Vuon Yen, mental rehabilitation space

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with BlueDragon to help clear a 100m^2 area of land in Vuon Yen, designing and creating a flower garden dedicated to foster peace among victims of human traffickers.

Throughout the process of gardening, I have participated in designing and allocating flowers into their respective areas, paved the pathway for walking, hoed the land, cleared wild vegetation, dug flowerpot holes and planted them.

The children will enjoy a space made for mental rehabilitation, with abstract, peace, and harmony the heart of its design. I hope that this space will empower children’s to embrace nature and its beauty, to allow their thoughts and worries to dissolve with the wind and flowers. Apart from aesthetics, our garden has a substantial area of  an approximated 100^2 to facilitate any outdoor physical activity which also helps alleviate mental burdens or traumas.

Although this is not my first time working with others, I always learn something new through every social collaboration opportunity, especially in this unique occasion where the cause roots in a meaningful purpose---to facilitate mental rehabilitation through the garden. Our gardening experience emphasizes that synonymous collaboration will outperform spontaneous efforts. Specifically, when we had to lift over 100 rocks, varying to humongous boulders, we have assigned each other roles to pass rocks to each other, instead of individually moving the heavy rocks.

On a broader picture, I have experienced a lot of fatigue, frustration, but also laughter and joy. Gardening and farming is undoubtedly challenging, however when collaborating with peers, the fun and satisfaction certainly outweigh the struggles.

-Ball