We’re back!

 

We’re back!

 

After approximately 16 hours of flight time starting in Ho Chi Minh City and probably the tightest layover we could get away with in Denver while clearing customs, The Fishback Honors College and College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences landed in Sioux Falls at approximately 4:00pm central time on Sunday, April 21st.

What an incredible trip! There were a few downs (I don’t think our students will miss the heat), but many more ups. Exploring Vietnam for 10 days is certainly an experience I will not forget.

 

The highlights for me were:

  1. The terraced rice fields in Sapa. What an incredible view. Walking the local footpaths and seeing how the local Vietnamese have developed the steep mountains to their benefit has to be seen to be believed. We hiked for several hours, I think I could have hiked the hills for several more.
  2. The Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. One of two UNESCO heritage sites we visited, the world’s largest religious structure took several decades to build, and was used by the Khmer dynasty from the 9th to 13th centuries. Despite the heat, the temples were worth the trip alone.
  3. Our second UNESCO heritage site, Halong Bay. Kayaking with our students in one of the bays has to be considered a once in a lifetime opportunity. Seeing the massive limestone pillars, and exploring one of the caves, was incredible. Eating lunch on the boat in the bay even felt a little like home.

Beyond the sites, sharing this experience with our students has been a highlight of my career so far. They were engaged, thoughtful, and made the experience for those of us facilitating the trip something we’ll look back on fondly for the rest of our careers. As we look ahead to future education abroad experiences, I’m hopeful these students (and those reading the blog) are encouraged to venture out and see the world again!

 


-Nate

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