HUMANITIES OVERSEAS LEARNING JOURNEY 2017: Group 5

Hi there, we are Group 5

Our members are Ishwari, Terisah, Claudia, Connecer and John!

Join us on this fantastic Vietnam Learning Journey!

First day of gift shoppingg!!!

Second day of moree shopping 😄

Obstacles that we faced:

- It was hard for us to plan the budget properly especially when we were only given $50 to buy so many items for the trip

- It was also challenging for us to meet as we all have different activities after school

- We have to bargain with some of the shop sellers to give us discounts as we do not have enough money

- The group was not really bonded

- We have to plan for 2 trips to get everything and also pack the gifts

Day 1

We learnt some facts about Vietnam today, especially during the Vietnam war that occurred for 10000 days.

We also visited the Minh Long Pottery and did some hands-on activities such as painting our very own ceramic plates.

After that, we got some time to buy some souvenirs there ( the little clay figurines )

We also got to see a video about how ceramic came and the process of making it.

We also encountered a rainy day which caused traffic jams and minor floods.

We managed to forge new bonds with different people (schoolmates).

What we learnt:

Making ceramics is not an easy thing and it takes a lot of time, effort and patience to make it.

We learnt to step out of our comfort zones to forge new bonds.

We also learnt to appreciate food and not waste it.

We painted and designed our Souvenirs from the Minh Long Pottery!

own pottery plates! #handsonactivity

Day 2

We set off early today for a 2 hour+ ride to Mekong Delta. The river at the Mekong Delta was brown in colour due to the mud and it is good for growing crops. Most of the houses there are made from wood and zinc which are materials that are not very strong. The locals there depend on the Lunar Calendar to see the high or low tide. In the past when there is a high tide, some locals would swim there. There were many locals with their mini boats travelling around the river. The boat that we were on have motors running and it has 2 eyes which makes it look like an animal. This means good luck and wealth. After that we stop by a place where they showed us how rice cakes, noodles, papers were made. We also had a tea break where we were able to try the other snacks and purchase them if we liked it. Lastly, we went to see the floating market however it was raining heavy therefore we only have a short sight of it.

Here are some of the videos which shows the overview of the activities!

Here are some photos as well!

Day 3

We first went to the Cu Chi tunnel. The tunnel was built during the Vietnam war for the Vietnam soldiers and the locals to hide away from the American soldiers as a form of protection. We get to watch a video about how the tunnel was built and also got to see the cross section of the tunnel. After that, the we got to interview one of the war veteran to know more about the war. Then, we got to experience life in the Cu Chi tunnel. Before we head for lunch, we visited an orphanage where the locals were all affected by agent orange, a herbicide and defoliant chemical that can affect the 2nd and 3rd generation causing a physical deformation. After that, we visited the War Remnant Museum to get more information about the Vietnam war.