Tonight we dressed up (in the best clothes we had along) and boarded a boat for a dinner cruise with entertainment on the Saigon River.  Saigon looked beautiful bathed in the urban glow of lights, skyscrapers, and hotels …. no traffic or motor bikes out here. The cruise was peaceful, the perfect way to end a delicious, chaotic, and exciting Vietnam experience.

As we laughed and traded stories, many of us reflected on what all we saw, how we were challenged, and what we enjoyed on this trip.  Earlier in the day I struck up a conversation with an older American I met at a restaurant.  He was teaching English in several Saigon public schools and was heading out of the city for a break.  When I told him where all we’ve been in Vietnam, he shook his head and said “You’re making ME tired!!!”.

He also reiterated what I already knew, that this trip will have some long-lasting impacts on our students, many that are too difficult to quantity here, but we will attempt in future posts.  I also feel changed personally.  To see this learning take place over the past 14 days reinforces the reasons why we do theses trips and why we are so grateful for the support of our community and administration for these experiences.

After dinner we migrated to the upper deck to take pictures with each other and our guide Chi.  Jackie Andress (another to Thomas) presented Chi with a Snapfish book she created of our little neighborhood  (Lancaster County).  All of us wrote a short note of appreciation to Chi in the book – we can’t say how much we appreciate “Chi Google” and “Meow-meow”.

We also expresssd our appreciation to Mrs. Williams for allowing us to be part of her story.  Had she not shared her connection to the country of her birth, we may not have had this awesome opportunity.  We presented her with two Hoi An lanterns and a water-color of the Japanese bridge by a local artist.  All the kids signed the back as a momento of this occasion.

Good night Saigon.  Goodbye Vietnam.  We hope it’s not too long till we see you again.