The beginning of our last day in Vietnam. I sent off breakfast at the
victory with one last Pho appropriately. We boarded the bus and headed off to a
sports facility about ten minutes from the hotel for the big U.S Vietnam game.
The stands were filled to capacity (about twenty people), great turnout. You
could feel the energy in the crowd. As self-appointed team captain, I took it
upon myself to get my team warmed up and mentally prepared for the court. We
were to play basketball and then soccer, and to our surprise we were not
playing against our UEF classroom friends, but rather the official UEF basketball
and soccer teams. I told my teammates not to be intimidated, as we were
Americans, and even if we were totally outclassed in athleticism, technical
skill, and just general knowledgeability of the game, we could still pull away
with the W if we just played dirty like any good professional team. Dr. Berman
told me to immediately take out their best shooter, so I was prepared to throw
some elbows if need be. Needless to say, we did not win the basketball game,
yet (to my surprise) we did beat the Vietnamese team in soccer (although I’m
pretty confident they and their third string players in). Regardless, we got to
dump the imaginary Gatorade on Coach Schultz, and left the now sovereign
American territory of that court chanting USA. However, before we expressed our
national pride, we got to exchange gifts with our Vietnamese friends. I gave a
Pitt hat to Will! And, as everyone knows, after any good pewee athletic event
both teams had to head to Pizza Hut together. However this is Vietnam, so we
went to a noodle restaurant instead. The restaurant specializes in food from
Hue, the ancient central capital of Vietnam.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel and took one last victory dip
in the Victory pool. After showering, me Pete and Alex headed to the Ben Thahn
market one last time. We were only there for a little before walking back to
the hotel, where we were all getting ready for dinner. We met in the lobby,
guys in suits, girls in their Ao Yai that they had been fitted for earlier in
the week, to take some group pics with the UEF kids. Most people, myself
included, went upstairs after pictures to change into business casual before
dinner.
Our farewell dinner took place on a floating restaurant (I forget the
name of the boat). It really was a fantastic way to send off the trip. Everyone
was there, from our UEF friends, to our language teacher, and it really made
for a great experience. The views of downtown Saigon and the riverside were stunning,
the food was great, and we got to hear some stories from Dr. Berman. He
explained to us that the side of the river opposite downtown used to be all low
marshland during the war. He said that you could be sitting on top of the Rex
Hotel drinking a beer, and look across the marshes and see tracers and
firefights going on in the distance. He told us about his previous post-war
trips to Vietnam, one of which he and a friend rented a boat and sailed down
the Saigon River. Kate also brought us a cake with Plus 3 Vietnam, UEF and
Pittsburgh written on it. The UEF kids have been so great to us this trip. Vic
was running around putting icing on people’s faces and then getting pictures
with them. It was great to see just how close we have come with the UEF kids on
this trip. After our tour of the river, we said our bittersweet goodbye to our
Co, and boarded the bus for the ride back to the Victory one last time.
We were back at the hotel around ten, and everyone went upstairs to
finish packing and blogging. At 11:30, we all met in the hotel lobby with the
UEF kids. We were going to walk to a small park in the middle of a large
roundabout just a few blocks from the hotel, that we had seen the first day and
always talked about going to, but hadn’t done until now. It was sad, we all
knew we were going to have to part ways in just a few hours, but we were trying
to make those last few hours count. We walked the streets of the city on last
time, and then all hung out together in the hotel for the next few hours. Everyone
was making jokes, and having a great time; it was clear to see just how many
great friends I made on this trip. Reluctantly however, 2:30 rolled around, and
we all headed down to the lobby to finish checkout. Dr. Berman stood at the
door of the bus, waiting to shake our hands and hug us and thank us for a great
trip. I thanked him fro making this trip one of the greatest experiences of my
life, but I wished I could have told him how much he helped open my eyes to the
people, culture, and history of this wonderful country. Once we arrived at the
airport, we had to finish the hardest part of the trip. Saying goodbye to our
Vietnamese friends. Bo, Vic, Kate, and Vy had come with us to the airport say
their final goodbyes. There were many teary eyes and long hugs. It was so tough
to say goodbye. In just two weeks we had so many great memories, and formed
such strong bonds. But eventually the time came to part ways.
I’m sitting here typing this, now twelve hours into the fifteen hour
flight from Hong Kong to Newark. I’ve had some time to reflect on the past two
weeks, and I can say a lot for certain. For one, Plus 3 Vietnam was undoubtedly
the greatest experience of my life. Not only did I get to visit a foreign
country, I got to see history and culture from a totally new perspective, and I
made friends that will last a lifetime. I can also say I will almost certainly
be returning to Vietnam (did somebody say ten year reunion trip, 50 year
anniversary of the Fall of Saigon?). I’m excited to get home to America to see
my family, to see my friends who are back from college, hang out with my dog,
and eat a burger. But part of me wishes this plane was heading in the other
direction. Thank for two of the greatest weeks of my life Vietnam. Hen gap lai!