Reflection by Miranda

To be quite frank, it's a stressful moment when we step onto Unicorn Island, a place filled with the underprivileged, yet hopeful. They are those who make two dollars a day (if they're lucky) on a job that requires no educational skill, but an unimaginable amount of diligence, patience, and optimism. Vietnam has the most optimism out of any country I've ever been to or heard of. Surviving war, genocide, and imperialism, Vietnam is a misunderstood country filled with unacknowledged people. After ten visits to what I consider my home country I have decided that it's never enough. I always seek more and always find myself learning something new about myself with every homecoming. Now, more than ever, I have come to appreciate the ability to forgive, love, and seek positivity. Forced to mature faster than the rest of the children in the world, I relate. Taking in the love from every passing stranger, I assimilate. Realizing our world is a never-ending flow of opportunities for an education that expands further than a classroom, I appreciate. Have you ever seen a five year-old pick an infant off the tile floor, sling their tiny arms around the chubby torso, and then watch as the toddler goes about his business? As if this toddler has any particular business to go about… We Americans cringe at the site, only because we would never trust a toddler with an infant, let alone have a toddler watch over and carry an infant. A striking moment of relative comparison was at the Buddhist orphanage in the countryside between Saigon and Phan Thiet. As I sat on the refreshingly cold tile floor facing the pearl marble Buddha, infants and toddlers alike sat amongst each other curious as to see what we we're doing there. There were many children that I recognized from previous visits and many that I had watched growing up. Phuong, roughly seven years of age, was born with a mental retardation and who had been there every visit that I could recall. This remarkable human being was just as curious and quick as the others and felt the same responsibility to the infants as the mentally capable children. He would comfort a crying baby and soothed her back to a glowing smile. As he sat with her he would continue to peel off stickers and decorate a picture of himself that we had taken that same day. These children will never be given opportunities that we have, never given a proper education or have the luxury of buying a new dress just because we can. It's harsh the word never. Who are we to say one, or all, of these kids will somehow break free of their life and strive to their full potential? Without a single doubt, I know they could. I looked into their eyes and saw endless ambition that sparked something inside me to want to be better, to love who I am, to appreciate the life I live, to strive for my passions, to let go of my judgment, to release my negativity, to embrace those who care for me, and let in and to forgive those who have hurt me. I see in these children a light of promise and energy that I can still feel radiating throughout me. I dedicate my life to reaching the nirvana I saw in Phuong.