I was too lazy to post three weeks ago so here is goes (I have a great memory, ok).

Our last day in Vietnam lasted forever and ever. The "short" of it all-

Basketball and soccer. Praise Jesus that I didn't have to participate in basketball. When we arrived to the indoor court, everyone was taken aback by how physically built the team was. The guys were actually tall and kinda muscly, and I probably would've died with my hand-eye coordination. Our makeshift basketball team lost pretty badly, but soccer? That's an entirely difference story. I missed playing pickup, and it was pretty fun. They didn't have a great team by any means, I think they were putting a team together when we got there, just like us. By the end of it, my face was so red from the heat and running around. (Yes, I did remain hydrated. No, I didn't die.) After the games, we took a bunch of pictures and exchanged gifts. I gave away candy and some Pennsylvania playing cards for my friend Tran. The pictures of me on this treacherous day are terrible, and I remember thinking, "All I want it air conditioning and my cat."

After mingling, we moved on to find some lunch. All of us were terribly hungry. After making a quick mistake stop and trying some iced tea (it tasted like pure honey- not my cup of tea, pardon the pun), we found lunch at some small place with North Vietnamese noodles. There was a bunch of strange noodles that looked gummy, so I didn't want them. The soup was mighty fine, but it was so hot that it was impossible to enjoy it that much. In the same place, we had a coconut bubble tea, which was really good. I'll probably miss the "desserts" most in Vietnam. They were all slightly sweet and refreshing.

After lunch, we got back to the hotel, and I was so tired that I took an awesome nap, got some snacks from the coop, and made sure that I had everything backed. We had to put on our traditional dresses and suits to take tons of pictures, and then we headed over to dinner. Everyone was excited, and you could feel the energy going around the bus. When we got close to the water, everyone immediately thought we were going on this huge pirate ship-looking boat. Unfortunately, we just had dinner on a smaller boat next to it. It was such a pleasant evening with the breeze from the Saigon River. Dinner was good. Mostly I remember how happy I was to have rolls of bread, how weird it was to have butter in my fried shrimp, and how absolutely delicious the beef stew was. There was also a hot pot, which was similar to the one that we had at the beech, but it wasn't as exciting as the bread...

We took so many pictures from the side of the boat, and it was really strange to see the city at night from a boat. The water was muddy brown, but something about it was still very lively and cool. Kate bought a cake that said "UEF & Pitt Friends Forever" which was really sweet. I'll miss Kate so much. I can't wait until she comes to visit next summer!

After the boat ride, we got on the bus, sang a little ABBA, and arrived back at the hotel where we would be until about 3 am. Meanwhile, we all packed, Kate and I took a quick nap, and we went to Vo Van Tanh and Pasteur streets where there is a weird, tall tower that people can sit on or under, and there's a huge pond with some lifted sidewalks to casually stroll around. We were there until about 1am when I wanted to leave. I was so tired that I just had to relax a bit.

When we got to the airport, Kate was more than upset, and I was sad that we had to leave her behind. It felt like she should have been coming with us, but we had to go. At the airport, security took my bullet necklaces. I guess I should have figured, but there was no gun and no gunpowder, so I hadn't really thought of it. We got through security easily, but everyone was so exhausted. I slept on the plane from HCM to Hong Kong. B Shultz abandoned us along the way, but as he said, he left his magic wand in the hotel. We had to take a few buses and wind around some hoops to get to the gate in Hong Kong where we left behind Allen (I'll miss that guy the most I think), Sam, Akhil, and someone else... They all had to find their own way back to America. I was excited to be going home, and I sat next to Chris and Aster again. I think Chris and Aster were two of my favorite people from the trip as well because they were always kind and looked at (most) things with a positive attitude. That's such a rarity. On the plane to Newark, the food of course was terrible, the sleepin' was rough, and the movies were long. It was easy to close my eyes, but not to get rest. When we got to Newark, we had to go through customs, and I found my favorite Matt Russell returning home from Germany Plus 3. I love finding people in random places. Aster and I were so ready for American food, and we bolted to get muffins, yogurt, and cliff bars. We had to wait a few hours for the next plane (after Matt's plane) to get back to Pittsburgh. I was so so happy to see my parents and boyfriend waiting for me once we got back. I was exhausted, and I knew that I would sleep for a long long time.

Saddening Learning Day

Today is the second to last day that we're here. What. What. Seriously?? That's so crazy. The time (luckily/unluckily) flew by... I'll be happy to get home, relax, and sleep, but I'm not ready to be finished exploring this country.

