ISP Presentations - The End is Near

Tomorrow is the very last day of my program.  I cannot believe how fast it has gone by.  On December 7, my entire class reunited in Ho Chi Minh City at the guest house we had stayed at during our first two weeks in Vietnam.  The last time we were at the guest house we were just getting to know each other, figuring out how to cross the streets successfully, and adjusting to life in Vietnam.  The guest house hadn't changed a bit, but each of us are a little different than when we first arrived.  Not only are our chopstick skills impeccable, but we have learned how to live for a month on our own in a different country.  I have met a very diverse group of people: Vietnamese students, backpackers from the UK and New Zealand, farmers in the Mekong River Delta, ethnic minority groups in Sapa, chefs in Hue, professors from around the country, and of course the students on my program.  Every person I have met around Vietnam has given me insight into different aspects of Vietnamese culture and American culture as well.

On December, 8 my class went back to the University of Economics to present our ISPs.  Each student gave a twenty-thirty minute powerpoint presentation about their project.  Vietnamese students, university professors, people we had met throughout the semester, some host families, and a group of around eight representatives from SIT came to see our presentations.  The SIT representatives each worked in different regions around the U.S.  Each year they go to one program to see how it is run and what types of projects the students are able to do so they can better promote it at different colleges. 

All of the studies were very unique.  Ethan presented about the success rate of an NGO called "Village of Hope" that provides vocational training to underprivileged students.  Tom discussed sustainable tourism in Hue, Hoi An, and Da Nang.  Eliza studied the sources from which Hue high school students derive their knowledge about sex.  Anna studied diabetes in Vietnam and was able to assist many doctors with their research.  Libie studied the autism and talked with parents about the diagnostic process in Vietnam.  Sarah learned about the organic farming movement in Hanoi.  Nancy talked about how Vietnamese that live overseas are treated differently than Vietnamese living in Vietnam.  Jenny spoke about the difficulties Vietnamese university students have in finding a job after school.  Molly presented about the influence of fortune telling in the lives of Vietnamese people. Instead of presenting a powerpoint, Ben played a forty minute video he had made about Zen Buddhism.  For his ISP, he spent the month living with Buddhist monks in a monastery in Da Lat.  My project was called, "Effects of Tourism and Globalization on the Commercialization of Hue Royal Cuisine".

Back row: Ben, Sarah, Tom, Eliza, Ethan
Front Row: Jenny, Molly, Nancy, Me, Libie, Anna
Photo Courtesy of Libie 

The whole class with our academic director, Co Thanh, and assistant director, Vy on the left.

 It is strange to think that after spending 24/7 with a group of people that we will soon be leaving each other to go back home.  The majority of our group is going to keep traveling around different countries in Asia and then make it back to the U.S. by Christmas.  I am going to travel with Sarah, Jenny, and Anna to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand then come back to Ho Chi Minh City for a few days.

I really could not be happier that I chose SIT Vietnam.  Through most study abroad programs students say in one place. They may have the opportunity to read about the different geographical landscapes of the country they are visiting, hear stories about the people, or see photos of different foods, but nothing can beat experiencing all this first-hand.