Meet “Thao Candy”… A Super Sweetheart

Another VietHope USP student who would like to share some of her reflections about her experience this summer is Nguyen Phuong Thao, also known by the group as “Thao Candy.” She got her nickname at the start of the program because “thaocandy” happens to be part of her email address alias, but it just so happens that it’s a perfect nickname for her because she’s the sweetest sweetheart ever! The love and care she gives to the children is always above and beyond, and so sweet and true! It’s only matched by the love she receives from the children in return. They absolutely adore her. Read on below for her reflections about her experience working with the children this summer.

I wanted to volunteer for this program because during the period from high school to university, I have been given some scholarships and I really appreciate them. I have been encouraged a lot in my studying, so I want to do something to “give back to life.” Helping the children at BTP [Buu Tri Pagoda] and HTT [Hoi To Thien] is a very good answer for me this summer. I think I can understand children. To some extent, I can help these children and also, help with the program… Some people may say I’m too sentimental but I really think that it’s very wonderful if there are more happy people each day in my city, in my country. I don’t want to just sit back and wait, and hope, so I have begun with some programs like this. Although the number of programs I have volunteered for is small and in comparison to others’ work, my work is nothing but I still believe that I have done something, not nothing! This time will also be like those times.

I found that the children are very lovely and well-behaved. Some of them are very intelligent. Some are very clever at arts. If they have enough teaching and instructions in the field they’re good at, I think they will succeed in that field.

The children loved us to talk with them, they want to be noticed and loved to be held and hugged…I also love to talk with them. Talking with them, I feel I’m younger and think everything in a simpler way, which may be a bless in such a complicated world, right?

The most meaningful thing I’ve got [from the program so far] is that, when returning home, I realise that I love my family more than before, I feel happier than before and easier to sympathize with others than before...

The oldest child in Buu Tri Pagoda may be Van Anh, grade 8. At school, Van Anh is a good student. At the pagoda, she is a well-behaved child. Especially, Van Anh sings very beautifully. Van Anh has sung me some songs: Đứa bé (The child), Em là bông hồng nhỏ (I’m a little rose), etc. That’s not the end, she can write many stories. Her stories are often about children meeting some difficulties in life but good and diligent and therefore, those children will be helped by Fairies (In Viet Nam, we often call “Bụt”). At last, they have a better future. Maybe what she writes in her stories is what she hopes…Van Anh wishes to be a writer in the future and I think that if there really are fairies, her dream will come true… [Picture on left is of Thao Candy, Van Anh, and Kim Phuong.]

Another child that makes a deep impression on me is Quy’, grade 3 [see picture on the right]. Quy’ doesn’t speak much but I am really struck by his behaviors. After each activity, he usually helps me with clean-up. Whenever I talks to him, he just smiles and says nothing! Last Sunday, while other children were happy with their sandwiches, Quy’ went to find me a sandwich and mineral water. I was totally touched! After eating, he also helped with clean-up. In most activities, Quy’ usually stand next to me, he like that. Last Monday, Quy’ was sad and he cried a lot because his father from far came to visit him but just for a short time…On that day, it rained a lot, which might make him sadder, I think…

After 2 weeks of this program, I have experienced different emotions in myself. At first, to be honest, I took part in this program, in part (big part), because I knew that I would have a chance to work with foreigners. You know, I, like my many friends, are students majoring in English, so we often try to take the chance of working with foreigners as much as possible. Everything changed when I met the children. They were so lovely and innocent. I made friends with them and realised that they were the main reason why I joined in this program. Sometimes I asked myself: If this program were of a Vietnamese, would I join? This was not an important question and of course I could forget it and just did what I needed to do for this program. However, I don’t know why whenever I came home after playing with the children, this question kept on being in my head. I felt how ordinary I was! It took me 2 days to find an answer for myself: Strong yes! I’m happy with that answer I found. At least, I knew that I really loved and sympathized with the children and I wouldn’t lose respect for myself.

Now I’m very happy. Although sometimes it’s hard to instruct the children in activities because they are too small and somehow naughty like any other children at that age; sometimes I feel tired, I know that they are all like any other children: need love, need care, know that I will miss them so much at the end of this program, when I have to return to Sai Gon... I will return to my studying, my lifestyle as before: University, friends, music, books, precious alone time and so on, but I know that there will be memories of the children at Hoi Tu Thien, at Buu Tri Pagoda, of Kate, of Thao Le, of Little Thao, of Hue, of Jack and of other volunteers in my life.

Thanks to The Summer Youth Program in Cantho 2008, I get so many things: more friends, more experiences working in a program, more thoughts about life, about human beings and a chance to discover myself. I also plan to do something for the children when returning to my university and I’m waiting for that day…

I think that I will come back!

- Thao Candy