Vietnam: It's this whole other country

Emily again.

Well, I went to Vietnam! There were so many movie references in my
head that I thought it would explode. What do you think about when
you hear "Vietnam"? I probably think about the war; however, I don't
actually know all that much about it. I know the basics, but only
from an American perspective. And so much went into it that I don't
even know the half of it. With the war as my frame of reference for
Vietnam, I was a little worried about what Vietnamese people would
think when they heard "America." I don't know if they automatically
associate Americans with that particular war because Vietnam has been
subjected to a ridiculous amount of wars. It certainly didn't seem
like people held anything against me while I was there because I had
some of my favorite interactions in Vietnam.
Among other things, I visited a friend's house, fed alligators, went
to the Cu Chi Tunnels, shopped, and walked around with Vietnamese
students. Each of these activities led me to new people who were
excited to meet me and have conversations. One fun experience was
when a few friends and I went to a park and played a game that is kind
of like hacky sack. Instead of a sack filled with beans, the thing
you kick is kind of like a shuttlecock in badminton. We were
struggling a lot, and an elderly man who spoke no English decided to
intervene. He used gestures to show us how we should play, and we
improved a great deal. He still kicked our butts.

Another fantastic encounter I had was on the last day. I had a field
trip to a university for Vietnamese students who are learning
English. We all were put into groups and got to walk around with
them. I was with three people, one of whom is a tour guide for
Independence Palace, so we went there and he gave us a private tour.
The other two were girls about my age and they were great. I was
treated to Vietnamese coffee, which is delicious and wonderful, and we
shared fun cultural tidbits. For example, some people in Vietnam
believe that if you take a picture with three people, the one in the
middle will die. We almost had a catastrophe on our hands.

I also met a Buddhist monk on a bus. Though our conversation was
short, it's one of my favorite things that has happened on the entire
voyage. He spoke a little bit of English and a lot of French and
Vietnamese, but the will to communicate always wins. He asked where I
was from and what I wanted to do with my life. It's always strange to
explain my situation to people and to see their eyes widen when I tell
them that I'm traveling around the world via ship. If I could give
this opportunity to others, I would in a heartbeat.

Although now we're sailing into a cyclone. So.... that's happening.