tạm biệt Vietnam

Sorry for such a late final blog post, but our last day in Vietnam was just so crazy that I didn't really have any time to make an update. This morning we woke up and had our last set of classes. We started off with a lecture by Giang Nguyen who was a Pennsylvania Trade representative for Vietnam. This department is mainly responsible for providing information to US companies looking to outsource to Vietnam and helping Vietnamese and American businesses who wish to partner abroad connect with each other. After that, we had our final language class where we reviewed for a little while and then took a language final. We had to stand in front of the class and introduce ourselves in Vietnamese as well as have a conversation with another student about a given topic. I was really nervous because I think my Vietnamese sounds really bad, but I ended up scoring a 9/10 on the final! Afterwards we took so many pictures with our teacher and all of the students who had come to the class to help us with our Vietnamese. I really hope I can keep up with the language that I've learned when I get back to the States because it was so much fun to learn.


After lunch at the school, we took a bus over to a soccer field for a soccer match against the UEF students. At first we thought we were going to be playing against our friends, but we were quickly informed that we were playing against their actual soccer team. I thought for sure that we had absolutely no chance at winning considering only maybe 2 or 3 of us actually knew how to play soccer. Not only that, but it was so hot outside, which was something we definitely weren't used to. I managed to get sunburnt after being outside for only about 5 minutes. But our UEF friends cheered us on and we actually ended up winning the match 3 to 2. After that we had a potato sack race followed by a dance competition and it was really fun. I was worried that would be the last time we saw everyone from UEF, but they promised to visit us at the hotel before we left so they could say goodbye.


We went back to the hotel and I packed and went to the co op one last time to buy our favorite rolls from the shop outside (seriously, they should get those in America because they were delicious!) We were getting ready for dinner when Brice told us to check our flight information because all of the flights had been messed up. Sure enough, Brice was right. Instead of flying out from Ho Chi Minh to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Chicago, and the Chicago to Pittsburgh, I was flying from Hong Kong to Newark and then Newark to Pittsburgh. Not everyone had this flight though. Some people were flying to San Francisco and some to Tokyo. After about 30 minutes of mass panic and a lot of calls we found out that our original flight had been delayed by so much that it would have made us late for our flight home from Chicago, so the airline did the best they could and put us on flights that could get us home eventually. We decided that we would just deal with it in the morning when we got to the airport.


That night we had dinner with the UEF staff on a cruise ship on the Saigon River. It was a really fancy boat with live entertainment. They had a live band that consisted of a flute and guitar as well as two cultural dancers who put on a great performance. Dinner was really great and I loved being able to talk with the staff. They have treated us so well over the last couple of weeks and seemed to be really excited to hear how much we had enjoyed our time in Vietnam. We took so many pictures and I will really miss everyone from UEF.

 Us with our awesome language teacher!

 Emmy and I 

Tran, my favorite person ever! <3

Afterwards, all of our UEF friends came to our hotel to hang out with us. They all brought little presents to give us something to remember them by, and it was so sweet and thoughtful of them. Dang even brought something special just for me, which was so incredibly sweet of her. She gave me this really cute comb and mirror and gave me an adorable jar with notes wrapped up in it for me to read. I wanted to read it right there, but was afraid if I did I would start crying! So I decided to wait until I got home to read what she had wrote me. I gave her another Pitt t-shirt to thank her for all she had done for me, especially for being the best motorbike driver ever! We hung out all night at played Vietnamese blackjack, which is surprisingly violent (if you lose, you get a slap on the wrist from the other players). Then I got my palm read by Tuan (apparently I will live a healthy and long life, will only have one husband, and will have a big but good change in my career). I showed pictures of Pittsburgh and New York City to Ngan and Dang and told them I would be there tour guide if they ever got the chance to come visit the US, which I really hope they do.


They stayed with us until about 2:15 and then drove to meet us at the airport for one last goodbye. We got on the bus and drove to the airport. Saying goodbye to everyone was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It was a very tearful goodbye for everyone, but I feel so lucky to have made so many friends. I also know that it is not goodbye forever, but that we will all see each other again someday.


The flight back to the US was just as bad as the flight to Vietnam. We all flew as a group to Hong Kong, but then Team Yolo was split up. Huyen, Tim, Brice and I got on a 15 hour flight to Newark. From Newark we were split up even more and Huyen and I took a flight from Newark to Pittsburgh and arrived at about 6pm.


This trip has taught me so much about myself and this has honestly been one of the best two weeks of my life. I realize this trip was supposed to teach me about engineering and business, but honestly it taught me way more about life than anything else. It has made me want to travel the world, but to come back to Vietnam as soon as possible. However, I think the most important thing I have gotten out of this trip is friendship. It amazes me how people who live almost 9,000 miles apart and come from completely different ways of life can come together and become friends so quickly. Its so hard to explain, but over the last two weeks these people have become like family to me. I will miss them so much and value all that I have learned from them. At the beginning of this trip, I never could have imagined being so sad to leave or meeting such incredible friends. But I am so grateful I feel this way and can't wait to see everyone again someday.


