At first, I was hesitant about applying for the Leave for Change program (L4C) because I didn’t think I had the skills for the job postings. So when I received the call that I had been selected for an interview I was screaming on the phone and jumping around like a lottery winner. That marked the beginning of a life-changing journey. I was accepted for a mandate with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). I would be working in the travel and hospitality sector as an advisor at Bac Thang Long College (BTL) located in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

I arrived in Hanoi and checked into my new home for three weeks, a cute little boutique hotel right in the heart of the old quarter of Hanoi. I was exhausted from my travels, but a welcome city tour organized by WUSC was planned and I was anxious to get to know my surroundings. The tour guide was a Vietnamese University student completing her internship with WUSC. Her name was Bi and we would be working together over the next three weeks. She would be my translator and partner in the workshops I would be giving at BTL. She evolved into my personal shopper, concierge, restaurant recommender, advisor of Vietnam dos and don’ts. It was the start of one of many great new friendships I would make over the next three weeks. 

I was fortunate that my hotel was in the old quarter and I had much free time to explore. Every evening I walked the winding streets and lost myself in the sights, sounds, and aromas of Hanoi. I shopped the busy night markets for silks and chopsticks. I ate delicious street food that I could identify in a photo lineup but never name. I ate Pho from little restaurants with tiny plastic stools huddled around short tables and ordered by pointing at the other patrons’ meals since I didn’t speak Vietnamese. I experienced the thrill of riding motorbike taxis like the locals. I took a cooking class and learned to make nem, the traditional spring roll, and chili lemongrass chicken. I visited world-class museums; the best was the museum of Ethnology with an outdoor component displaying replica houses that were actually brought there from the villages, and rebuilt on the museum grounds, sometimes by the families of those who resided in them. I learned a few phrases like “Chúc mừng năm mới” for Happy New Year which came in handy since I was there for all the hustle and bustle before the lunar New Year. I even learned “ôi zời ôi!” an expression similar to “oh my god!” which came in handy when the motorbikes come too close to me.

The best part was making new friends, both local and from around the world. Travelling, after all, is not only about the places you visit and experiences you encounter, but it’s also about the people you meet. I had two weekends and two extra days at the end before returning home to explore outside Hanoi and great company to explore it with. I travelled to scenic Halong Bay where I visited the floating villages and explored the caves. I rode the night train to Sapa and trekked through the rice fields to small isolated villages. I bike rode in Ninh Binh and took a boat ride underneath the caves. Along the way, I made lasting new friendships with wonderful new people.

People always talk about the feel-good warm fuzzy thing that happens when they volunteer. I’m not sure if I experienced that in part because I won’t be there to see the fruits of my labor. But I am sure that something changed within me because of volunteering. I can’t pinpoint when or why or even how. I just know something is different. I returned to Canada with a new perspective. The ambition inside of me was re-ignited. Maybe it was the absence of the comforts of home, my friends, and family or meeting people who knew nothing about me and had no preconceptions. Whatever it is, I am refreshed and owe gratitude to volunteering in Vietnam.

For more information on L4C or other volunteering opportunities please visit Uniterra http://uniterra.ca/en