5/5 and 5/6: Transition to My Son and Hue by Robert

5/5: Transition Day

On the morning of 5/5 we divided into 2 groups - one group heading to 5 Marble Mountain, and the other to My Son, on our way to Hue. My Son is about an hour and half drive from Hoian.

My Son is a cluster of Hindu temples, built between the 4th and 14th centuries, by the Champa kingdom. It is the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina. It is often compared to other Hindu sites in Southeast Asia, such as Pagan in Burma, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. There are over 70 temples and tombs, though much of it was destroyed by US bombing during the American War. The Cham kingdom was defeated by the Viet people in the late 15th century during their conquest of the area that is now Central Vietnam.

Sanskrit writing

Buddhist sculptures as well

After My Son, the entire class met up for lunch in Denang, and then drove 3 hours to Hue, the ancient capital of dynastic Vietnam.

5/6: Our first Day in Hue
Hue was the capitol of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 during the Nguyen Dynasty, the final dynasty of Vietnam. After WWII with the defeat of Japan, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence, moving the capitol to Hanoi. Then, in 1954, with the defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam was divided into two countries at the 17th Parallel, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. It was not until 1975 and the defeat of South Vietnam that Vietnam was finally unified again.

We separated into 6 groups to explore the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and the Vinh Moc tunnels at the 17th Parallel.

Sculpture at the 17th Parallel, declaring the unification of Vietnam

The tunnels connected to the sea, where large military equipment was secretly transported into South Vietnam from the north. 

On May 7th we divide into 9 groups and start a 3-day rotation. Each group will spend one day on our service project, building a home for a Vietnamese family, and 2 days exploring Hue in SLIP groups.

The Global Studies Student Led Itinerary Program (SLIP):

There is so much to do and see in Hue, and with only two days to explore, it would be impossible for the trip leaders to create and itinerary to satisfy everyone’s needs. And so we didn’t. We left it up to the students. Back in Seattle we made 9 small groups of 4 to 6 students and they researched options and then came up with a two day itinerary. They needed to include maps, transportation and a budget. The SLIP program engages many elements key to the Global Studies program. It is an open–ended assignment where students do the research, make choices, and take responsibility. We assign one or two adults to go along with each group of students, but advise the parents to let the students “run the show,” allowing the students to change their plans or get lost. For it is those unexpected and unplanned experiences that are often the most memorable and where learning and growth are maximized. 

Service:

One of the key components of Evergreen’s Global Studies program is global citizenship. The students spent time in Seattle creating and enacting fund raising projects to raise the $6000 it costs to buy the bricks and other supplies, along with the salary for trained workmen to guide their actions, in order to build a home for a family in Vietnam. They learn to mix cement and lay bricks. The effort that the students commit to these fund raising projects also increases “buy in” from the students for the hard work they will do in Vietnam.

Besides the obvious benefit for the family we build the house for, students experience a sense of connection for their efforts, and through the development of this connection, the Evergreen students learn about how much one gains in return from providing service – how mutually beneficial the experience is.