It’s not that often that you get an opportunity to fully submerge yourself in another culture. And yet I am so lucky to have been given this opportunity. There are just some things here that are a little different than home…
At home, it’s not too common to have all of the houses in one town, along one road, near the canal with hearty farmland behind them. It’s not too often that you see a man take his pigs in a boat down the canal.
It’s not too often that you take your shoes off in the lobby of a hotel to keep the rooms and building clean. It’s not too often you can bargain the price of clothing down to a couple dollars for the cutest shorts and pants while also getting to interact with the locals.
It’s not too often your new Vietnamese colleagues offer to help you wash your clothes by hand with a smile on their face as they scrub your dirty clothes because you have never been away from the comfort of a washing machine.
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- a typical Vietnamese breakfast is either Pho or eggs and bread. Almost all meals are accompanied by delicious fruits!
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- Laundry day
It’s not that often you can create such strong connections with locals, colleagues, and students that you just met, some of which you cannot even communicate with on your own.
And yet, that’s ACE in Vietnam and we wouldn’t want it any other way.