Reflection 1 (investigation): LO2 + LO5
For the Grade 11 project week, our group decided to go to Ho Chi Min and a nearby village Vihn Long in Vietnam. We fulfilled service and creativity requirements with organic farming, a culture tour, local cooking, and pottery. This was a significant experience in regards to not having been exposed to the opportunity to liberty to conduct a trip without adult supervision. The planning process was quite unsteady as our plans altered in quite a few instances and compelled us to pay greater attention to our safety and purpose of the project week. The initial plan incorporate kite surfing in Mui Ne, as well as a service in Ho Chi Min called ‘little rose.’ Nonetheless, challenges arose with fitting both activities, travel, and accommodation in our budgets. Furthermore, there was a great degree of uncertainty in regards to whether our service provider was approved by the school. We reached a state of chaos as we had to formulate a new plan as we neared the deadline for a detailed plan. It compelled each member to take responsibility for their designated role to ensure this process as efficient as could be. As in the last minute had to organize the ‘buffalo tours’ service provider as per the service office’s recommendation and set up an itinerary. It was crucial for us to collaborate and divide our responsibilities equally. As being the media coordinator, i had limited tasks during the preparation stage, I was also in charge of communications. Including coordinating with service providers, setting up meetings with supervisors and ensuring all documents and flags were updated. I believe the reason our planning stage was quite chaotic was the lack of flexibility to our initial plan and the lack of research we had initially, therefore were compelled to make changes in the last few weeks.
Reflection 2 (preparation): LO1
We were asked by our supervisor the purpose of our project, and the knowledge we hoped to acquire by the end of it. We were driven to consider the difference we wanted to make to the community and the methods of measuring our success in doing so. Collectively, we wanted to explore the levels of development in Vietnam, whether it be economic or human. Agriculture is a crucial aspect of their economy, was the primary source of income for several households, therefore, our group aimed to work in the farms to assist families in increasing the efficiency in their route to financial gains. We wanted to understand the relationship between the climate and income through farming, and its impact on the human development of farmers. Subsequent to planning the process and prior to initiating the project, there were considerations regarding our safety and awareness of the culture that needed to be acknowledged. We needed to recognize the cultural difference regarding appropriate clothing, mannerisms and language barriers. We needed to consider the risk assessment and safety regulations of each place, thus take responsibility in checking into ISOS and setting up communication methods with our supervisor. Further, had to ensure the first aid kit was ready, and first-aider was prepared to counter injuries listed in our risk assessment.
Reflection 3 (service and creativity): LO4 + LO7
Prior to project week, we were skeptical about our service prover recommended by the service office as we hadn’t done much research around them, had the itinerary generated last minute, and organic farming wasn’t the first preference of our group. Nonetheless, with our lowered expectations, yet an open mind, the experience turned out to be most memorable. In regards to creativity, it satisfied our purpose of engaging with the culture. Apart from local cooking and pottery, we explored to floating markets on a traditional boat and learned about the process of making coconut candy and pop rice. With service, integrating with the culture and experiencing Vietnam’s agricultural economic development was inspiring and mentally stimulating. Yet, the process required extensive commitment, as we were expected to arrive at the farm early in the morning with energy and an open mind. We were made to adapt to the weather conditions thus work in the heat and rain. As none of us had prior farming experience, we were instructed by the farmers and had to stay committed to our work to ensure that we were working up to their expected standards. I learned how to create natural fertilizers from coconut ash, plan cabbage, squash, okra and morning glory, weed and cut grass, and plant rice in the paddy fields. In this process, we were made aware of the ethical implications of our actions as the income of the farmers depended on o the quality of our work.
