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Teagan Dunn is a sophomore at North Florida Community College (NFCC) who will graduate in December with her Associates degree. However, before graduating and going on to further her college education, she took advantage of an opportunity to travel to Vietnam with Denise Bell, NFCC Director of Student Services, whose mother is a native of Vietnam.
Bell, Bell’s mom, Bell’s older brother, and Dunn departed Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 4 and traveled to Washington, D.C. where they stayed until flying to Vietnam on Thursday, March 6. On their way, they had a layover in Japan.
While in Vietnam, they visited some of Bell’s family and did quite a bit
of sightseeing. They visited Bell’s aunt, who lives in Soc Trang, which was a five-hour van ride from where they were staying. They also traveled north into the mountains to Sa Pa and visited Cat Cat Village, which is home to over 80 different ethnicities of the Black Hmong People. Afterward, they traveled to the coast to Ha Long Bay.
On their return trip to the United States, they had layovers in Cambodia and Japan.
According to Dunn, the best part of the trip was the great food and the opportunity to absorb some of the culture. “The movie, Frozen, and all of the Marvel characters are very popular there,” stated Dunn. While there, she and Bell went to a museum where they had “beautiful embroidery on display.”
One of the most memorable experiences for Dunn was the visit to Ha Long Bay, where she learned the Vietnamese words for rice, chicken, fish, and the phrase, “I eat.”
While there, they also took a boat and cave tour. “It’s like the mountains are hollow,” said Dunn.
A couple things she found fascinating was their use of “our alphabet” and the French influence on their language.
Dunn and Bell also attended a funeral for a Vietnamese individual while there. “That was interesting.” “They had a live band playing ‘When the Saints Go Marching In.’ The daughters of the deceased wore white and laid down so the casket could be carried over them. (I don’t know what that was about, but it’s tradition).” Bell said there was also a brightly colored van as part of the processional.
“Every home and business we entered had a shrine, pictures of family and either a statue of Buddha or a statue of the Virgin Mary,” stated Dunn. The town of Sa Pa had a French church built in the 1800s with stained glass windows. Another insight she had was that the Christian influence is stronger in the northern region than it is in the central area. She also did not think the Communist control was as strong now as it had been in previous years.
“I was able to travel and meet people and experience things I’ve never seen before. It’s really insightful,” said Dunn about her experience.
Another realization she had through this experience was, “Everyone appreciates regular things – good food and good company. They’re regular people.”
Dunn says she made some friends while she was there, and she plans to stay in contact with them through Facebook.
While there, Dunn met one of Bell’s cousins. “He plans to come to the U.S. after he has a better grip on English,” Dunn said.
One thing Dunn said she learned about herself is that she can’t sleep in vehicles. The five-hour drive to the city from Bell’s family’s home convinced her of that.
She said driving back and forth was kind of tedious, but other than that, she really enjoyed meeting new people and trying new food.
Since arriving home, Dunn feels she has gained an appreciation for “what [Americans] have and the freedom we have to travel.”
In preparation for the trip, Dunn had to acquire a passport and a visa and save a lot of money. She also had to remind herself, “Home will be there; It’s always there to come back to” when making her final decision to take this opportunity. She said that, other than for her passport and visa (which her parents paid for), she paid for the trip entirely from her savings.
Her advice to other young people who are considering traveling is: “Be prepared; know the climate. Learn the basics of the language. Make sure you can handle the food; they like spicy food.”
Dunn’s final statement during her interview was probably the one most expected – “I had fun, but I’m glad to be at home and back on schedule.”