VietBlog

Everyone jumped out of their seats screaming while rushing to the right side of the bus to catch a glimpse out the window. There, in full view of the bus, was a giant elephant wearing sandals standing on a street corner, right outside a café. We had only just gotten off the boat and onto the bus five minutes before. We were in Phnom Penh.

Photo courtesy of Katie Denton.

Even though we were in the same part of the globe as Vietnam and only 5 hours down river from where we had been staying a week earlier (the equivalent of Washington DC to Morgantown), we were in a different land. There was a new language to be learned, new greetings, and a new culture.

Rescued girls at an NGO practicing traditional Khmer dance.

Daily specials for Friends Restaurant written in Khmer and English.

A week earlier in the workshops we were discussing dating rituals during one of Jim Keim’s discussions. The Vietnamese and Cambodian students were talking about going to meet the family of either the boy or the girl. One side met the boy’s family, the other the girl. There was raucous laughter from both sides, while we American students sat confused. Obviously, through the realms of translation and cultural differences, we lost the meaning. But the point was they were two separate cultures, however similar they seemed to us.

Cambodia was a dream come true for the journalist in me. There were English-language newspapers everywhere we went. At the time, big protests were happening throughout Phnom Penh over a visit from the Thai Prime Minister. It is even the location of the FCC, or the Foreign Correspondent Club. And everything was newsworthy. But that is not necessarily a good thing. Newsworthy means corruption, poverty, social issues.

The atmosphere in Cambodia was different from Vietnam. While both countries are considered developing, Vietnam focused more on commerce and business, while Cambodia’s economy was geared towards tourists. That is because there were tons of tourists in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap. People came from all over Asia: China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. And then there were the westerners. Way more than you would see in Vietnam. They were from as many places as the Asian tourists were from – North America, Australia, and Europe. Remnants of past French occupation were present in both countries. However, while Vietnam seemed to grow more independent from its western-dominated past, Cambodia seemed to still be struggling with it. In Cambodia the American dollar is preferred to the Riel. English is just as common as Khmer. And the new dominating force is NGOs, rather than colonists.

One night at a café in Phnom Penh, we ran into a master student from the University of Maryland, named Ben. Ben worked for an NGO that provided economic development. What his NGO did was go into small, poverty-ridden villages throughout Cambodia to promote sustainable economic practices. Without any help from natives, they were supposed to go into these villages and convince villagers to change their livelihoods in order to convert gatherers and farmers into beekeepers who produce honey. The one major flaw was even though honey is a renewable resource; there is not much of a market for it in Asia. However, because the NGO had already procured funds for honey production, they were stuck with it –whether or not there was a possibility of failing. When we inquired how Ben felt about this, he said he didn’t have many feelings about it. Rather, he was hoping to see some elephants and tigers.

While Ben’s story may or may not be true, it illustrates the conflict of NGOs in Cambodia. While there are many successful NGOs, including the ones we visited, such as Friends and COSECAM, there are plenty more unsuccessful NGOs. And the ones that fail ultimately hurt the people trying to help. Stories of corrupt NGOs littered papers. Everywhere you went in Cambodia, you were faced with an NGO.

But why so many NGOs? Because of the tourism. And with the tourism came the “other” tourism. Sex tourism, brothels and nightclubs, drug abuse all stemmed from the tourists. It was not uncommon to walk down the street and see young prostitutes or old, white men accompanying two sixteen year old girls. But the question is, should tourism stop because of these issues?

Cambodia recently suffered a massive genocide during the 1970s. The country was pretty much closed off to the rest of the world until the 1990s. Under Pol Pot’s regime, over a third of the population was massacred. When visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (otherwise known as S21 Prison), instruments of torture remain as evidence to the horrors that took place. This instability continues to affect Cambodia today, with rampant poverty, unstable government, and excessive landmines littering the countryside.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

Despite all these drawbacks, Cambodia possesses something else. When touring the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda of Phnom Penh or exploring the magnificent ruins of Angkor Wat, you know Khmer culture is unique. The language is beautiful, closely resembling Thai and Hindi. The countryside is gorgeous, with breathtaking architecture and tropical landscapes. And the people are resilient and strong, yet generous and kind.

Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.

A Buddhist monk perched on the back of a motorbike in the heart of Phnom Penh.

Bakheng Hill Temple, Siem Reap during sunset.

Lonely Planet Video – Angkor Wat

Many of our friends made on the trip were Cambodian social workers. Some of the most amazing locations we visited were during our one week spent there. The food, culture, and openness of the people are something everyone should experience once in their life.

Cambodia still has many challenges to overcome. But that does not mean ii doesn’t have many strengths to draw from. Some of the most selfless and awe-inspiring people I have met in my life are Cambodian social workers. And if I were to ever travel back, it would not be for the newsworthiness of the country, but rather because I enjoy spending time there so much.

