June 5 Backpacks! (Katie)
Yesterday we
traveled to from Dong Ha to Nhi Ha, loaded in a car with 135 backpacks and bags
of sweet treats for the children. The man who was in charge of the entire
Vietcong force in the region, Mr. Ba, joined us, as Nhi Ha is his home village.
He is in the hospital right now (some matter with his lungs), but really wanted
to come along. We picked him up from the hospital and dropped him back off
there on our return. This village has an extra special place in my Dad's heart,
being the site of the horrendous two-week long Battle of Nhi Ha in May of 1968.
The principal, teachers, parents, and the children were all gathered in the schoolyard when we arrived. My dad greeted everyone, with our friend Nhung translating. We then handed out a backpack to each child. Most were wee ones… adorable kindergartners. Once the little ones all had bags, we handed the remaining ones out to older children that were present. Aside from some of the especially timid kiddos, all smiled and said thank you, either in Vietnamese or English. Most typically only know three English phrases at this age: "Thank You," "Hello," and “Bye,” and they were excited to get a chance to use what they learned on us.
Once each backpack had an owner, we ripped open the bags of candy and handed a few pieces out to each child. The candy was given in continuing honor of educator Terri Chapdelaine, a contributor to my father's Vietnam missions, who passed away last year. A special treat for us, the kids all sang us three beautiful songs in Vietnamese. We were happy to see that the lockers we provided in the past are being enjoyed. All were labeled with the kids’ names, with two children sharing a compartment.
Several parents guided their children to stand next to us so that they could take pictures of us together. The children and Kira enjoyed playing on the school playground. After saying goodbye to the children and the teachers, we left the school and went to the May 6th battle memorial, the graveyard of soldiers born in the Nhi Ha village, and other sites of particular significance to my father. He will elaborate on these in his own blog when his mind settles down a bit. Wrapping up our time in Nhi Ha, we traveled a few minutes to the beach to enjoy lunch along the South China Sea.
The principal, teachers, parents, and the children were all gathered in the schoolyard when we arrived. My dad greeted everyone, with our friend Nhung translating. We then handed out a backpack to each child. Most were wee ones… adorable kindergartners. Once the little ones all had bags, we handed the remaining ones out to older children that were present. Aside from some of the especially timid kiddos, all smiled and said thank you, either in Vietnamese or English. Most typically only know three English phrases at this age: "Thank You," "Hello," and “Bye,” and they were excited to get a chance to use what they learned on us.
Once each backpack had an owner, we ripped open the bags of candy and handed a few pieces out to each child. The candy was given in continuing honor of educator Terri Chapdelaine, a contributor to my father's Vietnam missions, who passed away last year. A special treat for us, the kids all sang us three beautiful songs in Vietnamese. We were happy to see that the lockers we provided in the past are being enjoyed. All were labeled with the kids’ names, with two children sharing a compartment.
Several parents guided their children to stand next to us so that they could take pictures of us together. The children and Kira enjoyed playing on the school playground. After saying goodbye to the children and the teachers, we left the school and went to the May 6th battle memorial, the graveyard of soldiers born in the Nhi Ha village, and other sites of particular significance to my father. He will elaborate on these in his own blog when his mind settles down a bit. Wrapping up our time in Nhi Ha, we traveled a few minutes to the beach to enjoy lunch along the South China Sea.
Awesome pictures. It looks like everything went perfectly. I sure love seeing all those smiles. 😊
ReplyDeleteWhat a joyful part of the trip! I love the smiles, too. Especially, Katie and Kira's ! :)
ReplyDelete