Celebrating Together

by Caden Dang

June 4th was always a special day for me. I never thought it was anything more than a birthday, but today has created a new meaning behind it. It would become an inspiring moment, a loving experience, and a birthday I could never forget.

Today marked our second workday at the school, where our goals were to finish a second layer of paint on the walls and create our sunflower mural for the Vietnamese students and their school. As all the murals progressed, new memories and relationships emerged.

While we were working, I had the wonderful joy of meeting three Vietnamese students. After quick introductions, the students couldn’t have been more excited to interact in any way, whether that meant helping with the work or playing games. When one of the boys proposed a game, we played a fun round of rock, paper, scissors and shared laughs throughout our conversations. One of those conversations included a “Happy Birthday” message from the students. As I thanked and hugged them with genuine emotion, I took a moment to promise myself that I would cherish this wonderful memory as a birthday that would stay with me forever.

As we were getting ready to leave after the second workday concluded, one last “Happy Birthday” was cheered from afar by one of the students. Smiling from ear to ear, I waved goodbye from a distance and went on to appreciate the endless care and love on the way back to the hotel.

As I started to become more comfortable with all the students, volunteers, and staff, I realized how quickly connections can form despite differences in language and background. Whether we were painting, playing games, or simply sharing smiles, every interaction brought us closer together. The joy and excitement of the children were contagious, and the enthusiasm of all our team members made celebrating alongside them more meaningful than ever.

By the end of the day, I found myself reflecting on how much this experience had already given me. In just a short amount of time, the volunteer team and students had begun to feel like a new family. Today was not only a celebration of another year of life, but also a celebration of the friendships, memories, and community we are building together. It reminded me that some of the best celebrations are the ones shared with others.