Example of traditional architecture, Royal Palace.

Girl in traditional Khmer dress at Bayon Temple, Siem Reap.

A monk outside Banteay Srei Temple.

What is the number one killer of tourists in Vietnam? Surely it must be landmines, poisonous snake bites, or malaria. The answer? None of the above. According to the US State Department, the number one killer is traffic accidents – mostly from crossing the street.

There are a lot of peculiarities in Vietnam/ Cambodia that the average American would cringe at. Bizarre foods, foreign toilets, and other oddities stem from cultural differences. So what is this about crossing the street?

Traffic in Vietnam is chaotic to say the least. And that’s in the countryside! In the city, crossing the street seems impossible. Stop signs and lanes don’t seem to make a difference. And don’t think that just because the directional flow of traffic seems to be established, that it’s uncommon to see a motorbike traveling against the grain, simply darting around the sea of oncoming traffic surrounding it. My first time I had to have my hand held. And even after I crossed, I was still shaking for a few minutes.

Lonely Planet video from the Lonely Planet shows just how chaotic traffic can be, although it’s from Hanoi, not HCM City.

Some other oddities include the food. In a previous blog entry, there was another Lonely Planet video featuring food of Ho Chi Minh City. This video featured the infamous durian, a fruit meant not for the squeamish. While two Southeast Asian natives on the trip, Arnita and Hieu, proclaimed their undying love for the fruit, the rest of us (especially the few who were brave enough to try a taste) were less than horrified by the experience. The spinney fruit is instantly recognizable – not by how it looks, but how it smells. I would describe it as something between dirty diapers, onions, and old feet. The stench is so potent, the fruit is banned in most airlines, hotels, and public facilities. If you can get past the smell, the texture is sticky and warm. But once you chew it, you can kind of taste something sweet and ponder if it’s an acquired taste.

Some other crazy foods we tried throughout our trip included curried crocodile, coconut snail soup, candy made only of gelatin, sesame seeds, and peanuts, squid tentacles, 1000 year old eggs, chicken feet, shrimp heads, tarantula in Cambodia, and fermented fish sauce. And then there was the underdeveloped duck egg.

Angie Miller, a graduate student in social work at WVU’s campus in Wheeling, was the first brave one to endure the duck egg. She also wrote about another odd cultural difference she encountered when talking to Minh, one of the V-riders.

In my family we have this inside joke that when we’re lost we can get back on track with the help of “iron boogers”. I think maybe it has something to do with being able to have a “sense” for direction, but that’s only speculation. Since I’ve arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, I have been sort of disoriented in a directional sense.

One day we were traveling away from HCM City to attend the food festival (where I met my first duck egg) with our hosts – the V-Riders. While on the bus I asked several of the V-Riders which direction we were headed. I was surprised by their stares of confusion and a barrage of “What do you mean?” questions. I explained by asking them whether we were headed north, south, east, or west of HCM City. I reframed my question by asking what direction, if you were looking at a map, would we be headed: up, down, right, or left? Their explanation was that in HCM City there was no need for north, south, east, or west because you would only be confused with the one way streets and fast-paced motorbikes. I guess it is sort of comparable to driving in Pittsburgh in that respect, so I’m not sure if it a cultural difference or maybe an issue of urban life versus rural life.

The conversation progressed to asking for directions. Apparently there are individuals who are the ‘go-to’ persons for questions pertaining to direction within the city. The translation to English is “motorbike huggers.” The name explains itself. According to the V-Rider’s description a “motorbike hugger” knows how to get anywhere you want to go and because of their “skillfulness” in navigating around the city at such rapid speeds their passengers will have to hold on to them -hug them- so as not to fall off the motorbike. I asked how one would know whether the driver was a “motorbike hugger” to which they replied the driver who was parked faced towards the street. My last question was whether the V-Riders had taken a ride with a “motorbike hugger” and all of replied that they were too afraid. So my advice is, when in HCM City ‘steer’ clear of the driver’s sitting on their bikes facing into the street and take a taxi cab instead! They will get you where you need to go just the same. As for which way we traveled from Ho Chi Minh City the night of the food festival – I’m still not sure!

Another oddity is the bathroom situation. Not only is toilet paper a limited commodity – to the point of where if you go into a bathroom at a gas station, you’ll be grateful if there is even a pink, scratchy roll that resembles streamers, but the toilet is something that takes awhile to get used to, as well. Known as the Asian toilet, this bathroom obstacle resembles a porcelain hole in the floor. Though men might find it easy to use, my gender encounters numerous problems when faced with such a device!

There are also cultural differences that become apparent when spending a month in the country. One thing is calling someone over by signaling them with your palm face up is considered rude. Basically it is the same as calling them a dog, since the same gesture is used to call one in Vietnam. The proper way to call someone over is to signal them with your palm facing down. Another difference is one shared with many other countries around the world. That is the rule of personal space. We Americans like to have our “bubble”, but in other parts of the world, including Vietnam, expect to have your bubble violated! Not that it’s a bad thing; people just like to express their feelings with touching.

