Jet Plane to Bangkok

Emma Willard School in Thailand

Day One- Travel to Thailand

The overwhelming excitement in the Student Center spread to us all as we gathered our luggage together - ready to board the van and commence our Thailand journey! After a quick dinner, we set out on our adventure! A three hour ride to the city was just the beginning of our trip. We passed the time listening to music and talking about all the things we planned to do once we were in Thailand. 

Finally, we arrived at the airport around nine - stirring with even more excitement. With the three hours we had before the flight, we bought much needed snacks and made calls home. At 11:45, we boarded our 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. We passed the time on the plane listening to music, picking movies to watch from the variety of available choices, or simply sleeping. We arrived in Hong Kong at 4:00 am local time (3:00 pm your time). There, we grabbed a quick breakfast and waited for our next flight. We finally took off for Thailand at 8:00 am local time and arrived by 11:00. YAY! We made it! We sang and danced our way off the plane and joyfully skipped to find our luggage and begin our wonderful journey in THAILAND! 

However, first we had to go through immigration and customs. As we approached the line our spirits were high and nothing could stop us from having fun....until we realized that the line was never ending. 1 hour passed... 2 hours..and we still hadn't moved, but nothing could ruin our excitement! At the 2 1/2 hour mark we had to make some moves! We decided to line hop. Even though this may be unfair we had to get out of the populated airport and into the streets of Thailand. Finally, after 3 hours we made it past immigration. 

The bus was filled with Ooos and Aaahs as we looked at all that Thailand had to offer! Making our way to the hotel, girls began to fight their heavy eyes as the long day of traveling hit them. We made a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up and headed right to dinner at a sky top restaurant. The food was delicious and the view was breathtaking, everything was perfect. After scarfing down our first meal in Thailand, we all sunk into food comas and we knew it was time to head back to the hotel. 

Excited for some sleep we all went to bed early with great memories of our first day in Thailand, and our imagination running wild with thoughts of the next day at Tiger Temple!

YAY Thailand!

Sammie and Lisa

Greetings From Sapa

Francis Parker School - South to North - Day Eleven

We trust you are well. Our group spent the last day and a half in the village of Lai Chai, located approximately ten (10) kilometers outside Sapa town. The experience began when students packed up two days' worth of clothes and necessities, and then hiked to Lao Chai along a winding mountain road that offered up powerful views of the northern highlands. With luck, the fog cleared for our entire tour and we were able to see terraced rice paddies that date back to the 1600s, when the Hmong, Zao, and Zai peoples migrated southward from China and settled this region. Along the way our guide, Bui Van Quan, offered up insights about the local peoples and how their culture is being impacted by the rapid pace of change in this region. Due to the opening of the Vietnamese economy in the late 1980s, and especially the tourist trade, the northern highlands have quickly transitioned from being a land of rice and corn into a land of mass produced handicrafts traditionally worn and used only by the Hmong, Zao, and Zai peoples. Local women, once bound to the local markets and paddies, now venture forth far from the household and engage tourists who visit their community. Most learn English (and other "western" languages) not in the classroom but on the streets, and through time the women have become quite capable students of communication with outsiders, not to mention effective traders of their wares. 

Once we reached Lao Chai (around lunchtime), the group spent the afternoon engaging with the locals in the marketplace and along the rocky roads that meander through the village. We also spent time at a local school visiting children in their classrooms and playing a Vietnamese game that can only be described as "foot badminton." We eventually made our way to our homestay, where a family that included a husband, wife, aunt, and three children welcomed us with handshakes, kind words, and enriching hospitality. The late afternoon was spent relaxing in their home, with some students playing various card games and others venturing into the community. One highlight came when Bui Van Quan took Mr. Taylor on a search for one of the rarest commodities of Lao Chai, the original Oreo cookie. Another came when a local Hmong woman named "Cho Cho" approached the homestay to sell her wares. Cho Cho was a gracious, insightful, and very savvy trader. She had great stories to tell and charmed the entire group with her humor and sarcasm. The final highlight came when the group reveled the night away with a raucous session of karaoke. 

We leave tonight on a night train from Lao Cai (near the Chinese border, which the group will see at sunset), and will arrive in Hanoi in the early hours of Friday. We will then march to the Hanoi Imperial Hotel, pick up our luggage, and make a break for the Hanoi airport for our flight to Taipei. In the Taipei airport, the South-North group will meet up with the North-South group, at which point the sharing of stories and experiences will begin in earnest and continue across the Pacific Ocean to San Diego. While the North-South students will claim that theirs was the best of the two Parker trips, we all know that nothing can beat the South-North at engaging and learning from the complex Vietnamese people and their culture. After all, as students on this trip know too well, you can't beat the party rockers. 

