- January 5, 2015
- 10:18 am
- Eman El Bakry
- no comments
Day 1: It all started at 8:45 AM January 4th, at our hotel lobby in Vietnam!
I think I speak for the entire class when I say that for the past few weeks we have all been waiting for it to be 8:45 am, January 4th at the hotel lobby of the Paragon hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Those were always Professor Shultz’s last words after our meetings back in Chicago before we embarked on this journey for our Marketing course; Comparative Consumer Behavior and Marketing in Emerging Southeast Asia; Vietnam- Cambodia- Thailand. (He wasn’t kidding, 8:47 am the bus was moving). I arrived at Vietnam the night before and reunited with the group at this barbeque restaurant and it was as if we were all still in Chicago together. I still hadn’t gotten my head around all if this but the next morning it all quickly sunk in during our city tour. When all we have seen were pictures of city monuments, finally passing right by them is a little mind blowing.
We first got to the Reunification Palace, the old presidential palace, and I was still in a daze. Although it was very interesting to be somewhere where history took place, it wasn’t until we visited the War Remnants Museum where I was really struck by the reality of what they call the “American War”, or the war against communism. It was hard to absorb (especially being half jet lagged and half unaware of where you are) so I couldn’t help but get really emotional and somewhat angry; As anyone who doesn’t understand or choose war would feel.
However, it opened my eyes and I remembered that silly thing that bothered me the other day and quickly realized that I shouldn’t take anything for granted. It is important to acknowledge the facts and learn from them and find ways to move forward, which has been happening over the years since the war was over and this course is a testament to that. I don’t think the facts should he hidden or avoided which is why I am pleased that this is something that Loyola makes sure students taking this course are aware of.
“People are really simple and straight forward here”, Tracy the young beautiful Vietnamese lady who picked me up from the airport said that to me in my first hours riding across the city of Ho Chi Minh. How couldn’t they be? They can appreciate joy after seeing so much pain. It is amazing to me how a country that has suffered more than most countries in the world, in one of the worst wars that have impacted generations until this day, can get back up on its feet in less than 40 years. I believe it’s the people who made this change; their strength, positivity and mental strength is unbelievable.
After the museum we also visited the Cu Chi tunnels which the Viet Cong built to get to the US military base. What struck me was that the US military had no idea about those tunnels for months, which got me thinking about the challenges that were faced with no technology or resources at the time…The drive to and from the tunnels was also very interesting because we got to see the city and observe the people. For starters, the outburst of scooters across the city is not exaggerated! Apparently there are over 9 million people and over 6 million scooter owners! That is the main means for transportation for the people, male and female. Also,it seemed that as we got closer to the outskirts of the city, we saw more and more huts or small homes where people had their own business where they also lived. They were very laid back, opening their doors to everyone.
Day 1 was still going strong and we met some of Professor Shutlz’s former students from over 10 years ago. It was very refreshing to speak with such successful Vietnamese ladies (they happened to all be ladies that night :)) who were inspired by that one class they took. One lady told me that they appreciate professor Shultz very much because he introduced marketing concepts that they have never heard or thought of and it influenced their future and ultimately market significantly.
I still had one more goal for the day when I heard that we will go out for a karaoke night. I have never done it because I was always insecure and shy about it so it has always been on my list, believe it or not, to sing karaoke and I decided it’s got to be tonight. Although at first I thought I won’t do it, I still went for it and I think it’s safe to say I kind of rocked it. (I also had no choice if I wanted to keep up with some of the karaoke pros!)
It was the perfect start to a very unique trip. I am so excited to be in this country with such amazing people. I know that we will have some unforgettable memories together and just getting a chance to know more about my fellow colleagues is very heart warming. Being able to share this lifetime adventure with them is something I will cherish forever.
I am also very excited to be a part of the media team who is responsible for documenting this experience through pictures, videos and more. Shout out to them for trusting me with our daily blog! I am so happy to be representing my classmates and sharing some of the highlights from each day of this study abroad class.