DSBNi 2011 - Vietnam

Liz Frechette
Grimsby Secondary

Today was our first build day, and it was fantastic! I loved every minute of it. It was hard work and it was very hot, but it was all worth it. It feels good to think that the work you do there is going to benefit and change the lives of others in a huge way. The main job I did today was shovel sand into the wheelbarrows and wheel them back to the worksite. It wasn't easy, but I loved it! Completely in love with this country and their culture. The food is great and the people are amazing. I'm so excited to continue building for the rest of the week and I'll keep posting. I love and miss all of you back home (answer my mail) xoxox



Joelle Schonberg
Stamford Collegiate

Since Wednesday night when we all left home in Canada, a lot has changed. We've changed countries, continents, airports, languages, food; an eleven hour time change. But I think the craziest change is the one we are making in the life of our family. As Xuan said in our orientation "We're not just giving them a home, we're giving them a better life."

When we all signed up for this trip, I don't think any of us could have expected what we were going to be a part of and the chance to experience. Today was the first day at the worksite and I'm already so proud of our team. I know that we're all grateful for the privilege of the opportunity we have to make a difference; for the family, in ourselves and those who are inspired by our story.


Lauren Beaudoin
Welland Centennial

So far, the trip has been great. I'm loving every minute of it! :) It's great to see everyone smiling and waving at all of us - - everywhere we go. I did many jobs at the build site, today including wheel barrowing a lot of sand, but I ended up getting a blister from my boots so I had to switch jobs. This was because we had to bring the dirt all the way to the job site from the steet. I did a lot of cleaning, getting down and dirty, and even wet. I'm looking forward to learning how to do bricklaying, many of us will be doing tomorrow. Knowing we only have 4 days left at the build site makes me sad. Now that we started I don't ever wanna stop! This is the best experience one can have, it's so rewarding. Every little thing I do here, will help me in my future career.
I'm way too tired to keep typing. Sorry :P
I love you all <3
Xoxo