Is this thing on?

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? I'm not sure I'm doing this whole abroad thing right... it's officially halfway through the semester and I'm still trying to get the hang of things. Below are some musings on the good, the bad, and the ugly of life in Saigon. And if you don't feel like reading it all, the moral of the story is that I still have half of the semester to make this the experience I want and I'm feeling motivated as hell to make it just that and then some.

Adjusting:

Getting used to living in Ho Chi Minh City has been much more difficult than I thought. Everything about life is just a little bit harder than it is at home, so I keep finding myself dejected, tired, and sweaty, trying desperately to find wifi so I can just call an uber home already. Between the language barrier, air pollution, lack of sidewalks (and most infrastructure), and so much more, I found myself wanting to leave the city every chance I got. Now that I'm halfway through, I'm realizing I haven't spent enough time getting to know Ho Chi Minh City, and I still feel like an outsider. I'm not sure I'll never be able to feel like an "insider," but I have to start somewhere.

Food:

I love Vietnamese food, don't get me wrong, but the never ending fight against the streets for every single meal had gotten me down. Two weeks ago I found myself more often than not ordering Indian delivery and eating in bed. NO MORE. I have vowed to try new food and be more adventurous! Day 4 of eating adventurous was a roaring success: smoothie for breakfast, vegan food for lunch, and delicious beef rice noodles and a banana cake for dinner. BANH MI. BUN CHA. PHO. SINH TO. COME AT ME LET'S GOOOO.

The People:

I've gone through a few different phases with my understanding of Vietnamese culture and my impressions of the Vietnamese people.

Phase 1: Everything is new and great

"Wow, everyone here is so nice and friendly and they're so happy to have me, a naive and clueless foreigner, in their country. Neat!"

Phase 2: Cue the culture shock

"Wow, why is everyone staring at me? I haven't seen another white person in weeks and now they all look the same. Why do people keep looking at my feet? Stop trying to rip me off and stop laughing at me! Where are the stoplights and why are people driving on the sidewalks? OMG they deliver burritos to the dorm? Fuck yes."

Phase 3: Ok, I kinda get it now

"Starting to form some actual relationships and learn a thing or two aaaaaand I think we might be on to something."

Basically I understand nothing and am just now starting to scratch at the surface of Vietnamese culture. My experience with culture shock is SO DIFFERENT than what I expected from what the internet told me it would be like before I left (but then again, my "parasite" diagnosed by WebMD was actually just food poisoning so can you really believe everything you read?). I'm really, really hoping that the next two months take me below this surface level understanding of Vietnam and allow me to dig a little deeper. I can't wait for what phase 4, 5, etc. could possibly hold.

Harry Potter:

Yeah, you read that right. Harry Potter: a very important and grounding aspect of my abroad experience. I had a really hard time setting tangible goals for this semester, so I decided to make it my personal mission to read all 7 Harry Potter books by April 29th. I've spent my life claiming to be vehemently anti-Potter, but I've never actually watched the movies or read the books. If this whole semester is about trying new things and being open to new ideas, why not start with witchcraft and wizardry? I started the first book when we were in Malaysia and I am now halfway through book 5. This serves as a notice to PRETTY PLEASE not spoil anything for me.

What's next?

I knew I wanted this semester to be a challenge, but it hasn't challenged me in any of the ways I had anticipated. I'm not on the hunt for any Eat-Pray-Love style self-discovery, and I don't need this semester to "find myself" (can we ever really be found? - a topic for another time). That being said, I expected to feel challenged as a person and so far it's mostly been challenges crossing the street. I'm sure it's one of those things I will never fully understand until I'm out of it. I guess it'd be all too easy if it made sense now, huh?

Up next on the travel agenda: a Saigon Staycation, a quick trip to Bali, Indonesia, and a long adventure to Hue, Hoi An, and Hanoi (North and Central Vietnam). Also considering impulse buying a flight to South Korea or Myanmar - will let you know how that daydream ends up playing out.