Monday, September 8, 2008

Reflecting back

As I settle back at home (and deal with my jetlag), reflecting back on my seven months in Vietnam, it seems like my time there went by very quickly. I achieved one of my two goals, to learn to read and write in Vietnamese. I would not say I "fluently" read and write. I am definitely still stumbling and I do not have a sufficient vocabulary to understand the prose-y way Vietnamese write. At least now I have an idea how things are pronounced when I read. I did not achieve my second goal of volunteering. It seems more difficult when you do not sign up for a formal volunteer placement.

I am very happy to have had the experience to live in Vietnam. I don't think travelling through for a few weeks would have had the same impact. I got to interact with locals on a daily basis and not just as a tourist. I enjoyed seeing the different vendors every day. They were all so friendly and wished me well when I got home. They also all asked me when I would come back. Maybe in the next thirty years (since it took me that long for my first visit!)?

As I finish up with this blog, I remember some post ideas that I never ended up writing. One was the "What If?" post, as in "What if my parents never left Vietnam?". Well, the obvious answer is, I wouldn't be Canadian and I would not have had as many opportunities as I have. Would I still have become an engineer? Who knows? Would I own my own house? Probably not. Would I have been worst off? I think both worlds has its advantages and disadvantages but I do realize Viet Kieu's are lucky. Our parents sacrificed a lot for us to have a better life.

One last note, I have really enjoyed writing this blog and writing in general. I've also had the chance to make good friends (like Miss Gastronomer) and to discover the world of blogging. I want to continue blogging so I've decided to start a new blog, based at home (probably no more travels for a while, sigh). I think it will be mainly about food with a side of house projects. Please check it out: Miss.Adventure at Home.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a Viet Kieu, I also think that we were much better off due to the great sacrifices our parents made!I really enjoyed your blog and hope you can keep it up.
Xin Chao!

Miss.Adventure said...

Thanks for reading!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog. I have greatly enjoyed reading it, and my two con lai kids occasionally look over my shoulder when I read it and wish that they could go back. May you succeed in your wildest dreams, because your success in life is your parents true revenge on the Communists that threw them out. It was not an easy path, and it caused them greater suffering than you can imagine. But you have been fortunate to discover your parents country of origin, and to understand something of the culture that formed their attitudes and judgments.
Cung Xin Chao!
lirelou

pd. la semaine prochaine, je suis a Quebec pour visiter la famille.

Miss.Adventure said...

Thanks for reading Lirelou! I hope you and your kids get to visit Vietnam again!

The Chapters of my life... said...

I enjoy reading your post about our birth place. Chuc mung ban da hoc duoc viet va doc tieng Vietnam. I totally agree with your "what if" because I often thought what would I be if my parents never sacrificed for our future. We are very lucky!

Anonymous said...

We took the same tour in Seoul! But I think ours was longer, the five hour long tour.

What a great blog here, thank you so much for sharing your insight with all of us! I think about all the same things that you do and appreciate EVERYTHING that my parents have sacrificed for me. I look forward to reading your new blog!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts :). How is your Vietnamese now :). Cam on.

Anonymous said...

please allow me to post my new blog called www.thefinancialhelp.info

Anonymous said...

Hi N,
I really enjoyed reading your excursion in VN.
And very glad that you went to school for Vietnamese.
Keep up the good work and enjoy house ownership. I do enjoy mine!

Ex-driver of 3 Co-ops!

Anonymous said...

I am trying to book travel from Hanoi to HCMC and from HCMC to Siem Reap and are having problems. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me. If you are can you email me at jamesbell03@hotmail.com? Thanks.

maybe said...

I'm appreciate your writing skill.Please keep on working hard.^^

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dro said...

An interesting person.....who lives!
A fan though not a follower.
Goodluck!

joe said...

My name is Joe Pinzone and I'm casting an international travel show about expats moving abroad. We'd love to film in Vietnam and wanted to know if you could help us find expats who have moved there within the last 15 months or have been there for 3-4 years, but recently moved into a new home. The show documents their move to a new country and will place the country in fabulous light. The contributors on the show would also receive monetary compensation if they are filmed. If you'd like more information, please give me a call at 212-231-7716 or skype me at joefromnyc. You can also email me at joepinzone@leopardusa.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Joe Pinzone
Casting Producer
P: 212-231-7716
Skype: Joefromnyc

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