More Learning Outside the Classroom

One aspect of the PacRim experience that I haven’t touched on yet is the social atmosphere and group dynamic between the 25 of us. Things have changed drastically in each country as some of us become closer, and some of us begin to realize who we are better off avoiding. A little drama is inevitable in such a small group. And yes, in case you’ve been wondering, a few romances have blossomed along the way, none of which I am involved in (thankfully). But my relationships have shifted nonetheless, and I’ve undergone some personal change as well.

I realize that I’ve become more self confident as a result of recent events here. Vietnam wasn’t physically grueling or culturally jarring, but it was tough in other ways. Ultimately, I found that the last month taught me the importance of solid, levelheaded and honest friends. I’m beginning to learn who I can truly rely on here, and exactly which qualities I appreciate and admire in my friends. I’m learning what I need and deserve from my friends, and how to appreciate the friends I have even if they don’t give me all of those things.

On the whole, the social experience has caused very little anxiety for me, thanks to the laid back and appropriately passive attitude I inherited from my dad. I’m learning to take myself and others much less seriously, and to spring back from uncomfortable situations much faster than before. Shit happens, but none of it is really that big of a deal. Realizing this has reminded me of some advice I was given by a previous Pacrimmer before the trip.

Aleisha Smith, with whom I’ve recently become much closer, told me months and months ago that one the most important things to remember on this trip is to be honest with yourself and spend each moment the way you want to spend it. Forget about the group, and forget about the guilt and regret you may place on yourself when you feel like you haven’t taken full advantage of every opportunity. Sometimes you need an afternoon off to write postcards, Skype with your friends, watch a movie or blog! And sometimes a solo adventure through the city is your calling. Of course there are plenty of times when your needs and desires take a backseat to those of the group. But if given the choice, don’t let the way anyone else chooses to spend his or her time influence the way you spend yours. Never ignore what your body tells you you need. You will always be more content and satisfied if you do what you feel is the healthiest for you in that moment, and chances are you wont enjoy whatever it is you’re turning down anyway if you’re not invested in it. This is something I struggle with both at school and on this trip. I’m sure everyone does from time to time. No one wants to be the one who wasn’t in the picture. Especially here, where everyone feels like they must make the most of every situation. But no matter where you are, everyday is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. PacRim doesn’t make that any more true.

Whether I am alone or with the group, I’m trying to adopt a more independent outlook now, and I’m learning to appreciate each experience for what it teaches me.

At Home in Hanoi

After the longest and earliest travel day of the year (we had to be up at 3:00am to board a 6:00am, indirect flight on October 22nd), we were more than eager to find some stability in our most recent home: Hanoi, Vietnam. We knew Hanoi was going to be different from our previous destinations: we were going to stay put for a whole month in dorm/apartment style accommodations, have only one roommate (!!), attend class at a university, and have weekends free to explore the city! The set up in Mongolia was similar, but Ulaanbaatar was so intimidating to us noob travelers that we couldn’t quite take advantage of it. To be fair, Hanoi also has a much less hostile atmosphere and more opportunity to shop, eat and hang out around town. But despite it’s good vibes, the majority of the credit for my comfort in Hanoi is due to the incredible hospitality, generosity and good nature of the students we were introduced to through National Economics University.

These kids were the cream of the crop in Hanoi, each hand selected from the International Business Program at NEU after a rigorous application process. There were six Program Assistants in all, hired to acclimate us to Hanoi and help us with a cultural project for our class. We called them our PAs. Aren’t they cute?

Yes, they were paid to hang out with us…but they went above and beyond their job description, I’m sure. I became very close to Ha, the 20-year-old student who helped with my project, and I’ve been keeping in touch with her since we left Vietnam.

NEU is well known and well respected in Vietnam for churning out hardworking students who are prepared to enter the country’s ever-expanding workforce. With difficult entrance exams and high tuition, most students we met were from upper-middle class families in the area. All of the classes in the International Business Program are taught in English, so the PAs were nearly fluent.

Their work ethic was apparent from the day we met them. Bright, friendly, eager, respectful, and polite, they greeted us at the gate to our dorm building at 4:00pm on the day of our arrival. I wish I had been in a better mood, but after a day of travel all I wanted to do was unpack and take a nap. But they graciously took us out to lunch for our first bowl of pho (more on that later!!) and showed us around the neighborhood. I didn’t fully appreciate this until the next day when I had no trouble or anxiety finding a place to buy some snacks and eat dinner.

