Conclusion

This last and final blog post finds me Stateside. The last 24 (36? 48?) hours are a blur to me but I do know that I did not want to say goodbye. I didn't want to say goodbye to my Vietnamese friends, Bryan, Professor Berman, Miss Loan, or the 19 students from Pitt I was fortunate enough to get to know the past two weeks.

Before the goodbyes (and tears), we did have some activities planned for Friday.

We woke up and had our last breakfast at the Victory Hotel. We then got on the bus to go to a gymnasium to play soccer and basketball with some UEF students. We all thought we would be playing the students we had spent the last two weeks with but unfortunately for us that wasn't the case. Instead we were up against UEF's actual basketball team. But don't you worry, I successfully ran circles around the players with no intention of ever touching the ball and I successfully fouled one of the players to stop him from scoring a basket (if the ref didn't see it, did it ever actually happen?). Needless to say we lost the basketball game, but still gave it our best effort. With soaked shirts (soaked with SWEAT) we put together a starting lineup for the soccer game. Unlike with the basketball game, we actually stood a chance in the soccer game. Not sure if we won or tied but overall it was a much more evenly matched game. Afterwards we gave our Vietnamese friends gifts we brought from the US and all went to lunch.

We then went back to the hotel and had a couple hours before we needed to report back to the lobby for dinner. A bunch of us went to the pool for our last swim swam and others went to Ben Tanh for some last minute shopping. Afterwards I packed and by that time it was time to put on my Ao Dai for a quick photo-shoot before dinner. They guys had on their suits and all the girls had their Ao Dais and we all looked fabulous.

Dinner was on a boat that was on the Saigon River. We ate and then the boat took off. I was able to listen to Professor Berman speak about some of his experiences in Vietnam and his opinions on our group and previous Plus 3 groups (he said we were his favorite :)). This was all before Vic (my Vietnamese friend) dipped his finger in the icing of my cake and then proceeded to rub it all over my face. Nice.

We then went back to the hotel with a couple hours to relax until we needed to leave for the airport. Most of us (Vietnamese students included) went for a midnight walk to Turtle Lake. Turtle Lake is a small fountain with walkways situated right down the street from the hotel. We were able to spend time together and talk about the trip one last time as a group. It was very peaceful and I think everyone appreciated it.

2:30 a.m came around and we were on our way to the airport. Some Vietnamese students came on the bus with us to the airport so they could say goodbye to us before our flight. Saying goodbye to them was pretty difficult. I remember being told that the Vietnamese people in general would be very nice to us, but what these students did for us the past two weeks was just incredible. They took care of us and made it their mission for us to see as much of the city as we could in two weeks. They were all so welcoming and excited to see us everyday and I don't think it will ever make sense to me how happy these students were just to meet us, 20 Americans. Their participation in the program was what made it successful and I can't thank them enough.

Another very important person to this trip was Miss Loan. Miss Loan was the faculty member from UEF that helped facilitate the trip, and did a wonderful job. Vic was telling me how Miss Loan told him that she was didn't think she was capable of this job. I don't think I've met a person more qualified for this trip and I appreciate everything that she had done for us. From helping with our logistics to wanting to make each of us happy and comfortable, she was amazing. She went everywhere with us and was always very helpful.

More thanks needs to be given to both Bryan (Coach, Bry Guy) and Professor Berman. Bryan made sure the 20 of us stayed alive during the past two weeks and was overall a great Coach. Professor Berman put his heart into this trip and cared deeply about each and every one of us. He shared his experiences with us and was able to include a great insight on all the history we learned during the trip. It was clear that Vietnam means so much to him and it means more to him that he is able to bring students to the country for a learning experience. Professor Berman has created this trip from scratch and every part of it was planned perfectly. I am extremely grateful to have been given to opportunity to go to such a wonderful country with a person that has so much experience with it.

I would also like to give a shout out to the 19 Pitt students that I was able to spend the past two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City with. I knew (well, was hoping) that being in a foreign country would bring us together as one cohesive group. I was amazed at  how quickly we were able to do that. I believe we had a great group of kids and that was evident in how we were able to joke with each other and also work together on our projects and in planning our nights and communicating. That being said, I feel like a big part of the reason why we were able to get along so well was because of the Vietnamese students. They let us share many new experiences with each other and were key in helping 20 of us and the handful of them become very close over the past two weeks.