We have had a great trip and anticipate sharing with our friends and families our experiences, stories, photos, videos, and everything else Vietnam. This has indeed been another great year for the Global Studies Program at Francis Parker. As Americans who visited Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s might have said when discussing returning to America, we will soon see you "back in the world." 

—Eric Taylor

Floating Markets and Bike Touring in the Mekong Delta

Francis Parker School - North to South - Day Ten

Hello world. We are writing to you from the depths of the Mekong River Delta, a treacherous river jungle of  snakes and wild catfish. Luckily, one beast we don’t have to worry about is the mighty mosquito, since they haven’t been “bugging” us lately. We got another early start this morning with a 7 o’clock breakfast and a 7:30 departure. Instead of an ordinary bus, we braved these waters on a boat. Our first stop was a floating market. It was unlike anything we had seen before. We went from boat to boat, picking various produce, including lush pineapple, thirst quenching watermelon, and savory sweet potatoes. We thought it was interesting how the people of the Mekong have adapted to their difficult surroundings by relocating their marketplace to an area that is convenient for all.

We then moved on to a different cultural aspect of theMekong: CANDY MAKING! At a small workshop, locals worked laboriously to produce various sweets and treats such as, popped rice (which is very similar to rice crispy treats), coconut candy, and rice paper. Some of our students got the opportunity to make the rice paper themselves, which was no easy task. The candy was delicious and most of us could not resist the temptation to buy it at the end of the tour. Afterwards, we meandered to a temple of the Cao Dai faith, a syncretic religion composed of elements of multiple ideologies. The temple itself was breathtaking and watching the local women in prayer was a unique experience.

Next we decided to put our bartering skills to the test. Assigned with two items to retrieve and a small amount of Dong, each team competed to get the best price for their goods. The catch was we were only allowed to speak in the limited Vietnamese Mr. Trang and Ms. Tu taught us before we left. Fortunately we are all amazing traders, because every single team managed to stay well under their budget. It was a refreshing feeling to do as the locals do and immerse ourselves in the native culture.

Once the ingredients for dinner were purchased and the meal was ready to be prepared, we took a long boat ride through the shallow waters of various canals. At lunch, each table received an entire fish: eyes, scales and all. Because we were so ravenous, we dove right in and were surprised by the wonderful flavors of the sea creature.

Following lunch was a nerve-racking bike ride. We traveled on rickety bikes on poorly paved roads and sidewalks. Those of us who never mastered the fundamental skill of biking rode on the backs of motorbikes. It was a little scary for everyone at first, but as we neared our final destination, the stress was relieved.

After the bike ride we had downtime to relax and cool off before dinner. We helped cook traditional Vietnamese egg pancakes, which were scrumptious. Then, after the delicious meal, Mr. Trang set up a couple of Vietnamese games. Our group was split into two teams who competed the whole night. We faced off in tug of war, potato sack relay races, and balloon stomping. It was a great night of bonding and somewhat friendly competition. 

GOOD NIGHT AND SEE YOU IN A  FEW DAYS.

Maddie, Matt and Patrick

Hi-Ho Sapa!

Francis Parker School - South to North - Day Ten

This morning we awoke on the Orient Express, a night train that connects Hanoi to the northern region of Lao Cai. We traveled for nearly 9 hours through the Vietnamese countryside. When we arrived at the station in Lao Cai, a bus was waiting to take us up the treacherous path to the mountainous region of Sapa. The view from the windows of our bus was breathtaking; majestic valleys and picturesque mountainsides. After 38 miles of switchbacks and cliffside roads, we made it to Sapa.

As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were swarmed by the local Hmong women asking where we came from and trying to sell their crafts. After checking into the luxurious Bamboo Sapa Hotel, we went out to breakfast at a local buffet. The food was good, but very westernized as a result of the large tourism industry in this beautiful town. Our tour guide, the famous Bui Van Quan, took us on an adventure into the misty mountains of the Cat Cat village. From there, we descended into the Sin Chai valley, where we saw a magnificent waterfall. After crossing a very precarious bridge, we rested for a few minutes at an abandoned French hydro-electric power station. From there, we started our ascent back to the village. He hiked through rice paddy terraces for about two hours until we reached the road, where another bus took us to lunch.

