, and dries easily is ideal, but remember that whatever you bring will get a lot of use, so pack things you don’t mind beating up. Bear in mind that summer time in Vietnam is hot and humid.

• Socks 3-4 pair
• Underwear 4 pair
• T-shirts 3-4. Please avoid tank tops and tie-dye.
• Collared shirt Bring at least one short or long-sleeved shirt with collar.
• Pants 1-2 pair for girls (plus a skirt), 2-3 pair for boys. Your pants should be durable and light-weight.
• Modest swimsuit
• Sandals Tevas or Chaco style work better than flip-flops.
• Walking/running shoes 1 pair, broken in before program starts.
• Hat for sun protection Along with your sunglasses and sunscreen, this is essential protection from the intense Southeast Asian sun.
• Raincoat/poncho Best if lightweight and breathable. Gore-tex is great, but there are other materials that are more economical. A simple plastic poncho is fine.

PERSONAL ITEMS
• Passport You must have a passport that is valid for at least six months from the time your program ends.
• Money belt You’ll want to keep your passport, traveler’s checks and other valuables in a secure travel wallet or belt that’s well attached to your body.

• Spending money $20-30 per week, though you may not spend this much unless you plan on buying a lot of gifts. There are plenty of ATM’s in Vietnam if you need to visit one.
• Photocopies of important documents Always a good idea to travel with a photocopy of your passport’s first page and the visas for countries you will be visiting.
• Journal/notebook Bring something that you can write and/or sketch in.
• Glasses If you wear glasses or contacts, please bring extras.
• Sunglasses Not a bad idea to bring an extra pair if you have a tendency to lose things.
• Toiletries Bring the basics you need for grooming yourself. Women, bring enough feminine hygiene products for the entire trip. We recommend bringing your own supply of Advil and/or Tylenol, Band Aids, and Tums, Alka Seltzer, Pepto Bismol or similar product for mild upset stomachs.
• Sunscreen SPF 30+ (water/sweat proof)
• Insect repellent
• Purell anti-bacterial hand gel (a small bottle), or anti-bacterial hand-wipes.
• Medications Any prescription medications that you regularly take (and printed information on dosage, side effects and contraindications). Keep this in original containers to avoid difficulty at customs.
• Ziploc bags These can be invaluable for organizing and keeping things dry.
• Small towel
• Camera Southeast Asia is a paradise for photography.
• Alarm clock Small travel clock with an alarm, or a watch with an alarm.
• A few pictures of your home, family, friends Your new friends in Southeast Asia will appreciate seeing these.

OPTIONAL
• Shorts 1 pair, at least mid-thigh length (shorts are generally not worn by adults in Vietnam and are inappropriate in pagodas and many other places).
• Bandana Can serve multiple purposes while traveling.
• Ear plugs/neck pillow Helps you sleep on transpacific flights.
• Good books – Bring one or two to share/trade!
• Extra passport photos Not a bad idea to have a couple extra with you.
• Extra film/memory card/camera battery These are all available in Vietnam, but tends to be more expensive than in the US.

Posted by Global LAB at 3:14 PM | Permalink

News! People, people, people! Pay attention people! haha Well im super excited about finally going to Vietnam for two weeks. It's here dudes and i am so ready for the exploring, fun, heat of Vietnam and July. Our packing list is already done and i will start packing soon trust me. Here today is karina (me) , Tyler and Katherine and as we got our packing list my eyes were wide open.

Posted by at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Global LAB Club Scholars and Ms. Lob were featured on BronxNet TV as they went to the Vietnam Mission at the UN to apply for their visas. Check it out, along with Ms. Lob's interview at the television station here.

Posted by Global LAB at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Hello Everybody,

My name is Tran Dinh Song. I am living in Danang, Central Vietnam. I have been a tour guide for eighteen years now. I am a Veteran of the Vietnam War. I was in the Air Forces of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975, spent two and a half years in a re-educational camp, and then became a teacher of History and English in a high school until 1990. Recently I returned to university in Hanoi and I now have a Masters Degree in Linguistics.

I love History, and I would like to share my love with you. My philosophy is that a tour guide can be considered as a Good Will Ambassador who can help foreign visitors understand the History, Culture, Habits, Customs and Daily life of his/her country/people.

I am very excited for our program to begin and I look forward to welcoming you to my country very soon!

Tran Dinh Song

Posted by Global LAB at 5:53 AM | Permalink

July 6: Depart USA for Asia

Hanoi

July 7: Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport at 10:05pm, group will be met by guide Tran Dinh Song and transfer to hotel.

July 8: After waking up in Vietnam’s charming French influenced capital city, we’ll wander the narrow maze of streets within the bustling Old Quarter, visit Ho Chi Minh’s Soviet-style mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square, and explore the grounds of the exquisite Confucian Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, founded in 1070.

