1. Chinese is hard!! You’d think that even after being surrounded Chinese here and there for at 10 years, I’d get around better than I do. Speaking aside, there is literally a character for every single word you can imagine AND it’s not based off sounds like English is. As much as I love being in a foreign country, the complexity of the language makes it a lot harder to read and get by than I originally thought I would. Probably explains why everything I eat either is a dumpling (because I can recognize the word) or has a picture attached to it. And I can guarantee you by the end of this semester, we will still not know anything.
2. You get a good squat workout from going pee. The Chinese toilet is one that everyone should be aware of before they arrive to China. Despite it being physically better for you, it smells bad since people continually don’t aim quite right.
3. Pollution isn’t everything. Everyone has this stigma about China and the pollution. While I’m not going to lie there are days where the pollution is horrible, it is not everything. There are days where it is bright and sunny and you do not even notice a speck of pollution in the air, and others where it feels like you are walking through a haze. I suspect in the winter I will get sick of it, as they burn more and more coal to heat our freezing bodies, and the pollution gets worse, but for now, I’m enjoying the pretty fresh air.
4. Physical Contact is real, whether you like it or not. In some ways it’s cute. You can walk hand in hand with your friend, and it’s completely normal. But, then you also have the pushing in crowds. Chinese are fearless when it comes to lines. Cutting isn’t a thing, it’s a lifestyle with no shame.
5. People people everywhere.
   Yes there are billions of people in China. So if you’re the kind of person who needs time away from masses of people, the only time to do that is in the dead of night when there are no lights.
6. Americanized Chinese is not American.
   You can go to an Americanized restaurant and order nachos, and you might get a plate of fried chips with no cheese (because Cheese isn’t a thing here). Probably how the Chinese feel when they come to America and are forced to eat crab Rangoon. Which is something I still have yet to find in China.
7. Fascination galore. People here are fascinated by the smallest things in China whether it be Michelle Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, or even High School Musical. AND, they’re fascinated by us, especially when we’re working out. Not even kidding, I’ve had women come over when I’m doing abs and just mimic my actions.
8. WIFI sucks, accept it. Almost every shop or restaurant here has WIFI, however it is not good. It’s one of those things that I’m trying to embrace, and probably good to cure my snapchat addiction.
9. Cheap Meals. As a foodie, this was perhaps the biggest bonus to coming to China. Now in one day, I can treat myself to at least three meals full of fresh squeezed juice, dumplings, steamed buns, bubble tea, pancake wraps, noodles, rice, or whatever I’m really feeling for around $10 a day. The downside, the food here, at least in Beijing is very oily. And, the food is also very carby. I love my fresh fruit stand just down the block from my dormitory, but that’s about the only way I get in my 5 fresh fruits and veggies a day.
10. Cheap Thrills. If/when you live in China, you start to see everything in RMB. There are about 6 RMB per dollar. Thus, my wallet is rolling in bills, literally.
11. TaoBao is addicting. Taobao is pretty comparable to American Amazon, but it’s even better. You can get just about anything from TaoBao including eggs, clothes, phone chargers, or even white noise machines. The only catch? The website is entirely in Chinese. Thank goodness for my Bing Translator (because Google doesn’t work here) and pictures. But if you spend hours on it and search well like I do, you can get very very good/cheap deals on whatever you’re looking for.
12. Time flies when you’re having fun. As cliche as this sounds, it is just setting in that I’ve been here for a month already, and there is still SO much of Beijing alone that I have left so see. It’s hard when you want to establish a routine to get out and explore, but it’s one thing that I have to consciously make an effort to do.

I’m going to be completely honest with you.

I almost ripped off the title of our campus-sanctioned orientation trip itinerary to use as the title of this blog post. “Ultimate Umbria”, the faculty called it. Well, I think the adjective “unbelievable” does this place more justice. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll agree.

For those of you who have never heard of Umbria (it’s okay, I’m a newbie as well), it is the region that lies just north of Lazio, which is the region that contains Rome. In fact, here’s a relatable yet accurate simile: Rome is like Chicago, Lazio is like Illinois, and Umbria is like Wisconsin.

