Sorry that I did not have a chance to post in the past couple of days. It was
a busy day, and we had so much fun in the evenings that I did not have a chance
to post before falling asleep. Saturday began as per usual with
breakfast, but luckily we had the day off from formal classes. Instead we
received a hands on history lesson. After an hour and a half bus ride (most of
which was spent talking to Vietnamese friends who find me extremely pretty,
friendly, and white), we arrived at the tunnels of Cu Chi. These tunnels were
important to the war for the Vietnamese to hide from the US soldiers and run
ambushed against incoming soldiers. The intro video from 1967 was very strange
because it felt like there was so much hatred for the US soldiers, but now it
is part of history rather than a need to rally more guerrilla troupes.
Anyway, it was interesting to say the least, but for me, I felt that I was intruding in land that should have been left alone. I spent a little time wandering and listening to what the forest was like and looked to me right and left and craters from bombs were everywhere. I couldn't help but thinking about how much was truly lost in the war. We got the opportunity to be in the tunnels which I obviously went in. At one point we were stuck for a moment in the tunnels, and I felt like it was hard to breathe and the general aura was eerie. I had a little panic attack but I think it was just overwhelming with emotion that caught up with me. We tried some of the food that the soldier ate which we very similar to potatoes, and then we went to lunch at a site about 15 minutes from the tunnels. It was absolutely beautiful outside for lunch near on the Saigon River. We had traditional Vietnamese food, and I faced my fears from my childhood visit to France and tore the head off of a full-bodied, grilled shrimp. (Yes, I did enjoy writing that last sentence too much.)
After lunch, we went to a temple that commemorates the fallen soldiers of the war that died in Cu Chi. There were slabs of granite up to the ceiling filled with Vietnamese names. It was incredible to see how the Vietnamese were able to combine religion and respect for soldiers which we definitely don't have in America. Personally, I was more interested in the architecture of the building.
After the temple, we stopped at a cemetery for Vietnamese soldiers. I've never found cemeteries very interesting, especially ones for the military and war. This one though was very formal and uniform, but I ventured into the back where there was less construction of the grounds and found a section that was very beautiful. It seemed very colorful and celebratory, which to me is more like the Latin American culture. I found it slightly happier, but I was glad to leave the harsh depiction of the war behind. We got back on the bus, and spent a long while getting back to the hotel before having a fun night on the rooftop of a business building of all things.
Anyway, it was interesting to say the least, but for me, I felt that I was intruding in land that should have been left alone. I spent a little time wandering and listening to what the forest was like and looked to me right and left and craters from bombs were everywhere. I couldn't help but thinking about how much was truly lost in the war. We got the opportunity to be in the tunnels which I obviously went in. At one point we were stuck for a moment in the tunnels, and I felt like it was hard to breathe and the general aura was eerie. I had a little panic attack but I think it was just overwhelming with emotion that caught up with me. We tried some of the food that the soldier ate which we very similar to potatoes, and then we went to lunch at a site about 15 minutes from the tunnels. It was absolutely beautiful outside for lunch near on the Saigon River. We had traditional Vietnamese food, and I faced my fears from my childhood visit to France and tore the head off of a full-bodied, grilled shrimp. (Yes, I did enjoy writing that last sentence too much.)
After lunch, we went to a temple that commemorates the fallen soldiers of the war that died in Cu Chi. There were slabs of granite up to the ceiling filled with Vietnamese names. It was incredible to see how the Vietnamese were able to combine religion and respect for soldiers which we definitely don't have in America. Personally, I was more interested in the architecture of the building.
After the temple, we stopped at a cemetery for Vietnamese soldiers. I've never found cemeteries very interesting, especially ones for the military and war. This one though was very formal and uniform, but I ventured into the back where there was less construction of the grounds and found a section that was very beautiful. It seemed very colorful and celebratory, which to me is more like the Latin American culture. I found it slightly happier, but I was glad to leave the harsh depiction of the war behind. We got back on the bus, and spent a long while getting back to the hotel before having a fun night on the rooftop of a business building of all things.
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