Sorry for the incredibly cheesy paragraph, but every word of it is true. 


-Hailee

All that I can see, is just another rubber tree

This morning we woke up bright and early to head to Cu Chi, a city that is known for its tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. It is located an hour and a half away from Ho Chi Minh City, so we did get a nice nap. It was the first time we had been out in the countryside and it was a completely different world from the city. It was what I had pictured Vietnam to be before coming here: rice patties, small little houses surrounded by grasses, wildlife everywhere, etc. Even though it was so opposite from Ho Chi Minh, it was still just as beautiful but in a different way. We got to Cu Chi and were given a tour of the grounds. We got to see how the citizens of Cu Chi survived the war by living in underground tunnels, which were also used to fight American troops going through the area. We saw the different types of traps that they used to fight soldiers, the types of clothes they wore in the trenches, and even got to see the tunnels themselves. A bunch of people even got to crawl through them, and we all had a lot of fun at Cu Chi. Next we headed to Tay Ninh to see a huge Cao Dai temple. It was absolutely incredible and may have been the prettiest building I've ever seen. We were fortunate enough to be able to witness a worship ceremony. Those who were worshiping wore all white and prayed together on the floor of the temple while a musical ensemble full of instruments I had never seen before and singers made music in the background. It was such a unique experience and I'm really glad I was able to see it.

 A bamboo trap for US soldiers in the Vietnam War

 An entrance to the underground tunnels of Cu Chi

 Some buildings in Cu Chi

 The Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh 

 A worship service going on in the temple

Rice patties!

Tonight was the last time we were going to be able to hang out with our UEF friends at night. First, they took us shopping at Ben Tanh Market again to buy any last minute souvenirs we might need. Then we went to a t-shirt shop where we could buy less touristy shirts with actual vietnamese writing on it. Then about half of us went to the Adidas store while the others stayed behind and got sugar cane drinks (which were really good). We got dinner at a European restaurant and everything was great as usual. We got the UEF students to agree to pay for their dinner because they have been so hospitable and have been with us everyday for the last two weeks. After that it was time for one last motorbike ride from my driver Dang! Dang has pretty much been my chauffeur for the last two weeks and has kept me very safe on the streets of Ho Chi Minh (which is not an easy task, believe me). We said goodbye to a lot of our UEF friends tonight and it was so sad. At the beginning of this trip, I never could have imagined that I would make so many good friends. But I'm proud to say that I have met so many wonderful people and I know I will always have friends here if I decide to one day come back to Vietnam (or if they decide to visit Pittsburgh, which they all totally should!!!!).

Tonight we went to Lush for one last time and spent our last night in Ho Chi Minh as a group. Team Yolo is so awesome and I'm so happy I got to travel abroad with this group of people. Tomorrow is our last day in Vietnam before venturing back to the States and we have such a busy day planned! Which means I need to start getting ready for tomorrow. Goodnight from Ho Chi Minh! 

-Hailee

Company visits galore!

We decided to take the street vendor challenge last night and try some of the food around Ho Chi Minh. First, our UEF friends brought us a type of sticky rice with coconut. It was really sweet and tasted so good. Then we hopped on the bikes and went to another street vendor that had chicken and sticky rice, which was equally as good. For dessert, we went to a place called the New York Dessert Cafe. I got a huge piece of cheesecake and it was so good. Then we all walked around a nearby mall for a while. It had a lot of really nice shops in it, but the prices were about the same as they normally are in the US so I didn't feel compelled to buy anything. Most of our group went back to get ready to go out to Lush after that, but a few people including myself decided to spend more time at the mall with our UEF friends. It was so much fun and it amazes me how well you can get to know people in just a few short weeks.

 motorbike fun

Huyen is rollin' in the dong at the New York Dessert Cafe.

After our shopping extravaganza, I quickly got ready to go to Lush, which is supposed to be one of the best night clubs in Ho Chi Minh. It didn't disappoint at all and was amazing. Even the taxi ride there was amazing (the cab driver blasted Hotel California and the Macarena for us to dance to). It was ladies night so ladies got in for free and got almost any drink they wanted until midnight. We all had a great time hanging out with each other and it was definitely a night to remember!

Today we had so many company visits. First we went to Saigon Newport Corporation. This company provides many services that are associated with shipping goods on waterways. They own many shipyards throughout Vietnam. The Vietnamese Navy owns this corporation and manages it. We were given a presentation as well as a tour of the grounds, and it was really cool to see. Anh came with us to the visit and during the visit, she gave me a gift. The first day I had met her, she showed me a type of medicine used in Vietnam to cure headaches and stomachaches. Its this yellow liquid that you put on your temples and it cures you ailment. She gave me a small vial of it to take home with me and I thought it was so sweet of her to think of me!

