Personal Reflections from 7 Fabulous Vinh University Students

Le Tu Mai

In every summer, I have my own special plan to work, to travel, to do volunteer, because it is the most suitable time for me to do whatever I want, I can get experience what is necessary for my future. I taught children in SOS children village, went to Xieng Khoang, Laos to do volunteer teaching Vietnamese, was an examiner in entrance examination...  This 2013 summer was also a great time. I had a chance to work with 2 professors and 8 students from University of South Florida in 2 weeks. I was one of 7 Vietnamese students chosen to join this interesting summer program.  After being chosen, we was very excited. We promised to try our best to complete our work.

We met each other and made friends. They were really friendly, they smiled all time. I love this.  Especially, in the first day, it is the 21^st birthday of my roommate - Olivia Allan. We celebrated a surprising party for her.  From the following day, we went to class to study about history, Culture, energy,..In class, 2 professors: Dr. Frank Biafora and Sarath Witanachchi taught us a lot of things such as how to be friendly, how to be Vietnamese, what energy is, how it works, how humanity is,... The key to study is to raise questions. We were encouraged us to discuss about the lessons. It was a good study method. After class, we had meal together, talked freely and happily. The professors seemed very strick in class, but outside, they were so friendly.

Moreover, we had a lot of activities such as visiting Nguyen Du's hometown to know more about The tale of Kieu, travelling to Hue city, Quang Binh province...I was really lucky when having a chance to go to Ho Chi Minh city where I have never been with Fred McCoy and Patrick Joseph Mannion to do our project. I would like to give my deepest thanks to them. It also the first time I have been in airplane. Of course, I was so excited.

In Ho Chi Minh city, we visited Jabil factory- a hi-tech factory to know more about how a foreign businessman can manage his company in Vietnam. We saw workers making electronic components. Beside knowledge of hi-tech, workers here have to use English fluently. It was very professional.

Besides, we went around the city with a tour guide. We visited many interesting sightseeing such as Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the city post office, Independence palace, War remnant museum. Also, we ate many delicious foods in high quality restaurant and stayed in a very wonderful hotel.

Văn Thái “Robinson” Hoàng

It is great that I have a great oppotunity to live, study, and travel with students from the university of South Florida Saint Peterburgh. Initially, I am so greatly impressed by American life-style with abundant daily routines that I want to follow because of the fact that I have a tendency to accummulate newly modern things and I will know how to behave well in life. Secondly, I love the working style of American students is that they all attend the class with fabulous environment and create a lot of intereting questions relating to the lecture, so the lecture becomes more effective. I am also into the way that you (American students) organise the congenial schedules and fulfill the homework very well with logical performances of exercises and deeply critical information.... which will help all of you get high results. From that,I apprehend how to organize my own life and work  efficiently which means that I have to create  more action plans so as to do everything for living and working logically. Thirdly, traveling to fabulous places with American students has absolutely wonderful feeling : travelling to enjoy the beauty comfortably, no thinking, relaxed. I am so happy when having photos with American students for keeping as a souvernir and having nice friendship together. Moreover, the way of communication from American students is so attracted and having much pleasure, laughing, joking....In conclusion, I miss all of you and thank so much for what you have given . LIFE-LONG FRIENDSHIP!

My worst thing  in this program is  my communication with all of you. Moreover, when I express my ideas, my voice is not good enough for you to hear. I am so sad for that and I thank Professor Frank and Professor Sarath so much for showing me my mistake and giving me usefully practical suggestions in order to the fact that I improve myself more. Thanks to that, I will always make great effort to do better.

Truong Huu “Mickey” Quy

Hello. It’s Mickey’s speech.

It’s my great honor to take part in this program. This is the first time I have chance to live and study with American students! They are very awesome from the very first time! They impressed me a lots because of friendly, funny, beautiful and lovely. Their appearances attracted me, K with a pink hair, Olivia with tattoo, cute Ashley, “Einstein” Joseph…. They are very special. At first, I didn’t talk too much, just ask some simple questions “How are you?” “Nice to meet you!” or “Can I help?”….May be I was shy J.

We had breakfast at Phuong Dong Hotel, while we ate, we got to know each other and we found many same hobbies. I found a way to remember their names, “Ashley” Tisdale, “Patrick” Evra, “Blake” Shelton, “Emma” Watson, “Jose”…

I met my roommate. Patrick. He’s an awesome person. We called him “Mr. Manly” or “Dr. Patrick”. He is a businessman, a guitarist and a musician. Awesome, he always makes me excited.

