Evening Meetings and meditations
After our first day of SLIP adventures, we used the evening meeting to share "pro tips" about the places the students visited. We also shared "shout-outs" by students about their peers for the ways in which they connected to the Vietnamese people, the environment, or each other in order to continue to reinforce our emphasis on "connections."
Evening meetings are also used to share "life lessons" to help the students deepen their experience. A few nights ago we shared the reflection below, written by a student some years ago in response to the question, "What is the purpose of the global studies program?" Because, sometimes the students forget and need help refocusing on why we spend so much time, money, and energy on this program.
“Evergreen wants to show "us kids" a view of our world from a different perspective, to see ourselves from different eyes. To look at our lives not by what we have but by who we are. Not by what we own but by what we believe in. They are sending us out to reevaluate ourselves, and to reevaluate the world we live in. They would have us immerse ourselves in a culture much different from our own, and recognize that the differences are what makes the human race powerful, not crude or inelegant. We will learn to be wiser, more passionate, kind and respectful.”
We then asked the students to journal about what the purpose of the global studies program was to them.
Tonight I will share this meditation with the students:
I focus on my breath.
The air that enters my lungs is the same air all over the world.
Everywhere humans breathing the same breath.
The whole planet - one big heartbeat.
Together.
We are so unaware of all of the ways that we are connected.
Like those invisible arrows - we are connected.
Like the air that we breath - we are connected.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our connections
Because sometimes we feel all alone.
Imagine wearing sun glasses
and how it filters what we see.
If we could just take off those sun glasses,
we would get a very different perspective.
We are, each of us, so powerful.
But we forget, and need to be reminded.
I carry my "most important lessons" with me all of the time.
And I learn them over and over again, each time when I forget.
One tool to remind us of connections is gratitude.
What are you grateful for at this moment?
And not jut the big things, like the love of our parents.
But also the small things, like breath.
Gratitude can take us out of the place we are in and transport us to another place.
A place of appreciation for who we are, and for all that we have in our lives.
It can revitalize us and remind us of the power that we each have inside of ourselves.
A brief history of Vietnam:
About two thousand years ago, China conquered Vietnam (what is now the very north of Vietnam). Their reign lasted about a thousand years. After numerous revolts, the Vietnamese finally drove China out of Vietnam in the 10th century CE. The Ly dynasty, which later became the Trinh Dynasty, lasted for centuries. Vietnam eventually conquered the Cham people in what is now Central Vietnam, and then later, the Khmer people in what is now Southern Vietnam. Eventually Vietnam became two dynasties - the Trinh in the north, and the Nguyen in the South. In the beginning of the 19th century, Nguyen Anh conquered the Trinh, unifying all of Vietnam and changing his name to Gia Long. His son, Minh Mang, reigned during the golden age of Vietnam. His grandson, Tu Duc, was the longest reigning emperor, from 1847 until his death in 1883. During his rule the French defeated Vietnam in 1858 and took the southern section of the country. After his death the French were able to take control of all of Vietnam. Their rule lasted for almost 100 years, ending with a huge military defeat to the communists at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva conference of 1956 divided Vietnam into two countries - North and South. There was supposed to be an election in 1956 in the south to determine if they wanted to unify with the north. South Vietnam's president Diem, and his ally the United States, knew they would lose the election and thus, canceled it. Both sides claimed the other broke the Geneva accords, beginning the American War. Under President Kennedy the US had only "advisers" in Vietnam - about 15,000 of them. Under President Johnson the first US troops landed in Vietnam in early 1965. Their numbers grew to 550,000 by the beginning of 1969. Under President Nixon a cease fire and withdrawal of US troops was agreed upon in 1973. The civil war lasted 2 years, until the South surrendered in 1975, unifying the nation once again. In 1994 President Clinton normalized relations with Vietnam. It is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
