My first week has passed in Vietnam.\u00a0 I have come to realize there is so much to share already, but so few words.\u00a0 In sum, I will say that I am happy.\u00a0 Part of this happiness comes from our roommates and I would like to dedicate this post to sharing a way in which I have been humbled by their presence here.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of the week I asked my roommate, Oanh, why she liked the Loyola program.\u00a0 She said, \u201cI like the guest house, before I would share the same [size] room with many girls.\u201d\u00a0 At that moment, I thought that was an exceptional answer.\u00a0 After all, I myself wouldn\u2019t want to live with \u2018several girls\u2019 in one bedroom with one bathroom. Train wreck.\u00a0 Any way, I ended the conversation there only to return to the subject today.\u00a0 I had been thinking to myself the benefits of what Loyola students can gain from the program and I began to really wonder what the roommates \u2018get\u2019.\u00a0 So tonight, while I sat in the study room folding paper wish stars with Neg, Oanh, and Anh, I asked in a similar phrase, \u201cWhat do you get from the Loyola program\u2026do you get paid?\u201d Their answers surprised me.\u00a0 Immediately they said, \u201cfuns time.\u201d\u00a0 They said they, referring to all of the Vietnamese roommates, got to be together and hang out as we were in the study room but on a regular bases.\u00a0 If they didn\u2019t live at the guesthouse their time together would be sparing.\u00a0 They also said they liked being across the street from school so they wouldn\u2019t miss classes.\u00a0 \u201cI used to wake up at 4:30 to go to school, sometimes I would feel like not going,\u201d Neg explained.\u00a0 For a girl that would feel isolated without being near to friends at school, I was ashamed that the first thing that came to my mind was money.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know the \u201cagreement\u201d Loyola has with the Vietnamese students, but their answers make the fine print unimportant.\u00a0 I am humbled by the joy the roommates have by being together and their willingness to guide us.\u00a0 Even I get tired of showing my sister around Chicago when she visits (sorry Samantha) because I have lived there for two years.\u00a0 The Vietnamese students have been here longer, but enjoy showing us their favorite places to eat street food, talk with friends, or shop for bargains. \u00a0It has definitely been an eye opener to new ways of interacting socially.<\/p>\n
Chao,<\/p>\n
Stephanie<\/p>\n
I have tried to upload a few photos but have had some technical errors. \u00a0Photos to come!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My first week has passed in Vietnam.\u00a0 I have come to realize there is so much to share already, but so few words.\u00a0 In sum, I will say that I am happy.\u00a0 Part of this happiness comes from our roommates and I would like to dedicate this post to sharing a way in which I … <\/p>\n