SATA Vietnam 2006 Blog

The semester is ending in 9 days and we are all preparing for our exams. On Monday we have our Vietnamese oral exam. This is the most important exam because we'll see how well we've learned Vietnamese over the past four months. I'm sure that everyone will do well!

Needless to say, our time in Hanoi has gone by very quickly. We've visited so many places in Hanoi and around Vietnam. Hanoi is a great city. It has so much to offer. It has been a pleasure living and learning here. I will miss walking around the narrow streets, dodging traffic, and buying fruit from basket ladies.

SATA Vietnam is an academic program, but much of our learning took place outside the classroom. What we saw outside on the streets, in the handicraft villages, at the floating markets, and in the mountains was enhanced by our coursework. Most of all, it was interacting with people that taught us the most. As I've posted previously, on a daily basis people mistake me as being Vietnamese. In fact, it just happened to me while I've been typing this post. Bargaining with basket ladies and motorbike drivers has significantly improved our pronunciation of numbers, but occasionally a brief conversation will ensue. We may understand only a few words of the conversation, but it's enough for us to respond.

I have had a wonderful time here, and now I'm trying to figure out how and when I can come back. To the Connecticut College students who haven't studied abroad: apply for SATA Vietnam.