We had a couple complications getting to lunch, and finally arrived to eat pho from the middle of Vietnam. It was a tasty meal, but I think that all of us would admit that we were all ready to go back to the hotel and prepare for going home. Some of us headed to the Ben Thanh Market while others stayed at the hotel to pack. After I successfully got all of my souvenirs for people back home, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for our farewell dinner.
First, we took many formal group pictures with the girls in their ao dais and the boys in their suits. It was a fun time, but I think we were all ready for our fancy dinner ahead. The restaurant was on a boat on the Saigon River with Ho Chi Minh City lighting up the one side. We ate, joked, and had a good time during dinner, then wandered the ship after. The bow had a nice refreshing breeze when once we took off down the river. Looking straight ahead, I saw the city lights on the one side and shacks with tiny fishing boats tied up outside of them on the other side. It was like looking at two different worlds at one time. I couldn't help but watch the boats putt by slowly after a long day of fishing just to get by, and I stared in awe thinking about where I was standing at the very moment. I was standing on a nice, upscale restaurant boat where I had just eaten a large meal, while locals were just coming home to their small, hot shack on the side of the river from a long, tiring day working. As I was called back to the table for Kate's final surprise, I couldn't help but continue to think about the different worlds surrounding me, but I still wanted to enjoy the remaining hours in Vietnam. Kate had gotten us a cake for a final farewell, which I must admit, was good but not as good as cakes back home. Still, I enjoyed it and the gesture and it began to sink in that I was about to leave this country full of kindhearted people. Sadly the night was coming to an end and we headed back to the hotel to finish packing up for our early flight.
All of us had decided to not even sleep the night before we left since we had to check out around 2 A.M. We ended up packing some, then headed to a place a couple blocks away that we drove by almost everyday, but never had a chance to visit. It was a pond-like roundabout with walking paths of different levels about the water then a staircase leading up to a higher level where you could sit and look at the city around you. Even higher than that there stood a giant metal flower that required a ladder to get to. It was beautiful and peaceful even with the night life surrounding. I sat on the edge looking down and the people walking the streets, the motorbikes rushing by, and the glowing lights of the city around me. It was a nice break before the travel day ahead, which was guaranteed to be exhausting. I could have sat their forever, but I knew that I had to finish packing and clean up before my early day. Most of us just hung out in a room together, talking about things that happened on the trip, and discussing what our first meal stateside would be. It made us all excited to finally go home and when the time came we checked out and headed to the airport, arriving just after 3 A.M. Some of the Vietnamese students tagged along to see us off, which made saying goodbye extremely hard. Between tears and hugs, I was less excited to go home, and more sorry to leave. I knew that we would stay in touch, but its hard to say if we would ever see each other again and I hated coming to that realization. Sadly, we had to leave no matter what and it would be a long journey home.
When we got to Hong Kong, we had to take shuttles to two other building until we finally found our gate for our flight to Newark Airport. Once we made sure that everyone made it to the gate, we could relax for our 16 our flight ahead, where I found myself sleeping for only a couple of hours. I watched many movies, read some more of my book, and definitely did not drink enough water. When we arrived at the airport, we had the most pleasant experience coming through customs because we could actually had a nice smiling conversation about our trip. After the baggage claim, we said our goodbyes and went to find our families, and when I saw my mom I gave her a huge hug. It was nice to finally be home, but I can honestly say I miss it there already and I hope to go back one day.
First, we took many formal group pictures with the girls in their ao dais and the boys in their suits. It was a fun time, but I think we were all ready for our fancy dinner ahead. The restaurant was on a boat on the Saigon River with Ho Chi Minh City lighting up the one side. We ate, joked, and had a good time during dinner, then wandered the ship after. The bow had a nice refreshing breeze when once we took off down the river. Looking straight ahead, I saw the city lights on the one side and shacks with tiny fishing boats tied up outside of them on the other side. It was like looking at two different worlds at one time. I couldn't help but watch the boats putt by slowly after a long day of fishing just to get by, and I stared in awe thinking about where I was standing at the very moment. I was standing on a nice, upscale restaurant boat where I had just eaten a large meal, while locals were just coming home to their small, hot shack on the side of the river from a long, tiring day working. As I was called back to the table for Kate's final surprise, I couldn't help but continue to think about the different worlds surrounding me, but I still wanted to enjoy the remaining hours in Vietnam. Kate had gotten us a cake for a final farewell, which I must admit, was good but not as good as cakes back home. Still, I enjoyed it and the gesture and it began to sink in that I was about to leave this country full of kindhearted people. Sadly the night was coming to an end and we headed back to the hotel to finish packing up for our early flight.
All of us had decided to not even sleep the night before we left since we had to check out around 2 A.M. We ended up packing some, then headed to a place a couple blocks away that we drove by almost everyday, but never had a chance to visit. It was a pond-like roundabout with walking paths of different levels about the water then a staircase leading up to a higher level where you could sit and look at the city around you. Even higher than that there stood a giant metal flower that required a ladder to get to. It was beautiful and peaceful even with the night life surrounding. I sat on the edge looking down and the people walking the streets, the motorbikes rushing by, and the glowing lights of the city around me. It was a nice break before the travel day ahead, which was guaranteed to be exhausting. I could have sat their forever, but I knew that I had to finish packing and clean up before my early day. Most of us just hung out in a room together, talking about things that happened on the trip, and discussing what our first meal stateside would be. It made us all excited to finally go home and when the time came we checked out and headed to the airport, arriving just after 3 A.M. Some of the Vietnamese students tagged along to see us off, which made saying goodbye extremely hard. Between tears and hugs, I was less excited to go home, and more sorry to leave. I knew that we would stay in touch, but its hard to say if we would ever see each other again and I hated coming to that realization. Sadly, we had to leave no matter what and it would be a long journey home.
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