Reflections by Chris H.

Despite the 16-hour flight with a two-hour layover at Korea, this long journey was definitely worth the wait. Vietnam is simply amazing – the streets are vibrant with life, the people are kind, and the cuisine is vast.
So far I’ve had pig kidneys/brain/ear/tongue/womb, pigeon, and sea cucumber; I’m looking forward to more throughout the remaining week. I can’t say everyone quite shares the same passion for new foods as I do, but I was fortunate enough to find a few.
Though it’s only been a day, it has been so rich and rewarding it felt like at least a week. Yes, in one day, we visited a war memorial, the former presidential palace, shopping mall, cathedral, private school, temple, and orphanage.
The war memorial was truly impressive – here witnessed the Vietnamese point of view of the war, which is ironically called the “American War.” Through the graphic photos and tragic personal stories of each victim, we came to see the damages the U.S. government caused during the war, especially with Agent Orange.
It wasn’t just the display there, however, which made me reflect on our country as it is today. How could Americans commit all these acts and live on as usual, even ascending in the ranks? By the end of the tour, no one was really proud of America anymore.
The private school visit was also a nice interaction opportunity with the students there in the Marie Curie School, one of the most prestigious in the city. All the students there were very excited to see visitors. We entered an English classroom and exchanged songs and dance, then spending the remaining time touring the school. I think this visit widened our perspectives by helping us appreciate just what we have compared to others our age in different parts of the world.
Then, of course, there was the orphanage. The group wasn’t exactly what we expected, so we had had to adjust our plans. Nevertheless we adapted successfully and sadly bid goodbye at the end of the visit, having created good memories of each other. Now this was day one – I can’t wait to see what the other days have in store for us. Whoot!