I am currently laying in bed with a parasite, lice, ringworm, jet lag, and a head overflown with thoughts in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Let me tell you how I got here.
Me and the rest of my squad of 36 people have been traveling for a week around the world. Literally.
We flew from El Salvador to Florida (3 hour plane ride)
We had an overnight layover in Florida so we spent the night in the airport.
Then we flew from there to Chicago.
(2 hour plane ride)
We had a two hour layover in Chicago. We flew from Chicago to Tokyo, Japan.
(13 hour plane ride)
We had a two hour layover in Japan.
Then flew from Japan to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
(6 hour plane ride)
We then drove a taxi to a hostel to stay at for the night.
The next day we all got on a bus and it was the coolest bus ever!! It had bunk beds!
We were in the bus for 23 hours and the only times we got out was to use the bathroom because the squattypotty on the bus was padlocked and every time the bus came to a stop, we would hear the random rooster crowing in the storage compartment under the bus where the luggage was. I guess the drivers were trying to keep their meal as fresh as possible?
After that bus ride we spent the night at a hostel so we could take showers in Da Nang, Vietnam.
The next day we got on another bus for 16 hours to Hanoi, Vietnam.
This is me waiting at the bus stop. At this point I think we were all delusional!
We took another taxi to our hostel we will be staying at the rest of the month!
We did all of this while trying to adjust to a 12 hour time difference! My body was like WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?! It was an entire week of nothing but traveling!
In Central America, things were different than in the states, but there were so many similarities that made me feel like I was home. Here.. I definitely do not feel at home whatsoever! The idea of being somewhere where I had no clue about anything excited me. A place totally different than anywhere I’ve been. A place that would make me feel out of my element.
I definitely got what I wanted.. I love walking around seeing things I’ve never seen before, but as I was on my way to go get parasite medication from the pharmacy, I walked past my first literal roasted dog stand.. this almost made me cry..
My team and I sat down and took a couple minutes to write down some things that we are thankful for. I added some new things to my list like the American FDA regulation standards and fresh air. The pollution here is unreal so the majority of people wear face masks when they go outside! Since being here I’ve learned to appreciate things that I had back home that I never even realized were blessings! Vietnam is so cool though and the people are even cooler. Everyone we have met here has been so kind and I’m so thankful for this experience!!!
I wrote this blog a few days ago. We are now more adjusted to the culture and we are parasite free! Thank you so much for reading 🙂
