Santa Barbara Schools - Peace Village

By Pierce

After an interesting bonding experience searching for paint, our troops headed to the Thanh Xuan Peace

Village in the heart of Hanoi. Opened in 1991, this village serves as an orphanage and boarding school for people from infant ages to adulthood that live with the mental and physical disabilities as a result of Agent Orange.  Students have classes and learn vocational skills while living with others that suffer from similar disabilities.

We joined forces with some esteemed students of Hanoi University. After chewing the fat for a few, we
began singing Vietnamese songs, playing with balloons, and completely repainting a previously algae-infested wall. We then enjoyed a traditional Vietnamese pork lunch sandwich before touring the gorgeous Hanoi University campus. One round of coconut boba and a transient stay in egregiously small and dangerously wobbly chairs, we ended our visit with our home slices (needless to mention Beatrice made quite the posse). On the real doe, I could never fabricated not only the overwhelming joy and laughter those kids had, but also the feeling that their joy reflected onto me. The time that I spent with those remarkable kids were worth the trip around
the world. In the tempest of our times we are often so preoccupied with pent-up stress and meticulously scheduled lives that we hardly take the time to stop and really appreciate what we have.  The children at the peace village were the most happy, full of life, and thankful people I have ever seen despite their disabilities. Their passion for life is truly inspirational and a testament to not only their strength, but the resiliency and fortitude of the Vietnamese people.