A year in Vietnam
 "I've learned to say more with less. We Americans tend to talk to much — or at least I do." |
Emmania Rodriguez is a Northeastern University student who spent her junior year based in Ho Chi Minh City. Her untraditional study-abroad program combined community service, field research, and classroom work. She lived with Vietnamese families throughout the country. Read more about Rodriguez's adventures at emmania.blogspot .com.
WHY VIETNAM?: I mainly chose Vietnam because I didn't really know much about the country. All I ever knew about Vietnam was the Vietnam War and not much of anything else. I thought that if I was to go abroad I had to go somewhere very far away and somewhere that was very different from what I know and am accustomed to.
UNEASY START: When I first came here the first thing I thought was, I want to go home! I am scared. I don't speak the language. My stomach can't take the food. What am I doing here? My dad was right, transitioning in the beginning is probably the most difficult because one may feel so uncomfortable and alien that one is unable to fully enjoy things in the beginning.
MEETING FAMILIES: I lived in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, and in Can Tho City (in the heart of the Mekong Delta) with Vietnamese families. It was very enjoyable. I have found the Vietnamese people are very kind and generous people.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY: You do not criticize or talk about what the government isn't doing! I've learned to say more with less. We Americans tend to talk too much - or at least I do.
SERIOUS IN SCHOOL: Students in Vietnam work very hard. I worry about students here a lot, especially students from elementary to high school. They all have extra classes that they have to take. Plus they have class on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays, too!
UNEXPECTED AMBASSADOR: A funny thing is the fact that people assume I am from Asia. If I tell people that, no, I am not Asian but Latino, then they will ask, "What is Latino?" Most people don't even know what a Latino is; I have had the honor of educating people on this.
ROCKING OUT: I really like a pop singer named Dam Vinh Hung. I think his songs are very catchy and meaningful; my favorite is "Khong Phai Em," which means "It's Not Me." It's about a guy and a girl. The girl goes abroad for a while. When she comes back, he can't recognize her anymore. He says that she has changed and thus their relationship can't work anymore. He makes a point in saying, "It's not me, it's you." Watch Hung perform the song in Seattle at youtube.com/watch?v=CyoLycPH2ZY.
JENNIFER EHRLICH
