How are you today? Is everything going swimmingly for you? π€
In the last days of the year, life suddenly became busier. Everyone who works away from home plans to return home for the Tet holiday with their families. Tet is the feeling of being looked after by those you care about: cleaning the house yourself, cleaning, sweeping the spider webs, playing with the chirping grandchildren, going to the kitchen to cook the dishes you like, delicious for the family to enjoy, etc. That happiness is immeasurable, and anyone can have it. Unfortunately, many people missed this special occasion. The unfortunate people's lives are being ruined by the evil disease they are afflicted with, and they must be hospitalized for treatment. It's difficult to deal with the loneliness and gloom of being alone in the hospital.
When I was a sophomore, I was fortunate enough to know about a special program for patients who stayed at the hospital for treatment. I have accompanied the program and everyone in the group for three years. Today, I want to share with everyone here about this volunteering journey on weekends ago.
How the program works π
This program is primarily implemented by students from the Faculty of Project Management, with sponsorship and contributions from sponsors. Activities take place in the year's final days before the Tet holiday. Typical handcrafted gifts are Banh Chung. This is a traditional cake indispensable on the Tet of Vietnamese people. In addition, we send special financial gifts to the patients.
Special gift: Banh Chung - Traditional cake on Tet holiday π
We chose Banh Chung as a special gift to bring the Tet holiday atmosphere. As a result, before we can make the cake package, we must first gather all of the necessary materials and tools.
Preparation and wrapping stage
Jobs such as gathering firewood, purchasing banana leaves, ingredients for baking cakes (sticky rice and green beans are the two main ingredients for baking cakes), and large pots to store cakes. The program is well received and supported by many people. The firewood that we used was donated by the families of the volunteers. Banana leaves are heated over a fire to make them more flexible and useful for wrapping cakes. Before embarking on the Banh Chung package, we meticulously prepare everything.
We had a bit of a problem at first because only a few members knew how to pack cakes. However, we still got off to a good start and the first cakes were born.
Banh Chung boiling stage
The Banh Chung is meticulously arranged in a large pot. Then, pour water into the top layer of the cake to ensure that it cooks evenly. Because the bread will not cook if the fire is extinguished, it must not be extinguished. We must remain vigilant throughout the baking process. With this large pot of Banh Chung, the cooking time will be longer, about 10-12 hours.
After a period of staying up all night to guard and boil the cake. The Banh Chung was taken out and affixed with the volunteer logo before giving it away.
Share the love - connect the community π
Everything is ready, we continue the journey of giving Banh Chung to each patient. Because of the complicated situation of the Covid - 19 epidemic, each member could not enter the hospital to give gifts. We are required to send representatives from 4-5 people inside. When I heard this announcement, I was quite disappointed and sad. But because this is the hospital's policy, we have strictly followed it. To ensure the safety of the community, we must check for covid before entering. The check-in steps went very smoothly.
In the disease, there are not only middle-aged and elderly patients but also young patients. They have to suffer when they are too young. Some volunteers burst into tears while giving gifts because they were so emotional.
During the difficult year of 2021, the complicated development of the Covid epidemic forced all volunteer activities to stop. I'm so glad that at the beginning of 2022, things have stabilized so I can help the community like that. Although I had to fight with illness and be away from my family during the Tet holiday, the atmosphere inside the hospital was not as gloomy as I thought before. Doctors and nurses are always there to take care of and share with patients. This is admirable. Hope all the patients will be very resilient and get well soon to be reunited with their families. Love all β€οΈ.