They are practical people; when my friend Kari and I asked Tao her favorite place to get a haircut, her first response was to suggest that we look for a coupon online. I later began to understand that hair salons and other shops are ubiquitous on the streets of Hanoi (literally there are a handful on every block in most places), causing Hanoians to make many of their decisions based on price, or cost leadership. We took an International Business course in Vietnam, so I’ve got econ. vocab on the brain. Identical goods and services can be found everywhere. Substitutes abound, giving consumers plenty of options. Quality doesn’t drive too many decisions here, which could be a result of Vietnam’s yet undeveloped economy. Most choices are made for convenience and frugality’s sake. I’m sure the scene will be quite different in 5 or 10 years.

And the students are well aware of this changing atmosphere. They are optimistic, aspiring, and seek to do whatever they can to expand their horizons. Every NEU student we met hopes to travel abroad someday. We were approached around town many times by English-speaking students from other universities, just looking to have a conversation and practice their speaking.

Their goal-oriented mindset was surprising and their priorities were in a much different place than ours. Well, a different place than mine I guess. These kids don’t party…at all. Not that I’m a huge rager by any means, but I know how to make time for fun. We invited them out to the bars with us many times, but it’s the norm for them to be at home and in bed by 10:00pm. Alcohol wasn't popular. Most of them were commuter students who live with their parents.

Jim McCullough, our Puget Sound professor who flew in to teach our business course, offered us a silly anecdote that highlights their remarkable work ethic. A few years ago he was teaching an economics course at NEU, which happened to coincide with the Vietnamese New Year. He and his students were attending a New Year’s Eve party at which the students were asked to explain their new year’s resolutions. To his surprise, a significant number of them replied that it was their goal to gain weight in the coming year, not because they didn’t have access to enough food, but because they were simply too busy to focus on eating healthy, balanced meals! Not only is the Vietnamese lifestyle and relationship with food very different from ours, but their commitment to their futures is on a different level.

Their integrity was certainly reflected in the countless hours they spent translating, guiding, teaching and inspiring all of us. It was through our relationships with these wonderful students that we gained access to the streets and the flavor of Hanoi in an otherwise impossible way. By the end, Hanoi had a personality in my mind, something I haven’t found in any other city. I know I made a similar comment about our friends in Malaysia, but the two experiences were actually quite different. Though our friendships in the jungle were equally impactful, they didn’t lead to the same sense of place and belonging that they did in Vietnam. Malaysia never felt accessible to me. The forest was a foreboding, impenetrable entity, one that we and our hosts met with fear and uncertainty. Our relationships necessarily defined our experience at Matang by virtue of the fact that they were the only piece of the country’s culture we could access. In Vietnam, we met excellent people our own age who introduced us to the country through their eyes. We became students living in Vietnam, not just Americans passing through. I am so grateful to have experienced it in that way.

Jurassic Park

Before I close the book on Malaysia, I’ve got to give you a glimpse of some of Borneo's incredible natural beauty. This place is truly out of this world. It’s like a prehistoric dinosaur land. I remember feeling like I was on the set of Jurassic Park. Pictures can tell a thousand words in this case, and here are some of the best. Unfortunately, Blogger doesn’t let me create slideshows. Hopefully this won't  take too long to load.

Aman, the largest dominant male at Matang Center. Not all adult males
grow these cheekpads. The dominant male hormones are triggered
only when natural conditions are conducive.

Walking stick on a railing outside our longhouse.

Carnivorous pitcher plants. Endangered, but we saw a lot of them.

Rainbow legged centipede.

Unidentified beetle in our longhouse.

"Re-released" orang at Semenggoh Wildlife Center. 

Another flavor of carnivorous pitcher plant.

Unidentified tropical flower. You can't tell, but these flowers were
covered in ants. Symbiotic relationship?

Wild boar on the beach at Bako National Park. This park was pretty disgusting and litter-ridden. It wasn't until after I took these pictures that I realized wild boar hang out around the campsite all the time. They are a pest.

Mangrove forest at low tide.

Heavenly beach at Bako National Park. Arrived after a tough 90 minute hike. It was literally like heaven.

Mulu National Park.

Remember the mountain of guano from the "Caves" episode of Planet Earth? Well, I saw it in real life! Deer Cave at Mulu National Park in Borneo.
By the way, that is the SECOND Planet Earth site we've visited!

Ribbons of bats flying out of Deer Cave. This is a nightly occurrence. 

Unidentified HUGE ASS leaf bug. Bigger than my fist.

Canopy walk at Mulu National Park. 20 meters high.

Really cool iguana spotted on our night walk.

One of the many geckos in Malaysia. These guys were EVERYWHERE, especially in our bedrooms.  Little known fact: geckos bark. Very loudly. For a funny story, read my travel-mate Rachael's blog entry.

Forest flatworm.