Quyet: the boy who learnt to trust again
Quyet thought he had lost all hope in people after being scammed and exploited. But over lunches at the Blue Dragon centre, he realised he still knew how to trust, let go and look to the future.
ESCAPE
When Quyet was very young, someone accused him of stealing their bracelet – beating and scolding him. Even though the person later found the bracelet in their own home, they refused to apologise. For Quyet, it was the final straw.
With his father unable to work due to a chronic head injury, Quyet’s mother took on whatever odd jobs she could find to keep the family afloat. Every day was a gruelling fight for survival, and Quyet had had enough.
“I just hated everything at that time. I got beaten and bullied so much. My mother was cracking under the pressure and we could barely survive. I was desperate to escape.”
At 12 years old, Quyet borrowed money from his grandmother for a one-way bus ticket to Hanoi. He dreamed of a bright future as the rice fields made way for the lights of the city.
“At that time, I still had hope that I would get a steady job to support my family and change my life.”
NOT GOING BACK
Upon arriving in Hanoi, Quyet found a job at a restaurant selling pho – a traditional Vietnamese noodle dish – where they promised him meals, accommodation and payment. He received food and a mat to sleep on, but the money never came.
When Quyet asked why he hadn’t been paid yet, the owner kicked him out.
Quyet spent days sitting alone outside the restaurant – the only place in the city that he knew – until a kind woman stopped and gave him money for the bus back to his village.
As he held the money in his hands, Quyet thought about what awaited him at home: bullying, pressure and hopelessness. By staying in Hanoi, he kept control over his own future, and he would do anything to make that future bright and hopeful.
HUNGER
Quyet made a promise to himself that he would take charge of his own happiness. His first step was to invest the little money he had in some shoe shine equipment.
While shining shoes earned Quyet enough money to spend the odd evening on the floor of a shared, rented room, he was often forced to go hungry for days on end – teasing his aching stomach with scraps he found on the streets.
One day, a man offered Quyet a job selling candy. After a few punishing days of working from dusk to dawn, the man took all the money Quyet had earned and left him with nothing.
During three lonely, terrifying years on the streets, Quyet experienced this kind of exploitation and betrayal more times than he can remember.
Many street kids survive on leftover food.
NUTRITION
One day, as 15-year-old Quyet sat in a park wondering how he was going to find his next meal, a woman approached him. She told him about Blue Dragon; how we had supported her children, and how we would give him hot, nutritious lunches at our centre.
That was all Quyet needed to hear. The promise of steaming bowls of rice, tofu, meat and fresh vegetables was irresistible, and he started coming to the Blue Dragon centre every lunchtime. “Every dish was very delicious,” remembers Quyet.
But Quyet had been tricked by people pretending to help him so many times that, while he enjoyed the food, he remained sceptical about Blue Dragon.
“By that time in my life, I was so traumatised and hurt that I didn’t believe there were any good people in the world. Everyone at Blue Dragon treated me even kinder than people treat their own family – why would strangers do that for that someone?”
Quyet enjoying a hot, nutritious meal at the Blue Dragon centre.
TRUST
The more Quyet came to our centre, the more he let his guard down. As well as the lunches, a key part of Quyet’s healing process were his daily chats with Blue Dragon Founder Michael Brosowski. “He was so patient with me,” says Quyet. “He came to talk to me every day after he finished work, which really helped me to trust again.”
Michael remembers the chats just as fondly. “I remember the first time I met Quyet. It was his first time at Blue Dragon and he was very open and sincere in sharing about his life. He’s always been a gentle, compassionate person. If any of the other Blue Dragon teens had a problem, they’d naturally confide in him and seek his help. He’s the peacemaker who just wants to be kind and care for others.”
Over time, Quyet joined more activities at the Blue Dragon centre, went back to school and discovered that, not only had he learned to trust people again, he dreamed of helping other children to change their lives.
“That was the first time I realised I had dreams. I dreamed of being financially independent and having my own centre where I can help kids.”
HAPPINESS AND MEANING
After graduating from high school, Quyet got a job as a driver so that he could begin financially supporting his sister. He now owns a small fleet of cars, and enjoys coordinating his driving team as they help people to get around the city.
Once his sister finishes school and reaches financial independence, Quyet plans to realise his dream of opening a centre to help kids who have had a rough start in life. Until then, his advice to kids like him is simple, heartfelt and life-affirming:
“Kids like me have to go through a lot of trauma. If you can let go of all of that hatred and hurt, and just live for today and tomorrow, your life will be so much better. As long as we’re alive, we need to live with happiness and meaning.”