We began the day with breakfast and a quick ride over (for the last time) to UEF. We had cultural class and language class. The culture class was actually very interesting, and we learned a lot about dualism, yin yang, and sexuality in art and symbols. The man giving the presentation was actually really funny, and he laughed at himself and the uncomfortable situations he created a lot. It was much better than language class. It's not that I mind language class, but I absolutely dislike the woman that teaches this class. Her voice is so high pitched, and she slams a ruler against the desk to get us to quiet down. It's completely unnecessary, and for this reason, I don't feel the need to try to do well for her. With Spanish classes that I took in high school, I always loved my teachers and wanted to do well for them, but it's difficult to motivate myself when the language is already tough and the personal problems I have with the teacher get in my way. (I'm sorry for saying all of this. She's a kind woman, but I personally can't stand it.) She put us in groups to translate different phrases that we all clearly know at this point as a sort of competition, and I am happy with the amount of language I learned in such a short period of time. I can recognize a lot of words, but I certainly have issues with the pronunciations. In between the two classes, I was happy to get my last ca phe sua da which slightly alleviated the pain of language class.

After class, we went to Kent canteen to get lunch which I thought was pretty good, and we all took a bunch of pictures out on the patio. It was a beautiful day, and I'm finally getting used to the weather.

We then traveled onto the pagoda that we did not go to on Tuesday. It was absolutely beautiful. The pagoda has a long history, but most people will connect it to the remains of the self immolated monk were brought to the pagoda in 1963.

After the pagoda, we walked down the street to where the Buddhist monks protested the South Vietnamese government which was supported by the US. There was a beautiful memorial, and I was thoroughly impressed with the metal story board behind it of the protest.


We then walked to the War Remnants Museum. This was the most depressing part of the day. The museum used to be called Museum of American War Crimes. Even though the name changed multiple times, I think this name I mentioned was more fitting. They freely displayed seized American tanks, weaponry, helicopters, and airplanes, and described pictures and other remnants of Americans are terrible humans. They said that they targeted women, children, and civilians, and tortured many people unnecessarily. Though it was horrible, I think it is somewhat unfair to say. So many people have forgiven everything that has happened in the past, and though numerous families suffered, it feels like these Vietnamese former places of war continue to show Vietnamese as innocent victims of the war. Don't mistake what I'm saying, I think there was so much suffering especially on the Vietnamese side, but I genuinely dislike how much hatred exists in the museum when Americans generally try to stay unbiased and remember the lives lost. The museum was full of photographs, soldier weapons, soldier clothing, pieces of weaponry, and information about the protests against America around the world, after effects from Agent Orange, and after effects on the economy, society, and environment. It was insanely heartbreaking to see the photographs and videos of human bodies, lives lost, and complete destruction. (To anyone that has been to Auschwitz or Birkenau, it had a very similar feeling in the air for me. I have a hard time not feeling something in the pit of my stomach when there was so much sadness.) I was very ready to leave after seeing the torture camps and execution weaponry.

I had to take a nice long shower to get the images out of my head. Honestly, I'm not glad that I went, but I did learn a lot about the war that I had no idea of before. I think a lot of the Vietnamese suffering is hidden in the American depiction of the Vietnam War, but I am not sure if I would have liked to see all of that in a text book when I was in sixth grade like I did with WWI and WWII. Some things I think are better censored a little. I loved the Buddhist pagoda. That is all.

I think Kate is going to take us out for noodles and some sort of nightlife fun tonight. I'm looking forward to a little pick me up before we leave Saturday morning!

FOOoo...ooOOD

Today was a delicious day to be alive. We began our Vietnamese adventures in a slightly different way beginning with pho for breakfast and then leaving the hotel at 9:45 am instead of 8:30 as per usual. (Thanks D Berm for the awesome break; It was much needed.) We ventured to a nearby 5 star hotel for what we thought would be a simple cooking class. We were luckily very wrong. At the hotel, we first toured the garden and pool area outside, which was beautiful and surprisingly serene even though it was right above the busy streets.

Then, we received a lesson in Vietnamese cooking. They taught us to make Spring Rolls (rice paper, shrimp, lettuce, Vietnamese basil and cilantro, and bean sprouts) and Egg Rolls (ground pork and two types of Vietnamese mushrooms). It was more difficult than I had anticipated as the rice paper needed a specific amount of water to be rehydrated but not floppy or sticky. Mine ended up being sticky because I didn't want a soggy spring roll. The egg rolls were so much easier because they did not involve rice paper, and I personally found them more delicious.

