Finding Beauty and Art in Vietnam

I, Carolyn, am no artist. Actually, for that matter, I am quite artistically challenged.

I, Alyse, am not artistically gifted either. Unless you consider stick figures as “art.”

Regardless, we have both been able to find art and beauty in our daily routines throughout the trip.

There is art in math class as we work on axis symmetry.

There is art and beauty in seeing a kid’s face light up with excitement as they hit a ball for the first time in baseball.

There is beauty in watching your Vietnamese coach and counterpart learn baseball for the first time and be just as much excited, if not more excited, than the kids we are coaching.

There is beauty in seeing the whole coaching team come together after camp for a fun, yet still competitive, pick up game when the day is finished.

There is art in 5 am workouts when you get to see the sun rise.

There is beauty in seeing one of your directors cutting a whole grass field, with a single pair of scissors, so that it is in good shape for competition day.

There is art and beauty in weekend trips to historic pagodas.

There is beauty in walks around the park.

There is even a bit of art on the bus rides when our bus driver, Tony (as some American coaches from a previous camp nicknamed him), flips on the party lights for a little extra fun on the way to and from camp.

There is art in team spirit.

There is art in the bruise a coach gets when their player hits a line drive back at their shin in baseball. Nothing could make me prouder as a coach.

And there is certainly both art and beauty in getting to experience two cultures coming together, one experience at a time.