As you can imagine, this can make standing in line uncomfortable. Well, that’s if there were lines. However, when going to the super market we discovered that whoever put’s their merchandise down on the counter gets rung up, regardless if you have been standing there for an hour!

There are other cultural differences, such as dating rituals,), fashion, and taste in music. While we would be crazy to wear long pants and sleeves in the tropics, it’s the norm in Vietnam. Their pale is as sought after as a good tan here. And while French or Spanish lines in a song here is popular, interjection of an English line in a Vietnamese song (or Korean pop music – a popular genre in Vietnam) is a huge hit. And of course there are the obvious ones like eating lots of rice and exotic foods and using chop sticks. Fire by 2NE1

Some members of our group fell in love with Asian TV and music videos, took to wearing scarves and hair clips, and desperately missed rice with every meal when they returned home. While durian wasn’t necessarily missed (unless you are Hieu!), these cultural oddities became gems. It’s what made our travels so interesting. Now that I am home, I taught my friends how to use chop sticks, bought a bottle of fish sauce from the international section of my grocery store, and wear long pants, and showed everyone Korean pop videos.

But while the differences kept thing new and exciting, the most exciting things were the similarities. The fact that we laughed at the same jokes, loved singing along to the same songs (though they did it mostly during karaoke!), and shared the same dreams of graduating and traveling made Asia seem that much closer to home.

Our first night in Vietnam we visited a special place. As a first year journalism student at WVU the importance of this visit didn’t strike me until much further into the trip, when we were attending workshops in Long Xuyen. That night we went to a place dubbed the “Social Work Café”. During our visit, I was groggy with dehydration, so some details evaded me. However, from the pre-departure meetings with Dr. Newfield and the events of the meeting I knew where we were was important.

We went to a place that wasn’t a café at all, but rather a meeting place for those interested in promoting social work in the country. The Social Work Café is a safe place for social workers to meet and discuss moving the field forward.

Social work in Vietnam is in its infancy. Social services and programs in existence are mainly provided by the government and volunteers. There are only a handful of social workers educated at the master’s level. Dr. Newfield and WVU School of Social Work are working to improve social work in Vietnam. By partnering with An Giang University, Dr. Newfield provides expert information on the field of social work to people from all over Vietnam, and even Cambodia. These workshops provide students and workers with information about counseling, diagnosis, and social work theories.

One of the main issues in Vietnam is the trafficking of young girls to work in sex trade around Southeast Asia, especially over the border in Cambodia. Other issues include drug use, HIV/AIDS, and poverty like many other countries around the world. However, without social work and similar professions to help with counseling and prevention, these issues could escalate.

In Vietnam we visited several social institutions to see how social work has helped these situations already, and how they can be improved. One of the first we visited was a school for disabled children in Ho Chi Minh City. There the owner told us that this school helped poor children with Cerebral Palsy or hearing disabilities. They took contributions from private donors and aid from the government. We then visited a shelter for abused girls. At both locations we were greeted with open arms and engaged in games and songs with the children.

Our next social work visit was in An Giang Province. The Khai Tri School is a school for girls and boys who are poor and usually have one or no parents. Students are fed and taught various subjects, including English. While primary and secondary education in Vietnam is free, private or specialized schools (including those aimed at helping disadvantaged children) can sometimes cost money. All university and vocational education usually costs money and is highly competitive. The Khai Tri School will help send gifted students to tertiary education.

To run the school for a day costs about $100. Again, the school receives money from the government and private donors. And like the other two agencies, when we visited the children, they greeted us with open arms. We laughed, played, sang, and dance for hours until it came time to leave, and every single WVU students had to be pulled away because we did not want to leave. For more information about education in Vietnam, visit Cultural Profiles, Vietnam.

The next social work agency we visited was Project Adapt, an NGO located in Long Xuyen that partners with Pacific Links. Project Adapt helps intervene in the trafficking of girls by providing vocational training and education to use for an alternative for income rather than trafficking. For more information about Project Adapt, visit their website.

The role of social work is just as essential when crossing the border. In Cambodia, social work is taken to a whole different level. There the dominate force is the NGO, or non government organization. The first NGO we visited was COSECAM, a coalition of different NGOs to combat sexual exploitation of women and children. The next was Friends Restaurant, an NGO that trains street children in its restaurants to give them vocational training in the food service industry.

