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“No, I didn’t go to the club… I have a dream to follow”

“No, I didn’t go to the club… I have a dream to follow”

“I have a dream to follow.”

This hit me hard, really hard. Which is why I wrote this spontaneously because I truly believe others can benefit.
I mentioned in my last blog that I live in a house with 20 people. I have not met them all nor have gotten to know everyone’s name.

I was making eggs and potatoes while my friend from Singapore and another guy (whom I’ve met but never got his name) from northern India were talking about start-ups. They were bouncing ideas off each other and I threw in some interjections about ideas I have. Once Erfi, my friend from Singapore, left it was just me and this guy who I will call “V” because his door tag says “V. ‘last name’.”

V: Did you go to “AKA” (the student-ran club) last night?
Angelo: I did, but was not a huge fan
V: Are you hungover?
Angelo: No because I did not drink that much
Angelo: Were you there last night?

And here is the beginning of the end.

V: No I did not go to the club… I have a dream to follow

This statement jumped right from subconscious to conscious and there was no way to forget it, yet he continued on with a leisurely conversation. After the conversation seemed to be done I told him that I really liked that statement, and then I was dug into an even deeper hole.

He said how he is a really busy man because he is doing a masters in a business related focus. He is taking a Swedish language course outside of the school, that from what I heard takes a ton of time. And he is working part-time for the Swedish postal service.

He told me how he used to love partying. To the extent that he was suspended from his school because of partying too much. I was taken back again because he did not seem like the type. The suspension was an awakening for him to do something better with his life. He then had another revelation, when his met his “girlfriend.” I put girlfriend in quotes because he told me how in his culture, there is no boyfriend or girlfriend. The moment you have sexual relations with someone is the moment you say that marriage is on the horizon. V said he was going to marry his “girlfriend,” no doubt.

V said that she is an orphan. She has no idea who her mother or father are. This enrages V’s parents and they do not want them getting married. V’s “girlfriend” has terrible asthma and extremely low red blood cell count. When she walks to school and back, her day is basically done concerning physical activity. He said she is dealing with a lot of health issues.

He still has a smile.

He said he is doing a masters at an international school, learning Swedish on his own, and making money part-time, so he can create a stable life for both of them.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. This is what going abroad is all about. When the hole he dug for me finally reached bedrock, he ran out because he was late for a meeting. I was left with a plate of eggs and potatoes and another pile consisting of my thoughts that I could not eat to make disappear.

He spoke so purely that I do not think he understands the impact of his words. He spoke so casually, as if it was a regular topic. He was not trying to make me feel bad, or trying to get pity from me. He was telling the story of his past, and the story to unfold for his future. V has a solid dream that I know will be fulfilled.

You do not see or hear these kind of first-hand situations when you are in the same place you have always been and surrounded by people who have a similar background to you. At least I never have, which is why, at home or aboard, I always try to dig out deeper information so more of these opportunities to learn can arise. In this case, all I did was tell him that what he said was a really nice statement. And now look at where I am.

#GoGlobal

Vacationing before Vacation!

Vacationing before Vacation!

Vung Tau is a popular destination for short getaways. An hour and a half away from HCMC, the city used to be known as a petroleum capital of Vietnam, but also boasts a strong fishing industry and its beach resorts are a draw for tourists. This was our first spontaneous trip out of  the city that we Loyola students took of our own volition. While our roommates helped us book places and figure out what to do, we were going to be on our own there.

We traveled via hydrofoil to get to Vung Tau and were bombarded with sales pitches, persistent taxi drivers, xe oms, and rickshaw peddlers the moment we stepped off the dock. Most likely because of the impending Tet holiday, much of the resort city was already empty as people returned to their hometowns. This made us as fresh a group of tourist bait as possible. Between figuring out where our hotel was, gathering our return bus tickets, and finding out that the hotel reservation was actually for a “Tinson D.,” it was quite an experience.

However, the rest of the day and weekend were phenomenal. We explored the whole of the peninsula, and even ended up at the exact same beach that I visited with my family 5 years ago! Friday evening, we sat down for dinner at Ganh Hao, which nearly every local we met suggested to. Sitting nearly 5 meters away from the sea and literally have our pick of the day’s best catch available, it is nearly impossible to describe the ambiance as anything more than splendid.

We capped out trip by scaling the local religious/tourist attraction known as Christ the Redeemer of Vung Tau. Finished in 1993, this larger-than-life statue of Jesus stands over 32m as one of the tallest of its kind in the world,  larger than even the famousCristo Redento in Rio de Janeiro! Getting to the statue is a pilgrimage in and of itself as it is located at the summit of a 270m hill. Scaling the the hill, there are rest areas every 20-30m that showcase sculptures of prominent figure in Christianity such as Moses, the 12 Apostles, Angels, and etc. As a Catholic, it was really inspiring for me to see how my faith is practiced in my parents’ homeland.

When we finally reached the Jesus statue, we also found out that inside of the statue is actually a small chapel and a 133-step winding staircase that took you up to the shoulders of Christ! Unfortunately, shoulders and knees were required to be covered before we could step in, so many of us shorts-wearing Loyolans had to improvise.. By tying some of my extra bandanas to over my knees and throwing on an extra shirt over my tank top, the elderly gentlemen watching over the door nodded their approval, and I began my ascent to one of the most breathtaking views ever. Nearly 300m above the ground, on top of Christ’s shoulder, I saw city, land, air, and sea all at once. I did my best to take photos and video, but nothing could do that view justice than being there yourself.

A couple hours later, we caught out ride home at the hotel. As my friend Brian goes to detail to say, the ride home was very much like a ride on Harry Potter’s ‘Night Bus!’ Being the only Vietnamese speaker during the Vung Tau trip was an enlightening experience I’ll never forget. I have to personally commend tour guides and other bilingual professions on their efficiency in facilitating and helping large groups have as much fun as they do when abroad. However, I can’t say that I’ll miss being our psuedo-tour guide as it could be frustrating and difficult at times to navigate unfamiliar territory with such a large group. It was a fun and successful weekend though!  With the Tet holiday coming up, I’ll be venturing out on my own with my roommate to his hometown of Phan Thiet for another adventure and vacation.

If you haven’t had the chance already, you should really check out fellow Loyola blogger and friend Brian Priddis’ recap of our previous weekend in Vung Tau!