Overall, Plus 3 Vietnam was an incredible experience. I left Vietnam wanting to see more and left with a new love for a city, its people, and its culture. I left Vietnam with new friendships, both at home and in Vietnam. I don't think I could have asked more of a program (except for a longer one) and I will never forget the two indescribable weeks I spent in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Day 13-- I'm a maid of honor

Today we got up as usual and went to UEF for our last culture and language classes. Culture class was interesting because we learned about superstitions about numbers and went in depth with Vietnamese art. (We learned that the number 9 is significant in marriage, more on this later). Language class was fun because we were "tested" on our skills. We were put into teams and had to compete. Score was not kept but if it was my team might have won. We then went to lunch at the canteen at Kent. 

After lunch we drove to the Xa Loi Pagoda (a Buddhist temple). We took our shoes off and put some skirts on to walk inside to see a huge, beautiful Buddha. Next we walked to the Thich Quang Duc memorial. This monk was the monk that self immolated in protest of the persecutions of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government at the time. It felt very strange to be at the exact place that he protested. It's amazing/insane/respectable what people will do for what they believe in.

We then walked to the War Remnants Museum (which is about two blocks from the hotel). Before we began walking through the museum, Arielle was stopped by people she met at the American Center a few days ago. The two kids gave her a gift made of coconut leaves (it was an ornament looking thing with nine grasshoppers). Now since we learned what the number nine means, we are fairly certain the boy was asking Arielle to marry her. If this is truly the case, I have happily accepted the position of Arielle's maid of honor. (edit April 2019--Arielle still has the handmade ornament!)
We spent about an hour in the museum walking through rooms and rooms of pictures of the war. Most of these pictures portrayed victims of the war, victims of Agent Orange, and generally the war from the Vietnamese point of view. Outside the museum (still part of the museum) were helicopters and tanks all of which were American. The most goose-bump inciting thing for me was a picture of a child born in 2008 with defects caused by Agent Orange. It is clear that the war had lasting effects on the land and its people. 
Walking through the museum I took it for what it was--a museum. I was not particularly offended by any part of the museum and understood completely that what I was looking at was how the Vietnamese viewed the war. It was certainly not my place to argue with anyone about facts about the war because I was not there and have only learned about the war in textbooks. That being said, walking through the museum I got the general understanding that both sides used extreme techniques to win. Although the fighting got very violent, all soldiers should be commemorated for their bravery in protecting their respective nations. 
As of the present I'm confident when I say that I feel no hostility between the two nations. The Vietnamese people that we have met while on the trip, whether they be students, teachers, restaurant owners or shop owners, business owners, have all been very nice to us and genuinely happy when we are around. The Vietnamese people are extremely kind people and I feel very happy/lucky to have met a few. 

5/7 of the girls at lunch ft. Ho Chi Minh City in the background

BUDDHA

Thích Quảng Đức Memorial

Day 12-- We might never go back to a Five Star Hotel

Today we went to the New World Hotel (after sleeping in), which is a five star hotel in Saigon. We attended a cooking class and made ourselves spring rolls (of which I made but did not eat and gave to Sam). We were then let loose on the buffet in the hotel and I believe everyone had a great time. This buffet was quite fancy and had a wonderful selection of desserts. 

After lunch we came back to the hotel for a quick turn around and then got back on the bus to go to Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP). SNP is a port for imports and exports. The interesting thing about SNP is that it works very closely with the Vietnamese military. The company works 24 hours a day and is very popular in Vietnam. I think of all the companies that we have visited, SNP is what I am most interested in doing as a career. I am studying supply chain management which studies how a product goes from raw materials to end product and how that product gets to an end user as efficiently as possible. Supply chain (and SNP) takes a lot of coordination and planning. What I like most about it is its globalization. Supply chain is everywhere and SNP does a good job of participating in a world-wide process.

