Living the Slow Life

Today is day five.  I've been here five days?  It feels like five weeks, with the wear of five weeks, not the knowledge.  Today is the group's second full day.  For them I feel like it's been forever but also like it's going too fast.  We have several people who have left the US for the first time in their lives.  For me, being a part of their excitement and new experiences is a rewarding joy that few other things in this world can match.  

Organizing eighteen other humans and the numerous other people that go into keeping those eighteen happy and busy every day is a decent amount of work, though.  I'm not complaining, it's great work, but tiring.  There have been some hickups, I won't lie.  Some of them have been my fault, some of them are just the nature of the game.  Most faculty-led trips go to first world countries because they are much more structured and rigid.  Flexibility is a must in developing countries.  Things don't always go according to plan.  And the group and faculty I'm working with are phenomenal.  They go with the flow and are understanding.  I hope I am not letting them down.

Today we had class at a local univeristy taught by a local faculty.  She was spectacularly bubbly and open about all topics, not just her economic specialty.  We then made a chaotic lunch decision; I tried chicken pho (fuh) for the first time (thank you, Kylee Grenis).  Afterwards, we had a meeting with a branch manager of ACB, the most predominant bank in Vietnam.  Their economy is a fascinating pattern of growth, frozen markets, and fear of collapse.  One can only hope it works out for them.  

It has been tough here, and I must admit that by my second full night here I was probably feeling some level of culture shock.  It had been a long day, I was lacking sleep, which exacerbates CS, and I chose to go out into the city that night.  Who knows why I thought that was a good idea.  This place changes so much after dark.  The tourists are back from their daily tours and walk around in droves.  There is never a friendly space of air between their large groups and my single self as we pass.  Maybe actively immersing myself into their world would offer different results?  But this is not a trip for me to cross the line into the “tourist” world.  Truly, if you’ve ever traveled you know that often that’s a minor culture in a place in and of itself.  Half of the fun of traveling can be just experiencing other travelers. 

Still the intensified presence of foreigners only brings on more vending.  The entire store fronts change, and many to an array of brightly colored souvenirs.  I made my way to an area referred to as ‘the night market.’  This is an exciting long street, probably about 20-30 blocks deep, where vendors set up booths in the middle of the street between the street-side shops that stay open.  It becomes closed to all automobile traffic.  So many vendors, so much to see, so much to buy.  I was in no state of mind to constantly be shoved- but that seems to always happen, doesn’t it?  When your mood is bad you seem to get pushed, shoved, and knocked by seemingly everyone that passes.  It was time for me to head home.

It was still more stress on the way home.  The traffic is far more dangerous at night.  Hungry people make for more hurried and rash drivers.  There is also no real vision test for a license- that makes for a dangerous scene.  Let’s just say it was a relief to finally make it home. 

But now that I’m done bitching and whining, I’ve got to pick myself up.  I have to remind myself to see the silver lining and fill my field of vision with nothing else.  And I am really truly blessed.  I’ve seen some beautiful things here so far and experienced things other people could never dream of they are so great.  My job provides me with these amazing opportunities, and I can’t believe they chose me.  The group is wonderful and rarely complains about anything.  I appreciate their flexibility immensely.  There are individuals within the group that have experienced and seen far more than I and I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from their wealth of knowledge.  I am lucky to have a job that challenges me, forces me to grow as a person in skill and a humble heart.  I am lucky to have a job.  I am lucky to have a loving and supportive family.  I am lucky to be alive, here and now, today.