Submitted by Krista Adams on the 2013 winter session program in Cambodia and Vietnam sponsored by the Department of Art…
Having never left the country before, my trip abroad to Vietnam and Cambodia has so far been extremely rewarding. The 24 hours of traveling then recovering from jet lag alone was a new experience. When our group arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, there were aspects of city life that are similar to cities in the US, but my eyes were opened to completely different ways of life. The city streets are filled with 5 million motor bikes that don’t really have to follow any kind of traffic laws. Meanwhilel, the foot traffic is so calm with people lounging on the streets by the beautiful palms, which is something so different from what we see in New York City, for example. We spent a day on the Mekong River and the Mekong Delta. We had the opportunity to ride in small boats and navigate small canal like passages with large palms cascading over our heads. One of the highlights of our time in Vietnam was when our group spent a meal with a Vietnamese family, getting to experience the true culture.
We crossed the border into Cambodia on the 5th, which was another very new adventure for me. It was a bit stressful, but we finally made it to our new temporary home in Phnom Penh. So far the highlight of my time in Cambodia was our time spent at The Royal University of Phnom Penh with students at the DMC (Department of Media and Communication). These students are studying in a field very similar to what some of my classmates and I are studying (Visual Communications) so it was very nice to be able to spend a day with them as they showed us around their city. The discussions we had were very rich and it was an invaluable experience. I cannot wait to keep exploring, adventuring and pushing out of my comfort zone!
