A month in\u00a0Vietnam, 2010<\/p>\n
I traveled to Vietnam at the end of 2010 after saving up vacation days for two years. Through a combination of diligent research and blind luck, I was able to participate in\u00a0two separate group experiences while there. The first was a two-week volunteer project through i-to-i<\/a>, a group that helps to pair\u00a0in-country opportunities with international travelers. We helped to build a single-family home in the My Tho Delta, south of Ho Chi Minh City. Then a few\u00a0days after that ended, I joined a two-week\u00a0Intrepid Travel<\/a> group that would start in the northern city of Hanoi and travel the length of the country back down to HCMC and visiting cities along the way.<\/p>\n The circumstances that draw me to a particular country at a given time, the people with whom I connect while there, and the length of my stay all inform my perceptions of a destination and my place in it.\u00a0The pairing of these two separate trip styles proved to be really valuable in\u00a0helping me realize\u00a0what\u00a0I want out of my travel experiences, and at a very basic level, why I do it.<\/p>\n I had intermittent internet access throughout my trip, primarily via internet cafes, and these are the dispatches I sent home throughout my time there.<\/p>\n Greetings from Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n Bob the Builder<\/a><\/p>\n Language Barriers<\/a><\/p>\n