Down South

The highly anticipated Southern trip certainly did not disappoint by any standards. Despite staying primarily in the center of Saigon in the richer/upper-class section of District 1, I felt as though I belonged here and more comfortable with the environment and especially the people. It was not that the food was familiarly delicious or the people seem to speak in a way I could finally understand on the first try, but it was more about the feel of the place and ties I knew my family had here. Indeed, we had a splendid time going out and enjoying the lovely dishes, but the trip to the South for me was more about learning things and experiencing things that my family once did in an effort to try to understand. I think this notion is very applicable to my fellow peers as well especially for those who had the opportunity to visit family and relatives that were in the South. Observing their excitement and hearing their stories about what went on during their visits gave me a warm and pleasant feeling and honestly a bit of envy. I do have family in the South but I am not quite sure where exactly and I was not encouraged by my family to look for them. I was told that when Vietnamese Americans are labeled as being very rich and therefore should be ready to present relatives with money. However, from what I have seen, this is certainly not the case as I have seen many peers given large amounts of gift and never have to worry about expenses because their families were more than generous. I was lucky enough to be invited to Mindy’s uncle’s restaurant and the generosity was amazing. This has compelled me to seek out my own gia đình and see what experiences lies in store for me.