I like to do things on impulse. After my first meeting about this opportunity and talking to a couple of people about a business trip to Vietnam, I called my mom, and I asked her: “Can I go to Vietnam this summer?” Maybe she thought I was joking, but she said yes. I didn’t hesitate to submit my application, and suddenly I found myself doing research in a whole new country.
I would like to say I loved it at first, but I hadn’t. My world hadn’t opened up fully in the beginning. I had to deal with a whole new environment bustling with people who looked like me but couldn’t speak the same language while also juggling relationships with other students abroad, not all of which were particularly friendly.
But above all, I remember the good times. I took trips to places that came out of a movie screen, ate foods I’d never be able to afford elsewhere, and made friendships with people I’d never have met if I hadn’t looked at my email that one day and decided to just give going a try.
Vietnam was my home for those two months. I kayaked the mystifying Ha Long Bay of the North, the lantern-lit streams of Hanoi in the Center, and the murky rivers of the Mekong Delta in the South. Having traversed all these places, I still found my love to remain in Saigon where there was an abundance of food, shopping, and entertainment.
One of my favorite things to do was go out to eat or shop in unsuspecting, dilapidated buildings or alleyways. Places like the Cafe apartments, 26 Ly Tu Trong, and the Underground were some of my favorite places to go to for this reason, allowing me to find unique clothing and satiating foodie spots.
The things I remember the most, though, were the relationships I made with not just my UTC students but with the people I met in Vietnam. The local buddies became my friends. They hung out with us and made us laugh. They celebrated our birthdays, and we celebrated theirs. I even attended one of their graduations!
Not only that, I remember the other people I met during my time there like a girl from the UK with a love of writing but no free time, or that girl from Norway who left her pre-law dreams to move to America, or the sweet girl from Vermont who woke up early every morning just to see the sun rise.
It changes your mind how easily things change, how much you can feel, how much you can learn. I came into this internship expecting to feel rejuvenated about my career path in life, and now I question it. Where I thought I wanted to be and what I’d experienced when actually being–how could I be so sure of anything?
A conversation came up once while I was out enjoying the nightlife of Saigon. There were no stars, but nowhere is ever dark in that city. I was asked: “Hey Victoria, where do you want to be in life?” I didn’t have an answer, but all I could think was that at that moment, studying abroad in Vietnam, was right where I wanted to be.
Victoria Lac (BS Biology, Pre-Professional) spent the Summer 2024 semester studying abroad in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam through WorldStrides. Victoria had the following to say about studying abroad, “If you’re already thinking about studying abroad, all it takes is one impulse to bring you out of your comfort zone and into a world of spectacular opportunities. Autonomy is more than knowing you have choices. It’s making those choices too.”
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