By Jason He
Back in Hanoi, our Study Abroad Program collaborated with the
S.O.S. Village to create a three-day curriculum that allowed the
study abroad students to experience a worthy cause such as
orphanages. In Ho Chi Minh City, another service learning course
was established between the students and the Vincentian Daughters
of Charity organization. In this service learning component, the
students were split up into small groups and then given a schedule
of sites to visit over a course of three days. My group was
comprised of Ken, a recent graduate, Yen, a Vietnamese graduate
student, and myself.
On our first day we went to the Daughters of Charity and worked
with the embroidery division. At first I felt odd being there
because my mother, who is an immigrant from China, was a
seamstress, and she had a rough time in the United States at first.
I remember how hard she worked and the conditions in which she
worked under. Being in the same room with the girls who sewed by
hand, and not machine, opened the floodgates of emotions and
memories. One of the Sisters asked us what we wanted to do for the
day and I immediately asked, “Can we learn how to sew?” The Sister
smiled and replied, “Of Course.”
We were introduced to some of the girls who would teach us how
to embroider our initials on handkerchiefs. Embroidering is no easy
task. The needle is small, too small for even my hands, the
technique is difficult, and the embroidery is usually very
complicated. Even something as simple as the initial “J” took me
over an hour of painstaking work. As I sat there learning the
technique I bonded with a few of the women around me. They were so
happy and excited that a foreigner would take such an interest in
their profession. A few of the women knew some broken English and
we had a nice cultural exchange. After I had finished the
embroidery the women praised me on my handicraft even though I knew
it could not compare to their skill. I was humbled by their gesture
and their acceptance.
This setup of an embroidery shop is a wonderful way of teaching
girls and women who lack the education and skill for white collared
jobs how to making a living. Embroidery may not be the most
impressive and prestigious occupation but it still requires skill
and patience. I was greatly impressed with the embroiderers and
their will to work; it is very inspiring.