The following post features student writing.

Early Thursday morning, I left my room and was bombarded by Vietnamese-style balloons — the start of many wonderful birthday surprises. After a hearty breakfast of fried eggs and baguettes, all 19 of us pulled on our helmets and made our way to our work sites. We sweated and shoveled for three hours before coming home for showers and lunch. To avoid the heat, we napped for an hour before a helpful language lesson by Vi. In the afternoon, we biked to a celebratory cooking class at one of the member of the Youth Union’s house. Together we made Vietnamese crepes on coal-fired skillets and listened to the nearby sounds of chickens, cows and, as always, vespas. The Youth Union collaborated wonderfully with our group and continued to help us construct and fry spring rolls. The group taste-tested jackfruit and we all tried to keep balloons afloat with the little boy living in the house. We sat and ate our feast on the porch after a few guitar ballads from the Youth Union and “Wagon Wheel” from Putney. Two beautiful cakes sat waiting as we ate and soon I began to slice and distribute messy pieces of tropical flavored frosting. Somehow we all ended up with icing on our faces in the most loving and unforgettable cake fight Vietnam has ever seen. Our Youth Union hosts told us that this was the biggest celebration ever held in Duc Lan for someone who is not from the village. I feel honored beyond words. We biked home in the dark and went to sleep full and well celebrated. What a wonderful 16th birthday.

– Leah B.

Photos by Jesse Weber