We had lunch at a nice Vietnamese restaurant, where the food and service was good, but the view was better. After that, we wandered around the town for a while until meeting up for dinner. The town of Sapa is small and very high up. The town is very similar to the French Alps and draws a lot of French tourism. It is by far the coldest part of the trip with temperatures of 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit). The mountains reach so high that the clouds wander through town like confused tourists.

After we all met up, we went to dinner at a nice restaurant near the hotel. After the short hours of sleep we received last night on the train, we all decided to call it a night so we could enjoy our nice spacious hotel beds.

— Cara Stiegler and Maxwell Lee

War and Tranquility: from the Cu Chi Tunnels to the Mekong Delta

Francis Parker School - North to South - Day Nine

Today we left the busy streets of Saigon in our rear view mirrors. We awoke early in the morning with just enough time to grab a quick breakfast before hitting the road. We drove for two hours to the small village of Trang Bang, located Northwest of Saigon. We paid a visit to the family home of Kim Phuc, known around the World as "the girl in the photograph". Ms. Phuc's picture was taken in 1972, when her village was napalmed and her skin caught fire. Her picture was used as propoganda by the Communist government after the war to promote anti-American sentiment and Vietmamese Nationalism. We watched a documentary about Ms. Phuc's life and learned about her personal path to forgiviness and reconciliation. The students who went to see Ms. Phuc speak in Santa Barbara were able to follow up on their previous experience.

Ms. Phuc's ability to forgive those responsible for her debilitating condition was surprising, but not overwhelmingly so, as it reflected the sentiments of many Vietnamese we have talked to on this trip who seem eager to be at peace about the War. Through the video, we learned that Ms. Phuc even met with the American Soldier who ordered the bombing of Trang Bang. It was eerie to sit just feet away from the scene where the notorious bombing took place. Even forty years later, the feeling of horror somehow lingered. As we left, we drove by the Cao Dai temple where Kim Phuc and others had taken cover during the bombing. Cao Dai is a syncratic religion whose followers worship everything from people to the Hindu gods.

Our next stop was the town of Cu Chi, home of the notorious Cu Chi Tunnels. We were able to see the various types of booby traps and tunnel sytems used by the Viet Cong, who fought against the Americans in this area. Some of us were even able to crawl through the tunnels and fire various weapons at the range. Our examination of the tunnel systems revealed that the Viet Cong was a sophisticated fighting force. They dug tunnels that were kilometers long and consisted of multiple levels. The tunnels were tiny, but they had since been widened for fat American tourists like us. Our experience at the Cu Chi tunnels gave us a better idea of the horrendous conditions endured by the Viet Cong in their struggle against the American invaders. They must truly have been an inspired and determined fighting force to live only on tapioca for years. Their traps also showed how gruesome the war was and gave insight into the psychological aspects of a Guerrila War. Walking through that dense jungle as an American solider, one would have had to be on constant guard for the trickery of the VC.

After a scenic lunch at a resort-like river eatery, we embarked on a 4-hour bus ride to the Mekong Delta. On the way, some of the students enjoyed a lively discussion with our guide, Trang, about his expiriences in the Vietnamese Army. Trang was just a boy during the war with America, but went on to fight against the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. His father was a soldier in the South Vietnamese Army, fighting alongside the Americans in the late 60's. Trang's family was displaced from their village near Da Nang and was forced to live in the forest. His personal tale of woe added to the lessons we learned from Kim Phuc's family about the impact of the war on children and other innocents.

When we arrived in the Mekong Delta, we immediately boarded a boat in the dead of night. The boat ride was beautiful, but also ominous, as many of us couldn't help but be reminded of scenes from Apocolypse Now. After a 20-minute ride, we arrived at our homestay, which seemed clean and welcoming. We enjoyed a traditional dinner and some hammock time as we reposed well into the night on the outdoor patio. We will now head to bed as we have an early morning at the market planned for tomorrow.

Peace,

Carson, Michela, and Kate

Forging Peace through Friendship

Francis Parker School - South to North - Day Nine

Good morning Vietnam! (Bet you weren’t expecting that one).

