In a few weeks, I plan to pack up my things here in Soc Trang and fly back to the U.S. If I am lucky, I will be able to come back soon. Soc Trang has become a second home for me, and I will miss all of the wonderful people I have met here. Over the course of the now almost two years that I have been living and working in Soc Trang, I have learned so much. I have had opportunities to be a witness to many of the traditions, ceremonies, festivals, stories and struggles of the Khmer Krom, the indigenous people of what is now called southern Vietnam. I have had chances to try new things like delicious foods, driving and riding on motorbikes, playing badminton, learning Vietnamese and Khmer and visiting pagodas.
It has also been a new experience for me to share all of these experiences in Vietnam with you in the U.S. Before now, the only people I ever talked to about my time here were my family, my boss in Singapore and, of course, my friends in Vietnam. Ms. Sale and your classmates have given me an awesome opportunity to write about and find pictures that show what life is like in Soc Trang and other parts of Vietnam. I am grateful for that and for the chances I have had to meet all of you and answer your questions (the best I could). I really hope that you learned some things about this part of the world through my journey.
