Tonight, the 23rd September, Victoria Hiscock will be attempting as many ‘crunchies’ as she can to raise money for the below trip she is going on next month. Please bring along some extra money along to the club to sponsor her attempt in raising more cash for the trip and to see how strong a national standard athletes’ core is! The challenge will take place at about 8.40pm outside the clubhouse so please hang around, cheer her on, and most importantly donate a few pounds to help her. Next Tuesday the 30th September she will be performing a ‘plank’ challenge to see how long she can plank for before collapsing in a heap! Any amount however small would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Vietnam Schools Worldwide Trip 24th October – 5th November 2014 Last year I decided to go forward with the huge task of fundraising £2,112 for a Schools Worldwide trip to Vietnam. The company, Schools Worldwide aims, to take “young people to countries where the personal rewards of experiencing new challenges, different environments and cultures become unforgettable, life-changing moments; ‘Education by Experience’ ”. The trip will mainly consist of a community project, likely to be in a local school – painting and refurbishment work, and also experiencing a home-stay as well as the sights and the culture in Vietnam. Geographical Location Vietnam lies on the Eastern Indochina Peninsula and covers a total area of about 331,210km2 (127,881 miles2), making it almost the size of Germany. Vietnam’s land is mostly hilly and densely forested, with level land only covering 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the land area and tropical forests cover around 42%. I will be visiting the Southern part of Vietnam which is divided into coastal lowlands, mountains of the Annamite Range, and extensive forests. Climate I will be visiting Vietnam during the summer or rainy season; therefore the average temperatures will range between 23 and 31 Celsius but temperatures will be higher in the South than in the North of Vietnam. Language and Culture The official national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese which is spoken by the majority of the population. However, Vietnam’s minority groups speak a variety of languages including Tày, Chinese, Khmer, Cham and Nùng. Those families who had ties which the Soviet bloc during the Cold War may also speak Russian, Czech or Polish. In recent years, English has become a popular second language; the study of English is now obligatory in most schools, replacing French. Itinerary Fri-24-Oct-14: I will be leaving England on Friday 24th October 2014 with our guide. We travel to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, from where we will catch the connecting flight the next morning to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Ho Chi Minh City was officially renamed after reunification in 1975, however most people prefer the old name of Saigon. Once referred to as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, Saigon is Vietnam’s largest city. On arrival we will meet our local guide and be transferred to our home-stay. Sat-25-Oct: The next day we will be given a tour of the city to sense the flurry of activity and absorb the culture of Vietnamese life. Major landmarks we will visit within Saigon include the French built Notre Dame Cathedral; the Gustav Eiffel designed Central Post Office, the Central Ben Thanh Market and the former Hotel de Ville (City Hall). Sun-26-Oct: After visiting the Ben Thanh market to buy the necessary ingredients ourselves, we will be given a Vietnamese cookery lesson. The emphasis will be on traditional and contemporary food that will be simple to prepare. After this lesson we will visit one of the oldest pagodas in Ho Chi Minh, Giac Lam. First constructed by Vietnamese Buddhists in 1744, Giac Lam is thought to be Saigon’s oldest temple. Mon-27-Oct: A tour will be given to us of the Cu Chi Tunnels. Begun by the Viet Minh and later expanded by the Viet Cong, Cu Chi’s tunnels were constructed to conduct many covert operations and quickly hide from their enemy. There are reputed to be around 200 kilometres of underground tunnels within the area, including underground hospitals, kitchens and meeting rooms. Afterwards, we will continue to ‘Wildlife At Risk’ (WAR), a non-profit organisation based in Ho Chi Minh City, and active throughout the southern provinces. Their mission is to dedicate itself to the long-term conservation of Vietnam’s threat to biodiversity. It aims to combat the illegal wildlife trade and promote the conservation of endangered species and their habitats. Tue-28-Oct: The Mekong River begins its journey in the high plateau of Eastern Tibet and, after winding its way over 4000km through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, it reaches Vietnam and divides into nine channels and hundreds of tributaries before reaching the South China Sea. The Mekong Delta is one of the most fertile regions on Earth and is home to more than 20 million people. Our group will travel by boat down the river starting from the small market of Ben Tre. Mon-3-Nov: After a bicycle ride to explore the fruit orchards and local market, we leave for Thor Not to walk the basket weaving village and learn about the trade and how to weave a basket using bamboo. Afterwards we will continue to the Stork Sanctuary which is home to thousands of storks and many other birds. Tue-4-Nov: We head by boat to Cai Rang where we will cruise around the local floating market. During the early morning market hours, larger sized boats, that sell fruit such as bananas, pineapple, papaya and mango, anchor to create lanes that smaller boats can move in and out of. After visiting the market we will continue to drive to the suburb of Cantho to visit the oldest temple, Nam Nha. Wed-5-Nov: We will depart the evening before from Vietnam to catch an early flight the next morning to arrive in the United Kingdom that day. Costs So far I have collected just over half the amount needed which has been done through boot sales, cake sales, car washes and donations from family and friends. This has been undertaken during my studies for my GCSE examinations (May-June 2014), as well as fulfilling my fitness training timetable and competing in cross-country and track competitions for school, club and county. Opportunity Schools Worldwide intend to provide students with a “substantial and unique opportunity t experience a period of personal discovery”. Personally, I also hope to gain a valuable insight and appreciation of a new country and its culture. I aim to learn and improve upon skills such as teamwork and collaboration, leadership and communication. We will have to learn to work under pressure with people we do not know and overcome language barriers in order to make the project successful. Mainly, during the project, I wish to discover the difference in day-to-day life of those living in a community compared with our own.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:32:55 +0000
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