And just like Wisconsinites, those Umbrians really know how to farm! At Passignano sul Trasimeno, we kneaded dough from flour and water, thrashed fragole beans, and stomped grapes (now I can finally cross grape-stomping off my bucket list!). We also walked through vineyards, plucking fresh grapes from vines and savoring their fresh (pesticide-free) juiciness.

Now every time I drink some delicious wine, devour some yummy pasta, or pour some smooth olive oil in Rome, I will think about the farmers out in rural Umbria who distilled that wine, formed that pasta, and crushed those olives!

At this point, I will borrow a phrase from our brilliant and hilarious tour guide Stefano (please imagine this in a deep voice with a thick Italian accent for the full effect)…
“HOT DETAIL!”

1. Many Catholic saints lived their lives and ministered their miracles in Umbria. One of the most famous saints, Francis of Assisi, and my personal favorite saint, Rita of Cascia, both hail from this region.

2. In Spoleto, at Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of the Assumption of Saint Mary), the ornate murals on the walls depicting the life of the Blessed Virgin looked incredible…especially after Stefano informed us that the painter used a brush with only one bristle!

3. Stefano pointed out that on the outside of one church in Todi, the sculptor chiseled a small depiction of a gynecological appointment underneath a statuette of Mary because he had his doubts about her virginity! How scandalous! I wonder…did the Bishop of Todi ever seek vengeance…or did the sculptor take his secret to the grave? You decide.

4. We saw a bridge in Spoleto made of hollow aqueducts. Legend has it that the infamous Lucrezia Borgia buried her husband’s mistress there…alive!

5. Contrary to popular belief, the famed Cascate delle Marmore (Marble Waterfalls) aren’t naturally occurring. They were man-made by the ancient Romans! It baffles me that such early civilizations successfully constructed such mind-boggling feats of engineering.

6. The Marble Waterfalls aren’t actually made of marble. The Romans made a mistake. Oops!

Now do you understand why “unbelievable” is the far better adjective?

It’s unbelievable that a place like Umbria–with its charming provincial aesthetic devoid of the Americanization that plagues many European cities—still exists! Instead of spotting the ubiquitous McDonald’s (yes, the golden arches stretch all the way to Rome), we spotted the occasional CASTLE.  Instead of drinking boxed wine, we crushed the grapes ourselves.

Umbria was unbelievable…yet more authentic than any place I’ve ever been.

 

As I continue to settle into my new norm here in Saigon, I find myself reflecting more and more on the traveling I did before arriving, particularly the 6 weeks of travel I planned – and paid for – entirely by myself and my one travel companion. I had traveled enough prior to leaving in May to understand that when traveling, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Even still, there were a few mistakes made that could have been avoided. I have taken them as learning experiences for myself, because I believe that’s what mistakes are for. Here are 6 things I learned in 6 weeks of travel:

1. To check, or not to check (your bag) – I knew from the moment I decided travel between programs, and realizing I would be gone for 7 months, I did not want to check my bags. I had done some 3-week long trips in the past without checking a bag and figured it couldn’t be much different. I’ve also almost always gotten through check-in with a bag over the normal 10 or 15kg weight limit since any airline I’ve flown has not taken the time to weigh carry-on luggage. I assumed Air Asia (my primary form of transportation), with their 7kg carry-on weight limit, would also not take the time to weigh my carry-on, especially since I had not paid to check my bag… silly me.

Without having our boarding passes printed ahead of time, and at a location without kiosks, we were forced to go through the check-in line for our first Air Asia flight. They weighed our bags – both were almost twice the limit (Oops!) – and charged us $175, nearly 3x what we paid for our flight, to check both for our few hour flight. Never again. We were determined to find a way out of it – and we did. With a printed boarding pass, or a code for the kiosk, all that was needed was a “Document Check” before heading to security. Quick and painless, but still extremely stressful.

Lesson Learned: Pay attention to rules and regulations, and plan ahead to pack less or print.