After a nice long bus ride where we all napped, iced coffee, and lunch, we visited Quang Trung Software Company (QTSC). It houses a variety of software companies from around the world in a place known as "Quang Trung Software City". In addition, it also contains housing, restaurants, and schools. We walked around the software city to see schools and other buildings. After that, our group headed over to TMA Solutions, a local software company located in the software city. We were given a tour of their labs and then were spoken to in a meeting. The visit was very interesting as an engineer because it once again showed the possibility of either interning or living permanently abroad as an engineer. Before this trip, I probably would have never thought to look for internships or jobs abroad, but after spending so much time in Vietnam, it seems like a real possibility.

When we got back to our hotel, the UEF students picked us up for dinner as usual. First we went to get street vendor food, but this time we got ice cream. The ice cream was some fruity flavor (I can't remember what it is called), but it was really good. Next we went to a place called Kichi-kichi for hot pot. My driver and I may or may not have gotten lost on the way to the restaurant (we were just taking the scenic route) so we were a bit late. But luckily we didn't miss any of the awesome food. Basically what happens is you choose the type of seasoning you want in your pot and the waiter brings out a giant pot for you. Then you place it on a burner in front of you and add in any type of meat, vegetables, or noodles that you want in the pot to cook it. All of the stuff you can add to the pot travels around the tables in giant conveyor belts so you can pick and choose what you want. It was kind of overwhelming, but Dang sat next to me and showed me how to do it. She got me to try all kinds of really weird things, like squid and heart (#yolo, don't judge). Sounds gross, but it was actually kind of good as long as you didn't think about what you were eating. 

Tomorrow will be an early day because we are heading up to Cu Chi for the day. Which means that I need to stop blogging. Goodnight!

-Hailee

Only 4 more days left...

Last night we had a great time with the UEF students (as usual) and went out for Japanese food. Being a sushi lover, I thought this was an excellent choice! We sat on a table that was on a platform low to the ground and you had to take your shoes off before entering the area. It was really authentic and was probably the best sushi I've ever eaten. I even got to try saki, which turned out to be really delicious and much better than I had expected it to be. Afterwards we all went out and got ice cream at the same place we had eaten the first time we had hung out. I can't believe we have already been here for over a week now and can honestly say I have no desire to return to the US anytime soon because I am having so much fun!

 Spicy salmon sushi!

 Huyen and Emmy are very excited for their food

 Having fun eating sushi

Eric picked flowers for all of us! What a gentleman

This morning we woke up bright and early and headed over to UEF for culture and language class. In culture class, we learned about Vietnamese religion, which consisted mostly of Buddhism and a few indigenous religions that mostly on a close relationship with nature. It was the last of our culture classes, and i do feel like I have a better understanding of Vietnam now. Language class consisted mostly of asking someone what they did or where they were from and responding to both of those questions. About halfway through the class, I got somewhat distracted and ended up teaching a little bit of French to Ngan and Dang (Je t'aime!). In exchange, I found out how to say I love you in Vietnamese (Tôi yêu bạn)

We ate lunch at UEF, and then we headed over to GlassEgg, a digital media company. They do a lot of really cool stuff, including designing graphics for video games, most of which are racing games. The CEOs showed us around their lab where many graphic designers were designing characters, cars, buildings, etc for upcoming video games. Then they gave us a presentation on their company and it was really informative. The owners of GlassEgg also own a very popular nightclub in Vietnam called Lush. We have already visited Lush and it was awesome! Because they knew we were interested, they invited us to come to Lush tonight and be their guests. I am so excited, especially because it is ladies night! I need to get ready, but I will blog more later!

-Hailee

Heinz 57

Our nice weekend break officially ended today and it was back to company visits! We started off the morning by visiting Viet Thai, a company that owns multiple franchises mostly in Southeast Asia. One of the companies they own is called Highlands Coffee, which sells the most amazing coffee I've ever tasted. Sadly, it is not in the US, so I can only enjoy the excellent coffee in Vietnam. But because the meeting took place in a room above a Highlands Coffee shop, we got free coffee (yay!). I had no idea that Viet Thai was responsible for so many companies in Southeast Asia, including Highlands Coffee, Aldo, and Armani. The presentation was really informative and the representatives were so accommodating. Viet Thai also owns the Hard Rock Cafe in Ho Chi Minh, so even though it wasn't on our schedule, they made a few calls and we got an impromptu tour of Hard Rock. Even though we had kind of shown up last minute, the staff was nice enough to make lunch for us. So we got American food for the third time in Ho Chi Minh. Tran had never had ribs before, but got to try them and we were so proud of her! There was so much food and I ate way more than I should have.

A little taste of Pittsburgh in Vietnam!

Mmmm super healthy American food!

