ciao bond namaste Marhaba to the sky-high cheese and
Marhaba to the sky-high cheese and
Marhaba to the sky-high cheese and sticky breathes to the rhythmic rhythmic
sticky breathes to the rhythmic rhythmic
sticky breathes to the rhythmic rhythmic rice fields that filled every acre of
rice fields that filled every acre of
rice fields that filled every acre of land to the smiling men women and
land to the smiling men women and
land to the smiling men women and children with sweat stains patch onto
children with sweat stains patch onto
children with sweat stains patch onto the worn-out t-shirts
the worn-out t-shirts
the worn-out t-shirts each grin drew an intricate image on our
each grin drew an intricate image on our
each grin drew an intricate image on our minds from the broken pipes the
minds from the broken pipes the
minds from the broken pipes the repulsive smell of sewage the endless
repulsive smell of sewage the endless
repulsive smell of sewage the endless piles of garbage and the pollution that
piles of garbage and the pollution that
piles of garbage and the pollution that shaded the skies to the unforgettable
shaded the skies to the unforgettable
shaded the skies to the unforgettable smiles and the hard-working men women
smiles and the hard-working men women
smiles and the hard-working men women boys and girls to our own beautiful
boys and girls to our own beautiful
boys and girls to our own beautiful country rich with cultural heritage and
country rich with cultural heritage and
country rich with cultural heritage and the hard work of our very own ancestors
the hard work of our very own ancestors
the hard work of our very own ancestors each stamp on our passport every step we
each stamp on our passport every step we
each stamp on our passport every step we took uncommon or foreign ground led us
took uncommon or foreign ground led us
took uncommon or foreign ground led us on the journey of self-discovery vietnam
on the journey of self-discovery vietnam
on the journey of self-discovery vietnam 2014 my child village a family of ten
2014 my child village a family of ten
2014 my child village a family of ten welcomed our large without walls group
welcomed our large without walls group
welcomed our large without walls group with green mangoes bananas and ice-cold
with green mangoes bananas and ice-cold
with green mangoes bananas and ice-cold water
water
water following our four-hour journey from
following our four-hour journey from
following our four-hour journey from hanoi the main city to this humble small
hanoi the main city to this humble small
hanoi the main city to this humble small village of my Chow each
village of my Chow each
village of my Chow each wrinkle told a tale in each tobacco
wrinkle told a tale in each tobacco
wrinkle told a tale in each tobacco stains smile filled our hearts with love
stains smile filled our hearts with love
stains smile filled our hearts with love and comfort before reaching Vietnam we
and comfort before reaching Vietnam we
and comfort before reaching Vietnam we had already made perceptions and
had already made perceptions and
had already made perceptions and assumptions about how this trip was
assumptions about how this trip was
assumptions about how this trip was going to end frankly we thought it’d be
going to end frankly we thought it’d be
going to end frankly we thought it’d be no different than all the previous trips
no different than all the previous trips
no different than all the previous trips we’ve taken around the world when we
we’ve taken around the world when we
we’ve taken around the world when we left however all of our past perceptions
left however all of our past perceptions
left however all of our past perceptions and beliefs were changed we had we
and beliefs were changed we had we
and beliefs were changed we had we witness the power of a united community
witness the power of a united community
witness the power of a united community we had made a family with people we had
we had made a family with people we had
we had made a family with people we had only known for three days we sweat seven
only known for three days we sweat seven
only known for three days we sweat seven hours a day in hopes of building an
hours a day in hopes of building an
hours a day in hopes of building an empire for people who treated us like
empire for people who treated us like
empire for people who treated us like kings and queens we returned back to our
kings and queens we returned back to our
kings and queens we returned back to our longhouse exhausted and sucked under a
longhouse exhausted and sucked under a
longhouse exhausted and sucked under a roof made solely of woven chilies and a
roof made solely of woven chilies and a
roof made solely of woven chilies and a floor composed of broken bamboo with our
floor composed of broken bamboo with our
floor composed of broken bamboo with our own two eyes we witnessed poverty at its
own two eyes we witnessed poverty at its
own two eyes we witnessed poverty at its worst we saw an amputated man work day
worst we saw an amputated man work day
worst we saw an amputated man work day in and day out in hopes of supporting
in and day out in hopes of supporting
in and day out in hopes of supporting his families we saw little kids use
his families we saw little kids use
his families we saw little kids use fruits as toys because they had nothing
fruits as toys because they had nothing