2. Overpacking – Even though I only packed a carry-on size backpack and a small over-the-shoulder bag, there are quite a few items I absolutely did not need to lug around for months.
• Notebooks: You can buy notebooks and school supplies anywhere – for cheaper usually, too. No idea why I brought 6 notebooks with me, but it was added weight and took up a lot of space that could have been used better.
• Clothes: Yes, clothes. I brought with me 5 dresses, two thin cardigans, 3 pairs of regular shorts, 3 pairs of comfortable shorts, two pairs of pants, 5 tank tops, 4 t-shirts, one belt, 3 pairs of socks, 3 bras, 5 pairs of underwear, one pair of shoes and one pair of flip flops. Holy moly. I haven’t had to do laundry more than a handful of times in the past 4 months, even though facilities have been available to me or easy to find. I could have easily cut down on at least a few articles of clothing (ie: dresses or shorts). Plus, there are malls and markets everywhere. I, myself, have picked up 3 shirts and a pair of shorts along the way from either small markets or conservation sites I have visited.
• Travel-size shampoo/conditioner: I brought two of each in the usual 3oz containers. It cost me more money and space to bring the doubles from the States as opposed to buying them along the way.

Lesson Learned: Pack less. If you need something, you can find it or wash it (don’t be afraid of laundry!)

3. Sharia abiding hotel – Depending on the country, and the country’s religious make-up, there may be hostels, guesthouses or hotels that are Sharia abiding., or have other specific policies you may not typically expect. For those that are Sharia abiding, it means, among other things, that only married couples or families can share a room. My travel buddy, and significant other, and I had originally booked a guesthouse in Jakarta, Indonesia that we did not realize was Sharia abiding. We only caught it when reviewing the reservation the day before. Not wanting to put the owners in an uncomfortable position or risk being turned away, we decided to look for another place to stay. Luckily, we were able to cancel with no additional charges and find another guesthouse for around the same price that turned out to be wonderful.

Lesson Learned: Read the fine print. Double check hotel policies.

4. Budgeting – Being very much a Type A person, I planned almost every detail of our trip, including budgeting for every country. I used the website http://www.priceoftravel.com/world-cities-by-price-backpacker-index/ to get a general idea of what it cost to live (cheaply) in all the cities we would be visiting and adjusted it slightly to our personal travel styles and needs. For example, the estimated cost per day listed on the website only includes one paid cultural attraction, such as a museum or historical site. Since we were only spending a few days in each city, I knew we would be visiting more than one paid cultural attraction per day and adjusted our budget accordingly. What I didn’t account for is that Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, is hot. To stay hydrated, we needed a lot of water, and nowhere we visited had drinkable tap water. In the end, we still came in under budget, but learned a lot about water resource issues along the way.

Lesson Learned: Pay attention to details. Stay hydrated.

5. Rest days – I am the type of travel who likes to Go! Go! Go! This is not sustainable. We had the first 3 weeks, almost 4 weeks of our trip planned with days packed full of activities. The first day we had planned to take a rest was not until week 5. There were many times where we had to move around our itinerary, or cut things out all together simply because we were exhausted. I do not regret our decision to rest instead of push sometimes, but I do wish I had planned better.

Lesson Learned: Be real with yourself and plan relaxation time, too.

6. Rigid Schedule – We booked every flight, every bus, and every ferry. Set in stone, paid in full, on the itinerary. Only, what if we wanted to stay longer somewhere? Or leave sooner? Too bad. Or too much money. Near the end of our trip, we took an Open Water Scuba Diving course in Koh Tao, Thailand. We had an amazing time and wanted more. The dive school we were at, Roctopus, offered us a 10% discount for their Advanced Adventurer Course, which would allow us to dive to a depth of 30m and give us 5 more dives under our belt. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity. In the end, it was worth the extra cost of buying another ferry ticket and for two more nights at our hotel on Koh Tao. Being that it was our first trip in Asia and of this length, I felt better going in with everything planned, but moving forward, leaving myself more breathing room will create space for new, and unexpected, experiences.

Lesson Learned: Allow, and be comfortable with, the unknown.

Exhausted, and a little sore, I hobbled into my room last Saturday still beaming with excitement. Just 30 hours before I was boarding a coach bus, headed for my friend, and cultural partner, Quynh’s hometown.

