Vietnam Gives You Wings

There are things that happened in Vietnam which had nothing to do with the course program (or perhaps they had everything to do with it) from which I learned more about myself. There are many other things to do in the world that wouldn't do as much, like drinking nightly mightily with friends and mates. Fun perhaps, but probably wouldn't lead to as much personal reflection.

If I wasn't directly participating in one of the many trips, events, and classes that were provided in the program, I was likely thinking or preparing for it, or simply spending time with the people in the program. I have mixed feelings about this, but one thing is for sure: I lived as as a study abroad student and I was nothing else for the entire time. I did field work, homework, work in English, and of course, simply work. I may have studied a little Vietnamese too.

What I'm trying to say is that my experience in Vietnam was wholly "an experience," and by that mean a holistic experience, each moment contiguous with the next in theme and function. I'm sad to say that it was mostly in English, but through English we learned a very large amount about Vietnam in academic literature, such as through Jonathan Rigg's reader on South East Asia and development. It had all the insights an undergrad could want and expect, complete with figures and case studies, and almost none of the answers. Our projects asked us to do fieldwork with the workers of Vietnam, and that we did. It would be hard to say that my experiences with these various men, women, and children did not color the way I see my own entrance into the working world. As our professor suggested in our last class on Vietnam's society in transition, perhaps it wasn't what job you had or what you did for work that makes you happy, it's why you do it that could make you happy. Happiness, it seems, is what we Americans are in pursuit of, along with liberty and independence. It is also what Vietnam wants, as is apparent from the heading of every government resume: "Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phi," meaning independence, happiness, and freedom. These themes for life will always be with me, and Vietnam has only made their force stronger.

Knowing that Vietnam shares its aspirations with the rest of the world, wanting to develop and modernize to compete on equal grounds makes me think that it would be okay to come back and help it along on its path. This year, our class helped start an NGO, christening it with a 300 jackets for the students of a poor village in Nghê An, the birthplace of Hò Chí Minh. Our professor, the founding member of this NGO, is looking to help the country a lot more. The other day I read on the University of Indiana's philanthropy website that volunteer work really does affect people's perceptions of their happiness. It is good to know that his work will always be here for me to come back to, and perhaps, the wonderfully gifted students at Hanoi University.