Paradise found within the waters!
Just like that… I am on the last week of my Vietnam journey! I remember the time when I had to leave Calgary and was so excited to start my adventure and now I have mixed feelings about going home! On the one hand I am excited to see my family and my dogs whereas on the other side I will miss Vietnam’s beauty, the people and most importantly my students who I have bonded with over the past few weeks. Many individuals have asked me what I loved the most in Vietnam and it’s so hard to decide! I always say “I loved everything I have done and seen in Vietnam” because it’s so true! Everything that I have done and seen have just been so amazing that it’s hard for me to decide what my favorite would be. However, what I will miss the most is seeing the beach, the sunrises and swimming in the water while the sun rests for the day. Living on the beach side has been one of the best decisions I have made because the beach is within a 2 minute walk and I can go at any time of anyday! I have done a few sunrise swimmings, sunset swimmings as well as swimming during the day and it has always been the best time spent no matter what! The water was always refreshing and just playing with the waves was equivalent to therapy! The sunrises have been so beautiful in Vietnam especially when the sun is coming out from the water.
Ha Giang Loop
As the trip comes to an end, Hiba, Blaine and I decided to do one more adventure together to end off our Vietnam journey. I had been in a dilemma when we were deciding to do this trip because it seemed a little out of my comfort zone, but I am so glad I had done it! The Ha Giang Loop trip was a 3 day motorbike trip where we drove around the mountains, stayed in a cottage that was surrounded by mountains and felt the most peace when we saw the beauty of nature on the other side of Vietnam. We were assigned drivers who took us on their motorbikes for roughly 4-6 hours a day where we looped around the mountains, went on hikes, saw the china border, past by a waterfall and most importantly took a bunch of photos to capture the beautiful memories we spent during the 3 best days of our lives! Being able to drive around the mountains observing how the mountains hide behind each other at a distance felt so mesmerizing. We had made such great friends within our tour group and I think that was the highlight of our trip! Every evening we would spend time singing karaoke songs, play volleyball or soccer (or what they call football) and just spend time with one another. Every moment of this trip felt amazing that I am at a loss of words on how to describe it.
Vietnamese Women’s Day Celebration
October 20th is Vietnamese women’s day and our school had done a few events to celebrate one another. During the week, a few of my students had bought me flowers and a keychain as a gift to commemorate the special day which made my heart melt! Apart from the beautiful gesture from my students, the school had hosted a football match for the teachers where we played a few matches and won! After the match, the school had invited us for a lunch party! The tables were set in the meeting hall with an amazing cuisine layed out for us! It was amazing to see how everyone was enjoying their time together. We also got the chance to do another karaoke session but with the school! There was a mixture of laughter, singing and dancing making the moment even special for one another. I love how the school atmosphere is in Vietnam! Everyone gets along with one another and the school hosts various events where all the teachers spend time with each other.
Farewell!
I have made many memories in Vietnam and it has been amazing overall! It is sad to see the time fly so fast but I am happy that I made the most of my time here! Being able to bond with the students, teach them English, judge their competition, traveling around Vietnam and eating authentic Vietnamese cuisines have been amazing highlights of this trip! As a way to end our amazing journey, the English teachers had hosted a farewell party for all of the TAB students! It felt so surreal to see the bond we had created and the memories we made.