Day 5:
Friday was packed full of activities. I fell asleep right when I got home and sat down on the bed- clothes and makeup still on, phone not plugged in, no alarms set- you could say I was a bit tired. Here is why:
Friday started off at full sprint. Got up, got breakfast, got dressed, and was off to our first business trip of the day. From the second I woke up to the second I passed out in bed was moving at top speed. Luckily in the 5 minutes that we waited for a taxi I was able to FaceTime home and talk to my parents for a little while; I know they enjoyed it, even for the short amount of time. It was a toasty ride to Royal Haskoning- I’m still not used to long pants, closed toed shoes, and a jacket in this heat, and I doubt I will ever get used to it. At Royal hastening we heard a presentation from Martin about their business which was very interesting to me and I think I followed most of what he was saying, I think I am catching up some on the business lingo. He spoke about how they are the “invisible hand” behind a lot of the projects here and I thought that was very interesting. I understood where he was coming from because it is alway cool to see who is behind the “magic” that everyone else sees. It is kind of the same way I feel about the medical field- the doctors are the “invisible hand” behind the people that are trying to keep them safe and healthy in the world. After the presentation we took a tour of the office. In some aspects I liked the layout because everyone had a separate space for their part of the company, but on the other had their was a courtyard and lots of stairs to keep them from collaboration with the other people in the company. Overall, the company’s building was beautiful and the architecture was a mix of many different global influences.
Following the trip we headed back to the hotel to get some lunch and try to relax before heading back out for another business trip. I took this time to eat a nice lunch in the room and do a light workout. I also did some research into the new fruits that I am eating. It turns out that passion fruit and dragon fruit very good for your health, and taste amazing. They are packed with antioxidants and vitamins to give you energy. I will miss them a lot, despite how strand they look, when I go back to the states.
The second part of the day was spent at the American Center and consulate. We spoke with Jonathan and his associate (I apologize for forgetting her name) about what they are doing in Vietnam. They spoke of the struggles they are experiencing with visas and sending Vietnamese students over to America to study, despite their want to do so. They talked some about the market and infrastructure but this is when I became completely lost in what they were talking about. It was interesting to hear about how they became diplomats and what they do on a day to day basis. After speaking with them we went and did a presentation to the Vietnamese students at the American Center, followed by group discussion. They seemed very interested in American culture but were timid to study in America due to the tuition costs (Around 350,000,000 dong). I did my best to encourage them to look at universities and see what kind of scholarships and programs they have for international students. I wish that every student was able to do what I am doing and get out of their comfort zone and see the world.
I’m relieved that the presentation is over, I hate public speaking, but it was a very good experience. It was very humbling to see how lucky I am. My parents are paying for my school, I don’t have to have a job during the year, and I have so many resources to study what I want and follow my passion in life. As each day goes on I realize more and more how much I want to travel and help others around me, not only the locals. Not only have I been bitten by the travel bug, I have also found the part of myself that wants to do anything and everything to give as many people as possible the experience to learn and thrive in the world.
-Jennier