This month, my team and I have been working in Da Nang, Vietnam. It’s been my favorite month on the Race so far. Here’s a look at what this month is like.
Living conditions: A hostel! This is such a fun upgrade from sleeping on a concrete floor or sharing a room with 15 other people. Emily and I share one room, and we have air conditioning and closets and beds that are comfortable and clean enough that we don’t have to put our sleeping pads on top of them. There is always electricity. We get free bikes to explore the city. Our whole team takes up one floor of the hostel, so we have three showers and three bathrooms to ourselves. Breakfast is even made for us every morning! Plus, the beach is a five-minute walk from our hostel. We play volleyball, swim in the ocean, and lay on the beach pretty regularly. This month feels so luxurious.
Food: In four words, noodles and banh mi. We eat pho (noodle soup with chicken), my quang (noodles with chicken), cau lau (noodles with pork), bun cha (noodle soup with sausage…you get the idea), and banh mi (baguette sandwiches with pork or egg) all the time. Bubble tea and Vietnamese coffee (insanely strong, concentrated coffee with sugar and condensed milk) are our drinks of choice. For dessert, people here eat fish-shaped pancakes filled with cheese or chocolate, along with sinh to, basically a cup filled with avocado, many kinds of fruit, dried coconut, and jellies, all crushed together. Che is a “dessert soup” made of many kinds of sweet beans, jellies, and some sort of yogurt. We rarely know what we’re ordering because nothing is in English, so we typically point at a word, have something placed in front of us, and find that whatever it is, it’s delicious.
Work: Helping locals practice their English! Each day, we work different shifts at a local coffee shop where people can practice in an English-only environment. Currently, I work in the morning from 8:30-11:00. We bike about 4 miles to work through somewhat terrifying traffic, up and over the famous Dragon Bridge of Da Nang. I love work because it’s all about building relationships. We mainly help university students learn how to better pronounce words and help them build confidence in their ability to speak English with native speakers. It’s so great to see how quickly students improve!
Friends: My favorite part is that our job extends beyond our specified work hours. Many days, I will grab lunch or dinner with a student from the coffee shop, getting a local’s perspective on the area. We’ve even been able to go on some adventures with the students, including going to the locally famous Marble Mountains to hike and explore caves. We’ve also made great friendships here at the hostel. A lot of hostels host people that only stay for a day or two, but people here tend to stick around. We’ve had lots of good days full of beach volleyball, tacos, and bracelet making.
Favorite moments: Renting motorbikes to drive through the Hai Van Pass and getting caught in a crazy tropical storm. Walking along the beach at night and finding bioluminescent plankton. Seeing peoples’ excitement to hear about our Dad. Staying up late to help a friend make bracelets to fund his travels. Becoming close friends with our students at the coffee shop. Watching our friends learn how to surf. Going to an Asian theme park. Seeing the Dragon Bridge breathe fire.
