First Full day in Viet Nam

Culture shock is a hell of a thing.

I think it's a combination of being bleary-eyed after 13+ hours of flight and having to deal with a customs officer who won't smile or speak or make a human expression, even while you're struggling to say "thank you" in Vietnamese. It's a combination of the scent of sewage and the constant, ubiquitous honking of horns (rarely angry, as you may hear in New York or LA, but rather factual in its intent). A combination of insane pedestrian etiquette ("Don't stop walking!' says Mr. Dang, as mopeds whiz by with wasp-like fury) and the smells and sounds of bread frying as a street vendor squats casually.

It's all these little things that are making me fall in love with this country, even as I stand on a street corner, shirt stained with streams of sweat; regardless, even feeling disgusting doesn't feel disgusting when strangers smile and wave when you look at them (as opposed to a the aforementioned honking of horns, is slowly but surely becoming the soundtrack of my life.

We went to an orphanage today. It was arguably the most rewarding thing I've done in years. It was great fun, playing hacky sack and painting watercolors with the kids; it became even more poignant when I fully realized these kids were orphans. I was glad to hear them laugh; glad to see them enthusiastically falling over our art products, focused on the singular task of forming a small painting, a drawing, maybe. In reality it's not a huge thing – simply some activities with less-fortunate kids for a few hours. But the way it made me feel was significant. It made me feel like (however much cliché it is) I had made a difference.

I think this trip, in essence, is to feel and perceive differently than you do in the day-to-day routine back home. You don't know these senses: the thick, humid, hot air; the honking that blankets the city; the routine of bargaining by passing a calculator back and forth and back again; the broken English of young Vietnamese kids. You don't know until you actually step off the plane and you will never know until the shock hits. If the trip is about perceiving the world in a different way, I'm definitely on the right track.

-Eddie Kim


Today, we got to visit the former president's palace, did activities with girls at the orphanage, and went shopping. We also got to eat authentic Vietnamese food. I was actually worried that I wouldn't like the food here but the pho we had today was amazing. Besides the food, the best part of my day had to be playing with the girls in the orphanage. My activity was watercolor and as soon as we got the paints out it was apparent that the kids were very excited to participate. They really enjoyed playing with the glitter glue and the stickers. Eddie and I then taught one girl how to play Twister; ironically, she beat us both. One little girl grabbed my arm and started making conversation (in Vietnamese, of course) while I was walking around the stations.
It made me happy to see that we had made their day better with small gifts and simple games. Although we were only there for, at the most, 2 hours, I felt sad as I watched their faces grow smaller as the bus drove away. I think this is the most important part of coming to Vietnam – to help better the communities as well as attempting to assimilate (somewhat) into the culture.

Alysha Nagamine