And the award for my memorable birthday would hands down,
have to go to...ding ding ding... my 21st (which just passed). First
of all, how many people can say that they got to celebrate one of their
birthdays while living in a country abroad, immersed in a new culture, and with
people whom they did not know existed just a couple of months ago? This year, I
have celebrated my birthday in many different ways with many different people
whom I have grown to love in the short amount of time I’ve been in Vietnam.
I’ve been overwhelmed with love and warmth from not only the great people I have
met here, but also from my INDEVOURS friends and travel companions with whom I’ve
ventured out here with, my family and
friends back home in Canada and even from those who are on their placements
elsewhere in the world. I can’t possibly put into words the feelings of
happiness, bliss, and thankfulness that have overtaken me these last couple of
days. That being said, I want to take the time to describe the different
ways I was fortunate enough to celebrate my birthday this year.
Halong Bay
 |
| Christian, Nafis, Madiha, Connor |
On the weekend of October 6th, about 16 of us (11
INDEVOURS and 5 other lovely interns from all over North America we met while
here) took a trip to one of the world’s seven natural wonders. We piled into a
bus early on Saturday morning, drove about 3 hours up north and boarded a ship
which took us all around Halong Bay. I can say with full confidence that this
is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my entire life. It
looks like something God painted himself, brought to life, and gifted to the
world (as I have described to so many of my friends already). Our Saturday was
very busy; we cruised along the bay for a bit, had some lunch, then went site
seeing in a cave. The cave was really fascinating and our tour guide explained
many mystical stories about the site. We then went kayaking, which was simply
magnificent. I remember just staring out into the distance, the sun beginning
to set and all I could think was “wow, I can’t believe a place like this
actually exists.” My favourite part about the trip was actually swimming in the
bay itself. At one point, I must have floated in the water for 10 minutes, the
rolling hills dancing in my peripheral vision, and the sun setting behind one
of the peaks. It was wondrous. That night, after we had dinner, the dining hall
of the boat was cleared to make a dance floor and the 16 of us just danced and
hung out and had a great time. Four of us (Nafis, Christian, Connor, and I)
were celebrating our birthdays that weekend so the others were kind enough to
bring us cake. We also did karaoke (a very popular activity in Vietnam), and
surprisingly there was quite the selection of English songs! We then made our
way to the rooftop deck of our boat to talk and enjoy the view for the rest of
the evening. Sunday was a mixture of spending time on the boat, site seeing,
and driving back to Hanoi. We visited a Vietnamese Buddhist Pagoda and it was very beautiful. For dinner, our tour guide and his
company treated us at an 18th century restaurant in the city before we made our way back home.
With the WARECOD Family
I am extremely grateful to work with such wonderful people
at WARECOD. As soon as I came in for work, I was greeted by everyone and
showered with warm wishes. They spent all day preparing a birthday party for
me, cooking amazing food for lunch, and even got me TWO cakes! During the
party, we ate, sang songs, ate some more, took pictures, and ate some more
(haha)! OH, and funny story: my coworkers knew of my dancing background from
when I first started working and they really wanted to see me dance, but I kept
putting it off until one day I promised them I would dance on my birthday
(secretly hoping they wouldn’t remember :P...but of course, they did). So
during the party I actually got up there and did a Bollywood dance for them!
They loved it so much and one other guy came up there with me and danced to
Gangnam Style. It was amazing! The best part of the day for me was actually after
the party when my co-workers presented me with a card they all signed and a hand
crafted artificial flower bouquet that I now keep on the far corner of my desk.
At Home
For
dinner I met up with a few of the INDEVOURS who were not in the field this week
(shockingly, everyone seems to be out of town); Nafis, Heather, Daniel and I went
to a pho restaurant near my house and then walked back to my place for dessert.
My host mom laid out fruits and candies for us and we all sat together and
enjoyed them until the day came to a close.
I’m going to cherish these memories
for as long as I live. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with these experiences;
I know they are opportunities of a lifetime, and I intend on making the most of
each one. Keep an eye out an upcoming post, featuring a bucket list that was
inspired by my birthday this year.
Chào than ai my friends
Madiha (Mai)
No comments:
Post a Comment