As I mentioned in my last post, I’m going to Vietnam! For the first time!

That’s right. I’m Vietnamese but I’ve never actually been to Vietnam before.

That’s about to change, though.

You know how I’m going to Sydney next semester? Well, my parents decided that if I went to Australia, we would all visit Vietnam once my semester was over. I mean, if one kid’s already at that side of the world, they might as well follow suit, yeah?

So we decided it would be cheapest if I got round-trip tickets in and out of Saigon, and another set of tickets from Saigon to Sydney. Therefore, I’ll be visiting Vietnam both before and after my study abroad!

Ok, so “scared” is a little dramatic.

And not without cause. There are exactly four things that are making me fret:

1. My grandmother.

When your mom wants to buy you diarrhea relief medicine, it’s probably not a good sign. Speaking of my mom…

2. My mom.

My mom and dad had very different reactions to me traveling to Vietnam.

My mom, the ever-protective mother bear, has given me wonderful tips about traveling in Vietnam.

3. The U.S. Government travel website.

I read through the US travel advisory for Vietnam, where I found lovely quotes like these:

Well, at least the advisory wasn’t as bad as the travel notice for Nigeria.

4. I’m Vietnamese and my Vietnamese sucks.

My Vietnamese is rudimentary at best and heavily accented. I can understand Vietnamese better than I can speak it, a fact that some of my more-distant relatives didn’t realize when I was a kid.

If I was of Caucasian heritage, being able to speak any Vietnamese would be impressive. However, since I’m Vietnamese, my lack of skill opens me up to criticism and judgement. Better yet, I’m staying with family. Family that I’ve never met before and who speak a different dialect of Vietnamese. Whelp. I’m sure it’ll be interesting.

Well, I’m sure we’ll communicate somehow.

And nervous or not, my tickets are booked. Tomorrow, I’m heading off to Vietnam!

By the way: Rumor has it that WordPress is blocked in Vietnam. If that’s the case, I might not be able to post anything until I arrive in Sydney, which will be on July 20th. So an extended absence from my blog either means I can’t get onto WordPress, or I’ve been kidnapped by some Vietnamese ruffians. Cheers!