Having previously taken the Megabus in the States, I expected nothing more than an uncomfortable seat with limited leg room – I could not have been more mistaken. The bus system in Vietnam is run differently than what I had experienced back home. For one, you can book a ticket ahead of time, but do not pay until the trip has started and everyone pays the same price, unlike the tiered price system for Megabus. Secondly, there are three rows of bunked reclined seats/beds, which, unless you are over 6 feet tall, provide ample space for yourself, snacks, and a personal bag. Perhaps the most noticeable difference was that when boarding, we all removed our shoes before entering the main space of the bus and brought them with us to our seats. This is something I have experienced throughout my time in Asia, particularly in guesthouses and some shops or restaurants, but never before on a bus. It keeps the space clean, and is a way to respect both the space you are entering and those around you.

At around 5PM Friday evening, we arrived at my friend’s home and were graciously welcomed by her mother, brother and Aunt. They immediately made us feel at home. For dinner, we were treated to a never-ending array of homemade dishes, including beef curry, mushroom soup, papaya and shrimp salad, white rice and more fruits than I could count (or pronounce). My friend informed me that this type of meal is not typical in their household, but was prepared specially for our visit.

If that meal alone did not make me feel overly grateful – and overly full – our second dinner would. Within an hour after finishing our first meal, another friend, Duyen, treated us to a visit from her family. Mother, father, brother, sisters and grandmother all came to welcome us. With them, they brought snacks, including addictive fried bananas. Around the same time, my friend Quynh’s father returned with live crabs and shrimp. A full stomach was not going to stop me from enjoying the freshest seafood I will likely ever have!

To say this all was not overwhelming at first would be a lie, but I was overwhelmed in the best possible way. I was surrounded by people who were welcoming me into their home or had travelled hours to meet and welcome me, as well as a plethora of new foods they so graciously shared with me. The experience was exhilarating.

Before bed, Quynh’s mother made sure we were all prepared with water and leftovers for our journey the following day. It reminded me of how my own mother would always send me with my favorite foods or any leftovers, no matter how short of a time it would be before I saw her again. It seems that mothers (and fathers, too) are wonderful no matter where you are in the world.

For the night, three of us shared a room with a mosquito net, fan and bamboo mat. It was more than what I was expecting and much more comfortable than my bed at the dorm. But, just two hours later, we were hopping on another bus, heading to Chao Doc and by 4AM, we were riding xe oms through an already lively town towards the trailhead at Sam Mountain.

The hike itself only took a little less than two hours, but because of our lack of sleep, it seemed like an eternity. The trail was lit faintly, and only in random intervals, by roadside shrines and temples we passed along the way, creating a surreal experience. We reached the top just as the light began to peak over the horizon and spent the next hour watching the sky change colors as the sun rose slowly over the sprawling rice fields below.

As I watched, my exhaustion faded and for the first time, It hit me that I was really here.

Greetings from Seville, Spain! This is my third time studying abroad and I could not be  more excited for this journey to start. I have learned that people study abroad for different reasons and each time I go, there is a different motivation behind it. In general, I love studying abroad because it forces change; something we can all be resilient to. It is natural to want to stay in our comfort zones, enjoy routine things and stay in the same place. This time around, I want to indulge myself in the rich Spanish culture. I met the Spaniards who did an exchange program at Loyola Chicago and I really loved every single one of them. It seemed an easy decision to me, so I thought, “Why not?”.

I am exchanging at a Loyola campus in Spain (Universidad Loyola Andalucía) which was established in 2012. This campus is new and hosts 2,000 students compared to LUC which hosts about 15,000. I will be graduating abroad here in Seville. Right now my goal is to find a job abroad so I will definitely keep you posted on that! I will include any important travels or experiences that I have and I cannot wait for this journey to take off. Until next time….

Though I love Ho Chi Minh City, it sometimes makes you feel as if you are overdosing on stimulation. This weekend, as a means of escape and a means of exploration, a group of us took a short trip to Long Hai, Vietnam. Long Hai is about a 2.5 hour bus ride southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, and about 30 minutes east of Vung Tao; a very well known tourist beach near the city. We chose not to spend the weekend in Vung Tao as we have plans to spend a weekend there later this semester, and so after some google searching, and realizing that a lot of getaway spots were booked up due to Vietnam’s Independence day, we decided on Long Hai.

