To be honest, the day we got back, I was really glad to finally be home. I missed my own bed, ice in my tap water, and LOTS OF WHITE RICE WITH EACH MEAL. I sated my desires the day I got back- I took two naps, got shaved ice, and ate two filling bowls of white rice. I was content.
However, as time went on, I missed the nuances of Vietnam like a simple street crossing. I miss being able to hop off the dusty curb and let the throng of mopeds deftly maneuver around me, instead of waiting for the light to change. I miss the aggressive vendors hawking their multihued, multishaped, multitextured anything, during on my boring walks home in Hawaii. Everything was an adventure in Vietnam - we discovered our favorite restaurant by cutting through a crowded alley with the plan “keep going straight until you see food.”
It seemed frightening to venture across the street and annoying to drink warm soda. Not to mention the “unbearable” heat, humidity, and clothes sticking where they shouldn’t that assaulted us as soon as we exited the airport and got our first taste of Vietnam but I even missed that as I froze in Korea before finding a delightful scarf and hat in Korea…
I enjoyed the culture, the food, and my classmates. It’s hard to explain the once-in-a-lifetime experience Vietnam was. See you guys next year.

John Wo