#YOLO

After stuffing ourselves with as much food as we could possibly eat, we headed over to the War Remnants Museum. It is located really close to our hotel and was built to help educate the public about the Vietnam War (or as it's called here, the American War of Aggression). Going through the museum made me realize that the US and Vietnam have two completely different perspectives on the same war. When I was going through the exhibits, it I felt like I was learning about a completely different war than the one I learned about in 9th grade American Cultures class! Even though we view the war as a civil war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, the museum portrayed the war as an attempted occupation of Vietnam by the US. In fact, none of the exhibits even mentioned any conflict between the north and south. It only depicted American troops destroying most of Vietnam (fun fact: The museum was originally named "The American War Crimes Museum" but once diplomatic relationships with the US and Vietnam reconvened, the US mentioned that they were slightly offended by that and the name was changed). There was one document in an exhibit that even compared the United States to the German Gestapo of WWII. It was a really eye opening experience for me. It just goes to show you that the saying "there are two sides to every story" is a very true statement. A lot of the exhibits we saw were horrible to look at, especially the ones involving Agent Orange (I'll spare you from a description). I'm sure the truth about the Vietnam War is somewhere in between Vietnam's story and the US's story, but regardless, it was truly a tragedy for both countries involved. I'm just very glad that I can be in Vietnam and treated so well by the locals, despite our shared history.

On a happier note, tonight we are going out for dinner with the UEF students again for either Japanese or Korean food. I'm so excited and am sure whatever we have to eat will be an experience. Goodbye for now!

-Hailee

Weekend Update

It has been such a busy and fun weekend! On Saturday, we didn't have class. So instead we took a tour of Ho Chi Minh City and did some really touristy stuff. We started off the day by going to Reunification Palace. It was originally the building where the president of South Vietnam lived and conducted business. However, when the North Vietnamese invaded Saigon, they took this building over, marking the end of the Vietnam War. It was an absolutely huge building with so many beautiful rooms in it. After that we headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral and post office. Even though we had already seen the cathedral and post office with the UEF students, it was still nice to see the cathedral during the day and we got some much needed shopping done at the post office gift shop! Then finally, we visited a beautiful pagoda. We got to go inside of it and see the Buddhist temple. The inside was incredible and very ornate, with gold almost everywhere you turned. We got to take our shoes off and explore the temple, and we even got to light incense and pray. It was a really unique cultural experience that would be unlikely to happen back home in America.

 Me in front of Reunification Palace

 Tran and I with a lovely view of Ho Chi Minh in behind us!

 The Notre Dame Cathedral

 Me in front of the pagoda we visited 

Part of the inside of the temple

Because we were only sightseeing we had a lot of extra time. Since we wanted to go shopping but wanted to make sure we weren't getting ripped off, a few of our UEF friends came with us to help us bargain. We went to the Bến Thành Market, which is a really famous tourist location in Ho Chi Minh City. Dang helped Emmy and I bargain in the market and we got some really good deals on cool stuff to bring back to the United States. Dang was so nice to help us out, because we were kind of clueless about prices! After that we got on motorbikes (of course) and headed to a karaoke bar. It wasn't like your typical American karaoke that involves stuffing a bunch of drunk people into a room and listening to a bunch of awful singers. Instead, we got a private room with a giant couch and huge TV and karaoke machine with almost any song you could imagine. It was really fun to watch everyone sing and have a good time. I decided to spare everyone from hearing my awful voice and didn't sing, although there was definitely a lot of peer pressure for trying to get me to sing. Maybe next time.

Emmy and Ricky rocking out

The next morning, our entire plus3 group took a trip to Vung Tau, which is about an hour and a half south of Ho Chi Minh City. After taking a boat to the area (which made more than a few of us a little seasick!) we spent the morning at the beach. First, Tran was nice enough to set up a few games for us to play. While we were doing this, we attracted a very large group of locals who stood their and took our pictures as we played the games. Being in Vietnam makes me feel like a celebrity sometimes. Everyone is taking our picture and the local news station even followed us around one day. Living in America, I am definitely not this used to feeling this out of place and it has been quite a culture shock! After the beach we relaxed in the South China Sea, which so beautiful and a great temperature for swimming! We swam for a really long time, but then had to dry off and go to lunch at a seafood restaurant by the sea. Then, we hiked up to this GIANT statue of Jesus that overlooks the town. It is huge and it is placed on a cliff that overlooks the entire town so you can see it for miles. Climbing up to the statue was quite a challenge (I obviously need to start working out when I get back to the States). I had a giant 1.5 Liter gallon of water that I was carrying with me, but one of the UEF students named Eden was so sweet and insisted he carrying it for me. He was so nice and I really enjoyed struggling up the hill with him! We stayed their for a while and practiced our Vietnamese on some of the locals. Most of the people we talked to were really surprised we knew any Vietnamese at all and were really fun to talk to. We spend a lot of time at the Jesus Statue, but then we eventually had to get on a boat and head back to Ho Chi Minh City.

 Some images of the beautiful Vung Tau

JESUS STATUE!

When we got back we took a much needed shower (but seriously, its amazing how gross you can get after a day at the beach and hiking in 100 degree weather). Then we went to dinner at a place called the Black Cat and found something really special... CHEESEBURGERS! And they were so good! But trying to eat one of the burgers made me realize just how much my diet has changed since coming to Vietnam. It was a pretty big cheeseburger, but before eating Vietnamese food for over a week I could have eaten it no problem. But after adjusting to the Vietnamese lifestyle, I couldn't even eat half of the burger without feeling sick. Still, it was so worth it and I would order a cheeseburger all over again. After dinner, we went to another restaurant where we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather on an outside porch. It was a really busy day, but so much fun and a nice break from classes

Someone is very happy with her cheeseburger!

