Undergraduate /
Vietnam seemed to be an atypical summer vacation destination - Common App Essay [10]
Thank you for your help! I have revised the essay akin to your comments, but I am still struggling with the final conclusion.
In the summer going into freshman year, I was looking forward to our annual family vacation. Little did I know, this vacation would change my perspective, and come to define some of the values I hold as an adult. Vietnam seemed to be an atypical summer vacation destination. It wasn't an all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica where at least ten workers say "Bless you" every time you sneezed, or when you thought, "I'm quite parched" and miraculously a crisp iced Coke would somehow appear in your hand. It wasn't a trip to Paris, where we would shop for hours on the Champ-Elysees, and eat beautifully buttered croissants at a café while gazing at the Eiffel Tower. No, this summer we were going to Vietnam.
At that time I was self-centered, over-privileged, and fresh out of a prestigious private school. Needless to say, I did not want to go! Why would I want to spend three weeks in a country that does not even have high-speed Wi-Fi? How was I supposed to update every second of my ever-so-exciting life on social media without.. Wi-Fi? My mother must be joking, I thought, there is not a chance she is actually taking us to Vietnam.
During the 24 hour trip from D.C. to Vietnam, my brother and I were envisioning what we would see when we stepped off the plane. "Dirt roads, definitely dirt roads," my brother imagined. "Our hotel is probably just a hut" I added. We were both entirely wrong. Stepping out of the car and into Ho Chi Min City for the first time was breathe-taking. The streets were lined with cafés and high-end shops- Gucci, Prada. Mopeds, each with at least three people on top, buzzed past us on the asphalt, not dirt, roads. Skyscrapers and high-rise office buildings freckled the city. I was astonished, the city resembled a miniature version of New York City, with the odd street market selling whole pigs or buffalo hooves.
Over the course of the three weeks we traveled much of the country, ending our trip in the small village of Chay Lap. During our stay in the quaint town, we lived with a local family, and were quickly introduced to their children, Duc and Hue. While the children took my brother and I around the town, we instantly bonded. The following day we went to Duc and Hue's school to teach English. I sat at the front of a class with fifteen little minds staring at me, eager to learn. "Cow," I said, pointing to a picture of a cow. "Cow," the class repeated. This process continued until the children could have named every animal on Old MacDonald's farm. After the class, Hue ran up and embraced me. "Thank you," she said. My eyes swelled with tears, all I had done was teach her the names of a few animals, but it meant so much to her.
On our last night in Chay Lap, my brother and I played hide and seek with the neighboring children for hours. I was running around a village laughing and smiling, in a country that three weeks prior I knew nothing about; I was happy. Leaving the children and Vietnam was not easy, the next morning was filled with warm embraces and tearful eyes. The trip had a profound impact on my life, and without it I would still be the childish, materialistic person I was before.
Prior to the trip, I had based my happiness on the things I had and was not grateful for the life I was living. Duc and Hue inspired me to be happy just with life itself and cherish every opportunity you are offered. You cannot control the life you were given, but you can control what you do with it. As I grow older, I continue to treasure happiness and humility, not forgetting to smile along the way.