After lunch, we will head to Hanoi’s West Lake and visit Tran Quoc Pagoda, the city’s oldest pagoda.

In the evening we will enjoy a performance of traditional Water Puppet Theater.

July 9: Today we will visit Hoa Lo Prison, the famous “Hanoi Hilton,” where American fighter pilots, including Senator John McCain, were held as POW’s during the war.

After lunch we’ll explore the “36 Streets” of Hanoi’s Ancient Quarter and learn about the history of the guilds that are still active here.

Ha Long Bay

July 10: This morning we check out of our hotel and head to spectacular Ha Long Bay, where we board a boat and cruise out among the thousands of steep karst formations.

July 11: Swimming and kayaking in the beautiful waters of Ha Long this morning, before we return to Hanoi to catch an overnight train south, to Hue.

Hue

July 12: Arriving in Hue, on the banks of the Perfume River, we’ll check into our hotel, have lunch, and then head out to explore the Imperial Citadel. The Citadel was modeled on Beijing’s Forbidden City and was home to the Nguyen Dynasty Emperors.

July 13: This morning we board a boat and head up the Perfume River to explore Thien Mu Pagoda and then the magnificent Minh Mang Tomb. After lunch we will have time to visit the teeming Dong Ba Market.

July 14: All day excursion as we will explore by private coach the legendary DMZ, the so-called demilitarized zone that saw many key battles and firefights during the Vietnam War.

July 15: Full day community service project at Duc Son Pagoda and Orphanage.

July 16: Full day community service project at Duc Son Pagoda and Orphanage.

July 17: Free morning to explore Hue and/or shop for gifts/souvenirs. After lunch, we will take a flight up to Hanoi and connect to our return flight home to the USA, departing at 11:35pm

July 18: Arrive JFK, 11:40am

Posted by Global LAB at 4:51 PM | Permalink

After 21 hours of flying and layovers, we finally arrived at our hotel in Hanoi! Our day of travel went very smoothly. We all met at JFK at 10am (some of us a bit earlier at 9am:)) and got ourselves organized for our upcoming adventure. We even rubbed shoulders with Former Mayor Rudy Guiliani at security.

We flew from NY to Seoul which took us 14.5 hours and another 4.5 from Seoul to Hanoi. Ms. Lob read about 500 pages of her book while the rest of us watched a ton of movies. After eating so much food on the plane, we finally arrived at 11pm to meet our tour guide Song. He was waiting for us at the airport with a smile. We know he will take great care of us while we're here.

Today we are heading into the city to see Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and some pagodas. We can't wait to see Vietnam!

Posted by Global LAB at 4:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's very interesting learning so many things its not like people say that Vietnam is all about the war and they are not interested in Americans. As I learned about the prison called the "Hanoi Hilton" I learned about how Vietnamese were imprisoned by the French in this place and how McCain was treated. Then we went to the Pagoda were I learned so much; after all the hard work it was time to try new food. Try this food it was really hard for me but I tried to try it.

Dayana

Posted by Global LAB at 5:47 AM | Permalink

Today we went to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and it was incredible. I can't believe it was even possible for a dead person to look the same for over 30 years. When I saw him lying there, i was amazed and thought it was a little creepy too.

After that, we went to see his home from the outside. When Ho Chi Minh came to power, the government gave him a big mansion to live in. But he didn't like to live all alone in that big house, so he moved to the garage and even that was too big for him, so he built a really small house on stilts to live in. It didn't have any electricity, running water or air conditioning! We couldn't believe that he turned down a mansion to live in a tiny 2 room house. After that we went to relax and drink some water because we were really thirsty. It was cool because we also met a Vietnamese lady who's name was Hong. She spoke English and wanted to get to know us. She was an English teacher and she was really nice. She asked us if we could sing a Celion Dion song but none of us could sing =D

I learned to count to 6 and say kiss and hug. By the end of the day, I also knew how to say baby turtle- umbe rua because we visited the embalmed turtle and the turtle pond. We saw 2 umbe ruas- that meant we were very lucky!

Over all, today was a great day and we can't wait for tomorrow when we go swimming!!!

Kiara

Posted by Global LAB at 5:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well today we boarded the Baitho and it is a beautiful boat. It has two decks the sleeping rooms and the tanning and laying down area at the top. In this boat we cruised around Halong Bay and did many different things. Like go in a cave where we saw different types of rocks and also Ms. Lob, Dayana and Kiara kayaked around to go to the beach. We also went to a grotto and was told there were monkeys flying through the trees. I can say for sure the food was the best we ate like kings and queens. We had crab, squid, fish, clams, rice, fruits, shrimp and a few more things. Dayana had a big smile on her face because she finally liked the food. Tyler, Kiara and Ms. Lob all jumped into the water since they can swim while Clarissa and I (Karina) took pictures. We saw a few jelly fish but nothing dangerous.

