Waist Deep in the Big Muddy-- Literally

The rest of the week began to really pick up. Instead of orientation, we began classes, which consisted of Vietnamese language class and lectures.

The language class was probably one of the most humbling yet demoralizing experiences, and I mean that in the best way possible. The Vietnamese language consists of a series of tones, meaning how you say a word depends on what the word means. There are 6 different tones, meaning there are 6 different meanings to a word. And let me tell you, I could not tell the difference between ANY of the words. The first hour of our class consisted of us saying the word "ma" in different ways. To say I felt like an idiot and a kindergartener was an understatement. We then learned the alphabet, and I hate to admit but I don't think I have it down yet.

The two days of lecture were taught by a professor (I don't have permission to give out his name, but believe me, he was amazing). He has studied and written many books on different cultures and philosophy. We were taught Vietnamese history and culture during the two lectures, and it was so fascinating to learn about the different perspectives of Vietnamese cultures. The lifestyles and history of the Vietnamese culture is none like any other I have studied; the differences between the north, central, and southern Vietnamese culture was captivating. It made me really excited for not only the lectures we are to have, but the traveling we will be doing to actually see what we are learning and how the country actually functions.

The next few nights of dinner consisted of a place called the Hidden Garden and street food. The food at the Hidden Garden was amazing, spicy pork and white rice was just what I needed after a long day. The street food market was amazing and overwhelming all at once. The narrow aisles of people and vendors selling food was intoxicating: figuring out which food to get was the hardest part. There was food from all different cultures as well: Philly cheese steaks, Naan bread, pad Thai, almost anything you could want they had there. I discovered my favorite food of Vietnam so far: Bánh Mì. It is a sandwich filled with a spicy sauce, pork, and different veggies, and you can get it for less than a dollar, which makes it taste even better. It is safe to say that bánh mì will be the staple of my trip.

The rest of the week stood small compared to what we did on Saturday. Waking up at 8:30 am was nothing compared to the two hour bus ride to the Can Gio Mangrove forest. This place was absolutely amazing and nothing like I have ever been to before. We started our day walking through the forest with branches in our hands so the monkeys, deer, and pigs would come up to us to eat. It was a little bit scary, especially because the monkeys are so friendly and try to take your water, food, or phones. It was an adventure to say the least.

The second part of our day was one of the hardest and most humbling things I have ever done. We put on boots (with no socks-- I will explain shortly), and gloves and walked probably half a mile to a "forest," and by forest I mean field of mud with baby trees that were just planted. We had to trudge through the mud for over 100 yards and dig and plant trees. The mud was so deep and thick that our boots would get stuck in the mud and then when we tried to take a step, the boot would stick but our foot would keep going, and then the next thing we knew we were face first in the mud.

The walk back from the forest was extremely difficult as well, as the mud inside our boots made it a slippery, long, hot walk. Thinking about how people do that for a living every day was very very humbling.

After, we took a boat ride to a bat cave, where we took one of the most peaceful canoe rides to see where the bats lived, but unfortunately it was not the right time of day. We paddled through the mangrove forest and it was serene and beautiful and finally the heat subsided for a moment.

After that ride, we took another boat to another location where we fed crocodiles, and let me tell you, that was the most horrifying experiences of my life. We were in a caged boat where we were told to keep the boat "level." All the while tens of hundreds of crocodiles were surrounding us while we were to hold out poles with food at the end. It was a horrifying experience that I am glad I had but never want to relive.

Our adventure ended with a climb up a high tower at sundown where we saw a bird sanctuary where hundreds of thousands of birds flew all around us. We sat and talked about our coming week and about the homestay families we were about to enter into. It was a very peaceful ending to a very chaotic day.

I am looking forward to moving into my homestay. My anxiety is shadowed by my excitement, and I am really excited to meet the family I will be spending the next four weeks with!

--Amy