When I first arrived in Vietnam, I had some ideas in my head about what I already knew about the country and what I would experience here. Many of those ideas were wrong, while others were just scratching the surface of what I later learned to be the truth.
For instance, I thought I knew how hot it would be in Vietnam, and especially in Soc Trang, but the weather here still surprises me. Right now, I'm sitting in my room writing this with two fans on and an air conditioner blowing, but that's not stopping my whole body from sweating. I've had to get used to taking two to three showers every day, even on days when I don't do a lot of activities. When I go outside during the day, I often wear long pants and a shirt with sleeves so I don't get burned in the sun. It is common for people in Soc Trang and throughout Vietnam to wear jackets over their shirts and pants or a long covering over their dresses, shorts or skirts. A lot of my students and some of my coworkers too do whatever they can to avoid being directly under the sun. Aside from when they are in a well-ventilated or air conditioned area, people in Soc Trang are usually sweating.
From elementary school to high school, I only learned about Vietnam in the context of the wars that occured there. The war that many people in the U.S.