Even though this weekend has been adventurous, I am excited to get back to classes tomorrow morning. We now have less than a week left in Vietnam, so I'm hoping the next week will be just as insightful and awesome as the last week! Since it is Mother's Day in the US right now, I'd just like to give a shout out to my wonderful Mom (and I know she'll see this because I'm pretty sure she stalks this blog). I'm sorry I can't be in the United States with you to celebrate, but I'll bring a really cool Mother's Day gift home with me. So try not to be too sad.

-Hailee

Another busy day

This morning we went to UEF to study in the morning and had culture class and language class. During culture class, we talked about the concept of the yin and the yang, which is apparently really important to the Vietnamese culture. The yin represents a feminine force while the yang represents the masculine force. There is always a little bit of the yang with in the yin, and vice versa. These two elements must always be in harmony for everything to function properly. We also talked about how people give flowers in Vietnam, which I thought was really cool. So, in the United States we usually give someone a dozen roses to someone we care about. However, in Vietnam, when they give flowers, they either give one, three, or nine (nine being the most preferred because it symbolizes "forever"). The only time you can break this rule is at weddings, where you should give two flowers (one for the bride and one for the groom). During language class we learned someone useful phrases. We learned how to ask someone how they are doing (Khỏe không?) and how to tell someone you were fine (tôi khỏe). We also learned a lot of adjectives to describe how we were feeling. I love absolutely love language class, but wish I was better at speaking Vietnamese!


After lunch we had a company visit at Ascenx. It turned out to be such an amazing visit. Ascenx is a small company that is headed by its CEO Tung Bach. Even though they were considered to be a smaller company, they were still doing well, especially due to outsourcing in Vietnam. As much as I enjoyed hearing about his company from an engineering perspective, Mr. Bach, who is a Vietnamese American, was kind enough to share his story with us. After the Vietnamese War, his family became very poor because they lived in the conquered boat. His uncle, who was a Navy captain in the South Vietnamese Army, was able to secure a boat and escaped Vietnam with Mr. Bach. He eventually made it to the United States, where he was raised, studied computer engineering in an American college, and became a CEO of his own company. I thought his story was incredible and felt honored to hear the story of one of the famous "boat people" of Vietnam. After the meeting, Mr. Bach invited us out for coffee, and we accepted and joined him at Highlands Coffee. The coffee was SO good, and I'm excited to go to our Highlands Coffee company visit to get more coffee!


We rested for about an hour at the hotel and then the UEF students picked us up and took us to explore South Saigon on motorbikes. We were all really excited because we were going to be eating Domino's Pizza. Finally, some American food! Because there aren't always enough seats for all twelve of us, Nino, Kathy, and I took a taxi to Domino's, but when we got there no one was in sight. We were convinced that the driver took us to the wrong Domino's and I started to freak out a little bit. But then about five minutes later we saw the rest of the motorbikes pulling up and we were so relieved. Emmy and I split a medium pepperoni pizza (which is about the size of a US small pizza). Even though there were only three sizes, which I would have easily been able to consume a week ago, it was impossible to finish. After only two tiny slices, I felt so full and finally for the first time since I've been in Vietnam, felt very very sick! I should have figured that the first thing to make me sick in Vietnam would be greasy American food. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I have finally gotten use to the Vietnamese food and would be perfectly fine if I didn't have any American food until I got back to the United States.

Looks delicious, but eating this did not go so well for me!

After dinner we rode the motorbikes to see the Crescent Mall and the Starlight Bridge. The Crescent Mall is a absolutely huge mall in South Saigon that has a lot of really cool stores in it. We walked around the mall for a while, but did not actually go inside because it closed too early. We think we might go back and shop their sometime before we leave because it looks fun. After we walked around the outside of the mall for a while, we walked over to the Starlight Bridge, which is a bridge that lights up at night and over looks the crescent. We took pictures on the bridge and had a really good time just hanging out with each other. The view was so beautiful and I'm so glad we were able to see it.

A picture of the Starlight Bridge and the surrounding area

The lovely ladies of Plus 3 Vietnam doing the sorority squat

Us with our friends from UEF

We took motorbikes back to the hotel after hanging out for a while. The motorbike rides are getting less and less scary every time and I'm not quite as worried about getting killed on one anymore! I think it finally hit me today that I am in Asia (how cool is that?!?!?!) and just how far away I am from home. But I have no desire to leave Vietnam anytime soon because Ho Chi Minh City is such an incredible place. Well, it is getting late now. Mệt quá! (So tired!). 

