It has almost been two weeks since we came back from Vietnam, yet memories of the trip remain vivid. The trip was unlike any of my previous school trips – mostly, we had the autonomy to do whatever we deemed fit for our project. I also gained many insightful learning experiences and thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the 7 days.

One of the most memorable experience was the trekking and homestay at Sapa. Personally, I am an ardent fan of trekking (and mountain-climbing). I enjoy the exhilaration and adrenaline of trekking on treacherous roads and pushing myself beyond my physical limits. While I was initially worried about my stamina (which has probably deteriorated along the years), I found myself doing much better than expected. I then realized how we tend to underestimate ourselves, and this pulls us down and undermines our true capabilities. As such, we should never doubt our strengths and abilities, and always believe in ourselves. With this conviction, we can then reach our full potential, be it physically or mentally.

In addition, I believe the trekking process made me a more independent individual. At the beginning of the trek, I had to rely on our tour guide to help us through the difficult and slippery paths. However, I gradually adapted and successfully trekked through the obstacles without much help. In turn, I started reaching my hand out to aid my peers. Besides learning to be independent and having the courage to overcome challenges on my own, I also understood the importance of accepting and offering aid from others. It is imperative for us to remember those who helped us along the way, especially through difficult times, and be grateful for their help. We should then inspire to aid others in need as well, knowing that a small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone else’s life.

Moreover, the breathtaking view of the mountainous areas and waterfalls was an added bonus! The fresh air and scenery was a stark contrast from the usual city landscape that I was (unfortunately) accustomed to. I especially loved how serene and empty the place was, without the incessant noise and pollution from the city. It was a great respite from the hectic city life (and the intense studying for finals) – it almost felt like a holiday! It was even more heartwarming to witness how we all took care of one another along the trek (and the entire 7-day journey). Simple gestures like offering Oreos and water, or asking ‘are you okay?’ felt much more touching when we were all sitting on the rocks, panting heavily and sweating buckets (despite the 14-degree weather) after surviving a climb up a never-ending, steep slope. I still remembered that instance when we conquered a steep slope and reached a hut where two other groups were having lunch at. Our faces instantly lit up upon seeing the food, all our fatigue completely gone… until our guide told us that it wasn’t where we were going to have lunch at! I could still recall that moment when we groaned unanimously. It turned out that we had to climb up a few more steep slopes to reach our destination. With one another’s encouragement (which mostly involved the word ‘food’), we persevered despite the aching in our calves, and made it to the top. Undoubtedly, that was the best lunch I had in the entire 7 days!

The homestay experience was unlike anything I had in mind. I had a mental image of a small wooden hut, without proper lavatory or internet connection. I was prepared to be completely brought out of my comfort zone. Contrarily, the homestay was comfortable and the host was extremely hospitable, and I felt slightly disappointed at that. I had hoped that the host would treat us less like guests, allowing us to aid them with their chores instead. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the homestay (and I am looking to come back again soon!). Comparing the rural and urban areas, I also observed that people in the rural areas are more amiable, especially during interviews. While they may have more difficulty in understanding our questions, their answers were wholehearted and genuine. The people from urban areas are more likely to give relatively shorter answers, probably due to time constraint. This is paralleled in my daily life – sometimes, I tend to hold half-hearted conversations with people, especially my loved ones, using ‘busy’ and ‘tired’ as an excuse. The fast pace of living (that I chose to commit to) has undermined the genuineness of conversations and morphed myself into a hostile, unamiable person. Furthermore, at first glance, it may seem that our families are more fortunate than the homestay family – we lead an extravagant lifestyle, as compared to their simple lifestyle, but that is definitely not true! They have less expectations of the world and are much happier and satisfied with life, and they have so much more that we can learn from. With this awareness, I aim to grow and change to be a better person in the upcoming year.

Lastly, one aspect that could be improved is the degree of cultural immersion. While we could interact with locals (such as our homestay host in Sapa and tour guide in Hanoi), the conversations generally revolved around our topic (gender roles). We did not have much opportunity to learn more about other aspects of their culture and history. The homestay in Sapa was also rather short and we were unable to interact much with our homestay family and gain a full experience of their way of life such as by helping them with their daily chores. As such, the homestay could have been longer for us to fully immerse in their culture and allow us to give something back to their community. In addition, the amazing race lacked the cultural component as well. While it heavily emphasized on teamwork and honed our leadership skills, the amazing race was a competition against time and we struggled to gain more points by going to all the destinations. This hence impeded us from wanting to learn more about the destinations, which all have cultural or political significance. The amazing race could have incorporated historical and cultural knowledge in the station games, such as having to enter the landmarks to source for information for the crossword puzzle.

Overall, the trip had met most of my expectations. The leadership components (the trek, amazing race etcetera) gave me the opportunity to showcase my abilities and learn from my peers and professors. I could also witness how the Vietnam War affected the current landscape and culture of Vietnam (especially gender roles). This trip has shaped me into a better global citizen and critical thinker, and nurtured my personal growth. I am rather confident that our research project would be able to spur a change in their lives as well!