Dear Pre-Vietnam Me

GRIP: Engineering Research in Hanoi, Vietnam

If I were to write a letter to my pre-internship self, the pages would probably be overflowing with a list of things I forgot to bring: extra contacts, more jeans, sunglasses, and so on. I probably would have told myself to hug my siblings a little longer and to figure out which Vietnamese data carrier to use before I arrived. But even though I’ve only been in Vietnam for two weeks, there is one absolutely huge piece of advice I would give myself about living abroad: don’t make assumptions, and just say yes.

The first day I got here, I let the ridiculous information I had seen online control the way I was behaving. Online sites told me to avoid all ice, stay away from certain modes of transportation, and wear pounds of mosquito repellent. At that point, I was less of a traveler and more of a walking can of bug spray. During my first few days in Ho Chi Minh City, I was too nervous to do anything. I wasn’t eating the delicious food I saw all around me. I was scared to be outside for too long. Looking back, I see how unnecessary that fear was.

Of course, it’s always good to be cautious. But you can never really know a place until you explore it. A book I read recently, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, says that we make assumptions because we don’t have the courage to ask questions. I regretfully made assumptions about life in Ho Chi Minh City because I didn’t ask the right questions to the right people.

It took about five days before I was fully enjoying my new life abroad. In my opinion, that was too long. This experience is precious. It’s once in a lifetime, and it won’t last forever. So now, my mantra is simple: just say yes.

A new restaurant? Yes. A new type of dish? Yes. A random museum? Yes. A three-hour drive to the beach? Yes. A new task at work? Sure, why not?

It has become my mission to make the most of this trip, and that starts with pushing past assumptions and remaining open to each new experience that comes my way. I think this is the key to living and learning about new cultures with intent and care, not just when you’re abroad, but in everyday life.