The only way I could explain it, is as ‘raw’

Image above: Jason Fenech talking to our group at his home ... museum ... school.



Journal of Sophie Hodges

 I was definitely not expecting what I saw ... this is something that I will think about every day.

Today the group visited a man named Jason Fenech, who pays for few Vietnamese children to go to school. Not only does he pay for their education, he also provides it. Before we visited, I had no clue what to expect, but I was definitely not expecting what I saw.
Jason was a retired soldier, but he was still quite young. When we first met him, he came looking quite flustered, and he was very shaken. When talking to the group, I could tell he was struggling and found it very hard just to think of what to say. The only way I could explain it, is as ‘raw’. It felt so real to me. Not once in my life had I experienced someone like Jason. I could only imagine what soldiers that had returned may be like, but seeing Jason really impacted me. I have only ever interacting with my Grandpa, who was in the Vietnam War, but they were completely different with their actions.
Jason really exposed me to war. Yes I learn about it, but until you see someone like him, I don’t think some people can understand. He doesn’t let it affect what he does because not only has he provided education opportunities to children, he also has created his own museum. It was absolutely amazing. He has collected so many artefacts from the war, and made it into something so special and that many people can see and acknowledge. Just walking around, you could see how much time and effort he had put into it. I was blown away with all the items he had collected. Along with bomb fragments, shell casings, guns, pictures and even rocks that soldiers had written or carved onto. It really was special to me, because we were seeing a part of the war, a part of the soldiers’ lives, and it was in the country it all happened.
Jason is a remarkable man. He has contributed so much to the lives of many people. He even has a little boy who has cancer that he supports and along with others, donates to. With the money that our group raised, I was extremely happy to see it contribute to Jason, his school and museum and the little boy. 
This is something that I will think about every day. Jason is just one example of a remarkable man who gives so much to people and doesn’t stop giving.