Four Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School students experienced volunteering abroad through the Round Square International Service Big Build Project in Vietnam.
Year 12s Cassey Stirling, Grace de Chaneet, Caitlin Shaw and Saskia Harwood, along with Round Square Service coordinator and teacher Caroline Cooper, spent almost two weeks of their school holidays building dams, immersing themselves in Vietnamese culture and meeting the locals.
Cassey said the trip provided an insight into a different culture and way of life.
“Over the nine days, we began to really connect as a group as we lugged rocks, sand and gravel across rice paddies and up hills to the work sites where the locals were constructing new permanent dams to replace their old ones,” Cassey said.
“In a total of six-and-a-half days, we had completed two dams and made life-long connections that I know we will never forget.
“Not only did we get to help two villages improve their income situation we were also introduced to different aspects of their culture.”
The students described their time in Vietnam as an unforgettable experience.
“After three days of adventuring around and immersing ourselves in the bustling city life, we began the real adventure. After four hours of travelling up windy roads, we arrived in the village of Mai Chau,” Caitlin said.
“I will be forever grateful for everyone I met and everything I learnt,” Saskia said.
“I would strongly suggest that other students consider applying for next year’s Round Square International Service project in Sri Lanka,” Grace said.
Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School is a global member of the Round Square organisation.
There are 180 schools serving as either member schools or candidates in Round Square across the world.
The schools represent a student capacity of more than 120,000 pupils and a 15,000-strong teacher/management group.
Round Square was founded on the philosophy that a student’s education is much more than what occurs in the classroom, but also encompasses life experiences and opportunities.
