Reflections on Vietnam – Verse Five: A Post-Trip Response

“Amazing” and “transformative” were the most common adjectives participants (college students and adults) used to describe the trip. I would describe it as a series of “seize the moment” experiences which led some of us to dance on beaches in intense heat, some to climb hundreds of stone steps up Marble Mountain despite being afraid of heights, some to try wild boar and porcupine at dinner, some to learn the art of bartering, some to learn to relinquish control and go with the flow, and all of us to learn to communicate without speaking more than a dozen Vietnamese words and to open our hearts to people from another culture. Of course we heightened our awareness of “first world” versus “real” problems and gained a deeper appreciation of the privileged lives most of us live in the USA.

In October the students shared their experiences with the campus community. Three OT students are now sponsoring children through Brittany’s Hope. They each spoke eloquently of their desire to do more. As I watched the Elizabethtown College students, all 20 of them, interact with children, youth, and each other on this trip, I was both proud and thankful. More than once I thought, they will make a positive difference in a world sadly in need of much hope.  Go Blue Jays!

The next trip to Vietnam is planned for May/June 2017.