We have 12 days to study and live with each other. On the first day in dormitory of Vinh University, we hold a party for Olivia, a beautiful and style girl. We bought birthday cake, light it up with candles and made Olivia surprise! It was a funny night. Although we also met for a short time, we thought that we knew others hundred years ago. We laughed, used cake to fight with friends, sang together… It’s an unforgettable night.

We had chance to study with Dr. Frank and Dr. Sarath. They’re very wonderful. Sometime I’m very scare of coming to their classes, because I forgot to prepare for lessons. If they ask me a question and I can’t answer it, it will make their impressions about Vietnamese students become worse. Joining in their class, I realized that I’m not good enough to chasing my dreams in future. Sometime I can’t understand what Professors are talking about, because my English is quite weak. One more important thing, I so weak at history, even it’s my country’s history. I need to work harder, improve and challenge myself more. Thank you so much, Dr. Bi and Dr. Sarath, you gave me the motivations for my dreams.

We had chances to travel to a lot of beautiful place in Vietnam. Not only traveling, in each place, we could discover many interesting information about our country’s history. We visited Hue city, Emperor Royal Palace, Tu Duc tomb, Khai Dinh tomb. In Quang Binh province, we visited Paradise Cave, a World Heritage of Vietnam. Then we’ve been to Ho Chi Minh President’s Homeland.

On a rainy day, we came to S.O.S village of Vinh city. We sang, danced and gave gifts to lovely children in there. When we talked about our feeling after visit S.O.S village, I found that American students are very kind and love each other! I’m very touch when I see Olivia and Karlana cried because of their emotion.

There is only one day left before we have to say goodbye. I want to have more chance to work with you. I want to know more about your country, your cultures. If you ask me am I scare of anything? I will tell you that I’m scare of time. When we’re together, time passes so fast. Only one day left, and every Vietnamese students will come back to their daily life, work hard for our future. But one thing will never change in our heart, we will never forget you.

Send from “BMC” Mickey of Vietnam with heart and love.

Nguyen Thi Thuy “Lizzy” Quynh

This gonna be a best summer ever to me. I had a great great beautiful summer with lots of things that I can't imagine. The first thing makes me so happy that is I got my volunteer work for this summer. we tried to help all students to prepare for big exam to go to university. That is so much fun..

After finish this work, i got an message that i were chosen to take part in "Vinh University - University of South Florida summer program". My face just became...(down here)

yeah! i did it :)))))

So exciting for next program!!! This is the first time i live out of my house.. I can speak english all days with Foreigner and no one can look at me like I'm an Alien now =)).

The first time I saw all cute stranger that I and all people in our group went to train station for welcome them to Vinh city :). They are so America!!!! I know that you think i am crazy now (for a little bit :v) but I have to say that. Everybody have their own styles,and it's maybe different but it made me feel like they are free. I was very impressed with Karlana (K), who has a super super rock hair style. She has a pink hair and looks very like a singer name Pink. Second one that was my roommate. She is so beautiful with a blond hair, straight nose, beautiful eyes... She looks very pretty and sometimes, she looks very serious too :-/. The first time i got cute Emma, smiley Olivia, strong Joseph, handsome Blake, manly Pattrick, grand pa Fred, Powerful Dr. Frank, Kindness Dr. Sarath....

Each of them put me a special thing in my mind. I was so affair of getting fault when i live with a stranger, especially, that is a foreigner, an American. Because now i am a represent of Vinh university, furthermore, of Vietnam. If i did something wrong, not good like they expected, it would be a disaster @@. But amazing that American, they are so much funny, friendly, understanding, polite.... lots of beautiful things i can tell about them :*. Like my roommate, i thought that i know her long times ago right in the first breakfast. After the Opening ceremony, everyone got closer. We were so funny to take lots of picture with boomer :))

When i actually became a part of Program... i found some things:

·                Firstly, my english is too bad. I just can't found any word to explain my thought, my feeling. But i can practise all days. it's very good for me to speak english all times.

·                Secondly, I am have no knowledge about our great history. I just let our teacher down, our country down. I just wanna cry when Dr.B said: " Dr Khoi, I CAN'T BELIEVE IN". I knew that how he disappointed at us like that. :((( Sorry for all :(.

·                I kind of interesting with the way they eat. They take some piece of foods to their dish and eat it. Not like Vietnamese. it's show that American has so private for their food, and it can show that America has an independent in each person. 

·                My roommate love to visit my house to feel out Vietnamese life style<3 She is so cute.

·                We are always making fun together. Who says we are come from 2 different countries,have 2 different languages, that can't be a super awsome group????