We also visited shelters for abused girls. Because of the issue of sex tourism in Cambodia, there is a real need for shelters for displaced children. Our friend Bunna, a Cambodian social worker who attended the workshops, invited us to her shelter. Even though it was surrounded by high walls covered in glass shards to keep out dangers to the girls, the place was one of comfort and happiness. The girls even performed traditional Khmer dancing, a skill they will be able to use once they leave the shelter. At another shelter called the Agape Restoration Center in Phnom Phen, run by AIM4Asia. This shelter provides services specifically for abused girls, and it’s facilities provide a safe environment, along with educational and counseling opportunities for the girls.

The final agency we visited in Cambodia, and one of my favorites on the trip, was Centre de Protection Pour Enfants in Siem Reap. Our friend Kimhourt, another Cambodian social worker, worked for a separate branch of this organization in Phenom Phen. There they school children performed traditional Khmer music and dance for us. I met a little girl named Ruka who braided my hair and made me a flowered wreath.

Photo courtesy of Minh Lucas Huynh

Visiting these agencies and attending the Social Work Workshops at An Giang University gave me new perspective about social work. Social work in Southeast Asia is not only about helping victims, but preventing situations like human trafficking from occurring. Social workers help connect their clients to health services, provide them with counseling, and help provide better options. And the social workshops at An Giang University help bring information to the social workers that are already active in the region and breed a future generation of social workers.

When I look back at that first night at the “Social Work Café”, I realize the importance of social work. I met the great people whose lives were being improved by social services and the great people who provided those social services. The discussions our students had with the social workers that night are exactly what the profession needs. Perhaps one day, a child can look forward to being a social worker the same way they look forward to being doctors, business owners, and other “real” professions.

The other thing that stood out about that first night was an absence. One of the first things mentioned was the passing of a woman: Madame Nguyen Thi Oanh, (or Madame One, as she was affectionately called). Madame Oanh was a writer and community advocate for social work. Working well into her 80s, she was one of the first to recognize the situation of social work in Vietnam. Even though she passed away earlier this year, her legacy continues. She no longer could join us at our meeting in the café, but the other social workers carried on in her memory. As the sharing of food, ideas, and laughs continued it could be said her presence continued in the room. And while the students on our trip missed the opportunity to personally meet her, we were able to see her work in action.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Barnes.

Sitting in a hot classroom with no air conditioning for eight hours listening to lectures is tough on anyone. It’s not surprising that after a big lunch that some students in our social work workshops at An Giang Univerity in Long Xuyen would occasionally dose off. It didn’t matter if they were Vietnamese, Khmer, or even a certain blog editor – a full stomach in a warm room after a long day always equals one thing: exhaustion.

During our trip, we had plenty of opportunity to meet and mingle with our Vietnamese and Cambodian peers. In Ho Chi Minh City, a group of high school and college students called the V-riders accompanied us during our visits around the city, and became good friends. After we left the city, we made friends in Long Xuyen at the workshops held by the Newfields at An Giang University. There were students and social workers from all over, including Long Xuyen, Dong Thap, Ho Chi Minh City, and even Cambodia. And then we made friends at the various social agencies, cultural outings, getting our hair cut – even on the plane ride to Vietnam.

Now that I am back in America, my friends ask me what my friends from Vietnam were like. Could we communicate with one another? Will we keep in touch? Were they friendly?

I am really grateful for the opportunity to meet so many people in Vietnam. To me studying abroad is not only visiting the country, but also experiencing the culture. And you cannot truly experience anything without seeing firsthand how people live day to day.

In Ho Chi Minh City we met the V-Riders. Thy, Tam, Phuong, Biu, Huy, Phuong, Minh, and Trinh are all students in Ho Chi Minh City who volunteer their time to take visitors around the city. All of them could speak great English, and they were also wonderful and informative friends. They took us to cafes, taught us to use chopsticks properly (or attempted), and helped us cross the busy streets. Our visit culminated in a night of karaoke, where we connected by singing English classics like “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, and even “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver.

One question my parents had when I told them I wanted to go on the trip to Vietnam was how the people there would perceive us. With a rocky history between the US and Vietnam, the same question crossed my mind when I first arrived. On our second full day in the city we visited the War Remnants Museum. This museum was dedicated to the horrors of the Vietnam War, including grievances committed by the French, South Vietnamese, and Americans. After about an hour or so touring the museum, we were all sick. The WVU students and the V-riders could both agree that the graphic images filling the walls were unnecessary.

After the visit, we all went to our bus and had a discussion on our thoughts and feelings about the museum. Almost every single V-rider agreed that while the things of the past were not necessarily pretty, now was a time to move forward together. Instead of seeing Americans as invaders, they saw us as just another obstacle to independence. The height on the experience was a comment by our friend, Tam. She proclaimed that dwelling on the past would not change anything, so we should move forward together as allies and friends to improve the future.

The members of the V-riders came from every different walk of life. Minh was a Mormon who wanted to eventually attend BYU in Utah, Tam worked for Samsung, but her true passion could be called photography because she snapped some of the best pictures I have seen, Phuong was a karaoke goddess who will surely be the next Vietnam Idol, Xuy was attending college in the city, but is far displaced from his home in central Vietnam. And Thy, one of the leaders of the V-riders, was a gentle soul who inquired about American slang and always had a kind word for us.

