St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Volleyball Travels Around Hanoi
5/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
- St. John's Volleyball Travels To Vietnam
- Postcard: Greetings From Vietnam Part XI
- Photo Gallery: St. John's vs. Vietnam
Fact of the Day: On Saturday, May 19, Vietnam celebrated the birthday of Ho Chi Minh. A national holiday, cultural performances and candlelight vigils were held across the country. The Red Storm witness streets in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi lined with posters and banners acknowledging the holiday. However, the major sites for celebration are in Vinh, Ho Chi Minh???s birthplace and Hanoi???s Citadel area where his body is held in state. His mausoleum is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday mornings throughout the months of December through September.
The St. John???s volleyball team and study abroad group spent their second day in the capital of Vietnam visiting a local school for disabled children and a historic Buddhist temple. The group had an early start to the day, departing the hotel at 8:30 a.m. local time.
No matter where the Red Storm has traveled during this trip, playing in the VTV Cup has made them quite the celebrity. The Red Storm had definitely become professionals at signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. Though it was more rampant while the tournament was taking place in Ho Chi Minh City, during yesterday???s cyclo tour through Hanoi???s Old Quarter, several individuals along the street recognized the team from the television and began shouting, ???volleyball, volleyball!??? Even the hotel staff is a bit star struck. At breakfast this morning, several of the staff questioned the team???s support staff to find out if that was really Casie Brooks (Victorville, Calif.), No. 17 standing on the omelet line.
Just on the outskirts of town in a province called Soc Son, the Vietnamese government along with several dedicated and hard working teachers established Soc Son???s School for Disabled Children. The school educates impoverished children with learning disabilities, preparing them to live a self-sustained life after graduation. The School for Disabled Children currently enrolls 128 students with 20 teachers; however, due to the costs of attending ($0.55 per day, which includes lunch) and transportation, on average only 50 students attend regularly.
The group arrived at the School for Disabled Children and was greeted with a warm round of applause from the students. Then six deaf and mute students performed a traditional Vietnamese dance to begin the day???s program. The principal of the School addressed the group explaining to them how the school was established and what types of programs it offers to its students. Afterwards, Dr. Jeffrey Fagen, dean of St. John???s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, along with Dr. Hung Le, assistant dean of St. John???s College graduate division, talked about the importance of spreading the Vincentian mission of St. John???s University and the importance of supporting educational institutions like this one.
???It was a very emotional experience for me and many of my teammates,??? said Wioleta Leszczynska. ???It really humbles you and makes you realize how good you really have it. I hope that in the future I can do more to help this school continue to grow and help educate these children.???
After the Red Storm passed out t-shirts to the students, the group went for a tour of the school to see the classrooms and dormitories where the children have their afternoon naps. After some fun and games, everyone got together for a group photo and then it was time for St. John???s to board the buses.
The next stop on the party???s itinerary was to a Buddhist temple in Soc Son, which sat on the lower part of a mountain just up the road from the school and looked out on the flat, green plains of Vietnam. The temple housed a large bronze Buddha and was a part of a Buddhist university. After a brief history about Buddhism in Vietnam and the temple from a local abbot, the group boarded the buses once again to head back to the city center for lunch.
After lunch, some members of the volleyball team went to have custom pants, shirts and dresses made, while others chose to head back to the hotel and take a nap before getting ready for the Gala Dinner.
St. John???s hosted a Gala Dinner at the Hilton Hotel to formally thank several Vietnamese individuals who have been at the forefront of the St. John???s/Vietnam relationship that was established six years ago. At the dinner, the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam and native New Yorker, Michael Marine spoke to the group, congratulating the volleyball team on their success not only at the 2007 VTV Cup but during their historic 2006 BIG EAST season.
The night was filled with traditional Vietnamese musical and dance performances as well as a fashion show of form Vietnamese women???s clothing. The dinner also served as a fundraiser for the School for Disabled Children. By the end of the event, St. John???s raised $6,000 USD.
Tomorrow, the squad will embark on the final leg of its historic trip to Vietnam. The Red Storm, along with its study abroad counterparts, will travel four hours north to Ha Long Bay for an overnight cruise.
Before heading to bed, recent Peter J. Tobin College of Business graduate and one of three 2006 Red Storm volleyball captains Jenna Schweitzer (Bethlehem, Pa.) checked in with RedStormSports.com to post the team???s 11th daily journal entry from Vietnam. To view her postcard, click here.
??? Red Storm ???
