My experience on the Plus3 Vietnam trip cannot be described by any single word. Eye-opening, inspiring, exciting, and one-of-a-kind are just a few of the many adjectives that I would use to describe this trip. I loved every minute of my adventures here, and I tried plenty of new things along the way.
Despite staying for two weeks, the intensity, complexity, and odd intricacy of motorbike traffic never ceased to amaze me. I experimented with new foods including jackfruit, dragon fruit, pho, seabass, squid, and more, and I managed to avoid any serious stomach bugs. I learned such a wide range of information about globalization and development, and how they are supported and expanded by so many local companies. And lastly, I made a ton of really genuine friends who I believe I will continue to hang out with for the rest of college. Until you experience a study abroad trip like Plus3, you will never fully be able to understand how a large group of students can all grow so close so quickly.
Throughout the trip, I feel as if I gained quite a few transferrable skills that will benefit me as I enter the workforce and my adult life in general. One of the primary skills that I feel like I enhanced on this trip is my willingness to embrace new experiences. In the past, I would generally accept new challenges presented to me, but I wouldn’t push myself as far as I possibly could. As specific examples, I frequently had to confront activities on this trip that pushed me from my comfort zone. Trying new, exotic foods and holding the honeycomb filled with bees are just a couple of the activities that frightened and challenged me, but I learned that if I attacked my fear of the unknown, I could try these new things and have fun doing it. I believe this is a very crucial workforce skill to possess in the ever-evolving marketplace. As a whole, simply coming to Vietnam allowed me to open myself up to world of new experiences, and I feel like I embraced the challenges that came with it with open arms and benefited from them.
Another transferrable skill that I obtained a better grasp of through this trip is bargaining. In business, meeting in the middle and working with partners on deals is absolutely mandatory. At home, I had never been a part of a true bargaining interaction, but that changed big-time over the last two weeks. After visiting the Ben Tanh Market on multiple occasions, I learned that to be successful in negotiating, you must be firm in your beliefs and willing to stick up for what you deem is just. At the market, I successfully wagered for prices below half of the marked-up sticker cost, and I feel like I gained valuable bargaining experience in the process.
One final transferrable skill that this trip really encouraged me to develop is active listening. While I previously considered myself to be a passable notetaker and decent listener, nothing compares with what I had to do at each of our site visits. Many of the site visits were hosted by employees who had thick accents which required me to focus much more intently to pull important information from their presentations. Additionally, as my fellow students and I attempted to learn details about new companies and industries that we could present at the end of the trip, we needed to ask leading questions and comprehend all the answers we received. As a result of our site visits in Vietnam, I feel like I improved my note-taking and on-the-spot questioning skills which together culminate into my active listening ability.
So that’s it. My final blog post of Plus3 Vietnam is done. Before I sign-off, I just want to truly thank Bryan Schultz and Hillary Koller for everything they have done to make this trip possible. Also, I cannot thank my parents enough for funding this trip and allowing me to gain so many incredible memories, skills, and friends. Signing up for Plus3 is one of the very best decisions of my freshman year. I only wish we had two weeks more. Thank you for reading 🙂