I have recently went on the trip to Adelaide during January 2016. It is a city, within the state of South Australia that I have never been before. Why I went to Adelaide? I wanted to reconnect with the world of deaf and hard of hearing people. I grew up through schooling years with deaf people. I lost contact with them shortly after high school and first years of university. So I reconsidered myself to bring my world back to them.
I have found myself in a more comfortable environment in terms of communication. The years of consistent verbal communication and listening skills with the hearing people has been challenging. One or very few of my friends does sign language. I do not hang out with them as often. Though my attendance to Adelaide is to represent the Queensland's deaf team for the Australian Deaf Games 2016.
My experience of getting into Adelaide and beyond is different compared to visiting other cities and destinations around Australia. The city is smaller than Brisbane and others I been to. Wide streets with very little traffic. It has tinder dry heat climate. My face and lips were crumpling after 24hours I got there. Personally I have experienced dry heat before in Townsville but nothing like Adelaide because of the consistency. Adelaide itself does not have similar demand of tourism to the east coast of Australia. Thus the nightlife thrives. Every morning after 7am I see a group of people walking down the street after the clubbing. Especially on Monday morning! This made me wonder of 'boredom' in a city, especially being so far away from other popular places.
Reconnecting myself with the deaf people is my highlight on this 10 day experience at the games. On the first night I met the deaf Fijian people. That was wonderful moment! I came in surprise of meeting hundreds of new people specially from other states and the Pacific Islands. I was able to communicate in Auslan effectively and consistently, since the times I was speaking and listening to all of my hearing friends in Brisbane. This reminds me of my counseling sessions of making friends within several groups. Now I have two major communicating components. Speak verbally and sign language.
The event and my experience in Adelaide has inspired me to develop further in my career. My life goals has not changed but have additional aims and objectives to make myself proactive and enjoyable. With very little awareness and support for the people with hearing loss has astounded my support. I have new goal to help and inspire hearing people that people with hearing loss also have talents, opportunities and goals. The deaf community is very diverse compared the culturally diverse countries.
The conclusion of the event has brought my sporting proaction and continually develop personal life goals and skills within diverse people. I was so glad I bought my tickets to Adelaide at the very last minute, otherwise I would not be positive today as gained these experiences in past week.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Sunday, January 03, 2016
My trip to Vietnam
Oh how to start to write this experience! Back in July 2015 I got accepted to do academic field trip to Vietnam with University of Queensland. This is an exciting new experience. I never been to a developing country nor let alone the eastern cultures. I went with the university's field team at the beginning of December (2015) for two weeks. This was my first international trip since late 2012 when I spent eight months in the US. I felt so overdue to leave Australia. This field trip was solely based on understanding environmental and climate change challenges in the Mekong Delta Region, which is part of southern Vietnam.
I left for Singapore from Brisbane early on 5th December for a changeover flight to Ho Chi Minh City (or Sai Gon). The flight was way shorter than I took between Brisbane and Los Angeles; so I wouldn't worry much of the exhaustion of time zone change! The flight experience was average, due to limited amount of food. I wasn't expecting that professional from Singapore Airlines. Finally got to Singapore, that was something I am excited because it is in the middle of the world and it is well known hot tropical and wet monsoonal climate. I waited for couple of hours before taking the next flight to HCMC, while I was sightseeing the airport. It was amazing huge place. You had to take monorails from one terminal to another, including different gates!
Just before boarding, I noticed our flight got delayed for 30 minutes was due to insane monsoonal thunderstorm hitting the airport! It was different experience observing it. This lead to lightning and bird strike warning. Just reminded me that how hot and humid the air was when I was exiting and entering the monorail between the terminals. The sticky heat 'air blowdryer like scenario' filled the gaps between the doors. It is amazing that people are living in this part of the world. Though, the flight to Sai Gon was uneventful just until the final 20 minutes of the flight. Seeing this amazing lights of HCMC. As the seatbelt light turns up this signals the beginning of 20 minutes scenery view of the city lights. This was easily compared to amount of city lights from horizon to horizon of my experiences before landing in Sydney and Los Angeles! No wonder Sai Gon homes for 8.5million people. It looked so well alive.
