Currently, I am feeling rather ambivalent – excited at being able to complete a course overseas with my fellow USPians, as well as apprehensive about how the entire trip would turn out. I have always been extremely interested in how a country’s socio-political sphere in the past have shaped their modern society, and Vietnam is a country with rich history and heritage. As such, I feel that this trip would be able to broaden my perspective as it enables me to explore the convergence between the past and the present. I would hence be able to personally witness how my previous knowledge of Vietnam (such as the study of the Vietnam War in history classes) is applicable in Vietnam today. This trip would be an eye-opener for me as it brings my academic experience (which mostly consists of learning through textbooks) to life, hence promoting a better understanding of the workings of the world.

Moreover, as various groups are researching on different topics (such as the social, political, or environmental aspect of Vietnam), we would be able to learn and benefit from one another’s research. The knowledge acquired would hence not be limited to one area of interest, but rather the scope of learning and knowledge attainment would be broad. This serves to enhance our multi-disciplinary experience. Within our group, as we come from different backgrounds and disciplines, we can showcase our individual skills, knowledge and perspectives, as well as learn how to complement one another with our various strengths and flaws. This would be highly beneficial in my personal development and prepare myself for the future workforce, where positive team spirit and mutual understanding is paramount for the success of any project.

Personally, I would like to hone my leadership and communication skills through this trip. By having the opportunity to conduct interviews and group discussions, I hope to be able to communicate with people confidently and tactfully, despite the probability of a language barrier. Through data-collection and in-depth analysis of the data, I hope to further develop my critical thinking skills and effectively utilize them in our research journey. Through the trip, I would also learn from my peers, professors, as well as the Vietnamese that I would encounter, to promote personal growth and self-empowerment. I hope to be able to contribute my skills to my group and together as a group, achieve equilibrium between work and leisure.

Furthermore, I aim to bring myself out of my comfort zone, and fully immerse myself in another culture to understand the similarities and differences between our cultures. With that, I can better put myself in their shoes and empathize with them, which further motivates me to work towards bringing about a positive change in the world, as a global citizen. Lastly, I sincerely hope that our research project would be able to benefit them in some way and make a difference in their lives, albeit small it may be.