Vietnam Overview

March 30, 2008

Vietnam is everything i expected it to be, but nothing like what i expected at the same time. The streets are littered with stray dogs, half naked children, bargaining families selling everything from knockoff handbags to sewing machines, and millions of motorbikes following no traffic laws. But what has suprised me the most is the glow that exists in every single Vietnamese persons eyes that i have met so far. They are so welcoming and kind, and they are incredibly greatful for what little they do have. The children are stunning; with huge brown eyes that pierce straight into you and make it impossible to look away. The other night we went on a cyclo ride which is like a bicycle in the back but in the front there is a padded seat for the guest to sit in. We went into the Citadel and through the forbidden city and the entire way we heard yells of "hello! hello!" from the children on the sidewalks. I felt like even if I wanted to frown I would not have been able to. I havent stopped smiling in 2 days. Now that my stomach has settled and gotten used to the many changes, I can fully absorb everything around me. For the first few days all I could think about was wanting to go back home and counting down the days till that could happen, but now I am counting the days with sadness and dreading the day that I have to leave this beautiful continent. The people here are gorgeous and wonderful, they even make seattle people look grumpy. Although I have taken about 250 pictures so far, I keep having the feeling that its just not enough. I wish that I could bring home the smells and the sounds and the feelings. It is so hard to put into words all of the things that I have been experiencing and each time I sit to write in my journal it comes out so bland and robotic-what I did today and what it was like, etc. I have tried and tried to put it into words that could even offer a glimpse of what it has really been like but it is very difficult. When I close my eyes right at this moment I hear the horns of the motorcycles in constant communication. They dont use horns here the way that we do at home. They use them all of the time just to say that they are there and to let people know their proximity to others. The city, although small in size, the 6 million people who live here are in constant motion. After dinner today we walked back to the hotel which was about a 20 minute walk. We smelled incense, Pho (noodles), smoke, jasmine blossoms, and tons of motorcycle exhaust. We saw 3 geckos, 2 bullfrogs, and countless dogs. It is 10:00 pm here and although I am exhausted, the adrenaline of finally being able to write is keeping my hands moving and my eyes open. Today we went to a hill tribe about 2 hours from Hue. The childrens faces were haunting and mesmorizing and I dont think I will ever forget them. We also went to a preschool and a school for the blind that Sister Bong and the convent have started. You could tell that the people who attend these schools are EXTREMELY grateful, but the poverty that they are in is unbearable to watch. Their houses were literally falling apart. One woman we met had a 3 month old baby who will probably die in the next couple of weeks because she is so sick. It was heartbreaking to know that for just a small amount of money and a car ride they could probably be able to treat her. For the past 2 days, in the morning, we have gone to Sister Bongs convent only a few minutes from our hotel. We have been helping the aspirants (women in their 20's hoping to become nuns) with their english skills. It has been so much fun just conversing with them. For example, one girl asked Melissa, one of our girls, if she was single or married. Melissa answered that she was single and the girls asked do you have a lover? it was adorable. Today when my group of girls found out that I am only 17 they were completely shocked and one girl goes "but you are so TALL!!!!" :D (because they are all about 5 feet tall or smaller) It has been such an enriching experience to help teach the girls english and watch them improve in only 2 days time. At the convent they have a monkey in a cage and he is precious and hilarious. I held his hand today for a while and I took about a million pictures and videos of him. I am so happy that i decided to buy myself a camera before this trip because I have some pictures that I am very proud of. I keep looking back over them and feeling the same feelings I felt when I captured them, so I know that they will always mean something to me.