Finally getting out of the airport. The security was minimal and smooth sailing. Once got to the opening of the sliding doors. This thick heavy heat filled moist air blown onto my body mixed with strong odor of cooked rice and diesel fumes! I never witnessed this air so amazingly different, even at an extreme level. I am surprised that is breathable air! I got so sweaty quickly after about 5minutes wait for a carpool taxi ride to the hotel. My body just woken up suddenly by the strong buzz of this city. The taxi ride to the hotel was some crazy experience! Beeping horns, jam packed scooters without using the lines on the road and that. It was best display of defensive driving I ever witnessed in my life. Great driving skills from the cab driver =)
The hotel was quite unique but comparable to ours. The huge difference is that the demand is on different scale; the air conditioning sticks to the hotel rooms and the foyer but the corridors and elevators just hot, sticky and smelly! The first night sleep was different but easily manageable because of exhausting long day. The next morning comes with excitement. Observed the beautiful sunrise from my balcony (rooming with one of the guy from the field trip team) at 6.30am. The air just so soggy and hot already, even the sun just like half an hour old into the day!
First day in Vietnam and tripping around HCMC was great. Attempted to cross the road filled of scooters that gives way of the pedestrians. This is a WIN-WIN situation. Couple of girls in the group got anxious about standing in the middle of the traffic without help. Though it was hesitated. The day activity was learning about the Vietnam War history, the challenges of governance from Ho Chi Minh (the famous politician) and went to poor socioeconomic suburb in the south-eastern parts of the city. The first day was something that Vietnam is about. Everything is different and new.
On the next day we had to leave HCMC down to the Mekong Delta Region for a week. Got to stay at Can Tho City, which is another large and bustling city in southern Vietnam. Though it nothing on similar demand to HCMC. Spent few days at the university there and went on couple of trips to the delta region including the world famous RAMSAR site near Cambodia border, the Tram Chim National Park. Again, everything was about Vietnam. I have observed lot of cultural and lifestyle influences whilst travelling through the villages on the road and hiking around these places. Defensive driving from our bus tour driver made another award for greatest driver in the world!
Many days I noticed how close and low are those powerlines! It is very dangerous to have them at the poles at your height and also hanging as low as 2 metres. I a had fear of electrocution few times when walking past them. Though over the few days I got used to navigate around them, just like how to be calm crossing the jam packed scooters roads. The weather was continuously and consistently hot and humid. Every day it exceeded 32C with 80% humidity. I got consistently sweaty. Thankful for those cheap water bottles from the supermarkets that kept me hydrated!
Just before returning to Can Tho we went on a small two night trip to the far south-western part of the country adjacent to Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand where the equator crosses. At first, I noticed the weather is feeling different. The air is very still. Just before we stayed at Ha Tien we witnessed the world textbook best sunset ever! Likewise if you Google searched Vietnam in pictures, there will be so many images showing about sunsets and sunrises. Vietnam is so great at those! This little town is quite underdeveloped. There were so many streets aren't fully maintenance and have poor infrastructure. The marketing environment is low compared to Can Tho and Sai Gon. On next day we went on the boat to the most isolated rural communities inland of Ha Tien towards Cambodia. This trip is about learning indigenous lifestyles, the aquaculture industry development and environmental challenges. The trip got cut short by the Vietnamese's military people because we got too close to their army base without notice! We got our passports taken for processing. This was so old fashioned way of security checkings which that take hours to be done.
So we had to change our plans for the afternoon and the following morning due to our passports absence which that needed for permits for further trips. The rest of the day was uneventful, just until after dinner I witnessed an 'equatorial' electrical monsoonal thunderstorm! The lightning and rain was so brilliant! This was similar I observed at the airport in Singapore, a week before.
