The day today was filled with activities. First, we had to go to the port to look at all the shipping procedures and how the warehouse was organized and ran. It was very hot out, so walking outside was quite treacherous. It was still very interesting to see how the warehouse and the boats were…
Tag: Plus3 Vietnam
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Day 9: District 9
Ngoc Hoang Pagoda this morning was honestly a really interesting experience because I grew up with some exposure to Buddhism as a kid, and when I traveled in China I got to see temples, monks, and different monasteries. Vietnam’s Buddhist representation is on a much smaller level, but perhaps it made it more local and…
Day 9: Pagoda and War Museum
As someone who has always been into learning about Asian religions, I can say that I was really looking forward to see an authentic Vietnamese Buddhism temple, because I would be able to put my knowledge to use, and experience Buddhism through my own experience. Growing up Catholic, I feel like I wasn’t able to…
went to the zoo!
CJ and I woke up at six in the morning so we could get to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens before it got busy. I didn’t think twice about it, I love animals, and missing a bit of sleep was worth it. When we arrived, the place was empty. It felt like we had…
Day 9: Whose war was it?
Today was a lot of learning in a meaningful way. We started the day with class at UEF where we spent time learning about Buddhism. From there we then took what we learned and went over to the Ngoc Hoang Pagoda. The first thing I felt walking in was peace. It was special to watch…
Day 9: A Look Into a Complex Past
I think it is fair to say that today was certainly one of the more emotionally engaging days of the program, especially given the content that we viewed in the second half of the day. I started the morning by grabbing breakfast with my friends Olivia, Reva, and Rachel at Merci Bakery, which I know…
Day 9: Temples and the Tragedy of War
Woah. I have to take a few breaths after a day like today. Today felt emotionally heavy in a completely different way than the previous days of the trip. The morning visit to the Ngoc Hoang Pagoda was calming and very peaceful, while the afternoon felt completely different. The War Remnants Museum forced me to…
Day 9: A Vietnamese Perspective on Things
Today was split into 2 very different halves. The first half of the day was spent on Buddhism and specifically its place in Vietnam and how it is different in other Southeastern Asian countries. I’ve always liked learning about other religions and it helps me understand people from different backgrounds better so I’m very glad…
Day 9: Bombs and Buddhism
Today was a day of learning. The morning consisted of Buddhism class paired with a trip to a pagoda. It was interesting to learn more about Buddhism and how it compares to the Abrahamic religions that are most common in America. For starters, Buddhism acts more like a philosophy than other religions like Christianity, which…
Day 9: A Day Of Reflection
The day began with a lecture of Buddhism and a trip to a pagoda. The lecture had us learn about the intricacies of Buddhism and how it began, along with what it was. I myself don’t know a lot about it, so I was interested in learning more. It was then that we split off…
Full Picture Unlocked
Today I did not wake up to go for a run. I woke up at the alarm and turned it off to fall right back to sleep. However, there are plans to go tomorrow with other people so that will be motivation to actually get up. I am definitely less tired today than yesterday which…
Day 8; Was nuts
Week 2 started with the Cat Lai Terminal tour, and it would surely be hard to overstate the magnitude of their operations. They process a ship in 12-18 hours and move 81 containers an hour. Watching it in person, it didn’t feel shocked by any complicated technology or automations, but how much of the operation…
Day 9: Faith and Fatality
Our day started with a trip to our beloved UEF building. There, we learned about Buddhism and how it started in Vietnam. Being Indian, I have a very good understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist teachings since some of my friends are Buddhist and Buddhism originated in India. Our lecturer kept asking me questions (I think…
Vietnam Day 9: War History and Buddhism
We started off day 9 with a quick crash course on Buddhism and its history in Vietnam. The class set us up for our first visit of the day which was to a Buddhist temple. The temple was unlike any religious building I have ever seen before and it was a really impressive architectural site….
Day 9: Language of war
Today helped clear the logistics of the war for me. I was really confused about how it was both North versus South Vietnam and Vietnam versus America, but I soon connected that the North had bases in the South, like the Cu Chi Tunnels, which allowed for a combat war. I also realized that while…
Buddha Believe It
Day 9: Buddhism and Independence Palace This morning we attended a class at UEF about the foundations of Buddhism. About 60% of Vietnam practices Buddhism, making it the largest religion in the country. We learned about principles such as the founder Siddhartha Gautama and his journey of leaving royalty behind in order to help relieve…
Day 9: A Zoo, Lecture, Pagoda, Palace, and Museum all in one day
Today was by far one of the best days. I started off my day very early and started it off at the zoo. I’m the biggest animal nerd there is and being able to see some animals that aren’t in any US or European zoo was awesome. It was the only thing I have wanted…
Museums and Museum Scammers
Religion and history took center stage today, and it was a lot to process. We started at the Ngoc Hoang pagoda, which was an interesting look into the spiritual side of the country. Even the UEF students we were with described Buddhism primarily as a philosophy rather than just a religion, though we definitely saw…
Day 9: Shifting Perspectives
After a delicious croissant breakfast from Merci Bakery (would recommend), we headed to UEF to learn about Buddhism. I learned the basic concepts, like Nirvana, in my previous schooling, but it was helpful to have a refresher and learn a bit more about its role in Vietnam. Many Vietnamese people do not claim any religion,…
Day 9: Nose Deep in the Books
Today, we started our day early at UEF learning about Buddhism. They posed one main question that we had to discuss: Was Buddhism more of a religion or a philosophy? My group leaned more toward philosophy because there is not a specific god that Buddhists worship. Rather, it is more of a way of life…