Study Abroad Vietnam: Holistic Medicine Course, Educational Review

   

     Studying abroad is an opportunity everyone should take if they can. My course was six weeks long, long enough to get used to life in Vietnam. This country has an interesting history, culture, and tradition. The focus of my study was Traditional Holistic Vietnamese Medicine, a field that views health through a spiritual and accessible lens. We also had language classes to help us acclimate, although I will admit I was really bad at them. 

       We started in Ho Chi Minh, also known as Saigon. I personally had been to Vietnam 4 times before and was happy to be back in the bustling environment. I met my group at the hotel where we were all staying. We stayed there together for a few days before moving in with host families. Everyone had randomly assigned host families, but one of my old bosses applied to a part of the host family program, and I stayed with her. My classmate's host families were all ridiculously wealthy, and many of them had housepets, indoor swimming pools, and rec centers!

    We went to classes at the Univerisity of Medicine and Pharmacology. Our coursework included theoretical lectures, practical workshops, and field visits, providing a comprehensive understanding of this holistic approach. This is where I will admit my greatest disappointment with the course. Our translator and chaperone assigned to us were very bad at translating. She was also very argumentative with the lecturers and with students regarding the kinds of questions we were asking. She would often bypass the information being told to her by lecturers and tell her own stories (she has never been a medical professional). Those who spoke Vietnamese in the group confirmed what she was saying was not at all accurate and would try to help translate it correctly. Because of this, I don't think I got very much out of the lectures and Q&As. Aside from this, though, it was awesome!!

                                     

    I learned the most through observation and through the visits we made to medical sites. We went to a wide range of medical businesses, not just holistic ones. We went to pagodas, western-style hospitals, traditional medicine hospitals, and the medicine street. The streets are often organized by trade, so all medicine is on one street, clothes are on another, food is on another, etc. We were also required to interview with locals and NGOs. I learned more from host families than I did at the university. We got to practice doing acupuncture, massage, meditation, and making herbal pills. We also got to observe procedures being done on patients, mostly acupuncture and consultations. This was another source of culture shock for our group, as Vietnam does not have privacy laws or HIPPA. We were all shocked that we could observe without the patient's permission. Most of them did not seem to mind. Privacy is viewed differently in Vietnamese culture, especially in the city, where there are so many people. Often, families live several to a room. 

    We explored historical sites, enjoyed traditional music and dance performances, and participated in local festivals. Ho Chi Minh has a traditional medicine museum, as well as several war museums. We also traveled around the country quite a bit. We took a vist to Vung Tau, which is a beach town. This was just a fun excursion with no educational intentions. We also went to the Can Gio mangrove forest, where they grow a variety of food and medicine. This forest was destroyed during the Vietnam war and is now mostly grown back. We got our drinks stolen by monkeys, paddled out to see bats, and fed alligators. We also visited Dalat, which is in central Vietnam, and Ben Tre, which is in the Mekong Delta. In these towns, we visited more hospitals. 

    I enjoyed being able to go as a student and not to work. I was able to immerse myself more in the culture. By the time I had to go home, I really didn't want to leave. Hopefully, I will be back soon!

Study Abroad Vietnam: Holistic Medicine Course, Lifestyle Review

  This is part 2 of my last blog. Now, I'm going to talk about all the fun stuff. If I am being honest, this was mostly a fun stuff experience. Even though America is the "Land of the Free", many of my generation find being alive a series of endless compromises. In Vietnam, I never had to compromise on anything. I enjoyed freedom, which I thought was just an intangible and broken promise. I had mental freedom, physical freedom to go anywhere I wanted, academic freedom to explore topics that I found interesting, and, most enlightening, financial freedom. A poor student in America is a very rich one in Vietnam. Remember that this is because of the dollar exchange rate and economic freedom, which only you, as a foreigner, experience and is not necessarily the experience of locals. 

    Not worrying about money means you can afford things that may be a luxury back home. I could buy a coffee every morning and evening for just 50 cents. I could purchase bubble tea and eat steak and fish. I could order a drink with dinner at restaurants. If you ever go to Vietnam, don't get stuck thinking frugally if you already do back home. Go get your nails done, sit in cafes for hours, and go to fancy clubs and bars, which there are many of. Food is cheap and fresh. I lost 10 pounds without changing how much I eat; the food is so clean, and nutrition is based on the five elements. Food is often clean, simple, and rich in vitamins and protein. All fast food joints have virtually the same menu, so I recommend eating at local joints. Saigon has a very large array of cuisines. Thai and Indian food was the best I've had (shoutout to Haveli Restaurant). I also had a waffle and duck leg dish, which I have thought about every day since. 

    Another form of freedom I now had was physical freedom. I could go wherever I wanted. Mornings in Vietnam begin early. I was often awake by 6 am, and my host family was up even earlier. This left me a lot of time to explore the city. Joining the locals, I developed a routine of starting my day with a cup of Vietnamese coffee, often enjoyed at a small street-side café. Banh Mi is a really common and easy food if you are on the go. You can download Grab on your phone and go anywhere in the city for a few dollars. Also, as a female-presenting person, I will note that I felt safe everywhere. People who talk to you on the street are genuine and not creepy. I could walk around with both headphones in without fearing someone creeping up behind me. If you look lost, people will help you. Grab drivers won't drop you off in random locations or try to steal you. Roofing is the only problem when it comes to safety as a woman, so still watch people make your drinks and don't go in unlabeled cabs. Cab scams are also big. 

             

     Activities in Vietnam are also cheap. We can go to the zoo, cat and dog cafes, karaoke, hiking, billiards, museums, and parks for cheap or even free. My favorite bar we went to was acoustic. They had free drinks for ladies' night and live music. They even had some metal artists on the setlist! Several in my group also left with new tattoos and piercings, myself included. It is generally very safe and clean to get tattoos done, and also stupidly cheap. I myself have two tattoos and a piercing. One girl found a place that would do her belly button for about 7 US dollars. I recommend Morgan Ink Studios if you are going. I got to put a pin on a map of where I am from on the wall. 

            

    If you are going to study abroad and find yourself with some free time, do everything you can. Say yes to everything. Our group size was small enough that we could invite everyone to everything. It was really lucky that all of us ended up liking each other. Almost everyone was from Yale, so I could compare my university life with theirs. I made many good friends, and leaving them was hard.  

                                         

    Bring a disposable or digital camera. Also, leave your makeup at home or get tinted sunscreen. Your foundation will be dripping as soon as you step outside. It doesn't matter how good you think it is. Even if you don't care for the course, I highly recommend it for the lifestyle!