Next day we head back to Can Tho for homestay experience. It was for four nights. This is another milestone for me as I never had a homestay experience before. The family, food and environment is just beautiful and lovely. Greatest hospitality I had in my life. There was some foods that I never ate before, involving FROGs! It tasted like chicken. Everybody else disagrees with me after I told them I ate the frogs. The family has taught me patience, forgiving, service and appreciation of people. It is something that is different to Australia, US and assuming other western nations that misses out on. I find this is a great asset and learning curve for me to be with people and appreciate their time and service. Vietnam is all about giving and serving. The food and gifts was a majority appreciation.
Another week was gone, suddenly the time got close to leaving the country. I wasn't much of a tourist on this research trip. Stayed one more night at the hotel in Can Tho before a long bus 'defensive driving' ride back to HCMC. The final day was different compared to all other days. The skies was more polluted. I easily managed to stare at the high noon sun for at least couple of seconds. This was due to influence of pollution layer that made a smoggy appearance. That was another story that I didn't get a single sunburn! Thanks to consistent cloudy and polluted skies, I stood uncooked! The trip back home was uneventful again just til to some turbulence over Indonesia from electrical storms.
The trip was the best I experienced and it is something I am very much needed to have time off. Something new and different. I only spent AU$170 for 14 days worth of food, gifts and vice versa. Thanks to strong Australian dollar in amazing cheap exchange. Thank you Viet Nam, the families, Can Tho University and HCMC (Sai Gon) for amazing service.
Off to do next trip to Adelaide and Hong Kong in the next three months!
I left for Singapore from Brisbane early on 5th December for a changeover flight to Ho Chi Minh City (or Sai Gon). The flight was way shorter than I took between Brisbane and Los Angeles; so I wouldn't worry much of the exhaustion of time zone change! The flight experience was average, due to limited amount of food. I wasn't expecting that professional from Singapore Airlines. Finally got to Singapore, that was something I am excited because it is in the middle of the world and it is well known hot tropical and wet monsoonal climate. I waited for couple of hours before taking the next flight to HCMC, while I was sightseeing the airport. It was amazing huge place. You had to take monorails from one terminal to another, including different gates!
Just before boarding, I noticed our flight got delayed for 30 minutes was due to insane monsoonal thunderstorm hitting the airport! It was different experience observing it. This lead to lightning and bird strike warning. Just reminded me that how hot and humid the air was when I was exiting and entering the monorail between the terminals. The sticky heat 'air blowdryer like scenario' filled the gaps between the doors. It is amazing that people are living in this part of the world. Though, the flight to Sai Gon was uneventful just until the final 20 minutes of the flight. Seeing this amazing lights of HCMC. As the seatbelt light turns up this signals the beginning of 20 minutes scenery view of the city lights. This was easily compared to amount of city lights from horizon to horizon of my experiences before landing in Sydney and Los Angeles! No wonder Sai Gon homes for 8.5million people. It looked so well alive.
Finally getting out of the airport. The security was minimal and smooth sailing. Once got to the opening of the sliding doors. This thick heavy heat filled moist air blown onto my body mixed with strong odor of cooked rice and diesel fumes! I never witnessed this air so amazingly different, even at an extreme level. I am surprised that is breathable air! I got so sweaty quickly after about 5minutes wait for a carpool taxi ride to the hotel. My body just woken up suddenly by the strong buzz of this city. The taxi ride to the hotel was some crazy experience! Beeping horns, jam packed scooters without using the lines on the road and that. It was best display of defensive driving I ever witnessed in my life. Great driving skills from the cab driver =)
The hotel was quite unique but comparable to ours. The huge difference is that the demand is on different scale; the air conditioning sticks to the hotel rooms and the foyer but the corridors and elevators just hot, sticky and smelly! The first night sleep was different but easily manageable because of exhausting long day. The next morning comes with excitement. Observed the beautiful sunrise from my balcony (rooming with one of the guy from the field trip team) at 6.30am. The air just so soggy and hot already, even the sun just like half an hour old into the day!
