parseltongue: I found a home in Vietnam - AIESEC Winter Season 2014

“...we got the key to open paradise, yeah, paradise. Now let’s go walking hand in hand...”

Icona Pop – All Night

Prologue

Everyone has a dream. I have a dream. You have your own. I’m not going to talk what is, or was, my dream. That’s not the point, but let’s move to something further: how do we make our dream come true?

It started by a book, novel specifically, talked about how Asian Moslems life in socialist country like Russia. I was amazed. I am, even until now. I want to feel it by my own. And possibility came up by a blue-pamphlet in campus about being Indonesia’s ambassador. AIESEC pamphlet. Then I talked to myself, will I pass this opportunity or grab it even I have no idea, at that time, how to work it out? Then I made it, as you’d probably can guess Russia as my first choice. But then one and two things happened, turned my decision to another beautiful country which I will never regret my choice about going there. Vietnam.

My little experience started on February 15th, 2014. Total 5 hours transfer flights then I stepped my little foot in Than Son Nhath Airport, Ho Chi Minh City. One of the biggest city in Vietnam. Center of tourism, lifestyle, entertainment, and education. With Saigon River right on your side, lovely buildings, clean and safe city, what should I expect more?

We were seven from all over the world. Me, Fajar Anggara, Asuka Sakata, Anna Iijima, Dora Paulik, Kathrin Duffner, and Timur Shuvaloff. Seven different person from different background and different characteristic gathered in one team. Since the first time I met them, I know that they will be there for me, and this friendship will not be shattered by time. No way. Anna is nice Japanese girl with bright smile and rounded eyes. She was my room-mate for 2 days in intern house. We called her Papa’s girl because she can drink a lot of beer with Papa and Tim. Asuka, Japanese cutie who lent me her training suite when I lost my luggage and have nothing to wear (thanks, by the way. haha). Kathrin, she comes from Germany. Very nice to me and she can mention “selamat pagi” which makes me so happy. Tim. Well, Tim is Tim. I should re-open some pictures to find a word to explain him. He is Russian, but smile a lot like he isn’t. He is Canadian, but he drinks like Russian. After all, he is very nice and he is the one who made me scream and hold his t-shirt so tight because of his driving skill. Motorbike is kind of dangerous, but he made me feel like I was in James Bond movie.

Fajar. He is my mate, also came from Indonesia. Since the first time we make a conversation I know that he is mature and very nice. We worked as a team, I mean Indonesia team. We prepared the cultural items, foods, video, presentations, even we spent time to explore Ho Chi Minh together, mostly ended by lost in somewhere we don’t know. He is really like my brother who takes care of me. Accompanied me to embassy just to make sure we both registered as Indonesian, in case something happen. He canceled his plan about Hanoi, Na Thrang, Ha Long Bay and came by while I got a severe fever that turned my body to 39°C. He also stayed with me to make sure I’m safe when my room-mates, Grace and Minh, were going to their hometown. He is not only a partner, but also a brother.

If I have brother in Vietnam, then I have a sister as well. Dora, my lovely ones. Hungarian girl with beautiful face, red hair, and sweet smile. It was so silly because first time I know her from facebook, I thought that she was a Jewish. And that was make she is more interesting for me. I really want to know more about her. But then I know she is not. We didn’t spend a lot of time hanging out together but then she came to Indonesia. I don’t wanna tell you bout that, because it will turns to a novel, not a trip-report as my manager asked me. Overall, I cannot find any sweet lovely sister like her. Sometime she becomes my mommy, sometime I do. I remember when we ate Banh Mi on the corner of Tourist Information Center and everyone starred at us. Maybe they think “what are this Muslim girl and western girl doing here?”, but who cares? We enjoyed it.

Move to our project. We planned and planned and planned to make a Global Village for High School students and poor child. Unfortunately I cannot join the Global Village for High School one because I already flew back to Indonesia a week before. But I had one, on 9th March we held a small Global Village for poor children. They were happy and I personally cannot explain my feeling when I looked in to their bright eyes when they were saying “Cam on”. Besides our project, we were free to join any activity nearby. Fortunately, I live with Vietnamese and they are so kind. Grace, Minh, 5 brothers around ready to drive me everywhere and cheers me up every time. Anh Hoang took me to Night Guitar Club, he plays classic guitar very well. He said he cannot remember any lyrics or title of song but he can remember the rhyme. I joined not because I can play guitar, I just sing a song. And it was so great. They welcome me and treated me like the part of club. Other day, Anh Duy took me to children hospital. We came to help the volunteer of Thuy’s Dream organization to help the hospital cheers up the kids. Some of them get a cancer, others get leukemia, and etc. We never know when the time is come for them, we just try our best to make them smile, by playing, singing, celebrating birthday. This visit gave me many things to be thought about life. It’s worth it.

I have Anh Co, Anh Ha, Anh Thanh (my dear English student), and Khang (who makes me a lovely birthday card, I love it even more). They just a pact of perfect brothers for me. Grace and Minh. I cannot even find a word to explain how sweet they are to me. Grace and Minh treated me like their sister, Grace even unconsiously teach me to be brave and independent. She let me took the bus, (that made me download the HCM bus map, haha) she is always there when I was sick. I should also deliver my gratitute to Vinh, my buddy who found me a very nice host for month in HCM. There are too many people I met in Vietnam that I should thanks to, I cannot mention all, (mostly because I dunno how to spell their name in Tieng Viet :P ) but one thing. I love you all, and promise you to come back soon to Vietnam.

Living in Ho Chi Minh City is challenging, especially for me with clear identification as Muslim. Not many people in HCMC knows about Islam. They just know about middle east (Arabian) Muslim, terrorist, islamophobia, and etc. People starred on me because I am different. I use long dress and veil, I pray 5 times a day, I don’t eat pork or drink beer. They were curious, and this is my challenge to explain them about the perspective of Muslim in different way. To make them make up their mind about me or other Muslim in the world. I tried my best to give the simplest explanation and it works! Some stop starred on me and smile, but I cannot afford more, maybe the burden of language makes them feel insecure about me. Who knows? The thing is I can represent Indonesia and Muslim in one cheerful personality who is none of their first impression when they heard about me.

A month only, but I got a lot to learn. How to be tolerant, open mind, patient, and mature. This AIESEC opportunity made me surface my limitation. I though I was selfish and childish, but then I find out myself shifted, I’m not the same girl I was. A girl who cried in Changi International Airport because she lost her luggage and a girl who stepped out from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is totally different inside. She got stronger and more tolerant.

Epilogue

When I was 18th, I wrote on my diary what makes daydreamer different from fighter? I said, a fighter has a dream and he wake up and do what it takes to realize his dream, instead of just laying on a bed and keep daydreaming. A girl I found myself in years ago now comes up and telling me on my mirror, “you are fighter, and you know what were worth to be fought for. Winning is a price for those who dare to dream, believe, and make it happen”.