Sarah WallockPublished February 2017
Part of my climate change study abroad program was meant to take place in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Reflections from Life Abroad
I am currently sitting in a coffee shop in Da Nang, Vietnam working on my homework for my Anthropology class on Monday. Last Wednesday, we were supposed to move into our homestays in Hoi An. Due to provincial governmental complications, our next two weeks got scrambled up and rescheduled. Rather than staying with families and biking to class daily, now we are going to three cities in two weeks and continuing our hotel-based city-lifestyle.
For me, it was not a huge adjustment. I came in with close to zero expectations regarding our accommodations. Many people were quite upset by the government’s decision to cancel our homestays and visit to the UNESCO world heritage site. Considering, I am writing my final paper on ecotourism efforts, this tension is going to add an important and fruitful discussion to my paper.
Adventures Thus Far
We had an incredibly fun weekend kayaking, boating and camping in Ha Long Bay. This is known as one of the most beautiful spots in the world! I got to know my peers an travel partners better.
Some cool stuff we have done and seen includes:
- a very nice bridge in Da Nang with a large yellow dragon wrapping around it (imagine that!)
- we grilled our cuisine on a table top charcoal fire grill (Rachel burned her eyes with hot sauce… and we all cried a bit due to the intense steam/wind combo)
- beautiful beaches on the coast of Da Nang
- decent Italian food
- many-a scenic bus rides accompanied by Beyonce serenading me through my earphones
- clubbing in Hanoi
- meeting some Vietnamese friends
- exploring Vietnamese gyms etc.
I am very thankful to spend the semester traveling and learning and seeing and doing. The study abroad Vietnam portion of the climate change program has been interesting so far! The days are going by faster. All is good and the weather is warm on the Vietnamese coast!
