2008 Blogs

Hitchhiking Vietnam

09/19/2009

No, I'm not going to attempt that, but I just finished reading Karin Muller's Hitchhiking Vietnam: A Woman's Solo Journey in an Elusive Land (1998).

Karin Mullers Hitchhiking Vietnam

Some people are just born adventurers, and I think Muller must be one.  She traveled 6,400 miles during 7 months in Vietnam, carried by bicycle, unreliable motorbike, the reunification express (train), bus, truck, horse, and a few other modes of transportation that escape me at the moment.  And at times she hitchhiked.  Whew!

As I read the book, I kept wondering, "what is she seeking?"   One of Muller's goals was to visit remote villages, perhaps because she was looking for something authentic, unspoiled.  She was disappointed to see the effect of western contact on the Hmong people, an ethnic minority living in northern Vietnam.  Their finely detailed and richly colored embroidery, she felt, had deteriorated as they scrambled to satisfy tourists' desire to own a piece of their culture.  By the end of her journey, Muller had a revelation--she came to Vietnam because she was lacking a sense of community and a sense of place.  It was only by leaving home that she could gain a perspective on what she had left behind and what it meant to her.

Naturally, I've started thinking about why I'm going to Vietnam and what I hope to find and learn there.   In some respects, I am an adventurer.  Before I moved to Richmond, I made frequent moves--Virginia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Ohio.  Who would have thought that I would put down roots here?  Some friends think that going on this Fulbright is a way to satisfy my urge to move again.  It's less complicated than changing jobs and finding a new place to live.  That's true.  Others know that I love travel, and adventure, as long as it isn't life-threatening!

I also hope to ground, or center, myself during my time in Vietnam and China.  Life is so precious, and yet we often frivol it away on unimportant details.  Perhaps, by stripping away some of the technology, media, and committee meetings, I'll be able to focus on people.  Yes, that's why I'm going...to learn how to reconnect with people and how to be more aware of my environment and why both are so very important to me.