It was about 4 years ago, back in July of 1998, when I got on the plane. It was my very first trip going back to Hue, Vietnam to visit. Being on a plane for about 30 hours was tough and very exhausting....but the service and the food were great. We each had a mini TV, with Super Nintendo on it, pillows, blankets, stockings (to keep our feet warm), headphones to listen to various languages of music, and other great things. But the bad part was that I was nervous to see my relatives and especially my old friends, and wondered if I would ever fit in. I was especially concerned about, believe it or not, the way I dress. Vietnam rarely..and I mean rarely see anyone dress up or wear hoochie mama clothes like over here. Probably a large amount of people there might think that I’m a slut or a hooker. hahaha

We finally arrived right outside of Ho Chi Minh (Tan San Nhat Airport.) When I stepped off the plane, and onto the actual ground of VietNam, I was over-whelmed with joy. The climate was muggy and very hot. I thought that I would have collapsed. After going through customs and signing papers, I could see my relatives off in the distance. We started to walk towards them, and broke into a run. I was finally face to face with my long lost relatives and friends. I've haven’t seen them for many years but now...I am finally there with them. They greeted us with warm hugs, kisses, and smiles. What was interesting was that when I smiled, they would look at me in a strange way because I was over-dressed I guess…so it was something that they wonder and surprised. I was so busy smiling that I had completely forgotten about them. My aunt Hoa asked me if it was a fashion trend in America. You see, my aunt Hoa is old fashion so she have no idea what’s today fashion is all about.

The best part of the whole trip was riding on the Honda motorcycle. Scooters, bicycles, and motorbikes are the main transportation in Vietnam. The traffic was unbelievable. It was always crowded, and very dangerous. I've seen people riding in the opposite direction. It was pretty freaky to see all this...but it was amazing how they rarely had any accidents. Children at the age of 15 could start to ride Motorcycles. My brother in law was the one who took me around alot. He's very daring and likes to take risks. So he would scare me, by speeding up, and go straight into the person up ahead. And then he would turn at the last second, barely making it. There was this one time when he was taking me and my sister around the city at night. My sister and I just thought that we could shout out some stuff in English, and see the people's reaction. Well, it didn't turn out so well. This one man came up to us, and yelled at us for being so rowdy. Than the others were staring at us like as if we were monsters or something. But it was so fun.

The bathrooms are very different from the bathrooms here in America. In my grandfathers house, he had a toilet. But the problem was that the toilet didn't flush. So whenever you...do your stuff...you'd have to go and fill up a small container with water. Than, you would dump it into the toilet, and that's how the flushing works. On the other hand, my aunt has a different kind of toilet. It is only a hole. You would have to squat down to use it. It was VERY uncomfortable, but I had no choice. And last but not least, the ground itself! There is unfortunately no drinking age. I think it’s bad for under age teenager to drink. I've also seen 6 year olds, going into stores and buying cigarettes. I didn't believe what I had seen at first, but it was all real. I think that the country needs alot of help right now. It's just falling apart.

The floods in Viet Nam are unbelievable. I was staying in my sister house, and it started to rain. After about an hour, the whole nieghborhood was practically a swimming pool. Kids start running out of there houses, and jump into the water. My cousins asked me to join them, but I passed on the offer. It was so weird. The flood got so bad that we had to start moving things off the floor, because the water started to flood into the houses too. My sister told me that this happens alot.

Every day, I would see these small newts crawling on the walls of the houses. They differ from colors of yellow, brown, and other various colors. My dad once told me that the people used to use these little critters to clear their throat. Like when your throat gets clogged, they would take the newt and hold it by it's tail, and carefully swallow it alive. How does this help? The newt would be twisting and turning so much, that it would clear the throat, clearing away all the gunk and stuff. One day, I was coming back to my grandfathers house, after riding around Sia. I heard screaming and violent flapping in the kitchen. I never thought that it was anything really interesting, so I took a look inside. I some lady, grabbing a live chicken by the neck. They laid the chickens head on the cutting board...and "CHOP"...the head was cut off. The chicken begin to run around, flapping it's wings....even though the head was gone. Then it stopped. Well...to tell you....the kitchen is also the bathroom. When I saw all this, I didn't even want to go in there, even though I needed to use the bathroom. I have also seen vendors selling dog meat. I didn't know that they were dogs, until my mother told me.

Well....I had to do something fun while I was in Vietnam....so I decided that I would like to go roller skate with my friends. Hehehee...it was so fun there. The skating ring were totally different from America. Well one good thing was they played American songs and it was so good… I had so much fun skating with my friends and fool around with other people on the ring. After we all tired we would go eat out together in a big group of friends and just cruising around and laugh all day long.

In Vietnam, the young children have alot of responsibilities around the house. I would hate to admit this, but they work alot harder than the kids here in America. My close friend Nho is responsible with the pigs at home and my other close friend Thuy is responsible with the cooking, cleaning, go market, sell meat, and she never have any private moment with her boyfriend...One time I invited her to go to the park, but she refused, cause she had to care for the house. And she didn't even complain or anything. I just looked at myself, and realized that I had taken things for granted all the time. What I do at home, is nothing compared to what the kids back in Vietnam had to do. Right than, I felt guilty. That's why this trip has changed me in many ways.

The most depressing moment...was when I had to leave my relatives. I wanted to ride on the motorcycle with my brother for the last time, but my mom didn't approve of it. So I had to take the van. My aunts and uncles told me that they would cry and all, and that I would too. I said that it was impossible, cause I don't cry that much. But as soon as we arrived to the airport, my friends Nho and Thuy started to cry. I was so surprised to see teen girls crying. I reached over and gave them hugs. I feel so sad and wish that I could take them along with me. They were my closet friends and my only true friends in Vietnam.

In the future, I am planning to take my boyfriend Tony Along with me to Vietnam so I wouldn’t have to afraid of the Weirdos and the perverted guys in Vietnam. I know that American fashion doesn’t fit the Vietnamese people, But they have to get use to American fashion because I am no longer live in Vietnam and I have my own fashion.

Ever since the communists took over, everything shattered, causing thousands of people to suffer. My mom and dad were one of those people back then. My mother was a professional fashion designer and my dad was one of the smartest man in my hometown and he got accepted to one of the most popular University in Saigon. Well, my mom than met my dad. But they couldn't live a life together under the communists. They had to escape the country, and search for freedom. My father was threatened by the communists, that if he didn't become a communist, they would kill him. My dad was a strong and devoted man. He would never join the communist or backstab his own country. He’s dedicated to my country and he work very hard for Vietnam.

Everyday, I am being told that I am a very lucky young girl. Growing up in a wonderful and free country, and having a good life. I understand that clearly now. Hearing about the tragic stories of the boatpeople, it had changed my thoughts and opinions about life in every way. I may be an American citizen. I may be born here in the America. I may have been brought up in an American society......but I am still a Vietnamese at heart. Nothing can change that. Nothing..........