My friends were from all over Latin America: Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Colombia, to name a few. From an early age, I learned about foreign cultures, and I dreamed of traveling to many different countries.
I set my sights on achieving that goal last year when I took some time off from college and traveled for seven months. My trip took me all over South America and Europe. I spent time in the mountains of Chile, the jungles of Panama, the castles of Croatia and the beaches of Spain. I stayed in hostels wherever I went, meeting a mixture of other travelers from around the world and lots of local people from whichever town I was in at the time!
The memories I made with all the different people I met are what I cherish most about my time out of the United States. When I came back home, I missed meeting new people and talking about what it’s like to live in faraway places, which is a big reason why I decided to move to Vietnam. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to come to this beautiful country and become friends with some of the wonderful people who live here.
My time in Can Tho has been incredible so far. I buy bánh mì (a Vietnamese sandwich) for breakfast every morning from the same smiling lady on the side of the road, then I go to class to teach my students. We work together every day to get better at speaking, listening and reading. When I’m done teaching, I spend the late afternoons learning Vietnamese, trying new foods, and even playing tennis with a group of local guys my age, and soccer with some of my students!
I can’t wait to continue exploring Vietnam, as well as other places around Southeast Asia, over the next year. I’ll be on the hunt for delicious cuisine, beautiful scenery, and, most importantly, interesting new people!
