As soon as the “social distancing” restrictions for Covid-19 was loosened, the Sisters of Mary Queen quickly made a “relief” trip to the ethnic minority villagers in the area of the Ta Lung Commune, Meo Vac District, Lang Son city.
The sisters’ journey took ten hours on winding and dangerous roads up the steep mountain. When asked about the winding curves the driver explained that the road can only have a slope of 8 to 10 degrees so that trucks with cargo and buses with passengers can travel safely. Although a straight line would be shorter, the zigzags and curves are necessary on a steep road. So, drivers are constantly making left and right turns as they travel.
These road sections with dangerous sharp turns are called “the sleeve bends.” There are hundreds of “sleeve bends” so everyone on the journey, not just the driver, is prone to stress and fatigue. They have to make many stops to rest in order to stay alert and continue on the journey. The Sisters’ love for these people gives them the courage to make such a dangerous trip on these winding roads.
On both sides of the road, people live with harsh weather and barren land. Because this is a mountain region, people are scattered on the top of the mountain or on the high hill. The elderly rarely leave their homes because the way up and down is dangerous and difficult.
When they arrived at the destination (Ta Lung Commune, Meo Vac District), the Sisters saw many people waiting. Just seeing the delegation coming, everyone rejoiced with joy. The Sisters, along with a few volunteers, quickly unloaded the gift boxes and divided them evenly. Each gift includes: 10 kg of rice, 1 box of instant noodles, 1 kilogram
of dried fish, half a kilogram of dried shrimp, 1 bottle of fish sauce, half a kilogram of longan cake and a few other candies.
After distributing gifts to everyone the Sisters were instructed to visit a few nearby houses. Everyone had a chance to climb the hill again! Most of the bungalows do not have electricity, so the houses were dark even though it was noon.
On returning home, The Sisters shared that after seeing see the poor people’s lives like that, they all hope that there will be a day they can return, even though it is a 10-hour journey.
