Hey guys,
Not much to update you on in the past week. Teaching + English club is going well, and I just learned that next week Chi Diu and some other Fulbright officials are going to be coming down to visit Ben Tre. Yay! Also, this weekend I will be going on some adventures with Jess and Lindsay, so it should be super exciting!
I guess I'll just leave you with this thought. Being in Vietnam is a lot like riding on the back of a motorcycle. When you first start out, you cling desperately to the person in front of you. Things whizz by you at a dizzying pace, and every object in your path is a potential catastrophe. The noise, sights and smells don't just overwhelm you, they overpower you in the most total sense imaginable. You bite back a little scream with every bike that blurs past you, every truck that barrels down on you, every bump in the road that shakes you. Your pride keeps you from protesting, but honestly, if someone gave you a chance to get off the bike you would absolutely take it.
But then, as time goes on, something starts to shift. You learn to shift your weight ever so slightly as the motorcycle bobs and weaves through traffic. You learn to anticipate the bumps and to slide around them. You start to notice patterns in the traffic and you begin to decode the unwritten rules of traffic in Vietnam. You begin to appreciate the cool breeze in your face and the sights that blur past you. Your grip starts to relax, until eventually your arms drape loosely by your side. The bumps, the potential catastrophes, they're still out there and they still happen. But you ride through the bumps and duck your head when catastrophe looms, and otherwise you just grin and enjoy the ride.
TGIF,
Jefferson
Not much to update you on in the past week. Teaching + English club is going well, and I just learned that next week Chi Diu and some other Fulbright officials are going to be coming down to visit Ben Tre. Yay! Also, this weekend I will be going on some adventures with Jess and Lindsay, so it should be super exciting!
I guess I'll just leave you with this thought. Being in Vietnam is a lot like riding on the back of a motorcycle. When you first start out, you cling desperately to the person in front of you. Things whizz by you at a dizzying pace, and every object in your path is a potential catastrophe. The noise, sights and smells don't just overwhelm you, they overpower you in the most total sense imaginable. You bite back a little scream with every bike that blurs past you, every truck that barrels down on you, every bump in the road that shakes you. Your pride keeps you from protesting, but honestly, if someone gave you a chance to get off the bike you would absolutely take it.
But then, as time goes on, something starts to shift. You learn to shift your weight ever so slightly as the motorcycle bobs and weaves through traffic. You learn to anticipate the bumps and to slide around them. You start to notice patterns in the traffic and you begin to decode the unwritten rules of traffic in Vietnam. You begin to appreciate the cool breeze in your face and the sights that blur past you. Your grip starts to relax, until eventually your arms drape loosely by your side. The bumps, the potential catastrophes, they're still out there and they still happen. But you ride through the bumps and duck your head when catastrophe looms, and otherwise you just grin and enjoy the ride.
TGIF,
Jefferson
No comments:
Post a Comment