First day in Vietnam and tripping around HCMC was great. Attempted to cross the road filled of scooters that gives way of the pedestrians. This is a WIN-WIN situation. Couple of girls in the group got anxious about standing in the middle of the traffic without help. Though it was hesitated. The day activity was learning about the Vietnam War history, the challenges of governance from Ho Chi Minh (the famous politician) and went to poor socioeconomic suburb in the south-eastern parts of the city. The first day was something that Vietnam is about. Everything is different and new.
On the next day we had to leave HCMC down to the Mekong Delta Region for a week. Got to stay at Can Tho City, which is another large and bustling city in southern Vietnam. Though it nothing on similar demand to HCMC. Spent few days at the university there and went on couple of trips to the delta region including the world famous RAMSAR site near Cambodia border, the Tram Chim National Park. Again, everything was about Vietnam. I have observed lot of cultural and lifestyle influences whilst travelling through the villages on the road and hiking around these places. Defensive driving from our bus tour driver made another award for greatest driver in the world!
Many days I noticed how close and low are those powerlines! It is very dangerous to have them at the poles at your height and also hanging as low as 2 metres. I a had fear of electrocution few times when walking past them. Though over the few days I got used to navigate around them, just like how to be calm crossing the jam packed scooters roads. The weather was continuously and consistently hot and humid. Every day it exceeded 32C with 80% humidity. I got consistently sweaty. Thankful for those cheap water bottles from the supermarkets that kept me hydrated!
Just before returning to Can Tho we went on a small two night trip to the far south-western part of the country adjacent to Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand where the equator crosses. At first, I noticed the weather is feeling different. The air is very still. Just before we stayed at Ha Tien we witnessed the world textbook best sunset ever! Likewise if you Google searched Vietnam in pictures, there will be so many images showing about sunsets and sunrises. Vietnam is so great at those! This little town is quite underdeveloped. There were so many streets aren't fully maintenance and have poor infrastructure. The marketing environment is low compared to Can Tho and Sai Gon. On next day we went on the boat to the most isolated rural communities inland of Ha Tien towards Cambodia. This trip is about learning indigenous lifestyles, the aquaculture industry development and environmental challenges. The trip got cut short by the Vietnamese's military people because we got too close to their army base without notice! We got our passports taken for processing. This was so old fashioned way of security checkings which that take hours to be done.
So we had to change our plans for the afternoon and the following morning due to our passports absence which that needed for permits for further trips. The rest of the day was uneventful, just until after dinner I witnessed an 'equatorial' electrical monsoonal thunderstorm! The lightning and rain was so brilliant! This was similar I observed at the airport in Singapore, a week before.
Next day we head back to Can Tho for homestay experience. It was for four nights. This is another milestone for me as I never had a homestay experience before. The family, food and environment is just beautiful and lovely. Greatest hospitality I had in my life. There was some foods that I never ate before, involving FROGs! It tasted like chicken. Everybody else disagrees with me after I told them I ate the frogs. The family has taught me patience, forgiving, service and appreciation of people. It is something that is different to Australia, US and assuming other western nations that misses out on. I find this is a great asset and learning curve for me to be with people and appreciate their time and service. Vietnam is all about giving and serving. The food and gifts was a majority appreciation.
Another week was gone, suddenly the time got close to leaving the country. I wasn't much of a tourist on this research trip. Stayed one more night at the hotel in Can Tho before a long bus 'defensive driving' ride back to HCMC. The final day was different compared to all other days. The skies was more polluted. I easily managed to stare at the high noon sun for at least couple of seconds. This was due to influence of pollution layer that made a smoggy appearance. That was another story that I didn't get a single sunburn! Thanks to consistent cloudy and polluted skies, I stood uncooked! The trip back home was uneventful again just til to some turbulence over Indonesia from electrical storms.
The trip was the best I experienced and it is something I am very much needed to have time off. Something new and different. I only spent AU$170 for 14 days worth of food, gifts and vice versa. Thanks to strong Australian dollar in amazing cheap exchange. Thank you Viet Nam, the families, Can Tho University and HCMC (Sai Gon) for amazing service.
Off to do next trip to Adelaide and Hong Kong in the next three months!
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