#saigonia

[memo14g]

Scholarship/Orphanage Day 2 (7/13) || Connie Tran (UCI)

It was very difficult waking up today, but I got to nap on the bus ride to our first school for the Scholarship Program, Trường Tình Thương Ái Linh. There was a teacher who was making sure that all the kids were on their best behavior. All of them were elementary school students so they were all so small and cute. Seeing the teacher engaging with kids really hit me with the nostalgia of being in elementary school. She was using different techniques to calm the students down so that they could focus before Meagan and I went up to say our speech for them. They also showed us a video about their school and Sam and Thu helped facilitate a game of Simon Says in Vietnamese for the children. While explaining, Sam translated Simon Says as “Si môn nói” which I thought was really funny since I never heard it being called like that before. We ended up with two winners and gave them bánh pía that we got from the province Sóc Trăng. The school principal helped organize the students into lines so that we could give them the backpack of school supplies that we raised so much money for from the scholarship program. The principal also said there was another gift from us to the kids that she would give to their parents once they register again for the school year, which I believe was probably the scholarship money we raised for each student. We also got down time to play with the kids after Meags and I presented our speech, and two little girls immediately ran up to me. I asked for their names, but to be honest it was hard for me to pronounce and remember so I don’t recall their name but I won’t forget their faces and how much fun I had playing with them. I was able to teach them how to play slide, which was very hard for them to do at first but they managed to get it by the end of our play time and I almost cried when I hugged and said goodbye to them. I think today was the most meaningful and fun experience for me so far in the mission trip. Especially as a sponsorship chair this past school year, it was heart-warming to witness that the money we raised during gala was going towards a school that clearly cared for its students.

Later that day, we had a buffet lunch at a different hotel. Towards the end of lunch, Mari and I stepped away for maybe 3 minutes to go to the restroom only to return back to the restaurant seeing barely anyone left from our group. We were very confused but luckily a few BOD members were standing by the exit and let us know that the bus wasn’t coming and that we were free to walk back to our hotel nearby or explore the area. However, we were a little confused and frustrated that no one waited for us when we only stepped away from lunch for a short period. Seemed like the majority of the group went to explore an underground mall. Luckily, Rakesh came back for me and Mari and we all walked back to the hotel together to rest up. Rakesh, Cesar, and I later walked together to Chợ Bến Thành so that they could buy souvenirs for their family. It was my first time there, so I was a little thrown off by the amount of sellers who were determined to sell us something from their stall at a scammy price. While I was too afraid to look at or buy anything, Cesar and Rakesh luckily had no issues finding what they wanted and bargaining for what they wanted. Cesar got a Saigonia shirt, while Rakesh got a Prada bag for his mom! That day, I was wearing a pair of long, tan pleated pants that I just bought from Uniqlo the other day we went to the mall, and it just so happened that a lot of the vendors were selling pants similar to mine in different colors, probably even cheaper than what I had bought it for, so a lot of them were trying to target me. I didn’t dare speak Vietnamese to them and just ignored all of them out of fear. After walking through the entire market, Rakesh, Cesar, and I still walked back to the hotel early enough with an hour to spare before dinner call time. Sam then messaged the 14G Officer chat asking if anyone was free to get some last-minute gifts for the advisors, so I quickly got ready to go to minigood with Rakesh, Elaine, and Jenny to buy some small goodies for the advisors to recognize them at the cruise dinner later that night, which was another wild event in itself.

At the cruise, the veggie table had an okay dinner. A lot of us finished eating early, so we went up the boat to take pictures by the railings with the city lights in the background. Just as I was about to take photos with my Koopa Troopas, the sky decided to pour down and we were all drenched in the rain in the midst of our photo. A lot of us returned back to our dinner area once it started raining. Sam went up the stage and was about to start the banquet portion of the night when the entire boat suddenly jerked and tipped, sending a bunch of dishware clattering to the ground. We clearly had hit something, but we weren’t sure what. A lot of us were shaken up, including me, after the sudden bump, while others were making light of the situation in the 14G group chat, blaming the crash on Sarthak’s supposedly bad steering?? We tried to evacuate the room but the workers told us the best course of action was to stay put and they didn’t allow us to go up the ship for a while. I tried to distract myself by playing Wordle with Mari, but despite the distraction I was still very shaken up from the incident. After what seemed like ages of waiting, we noticed a lot of the guests had left, and that we were finally allowed to leave as well. Weirdly enough, no one announced it to us though that it was okay for us to leave; we just figured it out once we noticed the room was mainly just our 14G group left along with some staff who were cleaning up and clearing all the tables. It was heavily pouring outside, but luckily we were able to all get back to the bus safely and ride back to the hotel. Somewhere along these events, we found out that the captain had lost control of the boat due to the waves from the rainstorm and accidentally hit the dock, which was the impact we suddenly felt. We also found out the cruise dinner was Dr. Bui’s idea LOL. Our second to last night in Saigon really ended with a bang, but it’s also safe to say that there will be no more cruise dinners on future mission trips.

Above: selfie with Meags right before we went up stage to do our speech for the school!

