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RedStormSports.com E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam
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E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam June 1, 2004
(The beginning portion is written by Jillian) Ha Long Bay was the biggest surprise of the trip. It was nothing of the stereotype that I had pictured to be Vietnam. Ha Long Bay was incredible. Ha Long Bay is the bay of the descending dragon. The bay is made up of about 2,000 limestone islands. We visited one of the islands caverns the first night that we spent there. The cavern was massive and simply breathtaking. I felt like I was in the movie Goonies, where they're looking for One-Eyed Willie's lost treasure. We watched the sun set on the Gulf of Tonkin from the deck of the boat. I have been to many beautiful places in the U.S., including the California and Oregon Coast, the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, but nothing that I have ever seen has compared to the natural beauty of the sunset I saw on Ha Long Bay. A beautiful arrangement of bright oranges, yellows, and pinks adorned the sky. Just as the sun set, a rainbow appeared briefly, as the sun went down into the deep blue sea. Our boat anchored across from a Buddhist Temple that was perched on top of one of the limestone islands. It felt like pure isolation, as if we were the only people that inhabited the earth that night. The stars were glowing and easily distinguished. That night all of us laughed, talked, and just took the whole beauty of it all in. It was a gift in itself just to be able to share the experience with a group of students who were all experiencing the same thing. In the morning we traveled to Cat Ba Island. On the way there we saw some of the local people of Ha Long Bay. The only major population in Ha Long Bay is the boat people, which is a very small amount. Men, women, children and dogs live on boats that are approximately 15 feet by 10 feet. They are best described as floating rafts with a small house structure. Many of them have fish farms and sell to the tourist boats that come through. I got off of our boat when we stopped to buy fish, and to my amazement I saw a TV and VCR inside the house! How do they get electricity out there? In these communities there are small schools. Could you imagine telling the teacher that you were late to school because of a current? Cat Ba Island also had a surprise in store for us; a hike through the jungle. I think that experiencing the geography, as well as the people, has also been a very important part of our trip. It has given me a deeper understanding of what the American soldiers must have gone through fighting in the war. The hike was virtually straight up the side of a mountain. It was dirty, grueling, and sweaty. Once we reached the top, it felt as if we were on top of the world. A great feat was accomplished in the hike, both physically and spiritually. The top of that mountain was a place for appreciation and reflection. It was a place for me to really think about my trip to Vietnam and how I think that it has changed me. With a couple days left we shall see how much more of an impact Vietnam can have. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which is more westernized, I think, will also shape my Vietnam experience. We arrived here yesterday. As soon as we entered the main portion of the city, I knew that this city is definitely different than anything we had seen in Northern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is more metropolitan and commercialized. It doesn't have the quaint charm and feel that Hanoi did. Part of this is due to American occupation during the war. American culture infiltrated the streets of Saigon. Culture, clothes, materialism, music, and values all changed with Americans becoming part of Vietnamese life during the war. American influence has extended past the war, and with new relations in the last ten years I think that Americans can also embrace the Vietnamese culture as Vietnamese have embraced American-Western ideals. The city is an exciting place to be in and I am anxious to set out and explore the presidential palace, and other places that are important to the history of the U.S. and Vietnam. It is different being in the South because this is the land that Americans actually fought on. To describe what I'm feeling, I can compare it to visiting a Civil War battleground in the U.S. Many people fought and died here and there is a solemn feeling in being in a place that is so controversial to American history. Well that's all for now from me. Here's Dave. I can't wait to tell you about what happens in the next few days...
