Reflection by Maya

First day in Viet Nam:

It really feels like, and I know a lot of the other girls would agree with me, we've been in Viet Nam for longer than one day. This is probably due to the face that I'm still feeling pretty "out of it" and my biological clock is struggling to adjust to the Vietnamese time zone, however I feel like it's also due to the fact that we've crammed so much into what little time we've already had on this trip. Just today our group managed to visit the former president of Vietnam's palace, the war museum, get facials, have an amazing Vietnamese lunch, visit an orphanage, and shop in the open market. For reflection's sake, the one event that really seemed to stand out to me today was our visit to the war museum. I've never really understood much about the Vietnam War (or as they call it here, the American War), just that it was truly terrible and many lives were lost on both sides. However, in the war museum today I was able to see the Vietnamese's side to the war and what I saw shocked me. The photos of the destroyed villages and families along with the photos of the effects that the war had on future generations were truly shocking and seemed to beg the question, "Was this war really necessary? Did so many innocent people have to suffer?" Staring at these photos today and thinking about this question, I felt ashamed and almost sick at what I saw. After a while, I just had to leave the museum however I left with such a strong belief that war leads to absolutely no good and has no purpose whatsoever. I don't understand why countries cannot solve their problems through peaceful diplomatic means and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there wondering that. I don't know if we will ever find a different solution to war but I'm positive that that solution cannot come soon enough.However regardless of everything, I'm having a great time on this trip and everyone has been amazing!