No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

Vietnam in 2011

Having been back in Singapore for the past 22 days, I can’t help but reminisce whenever I post process pictures or browse through them on facebook. While writing the instep report in the afternoon, it was an emotional journey for me trying to recall how I started my baby steps to travelling Europe and surviving as a student in a foreign land.

I couldn’t help but pass the emotion onto vern and toad. Toad told me

‘looking through the pics

i want to go back..

tees build me a time machine

please’

when I said he just needed money, he said

'hahaha

by the time i get

no time to go like this alrdy

with friends;

oh wells. I guess it’s something that will be edged into memory for time to come.

3 more days and im due to start my next adventure in Vietnam. I will be studying for 3 weeks prior in Saigon prior to my internship where I will spend 2 weeks there and the subsequent 20 weeks in Hanoi.

As the day approaches, there’s this nagging feeling in me, something which I cannot describe in words but I think uncertainty and a tiny tinge of regret has something to do with it. The past 3 weeks in Singapore has made me grow quite comfortable with how safe and wonderful Singapore is, that being said I refer to the food and friends but definitely not the weather. Having grown attached to some of the spirit of hall, the climbing club and friends around, the anchor sinks slowly into the ground giving inertia to leave this place. It often makes me wonder if I made the right choice applying for this programme.

Unlike Europe, my next destination is totally different. It will not be as organized nor easy to communicate with the people there. It will definitely be a big challenge for be this time round. Sure, I’ve backpacked in Vietnam before but this time its different. I will be working alone in Hanoi. Its like being thrown headfirst into a waterfall. When people hear that I’m going for another overseas programme, all they see is how much fun I’m going there and that I must have quite a shiok year having gone for exchange prior to that. But they do not see what I worry about. What if I can’t master the Vietnamese language? What if I cant work with the people on the ground? What if I am unable to adapt to the life there? What if.. What iff what iff. It is so full of uncertainty! I foresee that it will be tough in the beginning and you’ll have me bitching but nothing sinks jon tee! After all, I think I’ll learn many life lessons here despite the sacrifices I’ll be making just to be in Vietnam. Not all lessons are taught with a nice straight road paved out for you. Some are through the ones which are filled with pod holes and these are the ones which teach you best. Okay I shan’t start going all philosophical here with my analogies but I’ll miss you when I’m there.

If you even read my blog, I will not be posting nice travel experiences but more of the lessons I’ll pick up there as well as boring diary like posts documenting my experience in a totally new culture and language. But as much as I would like, I want to try travel the indocine region, do deep water solos at Halong bay and climb the mountain in Sapa. But one step at a time yea….

The adventure continues….