Hello Ho Chi Minh City!
Hello all! These past few days in Vietnam have been absolute chaos, but in the best way possible. Classes have just started, but I have already learned a lot just by living in Vietnam for around a week now (I don’t even exactly know how many days I’ve been here due to the time change, but we will get into that in a little bit). For this first post, I think I’m just going to talk about some of the experiences I’ve had on my way over and the first few days, so if you want to follow me along my 8,697-mile journey to Vietnam just keep reading.
In classic Emily style I didn’t start packing for my four-month journey until the week before I left. I tried to pack light knowing that Ho Chi Minh City can average around 30 degrees Celsius, so you know, only 86 degrees Fahrenheit. That is quite the change from the frigid and now snowy weather in Chicago. I don’t think I’m adjusted to the heat yet, but the key is to drink a lot of water and have Gatorade packets to keep electrolytes up. We are very lucky to have air conditioning and we sure do use it.
Saying goodbye was a lot harder than I had thought and one highlight from the airport included my goodbyes. Before I left the US, I wanted to make sure I had Vietnamese dong with me when I landed so I don’t rack up too many international ATM fees. I didn’t realize I needed to go through security to get to the correct currency exchange location and I only knew this as I was almost to the front of the line. Almost like a movie, the camera pans and you see me dash out of line to find my mom and boyfriend to say goodbye before I go through security and not have to go through everything again and end up being late and miss my flight. After a good tearful goodbye, I was off on my way!
Let’s get things straight: a 22-hour flight is not fun. I know, shocking? I flew to Shanghai and had a layover which was interesting to say the least. You meet so many people while in long lines to go through security again which I do think was my highlight of my flights. One girl was just backpacking and didn’t really have a plan for when she lands in Vietnam and my mind still wanders to what she is doing right now. The second flight was not as rough as the first as it was a lot shorter and I slept through it like a baby. Once I landed at the wonderful time of 2:00am Vietnamese time, program members picked me and a few other Loyola students I had met up with to bring us to the dorm we are staying at.
Prepare yourself because I’m about to rant about Vietnamese food and drinks now so hold tight. Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) is a staple here and a great way to socialize as there are so many coffee shops around Saigon (another name for Ho Chi Minh City by the way). It’s iced coffee with condensed milk and tastes nothing like the bitter coffee experiences I’ve had at home. Street food is also a vital part to my experience. Street vendors are almost everywhere selling various kinds of food, which by the way are all delicious. I’ve eaten so much phở this past week its ridiculous, but I’m not even mad because its so good.
I came to Vietnam without many expectations as I have never visited Southeast Asia before, but I have been surprised many times over. Motorbikes are a huge part of the city here. They are certainly the majority in the streets over cars and do there own thing all the time. They are a very convenient way to get around, but man do they like to not follow any rules. Driving on the sidewalks are not out of question as well as ignoring traffic patterns. They do seem very scary, but slowly I’ve gotten used to them. Walking through the streets with “predictability and a slow pace” is how to attack getting one place to another. The bikes will go around you and it is very safe and kind of fun after a bit of an adjustment. The public buses are also something very soon. They slow to almost a stop when they pick you up, but you have to be prepared to flag them down to pick you up as well as hop onto a slow rolling bus.
As I close out this entry, I do want to say a few things to anyone thinking about coming to Vietnam to study abroad: do it. It’s like living in a dream. There are some difficulties I’ve encountered like the 13-hour time difference from Chicago (saying good morning to everyone as they say good night to me is still pretty odd) and not knowing Vietnamese at all, but I do not regret my decision at all. Every Vietnamese student I’ve met has been so open and warm to us, the classes I’ve been to so far have already opened my mind, and the faculty has been wonderfully helpful. I’ve been asked “Why Vietnam?” so many times and the best way I’ve responded is “Why not?”. Yes, this is all very new and can be odd, but to learn you have to be uncomfortable in some sense.
If I don’t stop myself now, I’ll keep talking forever but, I can’t wait to keep everyone updated on my semester at the Vietnam Center!
Emily Hansen