Long Hai is similar to Vung Tao, except only Vietnamese people usually go there. So though we were in a “touristy area” full of hotels and resorts, it didn’t feel that way because we were the only foreigners that we encountered the entire time. We stayed at the Minh Dam Hotel which was great for it’s location in proximity to the beach and also for it’s price (which included a free breakfast each morning), but was not as great as it could have been in proximity to the town of Long Hai. As it turns out, Long Hai consists of two main areas of town, each about seven or eight miles apart from each other. Our hotel was between these two towns and so when it came time to find a place to eat, we had to do a small amount of traveling. This was only made difficult by the language barrier, and the lack of taxis in the area. All of these things really added to the experience though, and overall, we had an amazing time.

The first day, we arrived in Long Hai in the afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, went directly to the beach. Much to our dismay, our hotel told us that we had to pay 70,000VND to go to the beach, and so we each bought tickets, and headed across the street where we walked through a gate and gave our tickets to a security guard. Once on the beach, we discovered that just a little ways down the beach there is a free access that the hotel “failed” to tell us about. Anyhow, the beach where we had to pay was gorgeous, and we had an amazing afternoon just enjoying the warm, salty water and the sand between our toes.

 

That night, we walked about a mile till we hit the closest part of town, picked up a case of 333 beer, and had some of the delicious fresh seafood that the area is famous for.

The next morning, a couple of us woke up to watch sunrise from our hotel window. 10/10 I highly recommend doing this.

Post sunrise, we rested for a while longer, and then headed back to the beach. This was the basis of what our weekend was about, and it was everything we could have wanted. In Long Hai, it is possible to climb the nearby mountain. I didn’t do this (big surprise, I know), but one of the guys in our group went and came back with lots of stories of monkeys and friendly locals. After spending the morning on the beach, and acquiring a couple of sunburns, we had seafood fried rice for lunch while we waited for him to return from the mountain.

Once he returned, we set out to find a temple whose golden spires were visible from our hotel. It was very easy to find, and we lucked out in our timing because as we walked down the road leading to it, a tour bus had just pulled up to visit it, and so we were able to sneak in through the gate with the people who had arrived on the bus. There were many vietnamese children who were incredibly excited to take selfies with us. This is something that I have encountered a lot of on my travels so far, and it  brings me much joy.

Sorry for the low quality photo, it was taken on an Android.

Exploring this temple was one of the highlights of the trip for me, by far. It seemed that it was partially still being built, because in the front there were people carving giant statues of Buddhas that later, it seemed, were to be placed around the grounds.I do not doubt that this temple may become a tourist attraction in the future. I am not completely sure about this, but it seemed that the vietnamese children on the bus were at the temple to learn or worship, or something of the sort, as they all filed to one of the buildings, and we heard singing coming from it. The people at the temple were very happy to allow us to look around, and it was so beautiful. We also were there during my favorite time of day; dusk.

It was the end of a perfect day, and we felt we needed to keep it this way, and so we headed into town in the other direction that evening, picked up another case of beer, and proceeded to sit down and eat some of the best and cheapest seafood I have ever had in my entire life. I honestly am looking forward to our trip to Vung Tao later this semester, specifically so I can eat this seafood again. I wasn’t even able to get a photo of it before it was demolished.

Our last morning, we spent about another hour on the beach, and then sadly caught our bus back to Ho Chi Minh. Getting to our bus was a bit of an adventure due to our hotel forgetting that we had arranged transport, but we made it just in time. I highly recommend Long Hai to anyone who wants a weekend getaway from the city in the future. I hope to return one day.

 

Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, is a sensory overload in the best way. From the moment you step outside you are bombarded with smells, and sounds, and images that are a display of the colorful Vietnamese culture, and the growing commercial society that is extremely apparent in the city. Everywhere you look, someone is selling something from street food, to electronics, to clothing, to knick knacks, to anything your heart may desire. Oh and coffee, lots and lots of coffee. In fact, there is at least one coffee shop on every block.

This week has been one hell of a ride, and so I will just touch on a few of the most notable parts of Saigon that are beginning to grab a hold of my heart.