-Hailee

Motorbike fun

So, no American food for us. But we did get something even better! The UEF students picked us up at the hotel and took us to get Vietnamese barbecue. We got there by riding the motorbikes (Shh! Don't tell Brice). It was so cool to travel through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on a motorbike just like all the locals do. It was kind of scary at first, but really fun and a huge adrenalin rush. We got to the restaurant and, as usual, the food was not anything like American food (surprise!). You ordered what ever type of barbecued meat you wanted, but instead of bringing you the food cooked, they bring it to you completely raw and seasoned. Then they light a small grill in front of you and you cook the food yourself. I have never seen anything like it! One really cool thing I got to try for the first time was goat. Sound kind of gross, I know, but it was actually really good. The UEF students also brought us street vendor food, which was surprisingly good as well! To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I ate, but one important thing I've learned about eating in Vietnam is to not ask any questions about what you are eating and just go for it. During our meal, a girl named Dang was there to show us how to cook and eat the food. I am really bad at pronouncing her name, so I promised her I would work on saying her name for the next time I saw her. Now that I'm here, I feel so guilty for not being able to speak Vietnamese because they all speak English so well!

Emmy, Dang and I eating Vietnamese barbecue

Afterwards we walked around the city for a while and the students showed us some of the cool buildings in Ho Chi Minh. We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is a beautiful church located in Vietnam. We are apparently going back there this Saturday, but seeing the Cathedral at night with the lights shining on it was amazing. During this time we did something even more dangerous than riding a motorbike: we crossed the streets. Basically, there are absolutely not pedestrian laws in Ho Chi Minh, so you just kind of slowly inch your way out into traffic and pray that the motorbikes go around you and stop. Thankfully, the students at UEF are experts at this, so the lead the way and made sure that none of us got killed.

Today we had a long, but exciting day at UEF. We started off with culture class in the morning where we talked about Vietnam's history. One really cool story that we learned during the class was a story about a giant turtle that lives in a lake near the city of Hanoi. People are very protective of this animal because it is said to be over 1,000 years old and it is said to be the descendent of the golden turtle- an animal that allowed the Vietnamese king to save Vietnam from Chinese occupation. It was a really unique story and spoke a lot about the Vietnamese culture. After culture class, we had language class, where we learned about Vietnamese vowels and tones and practiced the words we already knew. In English, we have 5 vowels, but in Vietnamese they have ten! Also unlike English, Vietnamese is a tonal language with 6 different tones. We practiced saying the vowels each with all of the tones. I'm sure we sounded really funny to anyone that was listening to us from outside the room. Even though the language is really difficult to learn, I love that we get to learn it every day and want to get better at it. 

After lunch, we got together with the students in the UEF English club and had a cultural exchange. We were split up into teams ( ba muoi lam! #golo) and competed against each other in a lot of really fun games. The first activity we did was a game where we were given a sheet with 2 columns: one with a cultural norm in the United States written in English, and the other with a cultural norm in Vietnam written in Vietnamese. You had to explain what the paper said in your column and then compare the differences between Vietnam and the USA. It was really beneficial to learn about the differences and similarities in both of our countries. It made me realize that even though we do have different customs, we really aren't so different after all. Next, we had a dance competition where we had to mimic the dance that one of the UEF students had made for us. He was an AMAZING dancer, and unlike him I looked like a complete idiot trying to do his dance. After that, we played a game of charades which was  also a really good time. Our team won the round and we were having so much fun (especially when we had to act out the word "bra"). Then we played a game where we competed in teams of two. The goal of each team was to have one person spin another person around their body for as many times as they could without dropping them. Elliot was the spinner for our team and he did a really good job! After that we did something I never thought I would be doing: we played a game that involved running around and catching a baby pig. When my turn came up, I channeled my inner Wisconsin country girl and actually caught the piggy before anyone else! But instead of putting it down like everyone else before me, I picked it up and cuddled with it for a while and shouted "It's so cute!", which caused a lot of the UEF students to laugh. I was really tempted to steal the pig and take him back home with me! Then we played a few more games that involved shooting balls through hula hoops and a game that was kind of like twister only slightly more painful because you had to walk under and over people. All of the games that we did were really fun and I had so much fun with my team!

After that we had an awards ceremony to announce what team had one. Our team had come in second place and we were all given gifts to open later. Then we did a gift exchange with the UEF students and I exchanged gifts with one of my teammates, Thanh. I gave her a Pitt t-shirt and she gave me a basket of really cool gifts from UEF and a really cool keychain. I promised to friend her on facebook and email her when I get back to the United States, and can't wait to do that because she is so nice! Afterwards of the UEF and Pitt students got and a circle and sang Backstreet Boys together (gotta love those 90's boy bands!) and then had a dance party for a while. Then we opened the presents we had gotten from the awards ceremony, and they were filled with really cool types of fruit, including dragonfruit! Hanging out with the UEF students is always so much fun. They are the coolest people ever and we all love spending time with them. This afternoon was so much fun and I am so happy to be here in Vietnam.

We went back to the hotel for a while to relax and then met up with the UEF students to go get pho, which we had all been talking about for the entire trip. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle dish that is really famous, so we had been wanting to try it. Once again, we rode the motorbikes to the restaurant. The pho was really good, and I'm so glad we got to try it. After dinner, the students took some of us on a motorbike ride throughout Ho Chi Minh. Dang was nice enough to let me ride with her on her bike. It was such a cool experience seeing Ho Chi Minh City from the back of a motorbike, but it was also a kind of terrifying experience. There were a few times during our trip that I saw my life flash before my eyes and may have almost died several times. It's kind of unavoidable because of all the people and total disregard for any traffic laws. But Dang was a really good driver and we made it through the city in one piece. During our trip, we passed over a bridge where you could see the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Seeing the city all lit up at night from the bridge was absolutely breathtaking. Seeing the city made me realize how lucky I am to be able to experience something like this, both as a student and an engineer. Not everyone gets the opportunity to study abroad in such an amazing city, and I'm so happy to be here. 