When we had to leave Ho Chi Minh City, we were devastated! We had become so close to the V-riders. We were Facebook friends, tagged each other in photos, and just wanted to hang out all night talking. A farewell email from Thy to all of the WVU students characterizes our feelings for one another after just three days:

We have spent the 3 gorgeous days together, and we will never forget the period of friendship, happiness and joy we have had when we were with you. You guys have shown us another picture of American, a vivid one, friendly and open-minded. Something has been cured? we know that when we hug each other, when we hold hands tightly, when we look into your eyes. Don’t worry about the war, it is so far away and now, we can only state that: WE ARE FRIENDS. I believe in you, WVU friends, and in my V-RIDERS. We are the new, young, happy and pretty generation of US and Vietnam, and we are the most suitable ambassador for our countries. We hope you guys will have a very nice trip in Vietnam and in Cambodia. Luck and love will be with you on your whole trip because of our pray for you.

Even though the first chapter of our trip was over, we were to meet even more friends during our stay in Long Xuyen. And we even got to see Tam, Minh, and the rest of the V-riders towards the end of our trip. At An Giang we met other university students at the An Giang Workshops. Thu, Phung, and Nhan were just some of the students we became friends with during our two week stay in the town. And we made friends from all over – from Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Thap, and Cambodia. The Cambodian social workers at the workshops, like Bunna, Chanty, Nat, Navi, and Kimhourt, became close friends who traveled with us on outings throughout An Giang province, and even accompanied us during our portion in Cambodia.

One thing that characterizes people in Southeast Asia is their generosity. When we went to the Cham Village, an ethnic Muslim village, we were invited into the home of a bride who was to be married later in the day. All 30 of the people in our group were served food and drink. Chi, a Vietnamese student at WVU, asked her aunt to hand make aoi dai’s, traditional Vietnamese dresses, for our entire group, Project Adapt, a local NGO in Long Xuyen, treated us to dinner numerous time. And of course, no matter where we went, we were always met with waves and smiles. In small villages, where some people had never seen westerners before, instead of speculation, people welcomed us. Even through language barriers, we made good friends.

Meeting people and experiencing the culture had different effects on us. Sometimes experiencing poverty surrounding the people in the socials agencies or villages we visited was difficult. Arnita Sitisari, a native to Indonesia, faced a different feeling when meeting villagers in the Cham village:

When the plane landed in Ho Chi Minh City in my first day of my trip to Vietnam, all my childhood memories came back to me. Seeing the condition outside the plane, reminded me of my home country, Indonesia. Although this trip is not my first trip to Southeast Asia, my trip to Vietnam gave me many experiences that I will always remember for the rest of my life.

As all members in the group have experienced, I feel everything in Vietnam is different, such as the air that we inhale, the food that we eat, the traffic situation that we see and the culture differences that we have experienced. For me, as an Asian, all these differences are easy to be adjusted until I visited the Cham village in where the ethnic Muslim minority in Vietnam located.

We went to Cham village on Saturday the first week of our stay in Long Xuyen. The first place that we visited was the first mosque that was built in that area. Suddenly, I felt that I was at home, except I could not hear my mother’s voice called me and my brother’s voice ask me to play with him. I missed home right in that moment. Maybe other people in the group did not feel what I feel. I have very strong bond with the people in this village.

From visiting the mosque, we went to inside the Cham village where I met some women from Malaysia. They were being able to speak and communicate with me using the same language. One of these women was hugging me and crying in my shoulder. At the first, I did not know the reason of her crying until she told me that she is suffered from the poverty. That confession broke a tear in my eyes. I felt sad. My skin color and my feature just look like her but we are in a very different world.

Fortunately, I have opportunity to come to the United States to get high education for my better future. However, another side of my heart, I felt guilty because even though I get high education, I cannot do anything to help this woman and other people in this village improving their quality of life.

All frustrations that I have felt during this trip teach me very important lesson about life. I take these frustrations as a motivator to do better in school and one day come back to my community and help the government to improve people life.

Despite our poverty, people invited us into their homes. In Cambodia, our friends from the workshops accompanied us on our trip, along with people from Project Adapt. When we returned to Ho Chi Minh City the day before our plane took off, Tam invited us to her home for a home-cooked, Vietnamese meal.

By the end of our trip, we made friends that would last a lifetime. Some of us were vowing to come back next year to visit. The friendships we made in Southeast Asia stayed with us all the way back home. Every time I get online, I talk to my friends I left across the ocean. I email them, Facebook them, or tag them in pictures. Our learning from one another still doesn’t cease. We still exchange music and ideas. Hopefully one day I can return to Vietnam to visit all my old friends. I know that without them the trip wouldn’t nearly be the same.

