Rowland Establishes Routine, Negotiates Culture In Vietnam

It's been almost two weeks since we departed from Northfield for the
long flights to Vietnam, and it seems to me like the trip has broken
down into two phases, each lasting a week. The first week consisted of
asking all kinds of questions in order to become adjusted to radically
new surroundings. Some questions were pretty straightforward, such as
the locations of the ATM machine, cafes, and work sites. More
complicated queries involved navigating cultural divides, such as what
kind of interactions would we have with the diverse array of Vietnamese
partners and how we would bond internally as a team.



This second week has been one of establishing routines. For me, it
involves rising at 5:30am, going for a 5-mile run by the Perfume River,
reading while having breakfast, and then leaving for our morning
service project. After lunch at noon and a team meeting immediately
following, we visit an afternoon work site and usually have an hour or
90 minutes to relax before dinner. After dinner is free time to walk
around the city, go swimming at several hotel pools, or reading.



Two events stand out for me on this trip in terms of particularly
meaningful interactions with the Vietnamese people. The planting of
trees at the home of Pham Boi Choi, a Vietnamese revolutionary
nationalist in the early 20th century, signified to me our recognition
of the proud, long, and continuous desire that Vietnamese had for the
same value that gave birth to our own nation: self-determination and
independence from foreign rule. The second event was an impromptu
soccer game with a team of street children who were prepared, with
uniforms and a referee, from an earlier match. We played seven on seven
on a small field for about 30 minutes. They rose to the challenge and
beat us 3 to 1, our only goal coming on a breakaway with Matt Corson
essentially scaring the 12-year-old goalie who thought Matt was about
to barrel over him!



We're off to the Hope Shop for the afternoon and all day tomorrow, our
last full day in Hue. Happy end of spring at home...it's hard to think
of such things when it's been 95 to 100 degrees, sunny, and humid every
day here!



Rowly Brucken
Associate Professor of History
Norwich University