March 26th Farewell Dinner Most Important Lessons

I asked the students to be prepared to share the "most important lesson" they learned while in Vietnam, something that they want to hold on to when they return to Seattle. I have included all 26 students' lessons, because they are all precious.

March 26th, 2011 Farewell Dinner Most Important Lesson
I never thought a place could change me, but that was the pre-Vietnam person. I wouldn’t say I’m a changed person, but I would say I have a changed mind.
For the past month, we’ve been traveling through Vietnam, going to places filled with opportunities. Like trying new foods from a rundown restaurant, or diving off boats into the Mekong Delta. Some experiences I didn’t do, maybe because I was nervous, or scared, but I’ve learned to push those feelings away. I guess what I’m saying is that you should always try new things because it’s rare to get another chance to try it.
The trip has affected me in a lot of ways already, but the most important lesson to me is; whenever something new comes up. Try it, because the chance of doing it again is very slim.

The most important lesson that I have learned on this trip is to take all of the risks, chances and opportunities that come up in life. There is a time for everything, and when we get older, we will not be able to try all new things and take risks. Whether you think it will turnout well or not, try it. Otherwise, you will not get the chance to try the same thing again. You also may be surprised; your conclusion may be different than your hypothesis.

As I wander the endless foreign streets with old friends and bargain with desperate shopkeepers, I feel a longing for home. Not home in the normal sense, but the carefree days at camp, surrounded by the gorgeous cascades, and endless forests. Days where I can just throw on shorts and a t-shirt, pull my hair in to a pony tail and go. Days where I can run around with my friends acting like complete idiot and no one bats an eye. Days when I scream at the top of my lungs and bang on tables in the middle of dinner and everyone else joins in. Sitting at dinner one night, I realized that I‘d been with all these people five times long as my camp friends. Why wasn’t I able to do that with these people? Slowly I started to let go, and care less. Today, I rolled out of bed five minutes before breakfast and just walked out the door, something I never would have done before this trip. I haven’t worn anywhere near as much make up in the past week as I did before, and I’ve never felt better. Sure, I might still wear some make up, and I’m still going to spend more than five seconds picking out my outfit in the morning, but this time it’ll be for me.

On this trip I learned so many different things. One of the main lessons I learned from being in Vietnam for a month surrounded by the Vietnamese people and their environment is to be thankful for everyone, and everything I have. In the U.S. we don’t realize how much we have, but being exposed to how little most people have in Vietnam really makes me grateful for what I have.
 
I think the most important lesson I learned was during the Sapa minority village homestays. I was in a group that I would not have normally chosen. At first I was disappointed that I was not with my closest friends, but on the first day there, I realized that this was going to be an even better experience because I wasn’t with my friends. This was going to be a great opportunity to expand my group of friends. I first realized this when we were farming in the rice patties on the first day. I noticed that our group was working together extremely well, and we were having a ton of fun doing it. I want to branch out to new people that I don’t normally hang out with back at school.

I should stop complaining about small things that I don’t like, because there are others who don’t have those things to complain about. I have so much, so I don’t really have the right to complain about those little things that are easy to fix.
There are many small comforts I take for granted at home, which I haven’t had here. One of these is *cough, cough* having clean clothes regularly. Currently, I have one clean and dry pair of pants until the end of the trip (Note: it’s a good idea to do laundry at every opportunity, or else you get backed up with nothing to wear like I am right now). This is mostly because of my procrastination in washing them, and I will be fine. However, it is a good lesson for the next time I do something like this.
At home, I take a lot for granted. One thing is, as I mentioned before, having clean laundry every week. But there are many other things. Specifically finances, which I never paid much attention to before this trip. Now I have started to think about cost. For example, high schools. I want to go to an expensive private high school, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I was Vietnamese.
We should all realize how much we take for granted. Then, I then it will be easier to understand Vietnam.