About two thousand years ago, China conquered Vietnam (what is now the very north of Vietnam). Their reign lasted about a thousand years. After numerous revolts, the Vietnamese finally drove China out of Vietnam in the 10th century CE. The Ly dynasty, which later became the Trinh Dynasty, lasted for centuries. Vietnam eventually conquered the Cham people in what is now Central Vietnam, and then later, the Khmer people in what is now Southern Vietnam. Eventually Vietnam became two dynasties - the Trinh in the north, and the Nguyen in the South. In the beginning of the 19th century, Nguyen Anh conquered the Trinh, unifying all of Vietnam and changing his name to Gia Long. His son, Minh Mang, reigned during the golden age of Vietnam. His grandson, Tu Duc, was the longest reigning emperor, from 1847 until his death in 1883. During his rule the French defeated Vietnam in 1858 and took the southern section of the country. After his death the French were able to take control of all of Vietnam. Their rule lasted for almost 100 years, ending with a huge military defeat to the communists at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva conference of 1956 divided Vietnam into two countries - North and South. There was supposed to be an election in 1956 in the south to determine if they wanted to unify with the north. South Vietnam's president Diem, and his ally the United States, knew they would lose the election and thus, canceled it. Both sides claimed the other broke the Geneva accords, beginning the American War. Under President Kennedy the US had only "advisers" in Vietnam - about 15,000 of them. Under President Johnson the first US troops landed in Vietnam in early 1965. Their numbers grew to 550,000 by the beginning of 1969. Under President Nixon a cease fire and withdrawal of US troops was agreed upon in 1973. The civil war lasted 2 years, until the South surrendered in 1975, unifying the nation once again. In 1994 President Clinton normalized relations with Vietnam. It is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Hue, the ancient capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, from 1803 to 1945, until the defeat of Japan in WWII and Ho Chi Minh's declaration of independence, is where the students will use their SLIPS (Student led itinerary program) to explore.
5/7 Group 8 SLIP Day 1
Dong Ba Market
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| Our first stop was Dong Ba market |
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| One of my favorite photo themes is market pictures of people sleeping on the job. |
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| Really large jack fruit |
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| durian |
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| The pink fruit are dragon fruit |
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| Another possible theme in Vietnam is "things they carry on a bicycle." |
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| rice in cool lighting |
Thien Mu Pagoda
In 1963, in protest of South Vietnam's President Diem's repressive treatment of Buddhism, the monk Thich Quang Duc drove this car from Thien Mu to Saigon, sat in the middle of a busy street in Saigon, and lit himself on fire. Not too long after that, President Diem was assassinated in a military coup.
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| The car that the monk Thich Quang Duc drove |
Planned between 1820 and 1840, Minh Mang’s tomb was built after his death. It is known for its majestic architecture and beautiful surroundings. Minh Mang was the 2nd emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. He ruled from 1820 until his death in 1841. He was well known for his opposition to the French involvement in Vietnam. In 1825 he banned missionaries from entering Vietnam. He maintained an isolationist foreign policy as the British and French attempted to enter Vietnamese markets. The final conquest of the Champa kingdom occurred under Minh Mang’s rule.
5/8 Group 8 SLIP Day 2
Group 8 decided to change their plans and not go to Bach Ma National Park since this would be their last SLIP day to explore Hue. This is one of the really cool things about SLIPs - the flexibility to change your plans. So group 8 decided to spend the morning at the Citadel. Once again, we rented cyclos, but on this day we kept the cyclos for after the citadel and our transportation back to Dong Ba market, and then after the market back to the hotel.
The Citadel
The Citadel of Hue, also known as the Forbidden Purple Palace, was modeled after the Forbidden City in Bejing. Constructed on the north bank of the Perfume River, the Citadel was the home for thirteen emperors of Vietnam. Construction was completed in 1832 under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. The perimeter of its exterior wall is ten kilometers long. It is the sight where the last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, abdicated in 1945 to Ho Chi Minh's government. In 1968 during the Tet Offensive, do to fierce fighting in the Citadel, many buildings were destroyed.
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| Entry gate to the Citadel |
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| The biggest koi ever. A great "pro tip" we received was "buy the fish food and feed the fish." It was so much fun. |
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| old photos of an emperor (I forget which one) |
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| It appears I like photos of doors |
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| roof |
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| gold dragon |
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| There were a lot of beautiful ponds |
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