Walking across the street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we are likely
to fall victim to the hundreds of motorcycles that dominate the rush
hour hubbub. With so many people crowding on the sidewalks, it takes
five minutes to get across the street. The city life is a sharp
contrast to Búa, Ecuador and even Kunming, China, but with the help of
three Vietnamese students, we are able to find our way around with
minimal difficulty.
After only a few days in Vietnam, it
became apparent that we all wanted to learn more about the war. We
visited the War Relics Museum, the Son My Massacre site, and victims of
Agent Orange. We were horrified at the events that took place and had
many group discussions in order to process very heavy information. War
is always a difficult subject, and as we walked through the museum
looking at photographs of American and Vietnamese soldiers, many of us
were overwhelmed with the reality of how much was destroyed.
This
month we worked with the Waste Collectors Union. We talked to the
workers and learned first hand about their rights and their thoughts on
the environment. This experience allowed us to see each level of the
Union from the chairman to the scavenger. On a trip to city landfill,
we saw the product of industrialization and asked about the different
waste management strategies. Over the course of the month, we went on
several day trips (the Mekong Delta, wildlife reserves, and landfills),
listened to lectures (at the US consulate and with the Waste Collectors
Union), and participated in a shorter service project to acquaint
ourselves with environmental issues in Vietnam, specifically waste
management and conservation. In addition working Ho Chi Minh City, we
traveled to Quy Nhon for a week to see two composting facilities, where
we were able to get our hands dirty and help sort through the piles of
trash. We also spent a wonderful Christmas at the beach in Quy Nhon.
All
of these adventures were preparation for our main project of hosting an
environmental conference. As the date of the conference came closer, we
all worked hard to finalize schedules, check venues, and prepare the
guiding questions for our discussions. On December 31st, we held a
four-hour conference with Vietnamese college students, where we
discussed global environmental issues and solutions.
Between Pho
(Vietnamese noodles), long bus rides, Robin as Santa Claus, and our
hosts CET, we had an amazing month full of rich, life-changing
experiences.