fruits as toys because they had nothing else to play with
else to play with
else to play with we also witness however happiness at its
we also witness however happiness at its
we also witness however happiness at its peak we saw the vibrant smiles
peak we saw the vibrant smiles
peak we saw the vibrant smiles continuous generosity and the purest
continuous generosity and the purest
continuous generosity and the purest forms of hope not once did we hear the
forms of hope not once did we hear the
forms of hope not once did we hear the sound of complaining 2017 Mumbai
sound of complaining 2017 Mumbai
sound of complaining 2017 Mumbai Kohinoor village the pollution shaded
Kohinoor village the pollution shaded
Kohinoor village the pollution shaded the skies garbage was piled on every
the skies garbage was piled on every
the skies garbage was piled on every sidewalk every road was cracked and
sidewalk every road was cracked and
sidewalk every road was cracked and sewage water was streaming down the
sewage water was streaming down the
sewage water was streaming down the middle tuk tuks and motorcycles filled
middle tuk tuks and motorcycles filled
middle tuk tuks and motorcycles filled what seemed to be every
what seemed to be every
what seemed to be every of the roads when we stared outside the
of the roads when we stared outside the
of the roads when we stared outside the shuttle window we saw seem completely
shuttle window we saw seem completely
shuttle window we saw seem completely different to what we had imagined it
different to what we had imagined it
different to what we had imagined it seemed completely different to all the
seemed completely different to all the
seemed completely different to all the misconceptions and stereotypes that were
misconceptions and stereotypes that were
misconceptions and stereotypes that were engraved in our mind before we had gone
engraved in our mind before we had gone
engraved in our mind before we had gone on our first day we took about a 45
on our first day we took about a 45
on our first day we took about a 45 minute drive to the Hobby one of the
minute drive to the Hobby one of the
minute drive to the Hobby one of the world’s largest slums home to roughly 1
world’s largest slums home to roughly 1
world’s largest slums home to roughly 1 million people we saw old men and women
million people we saw old men and women
million people we saw old men and women hauling heavy bags on their box and
hauling heavy bags on their box and
hauling heavy bags on their box and balancing trades on their heads we saw
balancing trades on their heads we saw
balancing trades on their heads we saw young children running the streets
young children running the streets
young children running the streets barefoot homes are made merely of
barefoot homes are made merely of
barefoot homes are made merely of corrugated metal stocked on top of each
corrugated metal stocked on top of each
corrugated metal stocked on top of each other leaving no room for comfort little
other leaving no room for comfort little
other leaving no room for comfort little kids were sitting on the filthy floors
kids were sitting on the filthy floors
kids were sitting on the filthy floors of the slums their feet were buried in
of the slums their feet were buried in
of the slums their feet were buried in the dirt yet their smiles were never
the dirt yet their smiles were never
the dirt yet their smiles were never erased as we walk through the
erased as we walk through the
erased as we walk through the residential streets we felt a sense of
residential streets we felt a sense of
residential streets we felt a sense of community and a sense of belong to
community and a sense of belong to
community and a sense of belong to happiness little kids were just in their
happiness little kids were just in their
happiness little kids were just in their uniforms ready to go to school as they
uniforms ready to go to school as they
uniforms ready to go to school as they waved and said hello we watched every
waved and said hello we watched every
waved and said hello we watched every step we took trying to avoid the garbage
step we took trying to avoid the garbage
step we took trying to avoid the garbage and the sewage yet people were happy
and the sewage yet people were happy
and the sewage yet people were happy they proved to us that despite the
they proved to us that despite the
they proved to us that despite the poverty they lived through day in and
poverty they lived through day in and
poverty they lived through day in and day out they were happy they could be
day out they were happy they could be
day out they were happy they could be happy Jordan Mazza come 1968 55
happy Jordan Mazza come 1968 55
happy Jordan Mazza come 1968 55 kilometres of north of Amman our beloved
kilometres of north of Amman our beloved
kilometres of north of Amman our beloved country hosts up to 2 million registered
country hosts up to 2 million registered
country hosts up to 2 million registered Palestinian refugees who forcefully fled
Palestinian refugees who forcefully fled
Palestinian refugees who forcefully fled their homes after being forcefully room
their homes after being forcefully room
their homes after being forcefully room from their homes in hopes of building a
from their homes in hopes of building a
from their homes in hopes of building a safer environment for their families one
safer environment for their families one
