Happy 4th from Duc Lan Village in Quang Nai Province!

We celebrated by treating ourselves to burgers in Da Nang City, after landing safely this afternoon. The past two days in Ho Chi Minh City made a productive adjustment period to the lively pace of the country’s largest city. The noise, traffic, crowds, heat, and humidity all required some time to get used to, but everyone accepted the challenges of their new environment and quickly became more comfortable with the city and with each other.

The first night’s dinner was a hearty family-style barbecue that everyone really enjoyed, but the fatigue of more than 24 hours of travel compelled us to turn in for an early night. Spirits were high the next morning as we took on our first full day in the big city. We (Vi and Jesse) led a walking tour of the city, which included early morning yoga in the park, coffee-shop group orientation, a lunch of traditional cuisine, Notre Dame Cathedral of Vietnam, colonial-era post office, and the War Remnants Museum.

We made an especially long visit to the museum so everyone could take in the solemn spectacle at their own pace. These exhibits expose the Vietnam War’s impacts on this country’s landscape and inhabitants. The exhibits display photography and stories from both sides of the struggle, but as told primarily from the perspective of South Vietnam’s people. This is an aspect of the war not taught in American schools, so our students had the privilege of gaining deeper understanding than most of their classmates ever could. We debriefed the heavy experience of the museum in the courtyard, and had a good discussion about the conflict and the possibilities for biased portrayals.

The next activity was “creative time” at the hotel, which will become a ritual for the trip. We all had the chance to get an hour of quiet time to think, reflect, write, draw, or whatever allows for creativity. We distributed stationary and envelopes so the students could write a letter to themselves, to be opened at the end of the trip.

Afterward, we ventured into the city for one last time, as the sun set, to eat another meal of Vietnamese fare and explore a different street near our hotel. The group decided on smoothies following dinner and a visit to the bustling night market, which proved to be a hit for bargains on fun and functional clothing.

We have just completed our three-hour “party bus” ride through the countryside, entertained by idyllic rice paddies, distant mountains, and catchy sing-a-longs.

Tonight we settle into our new home, the Duc Lan guesthouse, and tomorrow we see our worksites for the first time and meet the families whom we will helping. Can’t wait to kick off this project and become a part of the friendly community on this beautiful coastline!

Stay tuned for updates on our time in the community and some photos, too!

– Vi & Jesse