Gabriel Kossovan
November 5, 2023
As I write this, I have less then one week left in my time in Vietnam. I’m in my apartment and the never-ending rain outside seems to be doing its best to reassure me that I’m leaving at the right time. As I think back on my time here, I find myself almost at a loss for words. Sure, on their own, the individual parts of what make Vietnam great are easy to quantify. The food is amazing, the scenery is beautiful, the people are so friendly and welcoming, and the opportunities for new experiences are almost boundless. Those individual parts all contributed to why I look back on my time here fondly but the sum of all those aspects doesn’t quite measure up to how I’m feeling. Maybe its because this is my first real experience with travel or that this is my first real experience living on my own, but I think the overwhelming feeling I have is just of happiness and gratitude. Gratitude that I was lucky enough to be able to come here and have this experience, happiness at how much this trip has pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me grow. In the weeks since I last wrote, I’ve been to Cambodia and seen Ankor Wat, as well as visited Vietnams 2 major cities or Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of new experiences, new challenges, new people, and a whole lot of walking. It would be easy to just fill out this blog post by talking about all the things I did in those places but honestly, any decent travel website will have most of those things in a handy list format. Speaking from experience however, I know that when I was contemplating going on TAB, I went and read through blog posts of years previous, to try and get a sense of what to expect, and so, as my time here nears its end, I wanted to write a little bit about why anyone reading this in the future should absolutely look to TAB as something to do. Because while on their own, the experiences I’ve had have been nothing short of amazing, the experience as a whole comes together into an experience so much greater than the sum of its parts, particularly if you’re someone like me who hasn’t traveled a whole lot previously.
So, why go on tab? Why go to a different country and live for 2 months? Firstly, do it because it will be a challenge. Moving across the world, be it to Europe or Asia, is not something that is easy. You lose your traditional support structures. You lose the language the know. The symbols and systems and rhythms of daily life change radically. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have major culture shock and homesickness the first few days I was here. But it is within that challenge and within that radical change that you find and discover just how resilient and flexible you are. You’ll be pushed out of your comfort zone, but then, that’s where growth happens. I can confidently say that at the end of this trip, I’ve grown so much, and I have a lot of new found confidence in myself and my ability to thrive and excel in just about any situation. Secondly, go because of the people you meet. When you travel, you gain a new found appreciation for the shared humanity we all share. The connections and conversations I’ve had with people while here, either locals or fellow travellers have really opened up my eyes to wealth of perspectives people can have, but also just how much we all have in common. Go with an open mind and a kind heart and you will get so much in return from others. Lastly, go because life is short. This last one might be a personal one, but it my strongly held believe that since we only get one shot at life, we owe it to ourselves to have as many new experiences and challenges as possible, so that at the end, we can at least say that life was never boring. So, if your reading this, and on the fence about going, I cannot stress this enough, do it. Go and try all the random foods you haven’t tried before, learn pieces of a new language, meet new friends, see new things, laugh ,cry, smile and be open. I can promise you, you will not regret it. I know I certainly don’t.
Anyway, those are my thoughts as I close out my time here. I have honestly nothing but gratitude and joy for the time I’ve been able to have here. Tune in next week for my final blog post where I will most likely be complaining that I can no longer buy dinner for 2 dollars when I’m back in Canada.