The city: Ho Chi Minh City is made up of 12 districts, plus a few other districts that have names instead of numbers. The districts with numbers begin in the center of the city, and work their way outward. Because of this, District 1 and 3 are the more touristy districts, and also where most of the night life is. I am living in District 10 in the dorms of the Bach Khoa University which is the University of technology in HCMC. My classes however, are held at Open University in District 1. Loyola arranged this living situation so as to give us the chance to experience a more culturally legitimate image of Saigon, instead of us only being in the touristy areas. For all my Loyola people, I like to think of District 10 as the Rogers Park of Ho Chi Minh City. As far as going out and enjoying Saigon’s night life, restaurants, and also for our classes, we do have to travel about 15 to 20 minutes by bus, taxi, or motorbike, but in District 10, we have a lot more access to the Vietnamese people, and to much cheaper street food. I have yet to see a foreigner in District 10, but they are everywhere in Districts 1 and 3. In District 10 I am greeted with intrigued stares and often a hello! whereas in Districts 1 and 3, I am seen more as a walking ATM.

The architecture in Ho Chi Minh City is definitely a mix of old and new. Especially in the ritzier districts. There are a minimal amount of skyscrapers though, and so much of the city has a very crowded – boxes stacked upon boxes type of feel. Though it is illegal for street vendors to crowd the streets, this law is paid little heed (like many laws in Saigon), and most of the sidewalks are taken up by peddlers, or small tables accompanied by plastic chairs. This means that most pedestrians have to walk on the road (I will touch on this later in the traffic section of this post). There is also garbage everywhere. It seems that due to the continuing growth and development of the city and its economy, lessons on waste and garbage disposal are not a priority. After speaking to a few Vietnamese about this problem, the common thread of thought is that most people register it as a problem, but think that “someone else will take care of it.” The city also seems to be more preoccupied with development, than with maintaining beauty. I think that this is a commonality in most developing countries. Though the city is crowded, and very dirty, it is still beautiful in its own way, and it is hard not to be sucked into the excitement that perpetrates every corner of Ho Chi Minh City.

The first photo was taken in District 1 at the Central Post Office, designed by Gustaf Eiffel. The second was taken from the window of my bedroom in District 10.

The food: The number one thing that I have done since I got to Ho Chi Minh City is eat. Other than classes, our days basically revolve around our meals, and around trying new food. So far, I have found three and a half different forms of acquiring said food; western style restaurants, groceries (mainly cereal, fruit, instant ramen, and other snacks because we don’t have kitchens in our dorms), and street food. I say three and a half reasons because there is the street food such as bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) that you just buy and eat on the go, and there is street food such as noodles, that you order, and eat while sitting in plastic chairs on the sidewalk. In the second case, you are served by the owner of the establishment and given ice tea on most occasions. All of the food that I have had so far in Vietnam has been amazing. The street food is by far the cheapest (usually ranging from the equivalent of $1 to $2 for a full meal), though it is very common to not be entirely sure what you are eating. I have found that as long as you go to places that the locals frequent and crowd, you will most likely be fine. Slowly, I am learning bits and pieces of the Vietnamese language, so ordering is becoming a little bit easier. Something I learned upon my arrival in Vietnam, is that Pho’ is actually not the most common meal in Vietnam. Though very easy to come by, it is mostly only eaten as a breakfast food, and so most street food sellers close down shop in the afternoon. You can get pho’ at all times though at regular restaurants. Most meals include rice or noodles with some sort of meat and veggies and sauce. District 1 has a much broader range of food choices for when you get tired of Vietnamese food. The other night, we went to Pizza Hut and it was glorious.

The coffee: The Vietnamese love coffee, and I love Vietnamese coffee. In Ho Chi Minh City, there is at least one coffee shop on every block, and they range from western style coffee shops with lots of indoor seating and AC to small hole in the wall coffee shops where you sit on the sidewalk in lawn chairs while you sip. Vietnamese coffee is thicker than western style coffee, and generally more sweet. It can be served hot or iced, and with or without condensed milk. Most shops also have a large array of what I would call “fancy coffees” meaning that they are flavored, or ice blended, or whatever. A cup of coffee generally costs about the equivalent of $1. If you get a fancy coffee, it will probably be about $2. I have yet to try anything but iced coffee due to the high temperatures outside, but I am sure that the hot stuff is just as good. The preparation of Vietnamese coffee came from the time of French colonization. Usually, coarsely ground beans are put through a french drip filter by being weighted down with a heavy lid and adding water. The coffee is then poured over ice (if served with ice). The use of condensed milk originated because the French were unable to easily acquire fresh milk. One famous strain of coffee in Vietnam is known as “weasel coffee”. This is because it comes from the poop of weasels who are fed coffee berries, and then digest it, producing this particular strain. Sounds gross, but it’s actually delicious. Honestly the only downside to Vietnamese coffee is that it comes in small portions, and is usually gone way to fast. 

