Christmas concert

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24th December 2010

Yesterday afternoon Aaron and I skipped down the road away from the classrooms, hand-in-hand with some of the children, whooping that class was cancelled for Christmas! Lots of Vietnamese high school and university students were milling around the playground. They were preparing some sort of event, but we had any idea what. Along with us and the kids, two Danish volunteers and a German volunteer where hanging around watching and wondering what was going to happen. I will admit that I started out sceptical, since no-one seemed to know what was going on and the teenagers seemed to be paying more attention to the decorations than the children. However it turned out to be an evening event and I was soon proved that the organisers had some great ideas.



After dinner the dancing began. I was shocked to see that they were line dancing! I rushed to join in – what fun! We then broke out into free-style and I had a great time kicking up my heals with the children! (Though when I say children, some of them are actually in their twenties, I just mean the students living in the friendship village.) Next the concert began. Children and volunteers sang on the stage in small groups, duets or solos.  Everyone was crowded around the stage, cheering and clapping and swaying to the music. When one girl went on stage I recognised her and yelled to the person next to me “She's in my flower class! Isn't she great!” I felt like I knew someone famous!



Several of the Vietnamese volunteers were keen to speak to me to practise their English. I soon discovered that a lot of them were here on their first visit to the village. I was amazed! They looked as though they were old friends of the children. It was beautiful to see how everyone mixed together without prejudice.

At the end of the evening the university students lit a bonfire in the middle of the playground. I was worried about the health and safety as they poured petrol haphazardly over the pile of wood. Even though it was a warm evening the children circled around the fire and laughed and galloped around in rings. The evening had been such a wonderful event to witness and as it came to a close I was exhausted and had genuinely had a lot of fun myself too!

One of the veterans singing

Today school was cancelled again. The volunteers from Hanoi University came back and made Christmas cards with the children on the lawn, in the afternoon. They also very responsibly cleaned up afterwards. In the evening they hosted another more sedate concert. Plastic stalls from the dinning hall were brought into the playground for everyone to sit on. Veterans as well as children sang on the stage. There was also a fashion show, break-dancing and other entertainment. During one song the event organisers were on stage and encouraged the children to come up and join them. The child sat next to me indicated that he wanted to go up, but not on his own...what else could I do but escort him! I stood at the edge of the stage and swayed along with the group. The only word of the song I could understand was “Vietnam”.

Fashion show

Soon afterwards one of the organisers asked if I would sing jingle-bells with the children. I don't know all the words off by heart, but sure- why not! I was the only international volunteer there that evening since the others weren't staying in the village (and unfortunately missed the show yesterday too) and Aaron, who had enjoyed the show yesterday, was hiding out in our room tonight. They then asked if I could do “We wish you a Merry Christmas” instead, I thought they had music with the words, so said “No problem.”

The boy on the left is the one that got me on stage! (Fortunately no photos of us on stage)

Later they call me up onto an empty stage....where are the children? I began to panic! I saw the boy who first dragged me on the stage and pointed at him “You'd better get up here, you got me into this in the first place!” The children started climbing onto the stage and one of the organisers with the best English joined me. The music began, but I didn't recognise the tune! With no rehearsal, the organiser begins the chorus for “We wish you a Merry Christmas”. I join in and the children dance on the stage. I forgot the words to the verses, so after a couple of iterations of the chorus we switch to jingle-bells. Luckily a few of the children take the limelight dancing at the front of the stage. It turns out this is the grand finale and they play jingle-bells three times over!

I heard this was the first year the students hosted this event. What a wonderful success! I was very impressed! It was lovely to see all the residents and volunteers playing together like friends and I thought how appropriate the name “the Friendship Village” is.

Comments

Unknown said…
What a wonderful way to spend Christmas!
30 January 2011 at 13:54
sly said…
Wow! Nothing like Christmas with children--a universal truth!!
31 January 2011 at 08:57
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