Author: nburke

3 – Ho Chi Minh City – Temples, RMIT, Orphanages

We started the day with a delicious buffet breakfast at the Bong Sen Hotel, we enjoyed all the different foods and especially the authentic fruits. After that we drove to the temple of the Sea Goddess and explored the displays of letters and other displays. Inside the temple we learnt about the culture and praying that occurs in the sect of Mahayana buddhism. The temples were beautiful and illuminated with all the candles and with the smoke off the incenses. As soon as we left the temples we were driving out of the bustling China Town and moved near the more quiet side of Ho Chi Minh city, where RMIT was located. We also went to learn about RMIT international opportunities. We learnt about continuing courses in different locations, so people can experience different cultures while still learning. We learnt of how teaching is international and isn’t effected by language barriers. After having watched an amazing video on how studying overseas can be life changing, we went on a small tour of the university’s campus and explored the immense sports area. Later on we moved down back near the hotel and had a delicious lunch of Pho (seriously DELICIOUS).

We then had a long drive down to the orphanage and as soon as we arrived we hopped off the bus and got right into it. We all split up into two different groups; one went upstairs which had younger babies and toddlers and the others stayed down stairs which had the older kids. On the top floor we all stopped at the door way and initially observed the little disabled orphans all lying on stretchers. We proceeded to sit down next to them in hope of interaction. The sense of touch for these little kids is vital, when we touch them and interact they feel comfortable and will look at you and some tend to smile. We can confirm that the smile of these little kids was like winning the lotto. They seemed so happy that someone was taking them out of their daily routine and giving them some attention and affection. When we went downstairs we all started to get a little more active as all the kids were running around with balls and getting pushed around in their wheelchairs. It seemed as if the second floor was the calm part of the orphanage and the ground floor was where everything was just going so fast. The kids were running around screaming and laughing as we played around with them. These kids truly looked happy.  In this experience we meet lots of different characters, today we met a kid that had a truly different personality. He had an orange Nike top and seemed a little more energised than the others. This little boy was not lightly throwing the ball but was actually piffing it at us and his fellow mates. We were all dodging his punches and throws. These exciting and different experiences amazed and overwhelmed us. We all feel as though we have benefitted greatly from these events and were defiantly sad to say goodbye to our new friends.

We ended our orphanage experience with a long bus ride back toward the hotel. On our way back we stopped at the supermarket to get snacks for the next four days in the village. We all were so excited to buy and explore all the different foods that we were being offered. As we moved down the isles we would hear one person saying “oh get this, its so good”, and then most of us would go see what the whole hype was. With all our baskets filled to the top we waited to pay our extremely inexpensive groceries.

Today we embraced our inner Gordon Ramsey in a BBQ restaurant, we got to cook dinner off sizzling gas grills. Dinner has been great everyday but there’s something special about cooking for the boys and girls. The food tasted great, especially after buying really obscure snacks from the supermarket. In the supermarket we bought doughy treats that were incomprehensible, we found Kit Kats that were flavours from another world and eating noodles as spicy as Posh Spice. The dinner was so beautiful with hanging lights and sizzling bites. Some of us ordered coconuts to drink from and sat back and enjoyed, we all took photos in hope of remembering this place after we left. As soon as we got to the hotel we had our nightly debriefing and then raced right back up to our rooms for a goodnights sleep whilst thinking how much of an amazing day this has been.

Romane R, Will S-J and Hayley C

P.S: Mum I still have my camera- Will

P.P.S: Mum, Dad, Jet; I am okay – Romane

P.P.P.S: Still alive – Hayley 

Day 2 Ho Chi Minh city

Today we woke up to the sound of our 7am wake up call. We were met at breakfast by a giant Vietnamese buffet. This was different from many of us as we had only ever experienced western buffets. There were foods like pork bun, fried rice, dumplings and wide variety of fruits. After breakfast we got on a bus to head to the parliament gates where Sunny, our tour guide, informed us about the rich history of the street and gates before us. In 1975 a tank crashed through the Parliament gates to protest the union between southern and northern Vietnam.
Next, we took a 10 minute walk to The War Remnant Museum. Along the street we were met by Vietnamese making a living by selling produce, such as food, sunglasses and other miscellaneous items. Once we arrived at The War Remnant Museum we were given our own time to experience the interesting but confronting history of the Vietnamese/American war. Throughout the museum we learnt about the effects that the Americans left in the after math in the Vietnamese war. One of the most explicit and damaging parts of the war was Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a chemical developed by the Americans, sprayed over Vietnamese to not immediately harm the victim but which severely deformed future offspring. 4.8 million people were sprayed but only 3 million were affected. We also learnt that Australian and American soliders that were exposed to the chemical brought it back home and the same effects occurred. At this exhibit some of us were deeply affected by the horrendous images on display, however it is important to be informed about this important aspect of history.

Before lunch, we visited the biggest market in the whole of Vietnam. This was quite a busy and intense experience as we do not have markets like this back in Melbourne. The shop keepers were quite hands on as we found that this is their livelihood. Our money conversion cards proved to be very useful when bargaining. For most of us it was our first time bargaining but we quickly adapted. Some of us got accosted aggressively which was quite funny but painful when we spent more money then we should have. We came away with better bargaining skills and emptier wallets.

After a quick and spicy authentic Vietnamese lunch we went started an adventure race around Ho Chi Minh. During the race we visited icon buildings, rode on cyclo’s and tried intense South East Asian exotic fruits that were new to us with some interesting  results. Our last stop on the adventure was the tallest building in Vietnam where we saw Ho Chi Minh city in all of its contrast. After finishing the race we went for a well deserved dinner where we tried a wide variety of new Vietnamese cuisine. On the walk back to the hotel we saw a family friendly festival. The roads were closed off and lots of different music was playing. We are looking forward to a change of pace tomorrow where we will be visiting an orphanage and RMIT university. Bye till tomorrow.

Ash C, Lauren E and James K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh

We started off the morning by saying our emotional goodbyes to our friends and family. But we were soon excited to leave Melbourne and begin our trip. Goodbye Melbourne, hello big experience.

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City at about 4pm. Firstly, we got into a bus and met our tour guide Sunny. Sunny taught us some basic Vietnamese language such as: please, thank you, no and hello. Sunny will follow us through our journey across Vietnam. The humidity in Vietnam is 85-95%, which is a lot more than Melbourne. When we were driving and walking through Ho Chi Minh City the amount of people that had little stalls set up on the side of the roads were amazing. The traffic here seems to run itself. We learnt that even though there are zebra crossings that were left from French colonial period, the Vietnamese people do not follow them, its more like a road decoration!

We got to the hotel and settled into our rooms. Then it was time for our first taste of real Vietnamese cuisine. There were many people who didn’t know how to use chopsticks, one of the many culture shocks that we feel will be experienced. After dinner, we then walked back to our hotel and got ready for bed. Tomorrow will be a big day!

Jack B, Cam C, and Tash A