Vietnamese Pho

Well, it is 12:30 AM currently in Ho Chi Minh. We have to get up bright and early tomorrow, which means I should probably be sleeping. Goodnight from Vietnam!

-Hailee

That's a pancake?

Last night, a group of the Vietnamese students took us out to dinner for pancakes. As expected, they are absolutely nothing like American pancakes. They were pretty much giant eggs with vegetables and seafood stuffed in them. Then you took part of the pancake, put it on a giant lettuce leaf, and rolled it up and ate it like that. If I had been in the United States, there would be absolutely no way I would have tried something like that. But I tried it and it ended up being really good (#yolo). The UEF students were a lot of fun, and really liked the fact that we were trying and enjoying their food. After dinner, they took us out for ice cream, which was pretty much the exact same thing as American ice cream. They also tried to teach us a little more Vietnamese, and laughed at us as we completely butchered their language.

 A Vietnamese pancake (which is kind of like an American omelette)

Ice Cream!

This morning we woke up and went to company visits. First we went to Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), which houses several major industries in Vietnam, including many big engineering companies. We sat through a very informative presentation, in which the projects (VSIP I, VSIP II, VSIP Bac Ninh, VSIP Hai Phong, and VSIP Quang Ngai) were further explained to us. All five of the industrial parks have brought many foreign companies to the area, which have been a blessing for the economic growth of Vietnam. After the presentation, we got to take a tour of VSIP I. It was amazing to see just how many companies outsourced to VSIP, including several American companies like Kimberly Clark, Williams Sonoma, and II-VI Co. It was good to see just how many engineering companies had factories abroad, and gave me a better idea of engineering job opportunities in other countries.

The entrance of the VSIP I headquarters

Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park: home to many companies from around the world

After the VSIP tour, we visited II-VI, an engineering company that originated in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. It specializes in optoelectronics and is a major supplier of optics to places all over the world. I was really excited for the II-VI company visit because it was the company I had done my pre-departure report on, and I was not disappointed. David Baker, the chief engineer at II-VI Vietnam, gave us a tour of the factory and showed us how the glass for the optics were made. It is a really complicated process that involves making the correct size glass, coating it, polishing it, and making sure it does not have any scratches on it (fun fact: glass used for optics that has any scratch bigger than 100 micrometers, aka: really really tiny, is considered unusable). The nerdy engineer in me absolutely loved the tour that we went on (After all, I can't imagine anything more fun than talking about chemistry and physics nonstop for over an hour). It also made me really consider the possibility of working at an engineering company abroad one day, because the thought of being able to work while experiencing life in another country sounds awesome!

The polishing room in II-VI

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for lunch and then left the for UEF. We found out that UEF really consists of three seperate schools: one for first year students, one for second year students, and one for third and fourth year students. Until today, we had only visited the one for third and fourth year students, but today we had a presentation at the first year school. It was given by Frank Joseph from the US Consulate about economics abroad. It was honestly more useful for the business students to see, but it was still interesting to learn more about Vietnam's economic history.

We are now back at the hotel and attempting to search the city for anything resembling American food. While the food is really good, it is also really different. A little bit too different sometimes. So were hoping that American food does in fact exist in this city because we could all use a cheeseburger right now.

-Hailee

Well, we survived the first day

It's day two in Vietnam and I think I'm finally beginning to adjust to the time change. An eleven hour difference is kind of hard to get used to, but I'm a lot less tired than I was yesterday. We woke up early again for breakfast, which once again consisted of a lot of rice. I also think I'm getting more used to the food finally and am beginning to really enjoy it.

We once again went to UEF to take classes in the morning. We were fortunately enough to have a presentation in the morning about Urban Development Planning to gain a better understanding for our company visit to Phu My Hung later in the day. The presentation was really interesting and it was cool to be able to see just how much Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City have changed within the last 20 years. It went from being a country with absolutely no foreign trade and a terrible economy to a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, a large part of that due to Ho Chi Minh City. After that presentation, we had another language class where we reviewed what we had learned the day before and learned to count in Vietnamese (một, hai, ba, bốn, năm, sáu, bảy, tám, chín, mười!) Even though I can now say that I can count in Vietnamese, it may be a while before I attempt to use my skills to bargain with the locals at the market. I'm not quite that good at Vietnamese just yet.