We came back and some of us went to Ben Tanh market to do some more bargaining. I got my flag t-shirt and was good to go. We came back to the hotel and went for a swim swam which didn't last long. We got word that our suits were in and a fashion show ensued. All of us looked great, even in our chlorine filled hair. 

Sam and Chris "didn't" take my phone

Saigon Newport Corporation

Dan and Edziu make spring rolls

Day 11-- Managing in Complex Environments

Plus 3 2015 Vietnam sure knows how to manage in complex environments, and would surely make Bob proud. 

Today was a stacked day in terms of company visits. We got on the bus and drove an hour to VSIP (Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park) for the first visit, and stayed there to visit another company (II-VI). I personally really liked VSIP. The governments of both Vietnam and Singapore got together and let VSIP create an industrial park that currently has parks in the southern part of Vietnam (the one we went to today), central Vietnam, and northern Vietnam (near Hanoi). VSIP is a popular place for a company to set up shop because of their one-stop shop service. VSIP provides companies with tech support, government support, customer service, and they have an on-site customs office. All these features allow the companies in the park to cut costs when it comes to trying to find other reliable sources of said services. VSIP does all of it for them which makes the industrial park an attractive place to grow a business. I think the reason why I liked VSIP so much is because it's in the business of making a business (who thinks of these things!?), which kind of goes to show that business can be anything and is everywhere. 

Up next was II-VI, a Pennsylvania company doing some operations in Vietnam (because of the inexpensive labor). II-VI is in the business of infrared and optics and other things I didn't quite understand. After a briefing we went and toured the buildings. There was a lot of big and loud machinery operated by trained workers working with very small elements. From a business point of view, II-VI is a strong company. They cut costs whenever/wherever possible which contributes to their 40 year streak in growing profits. If there was a good example of a company that has globalized it would be II-VI. Having moved operations from Singapore to China to Vietnam, following inexpensive labor, II-VI still has plants in all of these countries with its headquarters in the U.S. 

After lunch we had an hour long nap on the ride home and a couple of us went for a swim swam in the pool. It was an early day but a much needed one because a lot of us are exhausted. We do have plans to go out tonight because we do get to sleep in tomorrow (9:45 bus time, is this real life?). Tomorrow we have a cooking class in the morning, which should be interesting!

VSIP Model

Inside II-VI

Arielle takes pictures of food (a daily occurrence)



Day 10-- MAC QUA! (minus accents)

The day started with a fun language class at UEF. We reviewed our numbers while playing a game (the only numbers we really know are 1-10, we're still beginners). I scored one point for my team (the first point so that has to count for something). We went through practice conversations between what a seller/shop ownder and a customer might say while bartering. We then left class to use our skills at the Ben Tanh Market. 

The Ben Thanh Market is a giant building of vendors who each have tiny, back-to-back squares of space to put/hang up all the things they have to sell (generally themed things--coffee, t-shirts, jewelry). I walked in and before I could process the amount of things there were to look at, I was bombarded with vendors asking me if I wanted to buy what they were selling (some even grabbed me to get my attention). Fortunately for me (and probably for everyone), I did not need to use my Vietnamese to bargain because most vendors spoke English. I did learn today that I do not like to bargain, which is why I brought Arielle with me wherever I went. I eventually got some things for family and friends and even bargained a little myself once I got the confidence (I'm sure I still spent much more than what a more experienced Vietnamese person would have spent). 

We then went to the Vina Capital Foundation for a visit. The Foundation (not really a foundation because they work/fund their own projects while foundations fund other projects) is an NGO in Vietnam and invests money to fund social change. Some projects include paying for child heart surgeries and sending girls from poor areas to school. The management team that spoke to us was a cool group of guys, very focused on social change and actually making a difference. Vina Capital was very cool to me because although social change is hard to see and progress is difficult to measure, it is amazing that this company (and so many others like it) don’t stop. The representatives mentioned doing any little thing they can to donate as much money as possible—like taking economy class plane rides instead of first class ones. This really shows their dedication and I think something more people should do.

We then came back to the hotel and made plans for the night. I think I poured my heart and soul into karaoke tonight. 

Inside Ben Thanh

Rachel displays her Vietnamese pride