UCHANU Final Blog

EAP 2010 has been an otherworldly experience. I don't know how to begin describing what has happened to me here in Vietnam. So rather than fail to give my experience in Vietnam justice, I will focus on a few examples to convey the gravity of these past four months.


The experiences I’ve had this semester in UCHANU and Vietnam have undoubtedly changed my life. I’ve learned several things that have been integrated into my worldview. Gaining so many friends who have become like family to me has really changed the nature of EAP. UC and Hanu alike, I have grown attached to this group of people. Vietnam will not be the same when I come back without UCHANU 2010. Other experiences have also changed my life. For example, living as a foreigner in Vietnam has been extremely strange. I lived my whole life in America practically invisible. When I walked down the street, ordered food, shopped at restaurants, etc, my presence was so natural and taken for granted. In Vietnam, it’s been the opposite. No matter where I go or what I do, I’m always being observed and judged by Vietnamese people. Though I’m not held to their standards and norms, I’m still bothered constantly by mainly friendly curiosity. At first I thought of it like being a celebrity, but it quickly became a great annoyance. So much so, that I have difficulty shopping for anything by myself. I have a hard time shopping as it is, but when I have someone following me around constantly pointing out items in the store that they want me to buy, I absolutely cannot do it. This experience has given me insight into how minorities in all parts of the world must feel. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, but the experience has been integrated into my worldview. There are countless more experiences that have been integrated into the fabric of my life, but they are far too personal and complex to put words to here.

To comprehensively address the second question is as equally impossible as the first question so again, I’ll keep it simple and straightforward. Some of the obvious ways I’ll take Vietnam with me are my new language and my girlfriend. I will master Vietnamese, no matter how long it takes me. I want to become fluent. But already, I have the skills necessary to do so many things. Ican use my new language skills in America, or when I come back. Without getting to personal, my first girlfriend is here in Hanoi. What better way to take Vietnam with me than become a part of it. I was in love with Hanoi after the first week’s “scavenger hunt”, but now I have to come back. I don’t want to talk about this personal topic in any more detail, but I will end off with this: “Home is where the heart is.” Toi yeu Vietnam.

Relections on UCHANU group project

Project Kiem An has been almost entirely driven my small groups that have been, bit by bit, nibbling off chunks of work for the monstrous task Gerard as set before our class of mapping out how people make a living in Vietnam. The way our small groups operate has been largely left up to each group's individual discretion. This was a wise decision because it allows for people to maximize their own unique potential. My group has bee strange. At first, we tried to meet in person frequently and act collectively, but recently we have been doing everything individually. I don't like this change because I don't know how well we are doing. I no long have the pulse of our group. It's difficult to gauge anything, including how much work I am doing in comparison to other members. I have frequently asked the Vietnamese-speaking members of my group to let me handle all the tasks that are possible for English speakers, yet I still feel like I'm not contributing enough. I just hope the final product is high enough quality to contribute our class's goal.

Because I have not been able to do any interviews, I have been doing mainly English language grammar and spelling corrections for the translated transcript of the the interviews. My group is friendly with each other and works well together, but sometimes I feel like they resent me for not being able to speak Vietnamese. I wish I could help out more with the interviews, but there's not much more I can do but go to the interviews, take pictures, record video, smile at the interviewee, etc.

Freewrite Blog Entry

The semester is winding down and as expected things are moving faster than ever before. Besides the heavy projects and assignments in my history and UCHANU classes, I have to also juggle an increasingly more complex and involved personal life here in Hanoi. There are still so many things I want to do and see before the end of EAP. From getting new glasses made to taking a road trip to discover more of Vietnam, I have so much to do... and that's just in the net month. I could spend a lifetime in this country. There is so much history and beautiful nature to discover. The "developing" economy is so destructive and has implications for almost all aspects of Vietnam. I came here to study the economic and political aspects of Vietnam, but have learned so much more. I know I will come back to Vietnam after graduating from college. I don't know how long I will be here or what I will do, but for the short-term I have a solid plan to fulfill and concrete goals to accomplish.

Southern Trip

Last week in the South was a broadening experience for me. My idea about and what I saw in Vietnam was radically changed by my experience in the South. Previously, I knew Vietnam was not a monolithic culture. I knew there were differences in accents and traditions between the different regions. The Vietnam I fell in love with is the North, particularly Hanoi. First of all, Southerners don’t know how to make café sua da. Rather than using sua to sweeten coffee, Southerners use coffee to flavor their condensed sweetened milk- it’s really just liquid candy, not coffee at all. I had so much of it that I lost my obsession with condensed sweetened milk permanently. I know we went to tourist areas, but the South was too Westernized for me. From the way the youth dressed to the music I heard at cafes, the places was just a depressing reminder of the hell I escaped several months ago. I can think of several more differences between the North and the South but when it comes down to it, they are just justifications for a feeling in my heart. Hanoi is my home. “Saigon” is just too American for me.

I enjoyed Phu Quoc- it was a tropical paradise... but the Central trip was far more enjoyable for me.