Dear Family and Friends!
            Greetings from the chilly (by Southeast Asian standards) city of Hanoi! We are well aware that this letter will probably reach you after we arrive home, but think that it is important to write it anyways.
            Our journey in Vietnam began December 27th after leaving our homes in Thailand. It was really tough leaving the friends and family we had established over the past 2 months. In Vietnam however, two new members joined our Term in Asia Family. Graham and Reed, John and Meg’s sons, traveled with us for our first few weeks. It was wonderful to have them with us and see the Ojala-Barbour clan united as one.
            We started our stay in Vietnam on the 27th of December in Ho Chi Minh City and began our Vietnamese history course on the 29th.  We made day trips to the Cao Dai temple and the Cu Chi tunnels, where we were able to travel underground as the Vietcong guerillas had. Some of us overcame our fear of confined spaces, while others discovered that they were, in fact, claustrophobic.
            We spent New Years Eve at the Continental hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City. The Hotel saw lots of action by international journalists and military personnel during both the French and American occupations. Ringing in 2009 was special, but many argue that the highlight of the night was watching an amazing magician perform.
We left HCM city on January 2nd for a tour of the Mekong delta, where we chugged around on local boats, checked out the sites, drank coconut milk, and ate rambutans.  We toured the island on questionable rusty bicycles, and only lost one person in our group to a bamboo fence. We spent the night at Mr. Moui’s, which was a wonderful traditional house, set above the river on stilts. We read in hammocks, played cards on the porch, and slept under mosquito nets. We spent our last two days in HCM city visiting the War Remnants museum and continuing John’s course on the ethics of travel.
            On the 6th we left on our Central Region study tour and stayed in the cities of Hoi An and Hue. We took a day excursion to the My Lai massacre site, which was a very moving experience. As Americans, places like My Lai and the War Remnants museum are difficult to visit, but they have increased our understanding of the American war in Vietnam from the Vietnamese perspective. Trips to the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Demilitarized Zone at the 17th parallel also helped to make the material we were learning in our history course more vivid.
            We celebrated the birthdays of both Adrienne and Emma during our central tour. We tried to re-invent the birthday hat in the most Vietnamese way possible. Adrienne wore a rural conical hat, while Emma wore a SARS mask.
            We left the ancient capital of Hue for the current capital of Hanoi on the 13th. Classes continued, and we took a walking tour through the extremely crowded Old Quarter. French and Chinese influences are easily visible, for instance Confucian temples placed between French colonial apartments. Street vendors sell baguettes, and old men wear berets.  Our History class was complemented by field trips to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum and the Vietnamese ethnology Museum.
            We really took advantage of our free time in Hanoi to explore on our own. Many of us fell in love with the local cafes and various street food vendors. The street life is so vibrant and lively. A barber, locksmith, food vendor, shoe shiner, and motorbike repairman are all capable of occupying a space of 10 feet of sidewalk.
            We finished our finals just in time for the Lunar New Year, and most of us are preparing to leave tomorrow, after we watch fireworks over the lake tonight. In preparing to leave, we are discovering that we are not ready to leave. Five months of traveling together has made us a pretty tight-knit crew.  It’s impossible to sum-up or experiences in these little letters, which is why we’re all excited to tell you in person. All nine of us agree that this trip would not have been what it was without our AMAZING field supervisors John and Meg. They both added unspeakable amounts of energy and fun into every day of the trip. They were our professors, surrogate parents, fellow Thai students, compassionate friends, and fearless leaders. To John, Meg, and all the others who have invested time and energy into making Term in Asia a success, we are eternally grateful for your hard work and devotion to this trip.

            See you soon!

Sincerely,
                        Term in Asia ‘08-‘09