When the plane landed in Ho Chi Minh City, I felt my heart stop beating. The panoramic view outside the tiny plane window reminded me so much of Indonesia, my home country. After stepping out of the plane, the smell of home flooded my nostrils. Perhaps it wasn’t as fresh as the West Virginia air I had grown accustomed to, and the Appalachian Mountains no longer dominated the surroundings, but the sights, smells, and sounds of the biggest city in Vietnam only reminded me of one place: home.

Landing in Vietnam was a remarkable experience for everyone. Only a handful of us had even been to Asia, namely the international WVU students accompanying us on the trip returning to their home country and the Newfields. Many of us had not yet left North America, including myself. Arnita Sitisari, a doctoral student in political science at WVU, had a different experience when our plane touched down on Vietnamese soil. Even though it was her first time visiting Vietnam, her experience was not a new one. Having visited a plethora of Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, her native country, Arnita’s first few moments in Vietnam were novel, but familiar.

Miki DeMary, a graduate student in the WVU School of Social Work, is also well travelled. Having Korean roots and living in Spain for some time has made her adept for travelling. Even though this was her first time travelling to the Asian continent, despite her roots, her prior experiences helped her realize her true identity when it was questioned in her first few moments in the country.

“Cum se yoh?” Blank stare. “Konichiwah.” Really Blank. “What, you doesn’t speak your own language?”

I am a nomad. I have no identity. In reality, I am a typical college student, making my way through a master’s program. On the surface I am an Asian girl.

My entire life has been spent grappling with the meaning of this surface identity. In the US, the great “melting pot” of culture really accepted me as being just different looking, but also like everyone else. The first 20 minutes in Vietnam, my identity became unknown. Who is this Asian girl who can’t speak her own language as she walked through customs? Why can’t she respond to five different Asian dialects when spoken to on the street? Why can’t this girl pronounce the Asian inflections with more ease than her white, American classmates?

This is my first time to an Asian country. I have been an accepted US citizen my entire life; to a Roman Catholic Italian family. While I speak Spanish and English fluently, my Korean is about five sentences deep. I am taking this in stride. As my journey in the cultures of Vietnam and Cambodia continues, I will smile at the stares and answer the questions with dignity. I will respond to Korean – if possible, and I’ll speak my new Vietnamese phrases with pride, even if it is with a West Virginian accent. I will continue to be me: a short South Korean with a love for kim chi in her pasta.

Now, not everyone’s experiences when we arrived in Vietnam were as unique as Miki and Arnita’s first moments. However, everyone did wonder what was in store for them in this exotic country. When we left the airport, we were suddenly submerged in the biggest metropolis in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City. To Americans, it was once known as Saigon, where the South Vietnamese surrendered to the North and American forces made a daring escape over 30 years ago. As our bus ventured out on the busy streets, we probably could’ve found remnants of that time, but instead our focus was diverted to the busy city life that unfolded outside our windows.

At first one motorbike, then five, then twenty appeared around us. They surrounded us, like some sort of motorcade. The roads were filled with a sea of Vietnamese motorists on their bikes, mopeds, and cycles – and occasionally a car or truck – colored with a rainbow of helmets and face masks.

Soon tall, vertical buildings packed together lined the streets, the very bottoms containing open store fronts inviting the motorists and pedestrians in to look at their merchandise. Hardly the communism you would expect from learning about it in classrooms growing up in West Virginia. The language was tantalizingly familiar. No Chinese characters, but rather the Latin alphabet scrambled up in words we could attempt to pronounce (usually in vain). And then more familiar sites as international countries advertised their products; names we were familiar with, like Toshiba, Gucci, and Budweiser – even KFC. We flashed by familiar sites, like Independence Palace and pagodas with traditional Asian architecture, but there was so much more than that.

According to the Lonely Planet’s webpage. on Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, then Saigon, fell to the French from the Nguyen Dynasty in 1859. It was the capital of the French colony, Cochinchina until it became the capital of the republic of Vietnam in 1955. After the city, and the Republic of Vietnam, fell to Hanoi in 1975, the country reunited and became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, while Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. In 1986, doi moi, the name of economic reform passed by the government, caused explosive growth in the city. Now with a population of over 6 million, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam (and one of the largest in Indochina) and considered the economic capital of the country.

This history has had a major influence on the city. On a simple tour around the city, you see a mixture of extreme wealth and development, but also poorer sections, French and Chinese influence in food and architecture, and plenty of places to eat and shop – from sprawling markets like the Ben Thanh and its outdoor food vendors, to gourmet sit-down restaurants.

This video from the Lonely Planet website illustrates different food popular in the city, while showing backdrops of Saigon. Lonely Planet Video

This city’s food and charm has also made a notable impression on famed chef and writer, Anthony Bourdain. Having travelled to Vietnam several times, he is currently debating on moving to the country for a short amount of time. In his blog on the Travel Channel website for his show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, he describes his love affair with the country.