My cup is the one that is already sucked dry.

The traffic: The traffic here is insane. In-sane. Think Los Angeles, multiply that by ten, and then replace 98% of the cars with motorbikes. There are approximately 7.43 million motorbikes on the road in Ho Chi Minh City, and the population is 8 million. If Loyola allowed us to drive motorbikes during this program, I still would not drive in the city. Crossing the street in the city is an adventure unto itself, let alone manipulating the roadways on a vehicle. The Vietnamese drive offensively rather than defensively, and so no matter where you are on the road, there always seems to be a bike trying to creep in next to you, whether or not they are going the legal direction. The drivers of bikes also have no problem riding on the sidewalks, and often while walking I find myself jumping out of the way of someone coming right at me. The road laws in Vietnam honestly seem to be more like suggestions. If a cop pulls you over for misconduct, it only costs about the equivalent of $5 to pay them off. To add to the crazy driving habits, the Vietnamese have an incessant habit of honking their horns, even when nobody is in the way. To get a better grasp on the horn honking situation, I highly recommend reading this article; Honking In HCMC. Although the traffic is crazy though, there is nothing more exhilarating than riding on the back of someones bike, especially just around dusk. I always have said that the best way to see a city is to just walk it, but the best way to see Ho Chi Minh City is on the back of a motorbike.

 

The people: The Vietnamese are wonderful. They are some of the most open, helpful, and eager people that I have ever met. They love to laugh more than anyone I have ever met. Often it seems as though they are laughing at you, but I have learned that in no way do they mean to tease. They just laugh. I have been in many situations where I have had to ask for help, and they are always more than happy to go out of their way to fix whatever situation it is. It is refreshing that I have had to get used to this. 

Me and my partner from Open University.

The language: Vietnamese is difficult. I am taking intensive vietnamese language and I am struggling. It is a tonal language which makes it almost impossible to say anything correctly. For example; my vietnamese teacher’s name means “Ruby” in english, but if you say it with the wrong tone, it means “stupid.” Pretty much every time that I have tried to speak the language outside of the classroom, the person I am talking to, has absolutely no idea what I am saying. Hopefully this gets easier.

Overall, I am falling in love with Vietnam, and cannot wait for all the experiences to come.

Buongiorno a tutti!

Italy is finally here! These few summer months have felt like the longest days of my life, but I am about to board my plane and spend the next semester in the Eternal City. Crazy, isn’t it? Since my last post, my nerves have definitely calmed, and as I sit here writing on the plane, it all feels so real to me. I will miss my family and a few tears were shed the days leading up to this; however, I can’t help but feel ready. I’m ready for a semester of self-discovery and most importantly, a semester of learning about the many cultures and customs that make up not only Italy, but the entirety of Europe.

Here are the 6 things I learned during my first 6 days in Italy:

1. Italian Men are a Bit Aggressive (But Also Very Nice!): Not in a physical sense, although, a few did grab me while saying “Ciao bionda” (Hi blonde). I’m not even naturally blonde, I dyed my hair a few days before leaving for Italy, which was my first mistake. They don’t see many blondes in Italy, so if you want attention, you know what to do. Anyways, when talking to Italian men, I noticed they like to be right up in your face, which I am pretty sure is a cultural thing. But, they will kiss your hand, touch your waist, be VERY affectionate. Thankfully, every guy I talked to was so kind, one even helped me with my Italian speaking skills! His name was Francesco, and he is a jazz pianist. Like, can you get anymore European than that? However, if you don’t like the attention, just pretend they aren’t there. Literally. Do not look at them, smile, nothing or they will take that as a sign to engage you. Just like in America, there are good guys and bad guys, so just be careful, but don’t be against going out your comfort zone and talking to them! Like I said, if you are trying to better your Italian like me, they SO appreciate it if you speak to them

2. Get Ready For The Heat: Okay, this could be just me because I get hot so easily. I’m a Fall type of girl, where it’s not to hot, not to cold. All you need is a light jacket. (Name the movie, people. Come on.) WELL, I do understand it’s still basically summer in Italy, but I was just not prepared for this type of heat. I didn’t bring nearly as many summer clothes as I should have. Expect to sweat. A lot. And to take a shower basically every day. With the hot days, however, come the beautiful beautiful nights with their cool breezes. They are truly wonderful. So, when packing, just take the time to research the place you are traveling and the temperatures that occur during the months you will be there.

