central vietnam :)

Going to Central Vietnam just confirmed that I made the right in choosing EAP VIETNAM!!! Best school year ever…tedious hours of traveling, train rides with new cockroach friends, excursions to tombs of dead emperors, snorkeling in salty-ass water and getting three shades darker, nothing can top this :)
If you read this Gerard, I think you should move the program to Da Nang because it is just that amazing although Hanoi is awesome <3 Darn Anh Cui for upgrading our hotel rooms from deluxe to luxury. But no seriously thank you for all your guidance. Mien Trung is awesome. Thank you Gerard, Anh Thai, Chi Moc, Anh Cui and Chi Mi Sao for making all this possible <3

I felt more at peace at Quy Ngon and Hue because there was less traffic, less noise and people spoke with a southern dialect which was easier to understand and people were just generally nicer.

One of the best parts of this trip was my experience at the nunnery. When we first arrived at the nunnery, I thought it was pretty cool. But after we went inside the house where we met some of the nuns and I felt weird and like I was out of place (I even told Mindy). I’m not too sure what made me feel that way but I know that it had nothing to do with my religious beliefs.

After we had lunch, some of the girls went to help do the dishes while the rest of us met with the head nun. She was so open to us about her life and answered everything that we asked. She grew up in a broken family where her parents were always fighting so she came to the temple to escape all of it. There, she found shelter and peace. She was only thirteen at the time. She wanted to live at the temple but they refused to take her in because she was too young. Ever since that day until she turned eighteen, she went to temple every day. During her stay at the temple, she learned that she needed to be the mediator between her mom and dad to stop them from arguing and help her family find peace while helping others as well. Her story was so inspirational and she is such a selfless person. I wish that I have the courage and stamina to do what she does in my daily life. After hearing all this, I no longer felt like I did not belong. Sitting there, watching and listening her speak reminded me of my Ba Noi.

When Gerard donated money to the temple, she did not want to take it and was like save it for the kids to buy snacks and candy. (At this I was tearing up and trying so hard not to cry). She is such a beautiful person with a beautiful heart that you just cant help to love by just being in her presence. To me it does not matter what god or who you believe in, and I truly admire everything that she has done for herself, the other nuns, the temples and every one she has reached out to.

Even though I bet I missed some cool stuff at the De-militarized Zone (DMZ), I’m glad that I decided to go to the nunnery.