We vist Hue city, in there we visited Thien Mu Pagoda, Ola palace "Dai Noi", Museum, Tu Duc Tomb and Khai Dinh tomb...And went to Thien Duong cave (paradise cave) in Quang Binh provice.  And visit SOS village anf Ho Chi Minh’s home land. Now i can know a thing about America education system that it's perfect. You know why? because we can relax and really feeling the life, the story of our destinations. And then we take a lesson about that. Study and relax go together.

Furthermore, i never ever can be happy like this with other foreigner "stranger" like that... Everybody seems so kindness. I love them... I will miss my Ms president Smith when she go :((((((

Love you guy so much, work together, eat together, do everything together....

Best summer ever with my super cute "stranger" (Ashley). Keep moving forward!!!!!

Nguyễn Thùy Trang

Hello! It's the first time I have chance to live and study with students from American! The first thing I can realize very easy that American students are very friendly. Their appearances make Vietnamese students very surprise! I love pink-hair of K. It's awesome! Even we don't know each other before, but American they make us feel comfortable and easy to talk together.

We only have 12 days live together! It's not a long time, but it's enough to give me a lot of beautiful memories! The most special memory in my heart is Olivia's 21st Birthday party! We bought a birthday cake, candies, drinks and made her surprise! Her smiley and tears are our happiness! In that night, we had a war cake! It's quite funny! We took cake and paint it in other people. We had a good start by this party, everybody find an easy way of getting to know each other!

Together, We joint in many great lessons of Dr. B- and Dr. Sarath. We had chance to broaden our knowledge, discussed about some problems of Vietnam's Society nowadays.  In this program, we had many opportunities to travel and got knowledge. The first destination is Nguyen Du's homeland. We learn about "The Tales of Kieu" in there. After that, we traveled to Hue City and visited Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Citadel, Khai Dinh Tomb and Tu Duc Tomb. We learnt many historical things

When we came back to Quang Binh Province, we visited Paradise Cave, a beautiful Cave in Vietnam! It's really awesome like its name!  Then we got back to Vinh City and the following day, we travel to Ho Chi Minh President's Homeland.  Taking part in this program gave me opportunities to practice my English and learn many things. It will help me a lots in future! Thank you so much!

Love you, my family!

Le Van Hoai

(Senior, electronics and telecomunications,Vinh University)

5a.m at 15th July, we got up early and prepared something to welcome new friends from South Florida although I had never get up earlier than 7 am. We went to Vinh’s Train Station. While   waiting, we talked and discussed something, for example: “how do they look like?”  “how do they live?” “how do i live with them”... and we were tought some American cultures and we had to attention like “we do not touch any favorite things or space” and reminded us some knowleadge of the US by Dr Khoi, who is a careful person and we learned a lot of things from him!

First meeting in Station: We were very happy when we saw the first friend :) we were very welcome and helped everyone to take off the baggages although it was very heavy :D we saw everyone’s style was so stranger and we were so impressed on Karlana’s hair with the pink color . that was a short time but i tried to make friend with someone, i met Blake, a friendly guy, at first i couldn’t pronounce correctly his name ^^! and the others was very funny. then we came to Phuong Dong hotel to have breakfast. Where the first time get in, i went around to choose the foods and then sat around the table and made friend and introduce about each others at that time it was really hard to listen the voice from the everyone, it looked stranger with me and maybe my english was not good enogh to listen from them. and it was the most intersting breakfast i have ever had :)

A memories i will not foget that is Olivia’s birthday party we although were very tired after the dinner but i tried to make a small party to celebrate Olivia’s 21 birthday we made a surperise for her and we enjoyed the cake by very special way ^^! we had a war cake and the person had heaviest consequence that me i thought i made her very happy with the war cake :)

And many important things i learnt from the program, the students from USF is the they worked and studied maybe i was born in the different country but i think that i should learn the way student USF for my studying and working in the future. they can easyly speak out, express their ideas no shyness in class although i see they really enjoyed the party or break time but when they work or focus on studing really well and in the short time they can work out the main things they have to do in projects or home work it’s unlike vietnamese students we need a lot of time to think and write down these idea. and one more thing they can be easy to share thier own ideas with everyone vietnamese students couldn’t do that. and thank to Dr Khoi and Dr Frank gave me the chance to know more about the way american study and work and wake me up about my knowleges about our pround of my country’s history i had forget thank for all students from USF let me know more about your cultures and american. thanks so much :)

Bui Thi Nham

(Center Red Shirt)

This is the first time I work with foreigner and live the same room with them. It’s very lucky for me to join this program. It helps me discover so many exciting things I have never known. I learnt more about my country’s history, culture of American. I can also improve my speaking, listening skills. American students are very awesome, active, intelligent and beautiful. I love my roommate very much, Karlana. She gave to me a lot of gifts. This is the first time I received many gift like this. On my birthday, my friends bought something and ate together, only few gifts. It’s only 2 weeks but this is a wonderful time for me and for Vietnamese students.

