Saigon Diary Epilogue...

I just finished three years work in Saigon and three years blogging about the experience. It was life changing to do the first and life affirming to do the latter. I’ve always argued that the world would be a better and safer place if every American could spend one or two years living and working in a developing country where they have to give up the control and survival strategies that they employ at home. When we put ourselves in that childlike state of dependence we learn to appreciate the generosity and assistance of people different from ourselves. We learn something about how other people live, work, and think. But, most important, it provides a new reference point and an opportunity to rethink and reframe our world view when we return home.

America is uniquely situated – separated from Europe and Asia by two oceans and from South America by the land bridge of Central America. These features have been a blessing in many respects and a liability in others. Geographically, America’s isolation provided protection from foreign invasion but it also isolated us from other cultures, languages, religions and ways of thinking.  

After three years in Vietnam my understanding of the Vietnamese people and their culture is incrementally better than it was. It is an amalgam of ancient civilizations – complex, complicated, and secretive. I don’t pretend to know it well, but I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to live with the Vietnamese people and experience life among them. Vietnam was my place, but it could be any foreign place – Uganda, Bolivia, China, Russia – anywhere that is unlike America. The experience will make you a better global citizen.

My new blog is called Surviving Seattle. I hope you'll take a look at it. It’s not all about Seattle, but it's a cultural romp with Seattle as the backdrop. Check it out: http://jackbernardstravels.wordpress.com. I hope you like it.