 

Speaking of delicious... Did I mention that we ate lunch at the buffet? It brought a tear to many people's eyes. I was too busy tasting everything to care. There was a sushi bar, the best clam chowder ever, kielbasa, garlic bread, random breads, assorted cheeses, multiple fruits (some drenched in wine), pasta, raw clams and mussels, fried whole fish filled with caviar, fried whole shrimps, traditional noodles and rice, tandoori chicken, steamed fish, fried chicken, etc. because the list could literally go on forever... And that was just real food. Then there was dessert. So much dessert: Bailey cake, apple crumble, ice cream, panacotta, mango cake, coffee cake, pecan pie, flan, chocolate cake, pistachio cake, giant solid chocolate bars (Yes, giant. Yes, solid chocolate.), etc. because the list could literally go on forever... Again. It was absolutely delicious, and it was the first meal to me that was kind of normal. I really enjoyed it, and there was so much. I was very happy and so was everyone else until we had to leave.

 

We went to a site visit to Saigon Newport Corporation, a shipping company that works with the navy to receive and send goods across oceans and domestically. Honestly, I did not understand the woman's accent who gave the briefing, but the video was informative. I thought it was interesting to be able to work alongside the navy for something that seems so profitable. We got a tour of the control tower and the ship yard but missed our time slot for a walking tour of the grounds. After we left, many people rushed off back to the Ben Thanh market, but Arielle and I had a wonderful little adventure to find a pharmacy for her stuffy nose. I was very proud of us for not getting run over. Seriously, the roads are so scary, and the people honestly don't care if they run you over. After the pharmacy, we stopped in a toy store which was fun and kind of creepy.

After this, we went back to the hotel, and Kate and Allen found me and dragged me out into the nightlife. I was glad to not stay in but also happy to be away from the huge group. We went to a few shops to look for gifts for Allen's loved ones (since I am personally done shopping and bargaining) at stores that looked a lot like hippie dippie wannabe stores in America. They were pretty and in a strange location, but it was nice to have time to relax and not feel rushed. After this, we were so hungry and wanted to try Korean food but didn't find the menu appetizing. We ended up eating at and Udon Noodle and Tempura restaurant. Absolutely no regrets. It was completely delicious, and I had tempura okra and sweet potato which were both strange and yummy. Of course, Kate wanted peach tea (and I of course had no objections to this). When we got back, I was exhausted, but I went to retrieve my suit that apparently was delivered earlier than expected. It was a scrumptious day, but I am not looking forward to more language class tomorrow.

Engineering Day

Yesterday was a restful day even though we prepared for a big day. We began the day with the typical breakfast (I seriously cannot get enough of the pineapple jam), and moved along to our double company visit at VSIP (Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park) and II-VI (2 6 from elements on the periodic table that the company utilizes). The bus ride was about an hour, most of which I took a nap for since it was early. Once we got there, we were lead into a room with a layout of two industrial parks belonging to VSIP and the different kinds of products that have been produced within the industrial parks. VSIP is a business that owns land, rents out space, provides power and sewage control, and maintains grounds for other companies, such as II-VI, to have production space in Vietnam where the labor is cheaper than the companies' domestic land.

We received a quick briefing about the business behind VSIP, followed by some questions. I didn't find this very interesting and think it favored business majors on the trip as opposed to the engineers. The briefing by II-VI was actually very interesting, especially because I want to get a material sciences minor, so this was catered to exactly what I want to do. We took a tour of VSIP grounds then the buildings for II-VI. The factories for II-VI were entirely dedicated to the products they make, mostly glass, elements (small scale, uniform pieces) of pure elemental metals, heating and cooling systems, telecommunication, and ceramic battery modules. It was cool to see, but after a while I was more hungry than anything.

After the tour was done, we went to a Singapore lunch place which was absolutely beautifully traditionally asian, and the rain made everything calm. Even though so many people didn't like the food, I thought it was delicious, and I was happy to get a break from rice for once. After lunch, we sleepily drove back to the hotel. Despite plans to visit the pagoda, we tentatively pushed these planned back to Thursday because everyone was so exhausted. After taking a nap in the hotel, people wanted to go out to try these fancy street sandwiches. We did end up going, but the sandwiches were not as fancy as anticipated. We came back to the hotel half full (because half empty is too pessimistic) and had a mini party. I left early because I wasn't feeling fully awesome (mostly tired and missing home and home friends), and I went to bed fairly early.

Get in, We're Going Shopping

Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling decently sick to my stomach, but this was one day that I did not want to miss out on any of the adventures.

After breakfast, we went to language class. Even though I wasn't feeling well, I still had to focus on the lesson because today we would actually need to use what we were learning to be able to go to the market in a few hours. We played this racing running game to learn numbers which I failed miserably at, and we practiced bargaining with our peers. I feel like my language skills are not fading away, but I'm having trouble with the pronunciations are per usual with Vietnamese.



