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

Vietnam! Stacy Pichardo of Norwich Blogs from Hue

I LOVE VIETNAM!!



I cant believe its been 9 days since
our departure, it feels like we just left yesterday. We have done alot
in such a short amount of time; On our first day we visited a museum in
Saigon on the Vietnam War. It was interesting to see how the war
affected vietnamese citizens something I never really thought of.

After
being in Saigon for a few hours we caught a plane to Hue, where we have
been ever since. Now in Hue, we have done many activities, with Nhi and
Martha.

We visited the house for the street kids, we helped the kids in
the hope shop, we visited the College of Medicine, we helped the Youth
Union with a survey which we will conduct in a polluted village about
environmental issues, we planted trees in the cementary of a well known
revolutionary of Vietnam and the activity i enjoyed the most was the
time we spent this morning with the kids at the Orphanage.

I know that
after a few years there will be a few things i will forget about this
trip but three that i know for certain i will always remember are the
kids in the orphanage, the crazy bike rides and the horrible stomach
problems i had immediately arriving in Vietnam.



Words could not explain how amazing it is to be part of this trip, all
the relationships we have created and the help we have been to many
places is what i love about this trip. Thanx to Nicole, Nhi (sorry if i
mispelled the name) and Martha for making it all possible.

Matthew Corson With Norwich Blogs from Hue

My name is Matthew Corson and I am a member or the NU Visions Abroad team in Hue, Viet Nam. The last week has been amazing. This trip has given me a new perspective on cultural exchange and helping others.

The people in Viet Nam are very interested in what we have to share.

Their curiosity does not allow for a dull moment. The Vietnamese college students have been shadowing us, interpreting and helping us through our daily activities. I feel that my time here with the Norwich group has already made a difference and changed everyone of us in a different way. I look forward to tomorrow and another once in a
lifetime journey

Norwich Photos: June 13

Comments Fixed

Well... that explains why comments were way down for the past few months... there was a bug in the comments section that our friend Ray Doherty pointed out to us... I thought I fixed it... but I hadn't... it is fixed now!

Norwich Vietnam Photos Posted

Photos from the Norwich trip will be posted here and to the Clear Path Flickr site.
As they are sent in, the page below will further populate with pictures, so please visit it often:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpi/tags/norwich/
The pictures can also be viewed as a slideshow here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpi/tags/norwich/show/

Norwich: Nicole Blogs From Hue

Dear Friends,
Well, six days into our trip (including travel time) and our group is unanimous - we're having such an amazing time! It's interesting to see how this trip is affecting everyone on our team a little differently. The range of opportunities and experiences we've shared so far is vast, so it's a little difficult to express everything we're feeling, I think.

To give you an example, we've entered the Forbidden City (the historical capitol where the emperor lived) to join the thousands of residnets and visitors to Hue celebrate the 700th birthday of the city - a HUGE celebration a couple evenings ago with dancing, fireworks, reenactments, and kites flying overhead! We've visited and played games with "street children" who spend their days working on the streets earning money for a living and to help pay for their school
fees.

And just this morning, we visited Phan Boi Chau's residence and met his granddaughter. Phan Boi Chau was and remains a Vietnamese hero and visionary for the people here...he believed in attaining the freedom and independence of the Vietnamese through critical thinking and education and even began the first study abroad opportunities for Vietnamese students to Japan in the early 20th century. We spent the morning at his residence planting trees at his grave and those of his fellow patriots as a symbolic act of reconciliation between Americans
and the Vietnamese...to say that it was a moving experience for each one of us would be an understatement, for sure.

We've taken some great pictures that we hope to be able to post prior to our return, so keep checking in to our blog!

Yours in Service,
Nicole