On this trip I learned even more than I already have this year about how lucky I am to have such a comfortable life with a loving family, many opportunities, and little hardships. Mainly, I realized that I should not only appreciate what I have, but dedicate my life to giving back and helping others because, to me, learning these important lessons isn’t about what it makes you feel, it’s about what it makes you do.
This lesson will immediately affect the way I live in three ways. First, I have decided to really follow through with all the volunteering I’ve been wanting to do. Second, when I’m thinking about buying something for myself or I’m spending too much time on me I have to ask myself whether my money, time, and passion would be better used for someone else. Third, I realized that the things like appearance, popularity, and drama that we care so much about are really unimportant and selfish. I’ve stopped wearing makeup and started not letting these things get in the way of having fun and being considerate of others because they really aren’t the things that make us happy.

My most important lesson is to enjoy each moment. Because if you don’t, you’ll keep waiting for the next moment, and you’ll always be waiting.

We have been surrounded by poverty for the past four weeks. I have seen people living in shacks, working on the rice fields, and with absolutely no luxuries whatsoever. I didn’t think it was fair for people to be living in shacks right next to fancy buildings, but when I walk down the street I see happy faces smiling at me. Over the past month I have noticed that these people are happy without being rich or having any money to spare. I have come to realize just how lucky I am, but at the same time have learned that I don’t need a soft bed to come back to every night, or a cell phone to be happy. There are things that just don’t matter as much anymore since being on this trip and I am going to make a bigger effort to spend my time worrying about more important things than how I look every morning, or what’s going on on Facebook.

Why, I must ask myself, was I always trying to impress these people? Wearing all these tight clothes, and all this makeup, to get something. I wanted to be a ‘pretty girl’. I would notice the things that people would say to everyone else, and I wanted to be those things. All my friends were hearing it, and it seemed like it would be nice. But it isn’t. It’s all so fake. That’s all we want… something. To have something, to hear something, to be someone. But I hate sitting up here on the surface. It’s so easy just to float, and hear those words that you can’t tell yourself anymore. But they’ll never be quite right, no one you’ll have, and nothing you’ve been made out to be. Because all you wanted was just underneath. To be able to be wearing soccer shorts, and a baggy t-shirt, and not have piled on the makeup, and look in the mirror and tell yourself, tell myself, ‘I am beautiful’.
And I don’t want to hear it from anyone else. I don’t want to hear something, have something, and I don’t want to be some girl. We don’t have to be just floating on the surface. We can go as deep as we want into the water. As deep as you want into life; everything. When we’re too busy floating up here, trying so hard to make sure the water is smooth, we can never be fully submerged in this. It doesn’t matter if no one’s following you or letting the water touch their face. Don’t even think about wading in; letting the water only up to your eyes. The lesson I learned is to dive in.

The greatest lesson I have learned from my experiences here it to live in the present because before you know it, it’s gone. If you spend your trip thinking of all the things you miss or of the things ahead in your journey it will be over before you know it. Noticing the little things can help slow it down, like the kid at the school in the school trying to have a conversation with you or the old woman in the market chopping fish. Don’t worry about the future or think about the past just live in the moment.
 
The Vietnamese have shown me that people are basically loving, happy, and forgiving. My classmates have shown me that the more you get to know people, the more you get to know their ins and outs, the harder it is to see that sometimes. But then they taught me, once again, that people are basically loving, forgiving, and happy.

The lesson that I got out of this trip wasn’t something that I learned here in Vietnam but something that I had been told all my life but never really gotten before now. Need is a funny word. As we traveled throughout Vietnam I looked at how much we have in America and how little the Vietnamese have here and how happy they are. In Seattle we think we need to get that pair of cleats or hand bag but really we only want it. Here in Vietnam people don’t want much even if their need is greater than ours.

I remember the land mine victim from champs who described a moment he had to be strong for his parents. There is no way that he could have expected that to happen. What I learned from this was don’t take things for granted. All the little things that are so easy in the US are much harder here and even something as simple as walking properly we should be thankful about.

After seeing all the local Vietnamese people throughout this trip, I’ve realized how many things I took for granted back home. All the hard work the people do with so little to live off of, compared to the many privileges I have with the little work I do, has not only taught me to appreciate the little things. But also take action and help make a difference around the world.

