The Experience Ends; The Remembering Begins

We watched the end of the year approach, maybe wishing it to come more slowly than it did. There is so much to process and reflect upon.  Much of that will happen once back in the familiar confines of home; memories coming back all at once, or in fits and starts, or disappearing and reemerging in a different color and tone later on. But for now, these are the images, feelings and memories we will take with us as we make our exit from Viet Nam. . .

Andrew Sanborn
What I will miss most is my loving host family, who cared for me like I was one of their own. Throughout the year, they have supported me and made me feel welcome in a place that was very intimidating at first. When they came to greet me, they brought a giant bouquet of flowers for me.  I will miss my host family very much when I leave Vietnam. They will always have a special place in my heart, and I will never forget the kindness they showed to me this past year.

Anna Oakes

I’ll think about the Chị’s at the Mì Xào place and the Cô’s at the café we rather nonsensically called Ga 36, and how they went from being just our waitresses to what I could easily call our friends. I’ll remember waving hello every day to the family—husband, wife, and two grown children—who always sit at the corner of my street drinking tea and smoking Thuốc lào. I doubt I’ll forget the more unpleasant things, either: walking down the street, painfully aware of blatant stares and trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Uncomfortable cab rides, unwelcome catcalls from old men, and an unbelievable number of demands for my name, age, phone number, and current marital status. To me, Viet Nam cannot be condensed into a few noteworthy anecdotes; instead, it can only really be remembered as an accumulation of routines, customs, and experiences.

Perrine Aronson

I don’t forget what I have experienced. So I guess in 20 years, what I’ll recall clearly is how much traffic annoyed me, how terrified I was of my Vietnamese grandmother, and how enchanted I was each time my host mother would pop in my room, telling me to put some clothes on so that we could go shopping, or get a massage, or a haircut, or go meet some random old man. But see, there are too many things I can remember and talk about, so I’ll just tell you what I know I’ll remember most: Vietnam itself. 
                                                                                                
Elliot Crofton
Vietnam has grown on me. It squeezes its way into my veins and pumps through me. I will miss this place very much. I will miss my host family, I will miss my friends, and I will also miss the language; above all though I will simply miss being somewhere different. This place is so completely unlike everything I know, and I have grown fond of constantly being surrounded by new things. I will miss being in the beautiful, cloudy, mysterious land of Vietnam.

Luke Williams
What I will remember most about Viet Nam are the people. I have built many relationships that have defined my time here. The bonds that I have created with my host family and friends inside and outside of school have really made this experience memorable. For me living has always been about relationships, and living in Vietnam has exemplified this once again.

Sarah Weiner

I'll never forget waking up each morning knowing that outside the walls of my peaceful apartment lay an entirely new world, waiting for me to explore and discover.  To say that life in Hanoi was never boring would be an understatement.  Though the chaos and pandemonium of the bustling Vietnam streets was at times completely overwhelming, it constantly encouraged and motivated me to branch out beyond my comfort zone.