In the actual No Reservations episode on Vietnam, Bourdain visits all of his past favorites, sampling the food and discussing his love for the country. Anthony Bourdain; No Reservations

Ho Chi Minh City charmed us as well. Like most urban metropolises, the life in this city sucked us in like any other. With Saigon becoming more connected with the Western world through trade and commerce, the people of the city reflected their openness in their actions towards us. We never felt unwelcome in the city, and more often than not, we were met with waves and smiles from strangers on the street.

But even through the bustle of the big city, and the new sights, smells, and sounds that barraged us in this foreign land, we recognized familiarities. People waiting in traffic texting to pass the time by (even if it was on a motorbike), teenage friends walking side-by-side with shopping bags in hand, giggling to themselves, mothers holding their children’s hands. These sites were so familiar, because they are cross-cultural, and ultimately in every city, whether it be New York, on the other side of the globe in Vietnam, or even in Morgantown, sites like those will always exist.

Click on the image for the Ho Chi Minh City Photo Gallery

My name is Rebecca Dole, and I am this year’s blog editor for Dr. Newfield’s social work trip to Vietnam/ Cambodia. This year the blog is mor eof a reflection on the trip, rather than a day-by-day documentation.

This past mid-May, twelve female students at WVU, four Vietnamese WVU students, and several faculty members and other travel companions ventured to the Southeast Asian country of Vietnam, where we spent the next three weeks. Upon landing in Ho Chi Minh City, we toured various tourist spots, locations of cultural interest, and social service agencies for the first few days. Then our group traveled into the Mekong Delta to the town of Long Xuyen in An Giang province. There the Newfields, along with WVU and An Giang University, hosted a two week long workshop on social work. There our group minxed with students from all over Vietnam and Cambodia.

Finally, on our last week of the trip we travelled to Cambodia, where we observed NGOs and social agencies at work, along with how the development of tourism can lead to the social problems that are common to that region of the world, including human trafficking, sex tourism, HIV/AIDS, and drug abuse.

This trip was composed of students from all walks of life. There was representation from journalism, public health, women’s studies, business administration, political science, and of course, social work on this trip. The participants were Katie Denton, Miki DeMary, Hillery Chadderton, Caitlin Sussman, Taasha Wamsley, Kate McCarthy, Angie Miller, Wendy Spaw, Melissa Carpenter, Amanda Honaker, Arnita Sitisari, Le Thi Minh Hieu, Doan Thi Ngoc, Hong Van Pham Thi, Julian Nguyen, and myself. Also in attendance were Dr. Neal Newfield, his wife, Susan Newfield, his sister Fae Newfield, Jame Keim, and Jim Keresztury. Joanne Smith also accompanied our group.

During the workshops and An Giang University and on our other journeys throughout Vietnam and Cambodia, we made friendships, learned about several different cultures, tried exotic foods, and learned about a developing profession in a country where social work did not exist before 1975. Being able to take part in such a movement was the experience of a lifetime, and in future visits to the country, WVU and the Newfields are sure to continue making a remarkable difference.

Meet Our Cast of Characters:

The Saigon Gang- (from L to R) in the back row: Chatman Neely, Susan Newfield, Nnenna Minimah, Tory Hershfeld, Chi, Joey Bailey, the V-Riders (our Saigon tour guides).
Front Row: Jim Keresztury, Daniel Crandall, Nick Blood, Andrew Barnes, Stephen Deci, Kapsoo Kim and her husband Jay Dryer.

Chi Translating at a school for street children



Tory at the Saigon Zoo

Tory and Nnenna

Mekong Andy Barnes

Our Cambodian Classmates!

Joey and the Chopper

International Rock Star Nick Blood

Dr. Neal Newfield and Madame Oanh

Chatman Neely and Jim Keresztury

The Workshop

Our oftentimes translator and guide Luan

Nhut- one of our friendly V-Riders in Saigon

V-riders and the Mountaineers

Jay Dryer and Kapsoo Kim

Stephen Deci

There are still many stories and things to share about Vietnam and Cambodia, traveling and the field of Social Work. That being so, the blog’s work will continue on!

So make sure that you stay tuned for more information and updates throughout the summer and year.

The Vietnam Initiative is a student group at WVU who is working to help the field in Vietnam. Through this blog we will have their efforts, as well as updates from Vietnam for everyone listed.

At this time I (lowly and humble Andy Barnes), must say thanks to everyone on the trip and all the wonderful people we encountered along the way. If not for them there is no blog to read and everyone contributed thoughtful and provoking ideas for you the reader.

Everyone deserves a lot of respect and credit for their work and willingness to go long distances and endure the hardships of travel to better their minds and the world. We are also thankful for the support of everyone at home who read the blog and supported us while we were away.