Above: picture with the two sweet girls who immediately ran up to me at the start of our free time and played with me :)

Above: Koopa Troopa picture in the rain on the cruise ship

Above: Video of Sam and Thu explaining and playing Simon Says with all the students of Trường Tình Thương Ái Linh

[vencube]

Staycation in Hotel Des Arts Mgallery @mgalleryhotels #staycation #love #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam #igers #instagram #saigonese #saigonia https://www.instagram.com/p/B0c4lMJhIhp/?igshid=1cwf05us9kquj

[wuestenigel]

Different T-Shirts and Trousers sold at Ben Thanh Market in Saigon

[memo12g]

Day 12: Last Day in Vietnam (7/30)

An unexpected case came up towards the end of our trip and several members decided to go to the hospital to meet the patient this morning. Anh Phuoc brings attention to cases that MEMO can possibly sponsor and he told us about this patient’s situation and case. A 33 year old female with a physical disability due to a car accident five years ago became pregnant, with only a younger sister and elderly mother as family. The younger sister, only 23 years old, supports the entire family and takes care of the mother and sister on her one day off during the week. We went to visit the patient and her newborn early in the morning, she thanked us for our support and didn’t know what else to tell us but thank you. Learning more about the patient and being able to interact with her, brought so much joy to my day. She was beyond happy to have a healthy daughter and to be able to finally see her. We each took turns carrying the three day old newborn and it was such a precious moment, the baby’s name translate to galaxy. The mother also expressed that the baby had been crying earlier, but once we held her she was very calm and content. MEMO was able to pay for the hospital fees and donate some money to support the family. To be able to see the happiness and relieve on the patient’s face when we visited truly was amazing.

Since it was our last night together as a group, we had one last dinner together at Sumo BBQ and we ate too much like usual. I cooked the meats for our tables, and let’s just say the doctors were amazed at how much four girls can eat. We all wore our matching Saigonia shirts to dinner and finished off the night by handing out the certificates from UMC, as well as announcing the superlative awards for the trip!

- Jennie Au

[vencube]

Starbucks lunch ☕️🍩 #coffee #cofeeholic #cafe #latte #starbuckscups #foody #saigoncafe #saigon #saigonese #saigonia #vscosaigon (at Starbuck Tan Son Nhat Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2CM0IYBzvu/?igshid=11ptmz789s5od

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Retro outfit #retro #vintage #outfit #ootd #photography #thankinhgiay #hnbmg #snkrvn #sneaker #sneakerhead #dragonball #design #art #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam #saigonese #saigonia #vietnam (at Vendam Photography) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxATYVSpPPH/?igshid=1kb9swojo0hru

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Make old sneakers great again! ✍🏼👟#customsneakers #selfcustom #sneakers #sneakershead #tkg #thankinhgiay #iphonephotography #photography #hnbmg #snkrvn #saigon #saigonese #saigonia #vietnam (at Vendam Photography) https://www.instagram.com/p/BurL9MNgCnV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bbvnqx0xju36

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Passion #love #cool #Vietnam #saigon #saigonese #saigonia #sàigon #igers #instagram #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam #travel #traveller #travelblogger #tennis (at Ho Chi Minh City) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrH8ecvF9Nm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eqjak4rlkj4a

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Somewhere in Saigon #saigon #saigonese #sàigon #saigonia #cool #love #vietnam #travel #travelblogger #hochiminh #igers #instagram #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam (at Ho Chi Minh City) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrH6Ezvlh8A/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kutght55wnoq

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Last time #photography #photographer #design #designer #saigonia #saigonese #sàigon #saigon #cool #vsco #vscovietnam #vscocam #wedding #groom #iphonephoto #iphone8plus #iphoneography #love #men #igers #instagood #instagram (at Ho Chi Minh City)

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Overide #brother #drake #godsplan #x100f #fujifilm #fuji #saigon #saigonese #saigonia #vietnam #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam (at Ruby Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRFqYoAV9g/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=s2otp2jq5n8f

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Billiard crew inda house #friends #chill #billiard #vietnam #saigon #saigonia #saigonese #vsco #vscocam #vscovietnam #instagram #igers (at Pitchers,Sports and Grill) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnO2TbXgjsH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1p3nzyua41grk

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Air force 270 #sàigon #saigonia #saigon #saigonese #vietnamese #sneaker #sneakers #sneakerhead #thankinhgiay #tkg #snkrvn #vietnam #hnbmg #hypebeast #vibes #goodvibes #nike #ongmegiay #ongmegiayvn (at Ho Chi Minh City) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmiaDflDcsS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xhxnqm3ju73w

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No alcohol, just coffee #coffee #cafe #caphe #caphesuada #vietnamese #vietnam #saigon #saigonia #saigonese #sàigon #retro #vintage #instagram #instagood #igers #travelblogger #travel #life (at Ho Chi Minh City)

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it’s time #venkat9092 #prewed #weddingdress #wedding #saigonese #saigonia #saigon #hochiminhcity #hochiminh #vietnamese #vietnam #bride #bridal #iphone8plus #iphonephoto #iphonephotography #iphoneography #moment #love (at Ho Chi Minh City)

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Hanoi Vibe - Ngõ Ngách @ngo_ngach #ngongach #saigon #saigonia #saigonese #venkat9092 #iphonephoto #iphonephotography #vscovietnam #vietnam #hochiminh #love #bún (at Ngõ Ngách) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdYs2njsza/?igshid=adjevevfgix9