Vietnam. Honestly, probably my least favorite country thus far. In my opinion, which many disagree with, there was just nothing “special” about the country. The city was bustling, the food was delicious in most cases (and so, so cheap), the people were neither overly friendly, nor were they mean, there was lots of shopping, if fake bags and tea pots are your thing. Overall though, when compared to exciting Rio de Janeiro or even overwhelming Ghana, both of which I visited recently, there was just nothing or no one that stood out to me in my travels here. Sure, paying $30 for a manicure, pedicure and full body massage was a great deal, but at the end of the day there just seemed to be a barrier of “blahness” that I just could not escape.
For me, the 5 days I spent here was a relaxing break from the hustle of all the other trips I’ve taken recently (I think I finally just recovered from India. I never realized traveling is so rough on your body!) I went with my roommate Liz and some other friends to Ha Long Bay in North Vietnam through a tour company of SAS called Global Citizens. We spent a night in Hanoi, which I liked much better than Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon to be politically correct) where the ship was docked. Everywhere we went, though, just seemed to be a tourist trap, which I seriously detest especially after this semester. I understand that people need to make money in these countries, but overcharging and targeting tourists just gets really old, especially when other idiotic students stupidly pay the first price, therefore making it difficult for others to bargain. Can you tell I’m a little aggravated here? You would be too if you knew a taxi price should be equivalent to 50 cents, yet because you are a white American the price automatically becomes 5 dollars.
After Hanoi, our group of 17 students led by the worst tour guide ever spent a night in Ha Long Bay on a luxury junk boat. The boat was really nice and we were served 5 meals of at least 12 courses each during the 24 hour period, it was great! The crew on the boat however, was completely odd. I don’t know what they expected of American college students, but it was along the lines of wild, crazy and extremely promiscuous. The speakers continuously blared techno remixes of American music (even at 7am breakfast), the TV only played the Victoria’s Secret fashion show and Girls Gone Wild on repeat, Christmas lights flashed on the bar, along with a strobe light, as the crew tried to make it a “club-like scene” and begged us to sing karaoke. I know they were trying to help us to have fun, but honestly it was hilarious and strikingly odd that they expected us American girls to come onboard and look like Victoria’s Secret models, while dancing on bars like Girls Gone Wild. I’m sure they weren’t disappointed at all! ;-) But I can say I was proud of our group for proving this theory of theirs wrong and hopefully showing the crew that all Americans are not crazy party animals...well at least not all the time!
Besides Ha Long Bay, the most memorable thing I did in Vietnam was to go to the War Remnants Museum. I went here on the last day with Paige and I am so glad I did. Although I know some of the information there was one-sided and propaganda, there are just some things that you cannot deny. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and in the case of the Vietnam War the images I saw were truly heart wrenching way humans can treat one another. I think it is crazy, and extremely sad that I am a 20 year old college student and yet I have learned very little about the Vietnam War. 3 million of their people died? Agent Orange still affects children born today? Why had I never heard any of these disturbing statistics? The most moving part of the museum was definitely the section about Agent Orange and its effects on the Vietnamese people, as well as American soldiers who were exposed to this chemical compound. Vietnam has the highest amount of handicapped persons in the world. There is no denying that this is largely due to Agent Orange. This chemical produces many disabilities and diseases (body deformations, retardation, psychological disorders, even cancer…and the list goes on) and can pass down as far as 3 generations to children. This led me to think could this have anything to do with the increased cancer rates in the U.S., among many other health issues today? Hmm… the things you can learn at a museum! After spending just an hour at the museum, Paige and I had to leave and agreed to sit down at a coffee shop to try and sort this all out in our heads. I honestly felt nauseous at the idea of such inhumane treatment of other humans (on both sides). I also realized that there is so much I still need to learn about the war and that I cannot simply generalize what I saw at a Vietnamese museum as complete, unfiltered narrative.
Now, as I am back on the ship and headed for China and then Japan, I am thinking about how Hiroshima will affect me. Every student has to write an essay for our global studies class and I have finally decided to write mine about Vietnam and Japan- two countries that the U.S. was once at war with. I’m trying to focus on how they view Americans now, as well as their opinions on the wars. After going to the War Remnants museum I finally have the motivation and drive to write the paper and I know I will actually enjoy this topic. In two short days we will be in China for one week and then two days later we will be in our final country, Japan. The next two weeks are going to be amazing and I have the highest hopes for these two ports. I am so sad the trip is dwindling down, but I have learned so much already about myself, the person I want to be, the dreams I have for my own future, and about the outside world. I know that my life will be so different after this semester and I could not be more excited. The experiences I have had will most certainly shape my future and I think that is the most important thing I could ever take away from this semester abroad. Sure, there have been really difficult times being away from the comforts of home, but I do not think I could have ever learned this much about myself and my place in the world in any other way.
Yesterday I stumbled upon a quote that fits the personal growth and my travels perfectly. “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.” I am so thankful to have learned this lesson and I hope for everyone that you can all find your own path to personal happiness. Once you find this never let it go because boy, are you in for a fun ride!
XOXO – happy traveler
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