With that, I say farewell, but only for today. Make sure you keep checking in!

The blog wraps up as the trip finishes its final day in Vietnam and Cambodia. We leave tomorrow morning around 6 am. We travel almost a whole day to make it back to Morgantown. It is quite a trip, but nothing compared to the past month. I will have a couple more posts that I still want to publish before all is said and done, so stay tuned- mostly pictures.

It is a long trip so wish us well as we make a long-awaited return to the Mountain State.

Thanks to everyone on the trip for contributing and for the wonderful readers (I am sorry that I couldn’t get to responding to all of your queries.)

Until next time…

Sincerely,

The Saigon Gang

The blog has taken a few days off as we travel to the land of Khmer people and its ancient and magnificent ruins. It also has been a land scarred by the violence in the last century in one of the worst acts of genocide ever. Cambodia is a pretty amazing country of great contrasts.

And although our group is only one country away from Vietnam, the sights and experiences have been unbelievably different. (Photos hopefully for later…)

Up The Mekong

We took a boat up the Mekong three days ago to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. The trip took almost 6 hours (which included perfectly timed stop on the border). Immediately getting off the boat, you could tell that Cambodia was something new entirely. The mode of transportation commonly used is a motorcycle drawn wagon call the tuk-tuk. English is spoken relatively well among Cambodians and transactions are done mostly in dollars (which also the place considerably more expensive). The local currency, the Riel, given back like they were quarters or dimes.

The current exchange rate for the Riel makes it pretty simple as the rate is 4000 Riel to a dollar.

The country also is known for its corruption and human trafficking. For older Americans, the memories of Cambodia might be linked the Khmer Rouge and the devastation the regime wrought upon its people. The Khmer Rouge took the world by surprise once it took control of the country in 1975.

Almost 2 million Cambodians died during their reign in the late-1970s due to starvation, executions or disease. Their brutality was ended by an invasion by the newly united and communist Vietnam.

It is pretty hard to imagine how a society rebuilds after such acts. Today the world faces many conflicts that are escalating or never ending. Such places like The Democratic Republic of the Congo or face the same tragedies which Americans well recognize. But much of what we know about the Khmer Rouge came late or in retrospect.

Angkor Mysteries

Despite the past, Cambodians embrace theirs. Khmer civilization is a magnificent example of Hindu and Buddhist influences. One can see a simple difference of the architecture. On the first impression is that Vietnam is culturally more influenced by Chinese and far East culture than Cambodia, which feels more South Asian- India, Thailand and Malaysia.

But there is something stands out the most. The ruins of Angkor Wat- a symbol of national pride. It is on many things- the flag, nearly every hotel (at least in Siem Reap, which is right outside of Angkor) even its national beer- simply called Angkor.

Cambodia is showing signs of pretty rapid development- much like Vietnam- but it appears mostly around tourism (and thus sex tourism, a big issue here.) Angkor is the anchor of Cambodia tourism industry.

We have visited social service agency- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the trip. IN Cambodia we visited one organization fighting human-trafficking and in Siem Reap, a vocational school training impoverished Cambodians in hospitality industry.

We visit Angkor tonight- reports forthcoming. Good Morning!

By Joey Bailey

We are on a pilgrimage to Angkor Wat. We are going there as students of human nature and as western vistitors to a strange and ancient land. It is very difficult for me to grasp how unique an experience this really voyage really is. As an American, I grew up studying Christianity and as a result, completly ignorant to the existence of Angkor Wat and the religious significance it holds within many Asian societies. This trip has recharged my desire to travel the world and to experience new lands. I feel that traveling the world is one the greatest ways to gain true human experience, there is simply no substitute. Angkor Wat is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the largest religious complex on earth. However, Angkor Wat is only one of the many religious sites found at Angkor. There are many temples dedicated to various gods from Hinduism and Buddhism. Angkor is literally a city of religious sites, of which, Angkor Wat is the largest. It was the heart of the Khmer Empire that reigned for hundreds of years over present day Cambodia. Today, we are preparing to visit Angkor Wat at sunset. I have attempted to read of the significance and glory of Angkor Wat but I feel that I am poorly prepared for this journey. Still, this is what traveling is all about, putting yourself out there and allowing the experience alone to be your teacher. We have been in Asia for nearly a month now and the constant bombardment of new tastes, sites, smells, and sounds have been very overwhelming to my senses, almost to the point of making me numb and putting me into some type of travelers daze. Still, I must say that Cambodia is a wonderful land full of graceful and kind people. We have only been in this country for four days now and I have enjoyed every second of it. From a westerner point of view, Cambodia is more like home than Vietnam. There are more consumer products and their economy is more oriented to capitalistic principles. In my short time here, I have fully enjoyed the Cambodia experience and I am excited for the opportunity to visit Angkor Wat. I totally expect it to blow my mind.