When my plane landed in Vietnam after over 24 hours of traveling, I had felt like I would be stepping out of the airport and onto an entirely new planet. I expected to see poor, underdeveloped cities with little to no technology. I expected to see crumbling, intricate temples on every street corner and the dense jungles that I’d read about in my US History textbook freshman year.
I also expected to escape my mundane life in America where my seasonal depression was kicking in, and my attitude about winter break had made its transition from excitement to more of a lonely, overwhelmed, get me out of Greenville before I implode sort of feeling.
However, Vietnam defied all of my expectations. It hardly resembled the image that I had pieced together in my head. As our group of 30 college students traveled from the north to the south, we saw a gap between the rich and poor that more or less resembled the gap the US has in someplace like New York.
As far as technology goes, although not many Vietnamese people used the traffic lights, they were there, and motorbikes rode rampant on the streets. I would've never predicted that I would see hundreds of motorbikes stampede towards me while I crossed the street ever in my life.
My trip to Vietnam can only be described as one of the most unique and educational experiences I’ve ever had. The people that I met were some of the sweetest, most thoughtful people, and learning about the culture of the country has been so valuable in my life as I think about where the US lies in regards to our businesses and our culture.
Even so, when I returned home, I fell right back into the same schedule that I’d been trapped in before. It was still winter and very cold, and I still felt slightly lonely and very overwhelmed.
Walking through the streets of Vietnam and exploring its geography did not change my life. I don’t believe that traveling to any specific place around the world will. Humans have this sort of tendency to fall back into their natural patterns and ways of life.
However, experiences like my study abroad trip to Vietnam will give you a new perspective to carry with you every day. New perspectives are so valuable in order for you to increase the ability you have to put yourself in another person’s shoes. Vietnam did not change my life. But it did give me memories, values, and a love of bahn mi sandwiches that I will treasure for a lifetime.