After another great lunch at UEF, we headed directly over to Phu My Hung Corporation located in South Saigon. They are an urban development company, and have done wonders for Ho Chi Minh City. Their company essentially expanded Ho Chi Minh City to the south by building hundreds of modern buildings, including many apartment style residence homes, several schools, and a HUGE mall (which the shopaholic in me fully appreciates!). One really cool thing about the area in South Saigon that Phu My Hung designed was the amount of green space it has. Unlike the center of Ho Chi Minh, which is really overcrowded, this part of the city is spacious, green, and absolutely beautiful. After the presentation, we were allowed to go onto a balcony overlooking the city with the most amazing view of Ho Chi Minh. The city is definitely not what I expected, but I'm glad my original thoughts about Vietnam are being proved wrong.

 A view of Ho Chi Minh City from South Saigon

Emmy and I at Phu My Hung

Tonight the students from UEF are taking us out for dinner. They said they are buying us smoothies and then we are going out for Vietnamese pancakes (which I'm sure will be absolutely nothing like American pancakes). I'm so excited to experience Vietnam with the local students. It should be so much fun! We are leaving for dinner soon, but I will post more later.

-Hailee

Xin Chao Vietnam!

Well, we made it to Vietnam safely! Unfortunately, my luggage did not. It is currently on another continent in the lovely city of Chicago. Needless to say, it has made the first day kind of difficult because I don't have any of my stuff. Hopefully it arrives sometime soon before I wear all of my poor roommate's clothes. I'm trying to be optimistic and am sure it will arrive here shortly.

The first thing I noticed immediately when we arrived last night was just how hot it was. Dr. Burman was not exaggerating at all when he told us it would be a little warm outside. Not only is it ridiculously hot, but it also is humid, which makes things a million times worse. Luckily, we are staying in the lovely Victory Hotel, which just so happens to have air conditioning. So even though it is really really hot, the weather is bearable. Another thing that was immediately noticeable were the extreme amount of motorbikes on the roads. That is the main form of transportation in Vietnam, and it is basically a mad free for all on the highways. Seeing all of the drivers was cool, but kind of scary because there are really no safety laws on the roads, which makes for an interesting sight.

Some of the motorbikes on the roads in Vietnam

We woke up this morning at about 8 and went to get breakfast. But instead of your typical American breakfast, we were served a variety of rice, fruits, and lots of seafood. It was definitely a little bit of a culture shock at first, but the food was delicious, so it was okay. After breakfast we headed over to the University of Economics and finance, where the English Club and many faculty members greeted us. When we were getting off of our bus, a camera crew from the local news station was there to film our arrival. They filmed us throughout the entire day at the university, and it kind of made me feel like a celebrity. It was weird to be getting so much attention but I guess Americans are a bit of a rare sight in Vietnam.

When we got inside of the university, they had a welcome ceremony for us. Many of the faculty members spoke to us and the students performed a few shows for us, including a puppet show and a few singing acts (loved the One Direction shout out, by the way). Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and I was surprised to see how well everyone spoke English. During the opening ceremony, we had to get to know a Vietnamese student and ask them questions. I talked to a girl named Anh, who  is a junior majoring in finance. She is very sweet and offered to show us around Ho Chi Minh either Saturday or Sunday, which would be awesome!

After the welcoming ceremony we had our first language class. The teacher was very theatrical and funny, and it made learning the language so much easier. We learned how to say a few basic phrases in Vietnamese, such as thank you (cam on), I'm sorry (xin loi), and hello (xin chao). It seems like it is a really difficult language to learn, but I'm looking forward to learning more. After that, we had lunch at the school, and once again the food was different, but great. It was our first experience with chop sticks in Vietnam, so it was quite interesting. Anh ate with us and attempted to show us how to use them properly, but it didn't always work out so well. The camera crews were filming this, and I'm sure it made it on to the news and we looked like foolish Americans. I wouldn't be surprised if that footage ended up on a Vietnamese comedy show, because we looked pretty ridiculous.

After taking a nice break, we headed to the US Consulate, the location of the old US embassy during the Vietnam War. However, in order to get to the consulate, we had to cross the street, which was an experience in itself. It's kind of like human frogger, but with many more motorbikes. You kind of just have to walk out in traffic and hope that no one hit you. Luckily, we made it through the traffic alive and got to enter the consulate. Seeing the consulate close up was a cool experience. It was interesting to learn more about the Vietnam War through both the American and Vietnamese perspective (fun fact: In Vietnam its not the Vietnam War. Its the American War). It was also nice to see how relationships between the two countries have changed for the better. Most Vietnamese really like Americans and want better relationships with us, which is good for everyone.

Then we headed to dinner and a Vietnamese restaurant called Wrap & Roll. It was authentic Vietnamese food, so it was a bit confusing for us because we weren't quite sure how to eat half of it. Thankfully, our helpful guide Tran was there along with some of the staff from UEF, and they were happy to help us. There was SO MUCH food, and it got to the point where the food kept coming long after we were all full. After dinner we headed back to the hotel for the night.

The outside of Wrap & Roll

Some of the food we were served. Yum!

After dinner we headed back to the hotel for the night. We had a very interesting and fun group bonding session. It makes me happy to be in Vietnam with the people I'm with (YOLO). Its getting late now, but I am looking forward to the day tomorrow! Goodnight from Vietnam!

-Hailee