After class, we went to the Ben Thanh Market which is basically a tourist market, and the store owners know to rack up the prices. I bought so many good things, but I don't want to tell everyone what I got them. I can tell you that I spent a lot more than I planned to, but seriously how soon will I be returning to Vietnam? Exactly. So I figured go big or go home, especially because the total I spent was still around $80. I hope that everyone likes their unique gifts! The market was in itself an experience because it was just crazy. Luckily, many vendors had calculators to bargain, but so many people reached out to me and tried to drag me into their stores. I had to walk away from a few vendors to get the price that I wanted, and even so, I overpaid for a ton of stuff but I felt bad bargaining for something that was already so inexpensive compared to the price it would be in the US.

After the market, I was pretty exhausted and still not feeling well, but we had another visit to go to. We drove not far to the VinaCapital Group and Foundation, a money-management company that has its own foundation to donate and help rural peoples. The profits from the Group go to funding projects in the Foundation. I thought the program that sponsors women with high test scores in the highlands was very interesting because women are considered to be more useful to changing a community. If you educate a women, she has the ability to change her entire community and family. I found this really inspiring that people are working really hard to help the 20 million in Vietnam who are below the poverty line (double of what is actually reported by the Vietnamese government because standards of poverty are different than the international standard).

After this visit, I was really tired, and I didn't go out to dinner. Malik, Kate, and I had a mini party before meeting everyone else for drinks and karaoke. The singing wasn't great, so we all sang along to the music videos. I guess it was fun for a while and the karaoke room was beautiful, but I'm ready to have my own independent adventures away from the group. I don't think that will happen, so I'm more or less going with the flow for the rest of the trip. I'll be making my own memories here.

We're on a Mission from God to Find Jesus at the Beach, Mom!

Yesterday was a sweaty, hot, and relaxing day. Today began with sleep.

The bus left for Vung Tao Beach at 7 am. I shuffled down to the usual breakfast, and then when the bus left the hotel, I tried to sleep as much as possible after a long night the evening before.

Two hours later, I arrived at a beachy little town on the water. We stopped at a monumental statue of Jesus, similar to the one in Rio, on top of a cliff. We climbed up 811 steps to get to the statue... So you know that the rest of the day would be similar in difficulty for a while. The view was very beautiful with the green ocean water and city split in every picture. I find it interesting that the Vietnamese try to leave the natural beauty of the land as much as possible, so though we could see the view perfectly though the trees, the pictures were not as perfect. The top of the cliff around Jesus had wild flowers, benches, a small shop, and a monument of Mary and baby Jesus. You could take a staircase up through Jesus and stand on his arms, but I needed long pants to be respectful, so I ate ice cream and bought myself a fan.

 

 

Once everyone was down from Jesus, we walked back down the way we came, took a million and one pictures with the whole group, and drove about a mile down the road to a huge beach resort. We immediately all reapplied the sunscreen that we had applied and literally ran to the ocean. It was perfect, still water with very little waves. After a quick trip to the pool as well, we were called in to lunch. There were fresh clams, prawns, cuttle fish, pork, and a giant hotpot with all different kinds of seafood and Asian vegetables. It was strangely delicious, and I actually ate the clams! (Mom, I have made so many progressions in my taste buds!) After lunch, we all went back to the beach of course to reapply sunscreen and continue relaxing. This was the first time on the trip that we actually had a chance to sit and relax. There was a small breeze, and it was so warm. Of course I wanted to nap, but couldn't because the UEF and Pitt students started playing games on the beach, and it was far too entertaining to sleep through. It was just a very fun day, and I didn't feel uncomfortable or too hot and sweaty for words. But alas, the fun must eventually end...

 

On the way back from the beach we stopped at this little marketplace, and Kate and I bought ice cream, fruit leather stuff, and jello cups. The little snacks that everyone bought were shared among the group and they were all so delicious... Except for the shrimp papers which were literally dried shrimp pressed into rice paper which smelled like fish food. After we got back from our adventures, a few of us were craving some substantial, filling food. Of course we started a search party for hamburgers, and we found this awesome hole-in-the-wall place called Soul Burger. It was gloriously delicious. I ordered the Blues Brother burger that had a fitting description with bleu cheese and bacon. I can't say that I hate Vietnamese food, it's just not as satisfying. There's something fulfilling and meaningful in comfort food. I can't wait to come home to normal food that won't shock my system the next morning. After dinner, we planned on having a hotel party, but everyone was so tired and sunburnt that we couldn't rally. We all decided to sleep, but not until we all called our moms for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope all the mothers out there had a relaxing time like we did in not Ho Chi Minh City. It's actually feeling like summer finally. 

Tunnel Rats

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.