Civic Engagement Experience & Ho Chi Minh Homeland by Blake Hadley (Freshman, USFSP)

Waking up to rain is not what I would typically call fun. On most mornings in Vietnam we wake up to blistering heat and humidity breathing down the backs of our necks. This morning was different. Today, Tuesday, we all went to the children's “SOS Village International” located on the outskirts of Vinh City. The SOS Village is an independent, non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps orphaned and/or abandoned children. Founder, Hermann Gmeiner started the organization in 1949. Most of us had never visited a children's orphanage and did not know what to expect.  I, for one, was nervous. Standing at the front of Vinh University we all got in separate taxis and within 5 minutes the rain was pouring down harder and harder. After a nail-biting taxi ride, we arrived at the Village where we were greeted by about 250 excited children all ages, boys and girls, from about age five to pre-teens.  The children stood and greeted us with a couple of popular songs – including Twinkle, Twinkle, and “The Crazy Witch” which was sung to the music from “She’ll be comin’ round the mountain”.   This brought us to tears.  Now it was our turn.  One-by-one, we stood and shared a bit about ourselves and, at the suggestion of Emma, we broke out and sang and danced the “Hokie Pokie,” making complete fools of ourselves, but which also turned out to be a highlight of my trip.

A few minutes later we shared gifts of candy, books, crayons and toys with the children.  Dr. Biafora caught our attention when at one point when he said to the entire assembly "...ultimately, the best gift in life is friendship."  Nothing is more priceless to see the inner happiness of a child, and Vietnamese children are no different than American children.  This became apparent when we tossed candy into the audience and the entire room erupted into a chaotic, high voltage frenzy of joyous competition for M&Ms!

We all regrouped and took a stroll around the SOS Village to get a glimpse at the family houses the children resided.  I had noticed all of the plants and beautiful landscape neatly placed on the premises.  As we passed by the different houses it seemed at first that the houses were going to be in pretty bad shape.  With a bit of unnecessary negative anticipation a few of us reached one of the village "family" houses. This house was absolutely practical, simple and very clean.  Each house within this village has a care taker known fondly as "mother". The mother of this house of 10 children complemented me on my height and offered me tea. I overheard her say that her "children” survive on only 70 cents per day!  I was stunned.  How anyone could do that; is it even possible?  With everyone being so happy and children laughing and smiling I had a difficulty time comprehending how it was they were so happy.  Perhaps it was the sense of community in which everyone sticks together and where there is a great deal of love. The house I was in had no front door, and very sparse accommodations. After spending time meeting children and "mother", Robisnson and I walked the full length of the Village to a small conference room and sat in reflective silence for a few moments.  Dr. Biafora helped us digest and process what had just happened.  My heart has never been this touched, and this was a great opportunity to give back as a community, as a group and as a team. After conversations, tears and stories we all left and took a taxi home. The rain had stopped, and the sun started to come out.  This was a day I will never forget.

On Wednesday we took a bus to the village where Ho Chi Minh was born and lived for the first five years of his life. One would think by now I should have known to bring an umbrella.  Yep, it rained... again.  We arrived at that The Ho Chi Minh Homeland and there we saw one of the huts where “Uncle Ho” (as they endearingly call him here) grew up.  I found it interesting how someone who become such a powerful and charismatic leader, came from such simple conditions…a two room thatched roof house made of bamboo fronds and clay floor!  But, what appeared to be flimsy at first was actually quite stable and had survived over 100 years. We learned that in fact, Ho Chi Minh’s family hut was considered to be of relatively high quality that the wealthier class could typically afford. 

After this stop we all re-boarded the bus for a visit to Hoang Thi Loan’s tomb – the resting place of Ho Chi Minh’s mother.  From the entrance the walked was exactly 333 steps!  From the top we could see a beautiful panorama of the countryside. This tomb was magnificent, white stone, marble and beautiful plants landscaped beautifully around.  Hoang Thi Loan died after giving birth to Ho’s younger brother, who only lived for a few weeks before dying.  This tomb is relatively recent in Vietnam and it is already becoming a major pilgrimage, especially for the women of Vietnam who look up to Hoang Thi Loan as the ideal representation of womanhood.