I think that the most important lesson that I want to take away from this trip is to really appreciate my parents and to help them out when I can. Before this trip I didn’t quite fathom just how much they do for me. Now that I have a better understanding of it, and I know that I can do some of it myself, I want to take some of the weight off of their shoulders when I get back. Also, when we went to the orphanage, it really hit me hard, seeing all of these children left without parents. It was brought to my attention that I’m lucky just to have parents in the first place, because some kids go their whole lives without any actual parental support.

Carpe Diem. This will never happen again, so enjoy it while it lasts. I mean, the amount of things you can spend your time on is, more or less, infinite. Your time is not. Therefore, what you do with your life is valuable. Be someone interesting. Take a chance. See the world. Don’t look back.

While Vietnam might not have changed who I am as a person, it has helped me become aware of the way I live my life and the way I look at the world. One of the lessons that especially affected me was my realization of the power of patience. At the beginning of the trip, I had a problem with time-management; being a naturally tardy person, I had trouble with the strict time line imposed our band of traveling chaperones. So as I struggled through the first week, dealing with the consequences of always being late, I learned to be patient with myself and accept that it takes time to change my previous habits. So eventually, after beginning to show up on time, I truly began to realize that when I have patience with myself, I transform in a subtle, but everlasting way.

On this trip, I have learned many things, but perhaps the most important is to enjoy the little things in life. In our sheltered American lives there are so many things we take for granted that make such a difference here. I have come to realize that the reason people who have so little can be happy is because they enjoy little things, such as hot water or even a smile from a passing tourist. I see far too many instances of people getting upset over petty things, so when I get back to Seattle, I plan to take nothing for granted.

On this trip you have to deal with the same 34 people for an entire month. You will probably learn a little bit about each person while on the trip. Maybe you will discover something that you have in common with someone that you didn’t know before. The most important lesson I learned is to learn something about everyone and extent your friend circle.

I learned a very important lesson during this trip. I learned how fragile trust is. It isn’t granted at birth, and people don’t give it out automatically. It must be earned. And once it’s earned, it’s not set in stone. Trust can be lost at the blink of an eye and can be difficult, even impossible to get back. I have learned through trial and error, more error, to always think about the trusts I have with my parents, friends and teachers, and how easily my actions can effect it.

Love is blind. Beauty is on the outside and the inside. No one cares about what I look like so why should I? True beauty is on the inside.

The most important lesson I learned on this trip was to not be worried or stressed about anything. Whether its high school or social stuff it doesn’t matter, you’re in Vietnam in a foreign country so just slow down and enjoy Vietnam and don’t stress out over things so much.

Before I came to Vietnam I never used to take many risks or try too many different things. FOR EXAMPLE back at the homestay Eli had told us that we were going on a 2 hour hike around our village I pretty much just groaned and tried to crawl back into bed. But while I was going back up the stairs I thought about how I was never coming back to Vietnam and this is probably my last chance to explore and experience what Vietnam is really like, instead of the touristy city places. When I got back from the hike I was so glad I chose to! So because I decided to try something new I saw amazing views and went swimming in one of the nicest rivers I ever been to.

The best lesson I believe that I’ve learned would be that communication is precious. During the homestays on our second night in the village, our group had a three hour dinner. We were discussing how people had two sides and spending too much time with them can cause the second, less appealing side show through more than usual. This alone was a cool discussion topic to share with my friends because it was something different than normal. But I was impressed with the fact that we could get this far into a topic in a serious manner. It has confused me how much my parents and my relative could talk and talk but I’m realizing now that it’s these interactions that define us.

The most important lesson I learned this trip was to try new things don’t assume because usually you will find you will like them. An example of this is I used to hate eggplant but then one day I tried it at the cooking lesson and it was one of the best things I had had in my entire life. Meditation was a new thing I tried on this trip and I really liked it. Before I thought meditation was really weird but even me the always hyper one meditation was really cool. I will continue to try new things even if I am positive I won’t like them.