Scholarship/Orphanage Day 1 (7/18) || Andrew Tu

Hello hello! Today was our very first scholarship day, and I personally was super excited after hearing everyone’s past experiences with their scholarship/orphanage days. We started by waking up at 7:00AM and leaving at around 8:00AM to Trung Tinh Thuong Ai Linh Middle School. We actually did not have enough spots on the bus, so Dylan, Kevin, and I got to Grab to the school, which was about an hour drive. It was fun though, since Dylan and I were climbing trophies on Clash Royale.

Once we got there, we got to watch the kids take part in a lesson, as well as a super insightful presentation by the school principal! The presentation had videos showing the field trips and activities the children get to take part in year-round, which also showed why these scholarships would be so beneficial to them. After that, the UCI Dance Team got to perform as a fun treat for the children. I have no idea why, but I was a bit more nervous for this performance than the other times we performed. Maybe it’s because kids are usually more honest. If they said I was bad, that meant you were BAD. Fortunately, the kids enjoyed the dance, and it actually made for a great conversation starter afterwards! I got to ask them if they also danced or liked performing anything, which helped me get to know them better. Siana and I asked some of the girls which one of us was the better dancer, and they all immediately said her. When I translated it back to her though, I might’ve bluffed and said one of them thought we were equally good. I needed at least one win man.

For both the middle school and the Long Hoa Orphanage afterwards, 16Gers were given the opportunity to directly give each child either a scholarship and backpack or their gifted toy. Being able to do this made the moment feel so much more personal, and it very much reminded me what all of us were doing this for.

At the middle school, we were able to mingle with a couple of the kids! Hands down, it was one of the favorite mission trip memories. I showed the kids Subway Surfers, and we took turns playing on my phone. Surprise surprise, I was the worst player out of everyone despite me being the one who showed them the game. Ryan and I were even able to convince one of the boys to mew. Not gonna lie, after I took a picture with all my new friends, I noticed the boy also had some crazy tricep genetics. Getting mogged by a middle schooler definitely was not on my bucket list for this day. Definitely miss those guys now though. Being able to just spend time with them, make them laugh, and banter back and forth brightened my day, and hopefully we were able to do the same for their day as well.

While we were unable to spend as much time with the children at Long Hoa Orphanage due to unforeseen circumstances, we still got to see them receive and play their toys, as well as tour the temple. I learned how much the temple/orphanage has evolved since it first opened, and it was super insightful to be able to understand what daily life is like for the children living there. For this first scholarship/orphanage day, I can understand why it is many peoples favorite part of the mission trip. Not only are you able to experience firsthand the results of the donations and hand work that goes into providing opportunities for the children, but you also are given the chance to learn from their experiences and develop a personal connection with individuals that come from different walks of life. It really brings us 16Gers closer to understanding what MEMO can really accomplish, and for me, it created memories that I will never forget.

Waiting for Grab to pick us up and take us to Trung Tinh Thuong Ai Linh Middle School.

Siana, Calvin, and I with the first student that I was able to talk to!

The Subway Surfers/Mewing Squad in action.