Good Morning, Viet Nam!

Okay, now that I’ve got that movie reference out of the way…J

 

Well, I can officially say that I absolutely LOVE Viet Nam. Now I can see why my brother wants to come and live here (for those of you who don’t know, my brother spent a few weeks here in Viet Nam in the spring and is planning on moving here at some point to teach ESL). The people are wonderful…they are friendly, helpful, and full of smiles. I just wanted to write a short blog update before I have to meet up with my group heading to Cambodia (Group C, Phnom Phen and Angkor Wat).

           The first day here in HCMC, I did an SAS FDP called Temples and Churches and I had a wonderful time. It was extremely informative and I learned a lot about the religiosity of Viet Nam and in particular Saigon. The pagodas, temples, and churches are architectural masterpieces and the beauty emanating from them is unbelievable. Did you know that over fifty percent of Viet Nam doesn’t practice a particular religion because under Socialist rule practicing religion was extremely frowned upon? However, today, most of those people are “closet practicers”and they do indeed have a religion, they just aren’t religious on the outside.

           Yesterday, I spent the entire day with my roommate Jen. We had a wonderful time together. We met up with my brother’s friends sister, Tu, and we had a short tour of her University before heading out to the War Remnants Museum. I can’t even describe the emotions I felt when reading the plaques on the walls or looking at the pictures in the museum. I’ve never had to fight back tears harder than I did yesterday afternoon. I can’t understand why anyone can do what was done during the Viet Nam war…on both sides. I don’t want to get into detail with my thoughts and feelings right now because it could take me hours. I will most likely come back to this topic after Cambodia…

           After the War Remnants museum, we went to Ben Thanh market and grabbed some lunch at a small shop within the market. Once we had some food in our systems, we were ready for shopping and shopping is what we did. I made sure not to buy little knick knacks that are useless. Instead, I bought small gifts for people that they can actually use. I can’t wait for Christmas! I love giving presents J

           After the market, Jen and I had a few hours to spare before dinner so we decided to get massages. I was a little apprehensive at first because I’ve heard some “things”about Vietnamese massages. My apprehension was unneeded though because it was 100% legitimate. And it was also quite possibly the best massage of my life. It was a little awkward though when my masseuse climbed up and stood on the table to massage my back! All I thought was, well, this is Viet Nam…Haha. Any who…I really need to get going. I just wanted to say hello and let you all know that I’m alive and well and having the time of my life. I miss you guys! Be prepared for an emotional blog after Cambodia…

 

Amanda

 

P.S. I'm still working on my India blog but I promise I'll have it done ASAP