Source: My UM
‘Can you imagine a toilet built with nothing but wood and banana leaves? People from a remote village in Vietnam use such a toilet every day,’ says Kathine, a student from Lui Che Woo College. During the summer holiday, she and some other members of the college participated in a service learning programme in Vietnam, where they helped to build a bio-toilet in a remote village. She says the trip left her with many unforgettable memories.
Shocking Living and Sanitary Conditions in Rural Vietnam
‘I knew before the trip that the living conditions were bad in the village, but I still couldn’t believe my eyes when I got there,’ she says. ‘There was nothing in my room except a mattress on the ground and a mosquito net. An electric fan was installed later, but the heat and the mosquitos made it very difficult to fall asleep.’ Kathine was also shocked by the sanitary conditions in the village’s toilets. The toilet was just a hole on the ground, and next to the hole was a water tank with a pipe that drew water from a reservoir outside. That water was also used for showers. ‘You should have seen the insects floating in the water. It was unbelievable! I think I saw more insects on this trip than I had seen my whole life,’ says Kathine.
Building a Bio-Toilet and Experiencing the Warmth of Local People
Kathine, along with 1 1 teachers and students from Lui Che Woo College, took the trip to Vietnam with the hope of supporting the United Nations’ goal of halving the proportion of the global population without access to improved sanitation. Not knowing how to build a bio-toilet, they followed the instructions of local architects and helped move bricks and cement and build walls. It was hard work, but they felt refreshed when a local family offered them iced-coffee, coconut juice, and green tea. Children from the local families also came to help. ‘Although we didn’t understand each other’s language and needed the help of other volunteers from Vietnam to communicate with the locals, we felt warm when we saw the smile on their faces. Life was very simple there,’ she says. Kathine still misses her time in Vietnam, especially the little boy who gave tree climbing performances to entertain the volunteers whenever they took a break.
Unfortunate Intimate Encounter with an Insect
Kathine thought she had enough close encounters with insects in Vietnam, but one local insect apparently didn’t agree and decided to fly into her left eye one day. Neither water nor cotton buds could get the ant-sized insect out. There was no decent hospital in the village, and she learned later that people from the village needed to obtain approval from the head of the local government before they could call an ambulance. ‘I spent a whole night trying and failing to remove the insect that clung tightly to my eyeball. Fortunately a contact lens tweezer did the trick the next day. I was so relieved. The local people were very caring. They didn’t speak very good English, so they just held my hand as their way of comforting me.’
Life Lessons Learned from Vietnamese People
During her trip in Vietnam, Kathine experienced a different culture and lifestyle. ‘People there are very warm and generous towards visitors and guests,’ she says. ‘They are not rich but are happy to share what they have with others. Compared to them, urban dwellers seem to put too much focus on their own needs.’
Kathine has returned to Macao now, but she feels very grateful whenever she thinks of her experiences and the people she met in Vietnam. She now knows what she needs to do to live a more meaningful life—devoting more time to helping others. ‘Human beings are social animals, so we should care about others. We should do what’s within our power to help those who cannot change their lives for the better because of poverty,’ she says.
