Warm Porridge Season 5 – Beautiful Memories Will Follow Me Throughout My Life

Posted date 04/06/2019

5.084 view

Posted date 04/06/2019

5.084 view

Someone once asked me: “If you had to leave Hanoi, what would you bring with you?” I would bring a corner of Hanoi - Dai Nam University, beautiful and touching memories of the “warm porridge season 5” journey, and the days of participating in volunteer activities...

The first days of arriving in Hanoi with so many surprises, new schools, new teachers, new friends... and an independent life away from home made me "overwhelmed". However, that overwhelming feeling passed very quickly. Dai Nam University from being strange gradually became strangely familiar. I was able to study and participate in meaningful movement activities of the School, to go and experience useful community activities. One of the first volunteer activities, memorable and leaving me with unforgettable emotions was "Warm porridge of love".

Warm Porridge Season 5 – Give to Receive

Give to… receive

Winter comes, along with the cold and the first drizzle of the season, easily making people emotional, sad, and in need of sharing. When the first winter monsoon comes, it is also the time when we - volunteer students of Dai Nam University donate rice, food, light fires to cook delicious pots of nutritious porridge for the elderly, children, poor workers, and homeless people in Hanoi.

Warm Porridge is one of the meaningful activities in the program "Warm Winter Love" of the DNU Student Volunteer Team. With the purpose of contributing a little bit, sharing difficulties, encouraging and warming the unfortunate lives, Warm Porridge of Dai Nam University has entered its 5th season with tens of thousands of cups of nutritious porridge given away. I feel very lucky to be one of the members of the Team, directly collecting rice and food; directly lighting the fire to cook porridge; directly distributing porridge; meeting and sharing with the unfortunate circumstances in life - things that I have never known in my life.

Looking at the trembling hands of the elderly receiving porridge, their mouths whispering words of thanks; the innocent smiles of the children; the affectionate and grateful eyes of the poor workers, we clearly realized one thing, what we give does not stop at a late night meal but is sympathy, love and sharing. And the most profound lesson that I and the members of the Team learned is "LIFE IS TO GIVE", "GIVE TO RECEIVE".

Le Lan Anh – Class 12-03, Faculty of Tourism Management, one of the active members participating in Warm Porridge of Love.

Beautiful memories will follow me throughout my life.

The first days of winter in Hanoi are warmed by human affection. Strangers who have never met each other give each other love and gifts from the heart. Even though it is just a small bowl of porridge and a single appointment a week, it warms the hearts of people in the early cold of the season. The questions, the thoughtful gestures, the smiles, the handshakes are intertwined with human affection.

After the trips, we may or may not be lucky enough to hear the stories of those who are less fortunate in life, but just being able to put a cup of porridge next to those people makes us very happy. Just thinking about when they hold a cup of warm porridge in their hands - a cup of porridge cooked with our care and love, they smile happily, the members of the Team have more motivation to continue writing the journey "Warm porridge of love".

Hanoi is cold. Perhaps that is why people who are away from home for the first time like me will feel lonely, homesick and need to share. But I am luckier than many people because I have teachers and friends by my side. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to cook porridge with my “teammates” and give porridge as a gift, which is an eager anticipation.
Sitting next to the warm charcoal stove, measuring out hot porridge, listening to the stories of the people who are struggling and enduring the cold out there, my heart feels warmed again, and I feel like I am living a useful life. Those memories, those recollections will follow me throughout my life, reminding me to live a more meaningful life.

Le Lan Anh – Class 12-03, Faculty of Tourism Management

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