I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful and amazing people during my time in Vietnam…
The people here are so friendly and always make time to answer any questions that we international volunteers may have. They also love to listen to our stories of home and how our cultures differ from one another.
One such person is Hương, truly a gentle spirit and whose smile brightens up a room. I am blessed that we have had the opportunity to volunteer together and along the way share stories, make memories and become really good friends.
Hương is very passionate about the environment and took part in an educational initiative to teach primary school children about environmental awareness. She, along with other volunteers, made several reusable items from recycled items to show the children on the day. In the last month, I have seen first hand how good Hương is with her hands and some imagination.
I was honoured when Hương agreed to be interviewed for my blog. I am so blown away by her generosity and passion for education and environmental issues and would like to share hopefully a glimpse of who Hương is. So please read below to find out more.
The interview:
1. Tell me a bit about yourself?
My name’s Hương. I’m 20 years old and a sophomore major in English language. I’m a nature lover (crazy about planting little trees) and concerned about environmental problems.
2. Can you describe your thoughts on education and particularly in Vietnam?
Myself, I have experienced the Vietnamese education system for nearly 15 years, and I suppose it has both good points and bad points. Its strength is the wide knowledge that we access especially in mathematics and literature. One more point is that most of the teachers here are really dedicated and kind to their students. However, I guess it has some problems too. The biggest issue may be the priority for theory.. For example in chemistry, we students rarely have the chance to do experiments and science activities. Besides, extracurricular activities such as learning about environmental problems and sex education is still limited. Generally i hope in the future, the next generation could receive a better balanced education.
3. What are your thoughts on environmental issues?
Well, as i said I’m extremely interested in environmental problems, which is the reason I joined a club about the environment. In my opinion, humans are the biggest factor contributing to environmental issues and they are also the ones who suffer most from it. What we could do is minimize our bad actions to habitat and preserving it. Just a small action, big impact.
The initiative…
4. You recently participated in an environmental initiative with the young children of the summer classes project. Can you tell me a bit about this and your opinion on it?
Our aim for organizing the small project was to raise awareness for the younger generation. On issues around climate change which is happening daily to us and then tell them some actions that they can take to reduce their eco footprint. Our target group is primary students who are forming their personality and easily impressionable. Through some activities, such as planting trees and providing basic knowledge about climate change, we hope that they can bear in mind something about protecting the environment :)). What we love most is that children liked that lesson and the activities we had created for them. Hopefully, they could learn more in their school and to some extent change their parents attitude towards the environment.
5. What for you is the most important thing you would like people to know about Vietnam?
Vietnam is a kind, cultural and peaceful country. I would tell people how beautiful our country is and how delicious the food is and especially about our history against the invasion of big countries.
Thank you for reading,
Tracey