I can't believe it is here. The last day has come and with it all kinds of emotions. But I couldn't have asked for a better day because it was just like my first. I started the day off in Co-Op Mart where I was stared at, laughed at, and pointed at. For some reason, it was an absolutely great start to the day.
I met up with Cate and got to meet her parents, who immediately welcomed me with warm embraces. I sat with them as they ate breakfast on the front steps of the dorm, something that has become such a routine in my life. I then walked with Cate and her family to the bus stop because Cate wanted to show them Open University. It was such a great experience to be seeing Vietnam for the first time again through their eyes.
After walking around District 1 for a little bit and seeing a few major sites, we got lunch at the restaurant that is one of the first ones we ate at as a group from Loyola. I had com tam with pork and pork and egg cake, and it was exactly what I wanted. I sat with Cate and her family as they discussed all kinds of things, and it was actually a little strange to have a familial feeling in Vietnam.
With lunch over, I said goodbye to her family and Cate, promising to see her again in Chicago. My plan was to take a bus back to the dormitory, but after waiting for awhile I didn't want to waste my time. I took a xe om (my last one!) to get back as soon as possible. I got back and met up with Binh, who was taking part in the singing competition being hosted in the dormitory. Before I could listen to him sing, though, the English Club needed me to attend a meeting they were holding with another group. They needed to use the TV in the Loyola lounge and could only use the lounge if I was present, so I had to sit in with them. It was actually super boring, because the whole meeting was in Vietnamese so I had no idea what was going on.
Once the meeting had finished, we went back down to courtyard to hear Binh and his friends sing. He gave me a special shout-out before singing the song, and everybody clapped before he started to sing. Of course he and his friends sang well, and it means so much that he did that for me.
We spent a few more minutes together before Thao came to pick me up. Thao is competing in a singing competition tomorrow for scholarship money and wanted me to come to her rehearsal. It was in District 9, which is quite a long drive, but it was worth it to hear her sing. She sang "My Heart Will Go On" and it was so good! Once she had received some feedback, she took me to where she lives and we got street food. It was my first time having bun bo (beef noodles) and she took me to a place where tourists don't go, so I got plenty of stares and comments. After supper, we got smoothies, fruit, and fried meat with her sister. She then took me back to the dorm and we said our tearful goodbyes.
The night was not over yet, though, as I had a goodbye party with Binh, Cong, Sa, and Yen. They bought fruit and we sat in the lounge and ate it. It was kind of awkward because we were all sad and nobody knew what to say, but it was so thoughtful. I also had a few people from English Club come up to me while I was in the dormitory and tell me goodbye, calling me the most friendly foreigner. How is it possible that it is already time to leave this wacky, crazy, loveable country already?
There may be a post after this containing some photos of the final goodbyes. I'm a whirlwind of emotions and everything makes me want to cry. Thank you for a wonderful time, Vietnam, and I can't wait to be back.
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