safer environment for their families one would imagine that because the camp has
would imagine that because the camp has
would imagine that because the camp has been around for almost D generations
been around for almost D generations
been around for almost D generations major progress that have been made but
major progress that have been made but
major progress that have been made but despite because the unfortunate
despite because the unfortunate
despite because the unfortunate circumstances people of the community
circumstances people of the community
circumstances people of the community are still unable to get working permits
are still unable to get working permits
are still unable to get working permits and are unable to pay for their college
and are unable to pay for their college
and are unable to pay for their college tuitions two weeks ago I was fortunate
tuitions two weeks ago I was fortunate
tuitions two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit the camp and speak to
enough to visit the camp and speak to
enough to visit the camp and speak to the residents about the daily struggles
the residents about the daily struggles
the residents about the daily struggles they faced some problems seemed
they faced some problems seemed
they faced some problems seemed unsolvable and frustrated both the
unsolvable and frustrated both the
unsolvable and frustrated both the residents and myself I began imagining
residents and myself I began imagining
residents and myself I began imagining how much pain they injured and how much
how much pain they injured and how much
how much pain they injured and how much heartache they’d been through failure
heartache they’d been through failure
heartache they’d been through failure was at every pit stop they would make
was at every pit stop they would make
was at every pit stop they would make yet the people were still saying in
yet the people were still saying in
yet the people were still saying in hamdulillah they thanked God for placing
hamdulillah they thanked God for placing
hamdulillah they thanked God for placing him in a safe environment when their
him in a safe environment when their
him in a safe environment when their homes were forcefully taken away they
homes were forcefully taken away they
homes were forcefully taken away they thanked God for the raging rain that
thanked God for the raging rain that
thanked God for the raging rain that ripped through their weak ceilings
ripped through their weak ceilings
ripped through their weak ceilings because a nourished land of Jordan they
because a nourished land of Jordan they
because a nourished land of Jordan they even thanked God for the scorching heat
even thanked God for the scorching heat
even thanked God for the scorching heat because
because
because that fed their agriculture fed their
that fed their agriculture fed their
that fed their agriculture fed their crops and helped their agriculture
crops and helped their agriculture
crops and helped their agriculture despite all the brutal days they face
despite all the brutal days they face
despite all the brutal days they face their hope was never erased
their hope was never erased
their hope was never erased they turned what was once just an empty
they turned what was once just an empty
they turned what was once just an empty land filled with UN tents into a
land filled with UN tents into a
land filled with UN tents into a prosperous community filled with loving
prosperous community filled with loving
prosperous community filled with loving families and small enterprises their
families and small enterprises their
families and small enterprises their small enterprises today have made a
small enterprises today have made a
small enterprises today have made a footprint around the world leading them
footprint around the world leading them
footprint around the world leading them to better futures they’ve turned silent
to better futures they’ve turned silent
to better futures they’ve turned silent families and shattered hearts into
families and shattered hearts into
families and shattered hearts into guiding forces that have paved the way
guiding forces that have paved the way
guiding forces that have paved the way for their coming generations our
for their coming generations our
for their coming generations our journeys longer shorts have brought us
journeys longer shorts have brought us
journeys longer shorts have brought us closer to our people closer to our home
closer to our people closer to our home
closer to our people closer to our home and closer on our journeys of
and closer on our journeys of
and closer on our journeys of self-discovery from Vietnam to Mumbai
self-discovery from Vietnam to Mumbai
self-discovery from Vietnam to Mumbai and finally the huzza camp is the
and finally the huzza camp is the
and finally the huzza camp is the reeking smells and the tiring days that
reeking smells and the tiring days that
reeking smells and the tiring days that have helped us in building great
have helped us in building great
have helped us in building great communities of passion and hope it is
communities of passion and hope it is
communities of passion and hope it is everything they told us the fear that we
everything they told us the fear that we
everything they told us the fear that we finally found beauty in thank you
finally found beauty in thank you
finally found beauty in thank you [Applause]
”
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