The summer holiday is a chance for many people to travel here and there, but for Chlui Rasmuson (22 years old), usually called Lu I, an American student majoring in policing, it was a time she devoted entirely to charity work. Having arrived in Vietnam at the end of June, Lu I sought out centres caring for children with disabilities in Da Nang City to teach drawing and sports.
She adapts her teaching to each child’s disability. Lu I said her working week is very busy, because the children here are not like ordinary children, so preparing and passing on knowledge to them has to be done thoroughly. Yet she does not feel tired or bothered by that; for her, playing every day and bringing smiles to these less fortunate children is a happiness.
Chlui Rasmuson teaching the children to draw at Thanh Tam Special School.
At Thanh Tam Special School – the first place Lu I visited, Sister Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan (the school’s principal) said: “Lu I is very enthusiastic; there were days when school had finished, but Lu I did not want to go home, she just stood watching until the last child had left the school before she would go home”.
Talking to us, Lu I happily said: “I spread the days of the week evenly across the centres, and after doing it for a while I got used to it; now, when I do not see the children, I miss them”. Although she speaks very little Vietnamese, with her kind heart and passion she has taught children with disabilities to draw very moving pictures. Sharing with us, she said she will miss the children and this school very much. Her summer holidays in Vietnam are almost over, and in November she will return to the United States to continue her studies. She promised to come back to visit the children as soon as she receives her graduation certificate.
Huynh Trang – Hong Hanh – http://cadn.com.vn