Volunteer: Lisa

One of the best decisions I've made was to spend the summer after my college graduation volunteering at an orphanage in Vietnam. It was a time of new experiences, relationships, challenges, and personal growth. I learned that despite language and other cultural barriers, people all around the world have a surprising amount of similarities. I saw every child we interacted with express the desire to be loved as we served them with care and compassion. They responded with smiles and affection showing their need for this love.

This was my first time in a country where English is not the primary language. Naturally, this created some challenges as we tried to work out the details of our volunteer time. We had to spend extra time listening and re-explaining things as there was miscommunication. Often there was only one translator, requiring extended patience from both parties to accomplish the task. On days when no translators were available, we had to use creative methods to find nonverbal ways to communicate. We also had to be flexible as changes were continually being made to the original plan. Having this flexible attitude allowed us to remain focused on the children, who were our sole reason for being in Vietnam.

Despite the challenges, we were able to begin developing meaningful relationships with the kids almost immediately. From our first interaction with them to the last, our exchange of smiles and hugs, and simply our willingness to invest our time in them, showed we cared. Although they may not have understood everything we said, our actions were speaking loudly, and they could tell what was in our hearts. The children I became closest with were some of the older teenage girls. We spent time together studying English, making crafts, and talking about our lives. They were amazingly sweet and giving, and loved having us in their home at the orphanage. They also taught me about not finding value in material things as they offered gifts and treated us with great hospitality. Even though they owned little, they did not hold onto their possessions, but rather passed them on to others to show they cared. We became great friends and continue to email and share our lives with each other.

My experiences in Vietnam greatly impacted my life, and I intend to continue the strong relationships that were developed while I was there. I have been empowered to live with a broader perspective on life and to reach out to those who are different than myself, knowing there are similarities that run deeply within each of us.

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