Today was a Biggie

We did alot of cool stuff today. Everything we do here is so cool and so meaningful, I love it. This morning was our last day at UEF. We had a lecture about culture and a language class. In culture, we learned quirky things such as the meaning behind numbers. It was neat to see how there is so much meaning behind something as simple as numbers here. I think it can be summed up by one of the quotes from our lecturer today about the number 9 (9 relates to love)... "If you want a girl to marry you, you give her 9 flowers, or 999 flowers. Don't try to give her an even 1000... that means you want her to die."

Our language class was "test day." Basically it was a summary day of everything we've learned, our teacher would tell us in English what we had to say and then we would have to speak it in Vietnamese. It was fun, and a little longer than the usual language class. None of us cared though because of how much fun we were having. Our teacher has been great, and she really has set a great atmosphere for learning such a difficult language. If she wasn't as in-your-face and energetic with us, it would get pretty awkward with us butchering every other word. She's been so patient, which has really made the class a worthwhile experience.

We then visited the Xa Loi Pagoda, a place with rich history. In addition to housing the biggest Buddha I've ever seen (about 20 feet tall), this Buddhist Temple was the gathering place for monks who were protesting the Southern Vietnamese Government during the war (the US supported the southern government in the war). The reason for the protest was because of the rise in discrimination against the Buddhists. One monk, Thich Quant Duc, drove his point home when he self immolated himself. There was a memorial on the corner of the street which had beautiful and detailed sculptures. It's inspirational to think about this monk caring for something so much that he went all the way to the extreme that he did... that's true belief and passion.

After this, we went to see the War Remnants Museum... a place that commemorates the "American War." This visit was the one that was mentally draining. I've learned about the Vietnam War at least 5 different times in the course of my life. Visiting this museum makes so much of what I learned irrelevant in my eyes. All they teach you in school are "easy" things... like: military strategy, presidential decisions, turning points in the war, emerging fighting strategies, etc. I've also read a few books on my own time on the Vietnam War, so I have a little more information based off of those sources... but this museum was something else.

The first floor showed things such as executives from involved countries in meetings, protests worldwide - basic things like that. Quick side note, the Kent State shooting even made it in the museum here in Saigon... so being from Ohio and having 2 grandparents who went to Kent I thought that was neat.

The second floor was where things began to get real. The titles of the exhibits were: "Aggression War Crimes," and "Orange Agent." The first had so many pictures of incredibly graphic things that were done to the Vietnamese People by the Americans (don't worry, I didn't post any of these graphic pictures on the blog post). The things that the pictures documented were unbelievable and for the first time in the history of my life I actually questioned my country's integrity and humanity. Seeing this exhibit was incredibly disturbing, eye opening, and uncomfortable. I know that there are two sides to history, but this is a side that I didn't know existed. From our perspective, all that we learn in school is that "Guerrilla Warfare was unconventional and insane." Never have I ever seen such explicit documentation of the inhumane things that were done to the people of Vietnam (not just soldiers).

The Orange Agent exhibit was equally, if not more, disturbing. It documented the effects on the Vietnamese people that happened because of the United States' decision to implement chemical warfare in Vietnam. The pictures were incredibly disturbing, and each one takes your breath away. The effects weren't just post-war... they are still present today. The diseases are passed through generations, and many people TODAY are still affected by the use of chemical warfare. One of the things on the wall was a letter written to President Obama from one of the victims, in reference to Obama's popular speech on what he hopes for in his daughters' lives... and noting that many children here don't have that same opportunity and are still threatened by an act made decades ago. The pictures also documented the effects on the environment, as well as the many many many birth defects that happened (and still happen). These pictures are things that no matter how hard someone tries, the images are things you can't just erase from your head.

I enjoyed the museum, I really did. Despite being incredibly graphic, it was something that I feel like I needed to see as an American. These things are the other side of the story, the side that we don't learn in school. Because of all of my prior knowledge, I thought I had a pretty solid opinion on the war, but now I'm honestly not really sure what my opinion on the war is anymore because of what I saw today. The only thing that I know for sure is that war sucks, alot.

On a less solemn note, some of us went to McDonald's for dinner. I know that it's not "authentic" Vietnamese food, but it was quite the experience. It was a new store, and 2 stories high. There were also about 50 kids running around the play area. Because of the large number of troops, they extended into the main dining area and were running everywhere. Literally... children everywhere. We convinced one of our guys, Akhil - a 6 foot 4 big guy - that it would be "fun" for him to crawl through the playpen real quick. So he did just that, and let's just say the screaming of the kids elevated quite a few decibels. It was also funny because once Akhil left, one of the dads saw and came into the playpen and took his kids out. It was the most entertaining McD's trip I've ever had (and hopefully ever have).

Hard to believe tomorrow's the last day. We have a big day of USA vs Vietnam (aka Pitt vs UEF) soccer match and basketball game. We've been mentally preparing for these games all week with the help of Coach (Bryan's nickname). Hopefully all goes well tomorrow and nobody gets injured in these ultra competitive matches.

Actual picture of monk.

What we saw today at the memorial, complete with the car in the background.

This is the intersection where he was sitting. Just a normal intersection today.

Outside the museum.

Picture on the first floor from Kent State.

Remains of a B52 bomb in the museum. It was hard to look at all of the damage that bombing did in Vietnam during the war.

Before and after pictures of the environment from Orange Agent (chemical warfare).

A US chopper that was outside the museum for display. There were many seized US war machines on display outside (tanks, boats, planes, choppers) on display like trophies.

Akhil with all of his new little friends in the play pen.