3. Be Open to New Friends: I came into this whole experience knowing one person, whom I met freshman year of college. I never claimed to be a very outgoing person; on the contrary, I am very quiet and it takes me a little bit to open up around new people. I decided before embarking on this trip that I wasn’t going to let this shyness overtake me and prevent me from opening myself up towards others. Upon arrival, I noticed people traveled in maybe packs of 5 or 6, all of whom they knew before coming to Italy. And that’s fine, but I think it’s sad that people become so focused with those they know and shun anyone new who tries to engage them. During the first day alone, I have met so many people who have been so kind that I am glad that I came knowing so few people. I feel it would be a whole different experience had I come with a huge group of people. Not bashing the people that did that! Just saying, for me, this experience was so much more than partying with my friends every weekend. I have goals, one being to better myself and stepping out of my comfort zone whenever I can.

4. Eat Aperitivi. ALWAYS.: If you don’t know what aperitivi is, it’s basically consists of a cocktail, wine, any type of drink really, paired with a bunch of small appetizers. This usually happens around 7 and then after that, around 7:30-8, you go to dinner at a restaurant. This took some getting used to because in the USA, I eat dinner maybe at 5 because that’s usually when I get home from work. So, eating so late has really been a struggle. Restaurants aren’t even open before 7:30. So, instead of trying to find a way around, embrace it. The appetizers are SO good. We went to this place called Roma Beer Company in the district of San Saba, which is located in Rome. It’s completely authentic Italian food, despite the name. All you have to do is order a drink and then there was a buffet waiting for us inside full of different little snacks and goodies, emphasis on the GOOD. There was this little sandwich, honestly I don’t even know what it was, but it was the best thing I have ever had in my life. I will absolutely be going back there, and you should to! And all of this only cost 7.50 like wut. You don’t have to do this before every meal, but if you want to have a true Italian experience, I recommend going somewhere for aperitivi. You won’t regret it.

5. Keep a Journal: Each day is a new day, and with each new day comes a new memory. And if you are anything like me, I forget everything. Seriously. Even my friends know not to come to me for remembering things that happened in, say, high school because there is a 9 in 10 chance I won’t. Which is why it was such a blessing that I was given the opportunity to write this blog. However, there are some things I’d like to keep off the internet, so under my pillow at school, I keep a journal and each night, I jot down what happened that day, making sure to write down each detail so I won’t forget a single thing. This is truly a once in a lifetime chance and the memories I make now will be the things I will still be talking about and referencing for the next 50 years. Also, I want to be able to tell my parents, my friends back home, even my children one day the fun times I had while I was studying abroad. It can be a private journal, or if you don’t mind it being public, write a blog! It doesn’t matter how you decide to do it, but make sure you do!

6. Get Lost: Literally. We were able to sign up for a scavenger hunt through our school that took us to downtown Italy and to neighborhoods I would have never imagined finding or going to. With map in hand, we tried to navigate the streets, but each turn led us somewhere new and around each corner was another beautiful site to admire. Soon enough, we ditched the map and allowed ourselves to get lost. We ended up in Piazza Navona, with its huge fountains and busy nightlife. We ate gelato at a random place down a random street. We rode the buses that we weren’t even sure how to ride. We said “buona sera” (good evening) to those around us, and it truly felt that Rome was starting to become my home. Mind you, I wouldn’t recommend doing this alone. Make sure to have some friends with you, especially if you are out late at night like we were.

These were the 6 things I learned over the past 6 days! Orientation is over and school begins. I can’t say I’m too excited for classes because with class comes homework and tests and studying. Ew. But I have high hopes for the next few months, and I can’t wait to continue sharing my journey with you all!

Arrivederci i miei amici!

Clare