We were unable to blog yesterday because our group is currently boarding a night train to Sapa. Yesterday, however, we had a relaxing start, and once again, had a delicious buffet filled with noodles, bread, and cereal. After breakfast, we spent the majority of our day in the Friendship Village. We were welcomed into an elegant stateroom by gracious hosts, where we met the soft-spoken Mr. Zung, the director of Village. He explained that since the Friendship Village opened in 1998 the organization has welcomed and treated over 600 children. The village also provides medical treatment, rehabilitation and temporary boarding to Vietnamese veterans. One thing that our guide could not reiterate from the veterans and members of the village was peace and friendship.  

After playing soccer for about 15 minutes, we gathered into a room with four tables all placed with warm plates and hot food. There we proceeded to have a lunch filled with laughter. We all noticed that they are a generous organization, despite the limitation on resources. As part of our service project, we spent at least an hour and a half collecting three oversized wheelbarrows worth of trash that was once scattered throughout the village. Later, it evoked a discussion among the group about the ever-growing problem of the disposal of trash. It was rewarding to see the difference our group had made cleaning up the once trash-littered compound.

We had the exciting opportunity to give our donations and participate in the classrooms. There, groups of three helped children learned various subjects while others assisted in making creative art work. One group provided guidance about fractions and unit conversions. The others helped the children paste scraps of paper and place them within a square drawn on a piece of paper. After our time in the classroom, we visited several art studios. There, we saw intricate embroidery. Do not be surprised if we return home with a new addition to the family art collection. Next we toured the “sew room.” This provides vocational training and an eventual exit into the job market. It is quite amazing to see children affected by Agent Orange, yet still have a wonderful outlook on life.  With heavy hearts we said goodbye to our new friends in the Friendship Village.

Everyone was looking forward to dinner because of the slight fact that western food was promised. Pizza, pasta, and French fries were scattered upon the table. Most members pigged out while some were still struggling to keep their food down. Then for the final time we said “lời tạm biệt” to the Imperial Hotel, which provided excellent accommodations. On a final note, please forgive the rushed nature of this blog because we are preparing to board the train to Sapa. As of now, we approach Sapa with great optimism and excitement.

Best Regards,
Melissa Shega & James Wamsley

Lessons in War and Peace

Francis Parker School - North to South - Day 8

It was our first day waking up in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as most locals still call it. After being toured around the city by our new tour guide, Mr. Trang, we headed to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, and had more than an hour and a half to explore the multi-tiered building. First, we checked out the prison exhibit and learned about the despicable acts of torture that were inflicted upon political prisoners in South Vietnam. The worst was the tiger cage, a 5 by 7 foot barbed wire box that 3-5 people were crammed into for days at a time. Then we made our way into the main building, and saw exhibits documenting the effects of the war on Vietnam, and it gave us a new perspective on the war. Downstairs we saw the world's opinions of the US during the war, with pictures of protests in the US (like those at Kent State) and in the rest of the world. Another exhibit traced the long-term effects of agent orange on both Vietnamese and American soldiers, and especially their decendants. Although the museum had heavy undertones, we were uplifted by an exhibit completely dedicated to children's drawings that illustrated hopes for world peace and understanding.

We left the museum and had time to spend about an hour in the market. First, we strolled by the produce section, which meant squirming live frogs, crabs, and fish, and smell none of us had ever had the pleasure of experiencing before. We were able to practice our bargaining skills; we keep hearing we'll need them in the Mekong Delta, but that waits to be seen. 

For lunch, we changed things up a bit: Italian food. Most of us were pretty excited to hear that pizza, pasta, and garlic bread were in our futures. Although it was good, it wasn't up to par with the Italian food we are used to at home. It elicited a little bit of homesickness, but we're still good to go for the rest of the week.

After freshening up in the hotel, we left for the the Little Rose Shelter, a rehabilitation home for girls who were forced into the human trafficking business. To be honest, we would have like to spend some more time there. The purpose of the visit was to raise our awareness of human trafficking in the world, but the tour of the building and some brief games with a few of the girls was not nearly enough to learn about such a crippling problem. 

We don't even know how to describe our eventful evening. It began with a water puppet show; the puppeteers manipulate the puppets so the puppets appear to float across the water. It was an entertaining concept, and we learned some traditions and cultural ideals of Vietnam.

Then... get ready... DINNER ON A RIVERBOAT. Yes. We climbed onto a huge river boat, had a three-course gourmet meal served to us, and watched Spanish Flamenco Dancers (we were confused too) dancing to Abba and other various genres as we ate. It was unexpected, yet completely unforgettable. 

Off to the Cu Chi Tunnels tomorrow, then our last stop of the trip in the Mekong Delta! 

Cháo!

Joey, Savannah, and Walker