lost in saigon

I wrote an apology letter in my journal to China.

I experienced China through a tour bus window, and I feel that wasn't fair to the country. I don't think I had one conversation with a local, ate somewhere that frightened me, or just got to know the country. I got to see attractions - the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, for which I am very grateful. I feel like I saw China as a postcard, so that is what I shared on my blog. Images, for I had no stories.

I was determined not to make the same mistake in Vietnam.

And I am happy to share that I succeeded.

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I will forever associate the taste of beer with duck eggs and squid. 

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I was given a name in Vietnamese, Thao. It means "clover", but it also means "honest" and "open".

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I did something (actually, a couple things) that Semester at Sea told us not to, and I think it was the best decision I made.

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I should explain.

I felt China and Japan were so much about "going", I wanted Vietnam to be about "being". Many SASers were flying north to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, but I decided to stay in Ho Chi Minh City, or as it was called under French occupation, Saigon. It is an incredible city, buzzing with motorcycles and sun.

Using a website called Couchsurfing, designed to help travellers connect with travellers, I met many local people. My experience was unique, as I was by myself for about three days. I would run back to the ship to shower, drop off things, but I felt like I lived in the city.

Of course, Semester at Sea tells us we should not a) couch surf b) be alone c) ride motorbikes. I did all three.

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I met an English teacher in Vietnam who showed me around one morning. Pagodas, the first McDonald's in Vietnam, ice coffee on the side of the street. In return, yesterday I visited his English class and had thirty Vietnamese students nervously and hilariously ask me questions about Canada and how I feel about Vietnamese boys.

The third day, I met a student and her best friend (who might be studying in Toronto in the future!) and they showed me around. The bus system, a charming museum so beautiful it was populated with posing newly-weds, ice cream. It was a wonderful experience, although slightly heartbreaking, realizing how much I missed my own close friends. 

After I said goodbye to them, I met Ngan, whose apartment I would stay at for the next two days.

This photo was from when we said goodbye.

I feel so blessed to have met someone who was so willing to share her country and city with me. By this point, I had done all of the touristy things in HCMC, so all that was left was to live. She and I played badminton in an alley (accidentally losing a birdie over the wall of the Cao Dai temple), sat and sipped coconut milk in the morning market, and I even attended her university. 

She introduced me to her housemates, her sister, her friends. While walking around with her friends, as long as I kept my mouth shut, I felt like I belonged to Vietnam.

When people from SAS have been asking me, "What did you do in Vietnam?", I struggle to answer. I didn't do a lot, but I experienced so much.

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I'll add some more photos later. Right now, I am sitting on the 5th deck appreciating the golden hour of Saigon, as the final students file on the ship. I did love Japan, but I can truly see myself living in Vietnam one day.