2010 VIET Fellows // Browsing posts in 2010 VIET Fellows
Pieces of a Puzzle
Wiggling my toes in the warm sand, I stared out at the majestic beauty of the Cua Dai beach in Hoi An. Leaving Da Nang for the weekend, I was excited to take a break from work. But even as we were walking through Khu Pho Co Hoi An (Ancient Town of Hoi An), being […]
So mênh mông
Staring into the vastness of the Tien Giang River, the first phrase that came to me came in an immigrant language—half English-half Vietnamese. So “mênh mông”. Sitting in the middle of this vastness made me feel at ease, at home. But it also reminded me of the vastness of what we, the VIET2010 fellows, faced […]
People are People
It’s 7:00am. Rise and shine. There’s a big day ahead of us. Brush my teeth, get dressed, apply generous amounts of sun block and bug spray, and I’m ready to go. Time for a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant – two eggs, over easy, a couple slices of bread, and some apple juice – […]
Let’s Beat Down the Wall That Stands in My Way
Limits. That’s the word that has been running through my mind this entire week. Each turn that I make, I am faced with a limit, with a restriction that hinders me from my original idea of media documentation. There are limits on media and especially on the impact that VIET2010 fellows have here as we […]
The First Day
This is a very difficult exercise. I want to talk about something I felt and what I saw, but it means that I have to live through it all over again. But these children I am going to talk about have to live through it every day. It was the first week, the first day, […]
First Steps
The first week in Vietnam has finally ended and the emotions and feelings that I had initially started with have changed and evolved as the week progressed. The first morning I awoke in Vietnam, I was eager to start our journey. As a Vietnamese growing up in the United States, I always felt a strong […]
Beginning
Flat is the best word I can use to describe my emotional state before leaving for Vietnam. Training in San Francisco had excited me about the objectives of the program and I was eager to learn more about Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam. But at the same time, the usual buzz of exhilaration and anticipation before a big trip was definitely absent. It’s not that I had very negative feelings about going; it’s just that I was having a hard time summoning some enthusiasm. VIET2010 marks my fourth trip to Vietnam, and though the ambition inherent in both this project and my expectations for it separates this journey from my previous ones, I could not help feeling that returning again would be unremarkable.
Baggage
Walking onto the plane, I am reminded of all the baggage I carry with me. 60 pounds of luggage follows behind me in my checked baggage. My shoulders are weighed down with the gifts I am bringing back to family: ginseng, fragrant soap, gum, and vitamins. Beyond these worldly possessions, however, my heart hangs heavy […]
An Opportunity to Learn, Grow, and Make an Impact
There are a special few moments in our lives that we seemingly spend our whole lives preparing for and anticipating. For many, this includes first dates, weddings, college and standardized exams, the birth of a child, among others. Over the last 27 years, I have been preparing myself for the moment where I visit, for […]
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