Final blog assignment: Take-away or dine-in? Peace out

Poverty sucks. Income disparities in Vietnam are huge, and the rich-poor gap widens more and more each day. Vietnam is the 3rd most populous ASEAN country, and the 13th most populated country in the world.

I never realized how brutal development was until I witnessed it for 3 months straight. I’m talking about hours and hours of construction and loud drilling noises, for HOURS on end. I never experienced this constant hammering in my head before, but when you think about it, this is how development started. This is how Western countries got their metropolises going and their dollars rolling. And it just really fucks with my head. I grew up in quiet, already modern places with minimal construction. Being in Vietnam has helped me visualize how we all started from scratch somewhere in this world. I envision Toronto like this 60 years ago.

Every day I think about the impact of this development on Vietnam. As I mentioned before, a lot of it is “building stuff for the sake of building” but the problem I have is that it’s pretty likely that none of it is beneficial to the environment. A country like Vietnam could really learn from the mistakes that Western countries have made in regards to unsustainable buildings and standards, which is why you see more architecture plans incorporating recycled material, organic cotton or ecological wood in the West (but still, not enough). It’s all about sustainability, and when I’m in Vietnam, I feel nothing but instability. I don’t believe this country is sustainable at all, and it freaks me out.

So. Living in Asia! It was great, and I want to come back here over and over again, but after getting sick three weeks in a row, I’m not sure I could live in a developing country for an extended period of time again. I value my health too much, and I value free healthcare. However, I’m not afraid to try new places and things, so I’ll continue on that route. I crave Cambodia, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and most importantly, Japan. I will make my way back here.

The fact that several ex-pats relocate to Vietnam is a special thing. It’s one of the things that made me curious about coming to Vietnam. I expected awesome dance parties, cheap food, cheap accommodation, and using taxis instead of public transport. It lived to my expectations (except for Apocalypse Now – the only club open after 12am with the exact. same. playlist. every week.) But why do so many freaking foreigners live here?! Well, simply put, it’s cheap. And if you’re a guy, a Western guy, then chances are you will be flocked by women.

There are opportunities in Vietnam where you can be anyone you want, without the paperwork and the cost in comparison to the West. But I think this cheap living can sometimes do more harm than good. AsiaLife had an article about it – what kind of impact are foreigners really making in Vietnam? They have more services catered to them and Vietnam thus becomes further westernized. The impacts also come from international business and the rising middle-class.

I don’t want to type too much about self-realizations because it’s personal and deals a lot with comfort zones. Basically I need to open up more. I do not consider myself a very shy person but being here has made me feel more shy than usual. Afraid to talk and ask for things. I think this happens when I go to live in new places – I completely shut down, but I open up at the same time. I just don’t like attention and it’s all I seemed to get in Vietnam, which was expected.

However, I have made awesome friends that I won’t forget, even though I am just another temporary person in their lives. It’s worth coming back here to see how it will change in 10 years, 5 years or even 1 year. I think being here has given me a clearer idea about what I want to do with my life. It sounds cheesy but it happens!

Crucial life lessons learned: be yourself always, be a bit more confrontational (it’s ok to ask!), be more open about talking, take initiative in starting conversations, realize that life is a struggle for a loooot of people, relax, be creative when the need arises, and forgive.

Forgiveness. Think of all the war that Vietnam has been through. But Vietnamese people don’t seem to hold grudges against the French or Americans. I like this about Vietnamese people. It’s about moving into the future and accepting that the past is now gone.

I’ve learned a lot about my values..again. I have pretty high standards for the cities I will choose as living spaces in the future. Wherever I choose to settle down must have amazing public transportation and bike lanes. I value this in a city very, very much, which is why I am so attached to Scandinavia. The things I value about life are policies in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and other European countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany. I value public space and artistic freedom. I value the environment and environmental technological innovation so very much. Living in Vietnam was a total challenge because it is the opposite of everything I seem to want in life, but I think it’s a good thing to be here. This is life for a lot of people.

Vietnam has inspired me. It has made me feel like many things are possible in this life. From the DJ nights to the budding art galleries, HCMC appeals to me a lot. In some ways, it’s a place to look out for new talent and cutting edge innovation. I was happy in Vietnam because I had a very comfortable living standard, but at the expense of others. I’m sad to go, but I’m glad to go. I need a change already. I need my cat. I need my boyfriend. I need my bicycle. I need fresh air.

Notes/things I like that I don’t want to forget about:
-Vasco’s
-Lunches and dinners with newfangled, quite random Vietnamese friends
-Cake cravings with Nita
-Watching countless hours of teley with Adam
-San Art Gallery
-The Vietnamese fortune teller
-$3 massage at the Blind Institute
-A lot of sweet restaurants, especially French ones. I’m definitely coming back to eat!

Overall, I am so stoked to go back to Toronto – a city that is easy to hate, but comfortable for now.