Moments Last A Lifetime
On November 9, 2016 on a scouting trip to Vietnam I ended up in a White Thai village on the outskirts of an area called Mai Hich. Walking around the empty streets it was quiet and peaceful – birds singing, laughter in the distance. As the afternoon sun beat down on my shoulders, I leaned into my guide to ask a question about one of the houses in the area. He did not know the answer and began to looked around for a local to ask.
Linden Schaffer & Minh Chung in 2017
In that moment, walking toward us up the road was Minh Chung. This chance meeting between a 19-year-old local and a 38-year-old American would change both our lives forever. After our brief conversation, I could not get Minh Chung out of my head. Back home the U.S. presidential election was in full swing and my mind was locked onto social media and the divisiveness on display for the world to witness. Yet, I had moments where I was drawn back to my chat Minh Chung. I was moved by our exchange, that I send out a very personal email to my close family and friends that read:
I’m writing to you from the jungle of Vietnam. Today I met Minh Chung, a 19-year-old White Thai Villager who is teaching himself English. As he sought me out from a distance, he approached me, journal in hand. It is here that he writes down every new English word he learns in hopes of passing his university entrance exam and to win a free scholarship in order to study to be a tour guide. This is just one example of the many #changedbytravel experiences I am lucky enough to have every time I travel. It reminds me that we live in a big world. One where there is hope and passion and the desire to better ourselves no matter the current circumstances, color of our skin, or support from those around us.
What this email did not convey was the depths of my compassion and empathy for Minh Chung. I literally called my husband that evening to discuss the possibility of sponsoring Minh Chung and sending him to University. As thoughts of helping him continued to swirl in my head, I struggled to find a sustainable solution that would further Minh Chung’s education without taking him away from his single mother, who desperately needed him around for her care and to contribute to their household and without imposing, my white, western understanding of higher education.
A year later, in 2017, Pravassa and our group of travelers were lucky enough to return to this White Thai village and reconnect with Minh Chung. What I had decided to do was ask our wellness travelers to bring university to him, by building a library to help him further his studies. Thirteen people from the West (U.S. and Costa Rica) traveled thousands of miles with their favorite English language travel novels and shared their relationship to these books with him.
Sitting in Minh Chung’s house, surrounded by his family, and being served tea in cups borrowed from the neighbors, we shared our collective knowledge in what was an indescribable moment. At a loss for words, Minh Chung wouldn’t stop smiling and saying thank-you, telling us how his words were failing him at that moment. After some more tea and smiles all around, he did mange to tell us that often the tourists he meets give him money. And while “I like money, sure. It is a gift like this library that is much more meaningful and will help me in my life.”
This is the reason I travel. This is how I’ve chosen to use my place and privilege in this lifetime and pay it forward. It is small moments like these that I strive for. These moments connect our souls to each other and the to the world. Many thanks to the people, including Lena Franklin, that helped make this dream come true and truly offered a #changedbytravel experience to Minh Chung. And a big thank you to Madeline Penfold for the beautiful image that captured a moment of pure joy.