(The final portion is written by David) To try to understand the mentality of this amazing population you first have to understand their leader, Ho Chi Minh. "Uncle Ho" once said "You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and I will win." This only begins to explain the resilience and determination of these people. This culture is big on honor, and being a communist country, is also big on nationalism. They were willing to sacrifice anything for their cause. Some of their methods were brutal, but in the end they did what they felt was necessary; they defended their country from some 500,000 American troops. Over the past three or so days, I have seen first hand many examples of the resilience of these people. The first was when we visited Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay. As Jillian described, this bay and island are of a beauty that is indescribable with mere words. When we got to the island, one of the things we did, in addition to the things Jillian described, was we went to a cave. This however was no ordinary cave; this cave was used later in the war when the United States began to bomb the island in preparation to use it as a forward air base. This island is in the far north of Vietnam, a region the U.S. bombed, but never actually occupied. The U.S. forces destroyed all but one building. The Vietnamese however, did not give up. Instead they retreated to the mountains and their vast cave and tunnel networks. The cave itself was used as a hospital for Vietnamese officers. This was not just a hole in a mountain with a few cots. The cave was completely self sufficient with real rooms, a cinema, and even a pool. It was truly incredible to see the ingenuity and fortitude of these people. This is a very good example of what the people in Afghanistan are doing today and probably why we will be fighting that war for years to come. The second example was when we arrived in Saigon. The tunnel system used by the Vietnamese during the war in southern and central Vietnam has become infamous throughout the years. These tunnels were used by the Vietnamese for various reasons, but ultimately made them impossible to find and defeat. When we went to see the tunnels, our tour guide actually helped his father to build this particular tunnel, when he was only 12. To actually crawl into these tunnels and make your way through them, you realize how big we are as Americans compared to the Vietnamese in general. To put it in perspective, Jillian is 5'2" and is taller then most Vietnamese women. But overall the tunnels were truly an incredible system and great example of the genius of the people. While at the tunnels, one thing that truly made me upset was a display that showed the various traps that were set to kill or mane the American troops. These booby traps were both very creative and brutally effective. It was very upsetting to see the excitement on the face of our tour guide as he showed us these traps. Call it a sense of pride, but I for one, didn't really appreciate it. However, he, along with the rest of his countrymen has been incredibly nice to us and holds no resentment because of the war whatsoever. To talk about irony, I had an interesting experience while we were at the tunnels. There is a firing range where you can buy bullets and fire them from original Vietnamese or captured American weapons. So to explain the irony part, I got to fire my first weapon in my life; a captured US Army Colt .45. To continue the irony, it was on a battleground upon which both sides fought, not to mention that it was Memorial Day. In addition, I also had the opportunity to fire a Russian made, Vietnamese-used AK47. What was very unnerving later on was when we were on the other side of the compound in the jungle and suddenly heard the rumble of an automatic weapon back on the firing range. While we knew very well where it was coming from, it was scary. We almost had a feeling as to what it could have felt like for our American troops. We were in a foreign land, experiencing something so new, with bullets flying overhead. The entire experience can be described as both surreal and powerful, especially being Memorial Day. Just before we left Hanoi for Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to see something that is of great interest to me. Growing up in a firefighting family and being a volunteer firefighter in the summer, it was very important for me to see the methods, equipment and firefighters of Vietnam. I would be letting down all of my brother firefighters at home if I didn't mention it. I went into the experience not knowing what to expect. In a way, I expected a very primitive system, but was pleasantly surprised. While the equipment was not even close to western standards, it was really interesting to see their adequate equipment and their incredible pride in it. They were very accommodating in answering all of my questions and allowing me to take pictures. One firefighter even put on all of his gear to show me and so I could take pictures. The gear he wore could be described as nothing more then a thin Nomex suit, rubber boots, and a simple plastic helmet. While there, I presented some of the firefighters, as well as their commander, with a few patches from my home fire department of Bellport. For such a simple thing, they were incredibly grateful and wanted to give me something. However, they have no such thing, as they wear military type uniforms. One of the men that I took pictures of was very particular about the truck that he was in front of when I took his picture. There is an incredible sense of pride in their equipment, as this was their best truck. It was also interesting when I spoke to their commander, as in very broken English, he said "New York, 343 firefighters die, very very sad." It was a great example of the brotherhood of firefighters, even half way around the world. It was truly an amazing experience, one that I can't wait to share with the firefighters in Bellport. As always, we look forward and are grateful for the responses that everyone has sent. They really make our day. If you wish to contact Jillian or I you can contact us at david.harrow01@stjohns.edu or jillian.sandoval01@stjohns.edu. |