Halong Bay is an amazing part to visit in Vietnam.

Karina

Posted by Global LAB at 5:13 AM | Permalink

Yesterday, we boarded a train to Hue, we arrived today at 10:00 at today. The train was fairly good, but the bathrooms were nasty, not clean, the rooms were tiny, I didn't have a good sleep on the train. The ride was 10 hours. The ride was fast. During the night we looked out the windows to see the view, before the ride the group bought some snacks for the train. Itwas a crazy ride. The train colors was red,blue, green in a 2 tone paint. There was Asian people.the group had a room with 6 beds. The train was long with 12 cars compared to Acela from
Amtrak 6 cars.

Jayeola

Posted by Global LAB at 6:00 PM | Permalink

After a hot long ten hour ride in a train we finally arrived to a beautiful hotel called 'Asia hotel.' I'm loving this hotel already, especially the pool! This hotel is really fun because it has a Sauna, a massaging place where you can get massages, and of course the beautiful pool. I'm also enjoying the beautiful view from our room porch. Everyone is really nice and kind here. We are all excited to be here for 5 days. I'm really glad we are all having fun! =]

Clarissa

Posted by Global LAB at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today was the hottest day we have been here so far.We went to the "Thien Mu Pagoda" which mean "godest from the sky." This is where the buddhist worship their buddha's. This pagoda is equivalent to our church except we worship Jesus Christ. This pagoda was built in the 17th century by a South Vietnam warlord named Nguyin. Nguyin named Hue the capital of South Vietnam when it was seperated into South and North Vietnam. He came upon this pagoda when one day he was walking in a jungle of pine trees and there was a big rock in the middle and a very beautiful strange looking lady was sitting on the rock. Her cheeks were rosy red but her hair was gray. The lady told the warlord everything about himself and that he was going to make Hue the capital of South Vietnam. He was shocked that she knew this things. Then she told him that she was a godest from the sky. In her memory he built her the "Thien Mu Pagoda". To reach the heavens you most go through seven stages and once you reach heaven the buddhist call it nirvana. Then we went to Khai Dinh temples. Khai Dinh was a warlord of Vietnam. Khai Dinh was known as the good for nothing king because all he did was listen to the French. He did nothing to support the country. He was very selfish and to show this he would give the French gold and other merchendise and in his return he would get money. The one thing that Khai Dinh is appericated for was making a tenple as a tourist attraction. The temple showed dragons on the celing, guards, elephants, and many other wonderful sights. Then we went to a in door market which didn't have much to offer except clothes, bags, and more clothes and bags. Saw some amazing things today but it was so hot. =[ LOL

Tyler

Posted by Tyler at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today we went to an orphanage where the entire group decided to go before coming to Vietnam. Getting over there was a little exciting, when we got there i was so excited seeing all these little and small kids just running to you. I felt sad just seeing how much love all this kids need in their life. Knowing how I am with my mom made me feel that each and one of them will need one too. As one of the monks was explaning how most of this kids ended up in this orphanage it could be by the war and parents died, or parents were dead already, or they were left in front of the orphanage, or parents were too poor to take care of them. As we were looking around the entire orphanage I saw were they slept, ate as a family and did their chores. I was really happy being able to play, and enjoy myself with these kids. It was so amazing how all 200 kids from all different ages had so much energy,
and how I get tired so easily. This part of the trip is my favorite if i could do it every day I will. This kids are so amazing and great. At one point I wish I could take them all with me but I cant. This day I would never forget, that I was able to give some of my love to someone that doesn't get it everyday.

Dayana

Posted by Global LAB at 5:36 PM | Permalink

Today we went to see the underground tunnel of where the Vietnamese lived during the Vietnam War. Americans were bombing the North of Vietnam from the sky. These people had no other way of surviving besides going underground. People actually lived there for years. In the tunnels, we SAW a space for woman who needed to give birth and we also SAW spaces for a 4 member family to live in. It was soo small and also very dark.This was a great experience because we got to learn and see how it was for the Vietnamese people.

Kiara

Posted by Global LAB at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The final day is here and we are going home. Today we will take a flight from the old capital of Vietnam, Hue to the new capital of Vietnam, Hanoi. When we get to Hanoi we will spend most of the day there since our flight doesn't leave until late at night. Then we get on another plane to Korea. Then we get on the big plane from Korea back home.!!! This is gonna be one heck of a day. Lol. A whole lot of flying. Lol

Tyler

Posted by Global LAB at 6:49 AM | Permalink