Enjoying some tree planting with the local high school students.

Visiting the local high school

Also traveling with Peace Trees Vietnam, was a high school group of 15 students from the Athenian School in California. The group had set up a visit to the local school, which had about six hundred students from the ages of 5 to 18 years old. When we arrived there was a large banner, welcoming the group, and a large number of students waiting for us on the steps. I felt a bit like a celebrity, and wasn't sure how the day was going to go. Quickly after the principle welcomed the group, individual students would come up and start trying to talk in the English. They were the upper level English students, and spoke very well, but had never had the chance to speak with a native English speaker. They could not have been any more friendly, and intrigued by us. It was like some exodic animal had been released on the grounds of the school and they were lining up on the balconies to get a glimpse.
There was a soccer match, and a lot of touring around the school. We also planted trees in the courtyard with some of the students. After leaving the school, we later met up with the upper level English students for lunch. We sat in small groups and had the chance to talk and get to know students further. That evening we had a cultural exchange with this same group. It was a chance for them to perform some of the traditional songs and dances of the area. The American students sang a nice version of Imagine, and a few other popular songs. It then turned into a hard core Karyoke session, which seems to be the norm of this part of the world. I couldn't understand their songs, but the energy of these kids was amazing to experience.
There were a lot of email exchanges and whatnot, and my friend Jeff, that I am traveling with, pretty much broke a lot of hearts when we had to leave. He managed to score one nice picture to remember a nice student by...awww. I later found out from the head of the English department that the students talked about the group for the next few days, and that many of the girls thought they were in love...With Jeff...Not me.

Peace Trees Vietnam

It has been a real pleasure to get involved with the non profit group, Peace Trees Vietnam. http://peacetreesvietnam.com. I quickly became friends with the directors of the organization and enjoyed learning what their purpose is. As the first organization allowed into Vietnam by the government, for the purpose of land mine education and clearing, they have a long standing relationship with many people here. I was able to visit a site outside of Dong Ha, in the Quang Tri province, where there was a military base and airfield in the war. Now it is the site of friendship village, which has a large number of houses, a community center, and a school; all thanks to the support of Peace Trees Vietnam. It was wonderful to go there and to plant trees with the locals, and to have them welcome us there with kindness. It was also interesting to see American Veterans laugh and talk with a North Vietnamese Veteran, who is now the mayor of this small village.

Their major contribution to the area is the land mine education center. They bring in children year round, and have several activities set up, that are aimed at educating these children to the dangers of unexploded land mines and other ordinances leftover from the war. We met two of the victims and heard their sad stories. One lost a leg, a foot, most of his sight, several fingers on one hand. He was happy to talk with the group, and answer any questions. It happened near his house, where he and same friends were playing in a sand dune. Without warning, a large explosion killed his two friends and left him critically injured. He showed amazing strength in his life, and was an inspiration to us all. The worst part is that he never even knew what it was, and had no idea such dangers were present in his environment. This was several years back, but still today 1 child a week is injured in such a disaster in this province alone. It is just hard to believe.