CONWAY, Ark. (July 12, 2016) – Five Hendrix College students spent part of their summer in Vietnam.
Student participants included:
- Mara Campbell ’19
- Christian Leus ’18
- Nicholas Maynard ’18
- Tina Nguyen ’18
- Joshua Knight ’17
The group spent a few days in Ho Chi Minh City and eight days in Phuong Thanh, a small village commune in the Mekong Delta in south Vietnam.
“This was the Service to the World portion of our trip, where we painted a new kitchen, constructed as a part of a community library, and we spent a couple of days teaching fun science to elementary school kids,” said Hendrix English professor Dr. Alex Vernon.
Dr. Vernon is in his fifth and final year as the James and Emily Bost Odyssey Professor, an endowed multi-year honor designed to enrich faculty development and increase engaged learning opportunities for Hendrix students.
Campbell, who is considering a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor is Asian studies, called the trip “a once-in a lifetime kind of experience.”
“In Ho Chi Minh City, there's just so much to see and do. On the other hand, Phong Thanh was the most challenging part of the trip for me. We worked hard every day and went without the amenities that I might normally take for granted,” she said. “I feel like I grew the most during our time there.”
After Phuong Thanh, the group spent a few days in Buon Ma Thout, a small city in the country’s central highlands.
“In terms of Global Awareness, we saw a major city, a very impoverished rural village, and a small mountain city,” said Vernon, adding that the goal of the trip was to provide Service to the World and Global Awareness Odyssey experiences for students.
The Hendrix group was in Vietnam during the country’s national election, held every five years, and during U.S. President Barrack Obama's visit, when he announced the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam.
“One of my favorite things about Vietnam was the human-to-human interaction I was able to experience,” said Maynard. “Whether among some of the 8 million people in Ho Chi Minh City or the residents of the more rural Phong Thạnh Commune, there was something magical in attempting to
communicate across such a profound language barrier – a beautifully innate ritual of smiles, head shaking, and pure joy on behalf of both parties when one's broken speech is understood.”
“I find that exposure to and communication across linguistic and cultural barriers enables us as human beings to palpate our innate capacity for communication that serves to connect us all,” he said. “I am incredibly grateful to have participated in this
Odyssey alongside the Hendrix gang, because through it I was able to regain touch with my own innate capacity for communication and experience the ineffable joy and peace that comes with connecting with another human being time and time again.”
Maynard added that speaking Vietnamese can be difficult if you are monotone by nature.
“I was saying ‘rice porridge’ instead of ‘hello’ for nearly a week,” he said.
Dr. Peter Gess, Associate Provost for Engaged Learning and politics and environmental studies professor, accompanied the group during their visit.
In addition to participating in the group’s activities, Gess was there to visit with universities in south Vietnam and discuss potential partnerships. He met with leaders at three institutions, including Can Tho University, Hoa Sen University, and Tra Vinh University.
“Our best chance for a long lasting opportunity is through university partnerships and exchange programs,” Gess said.
Can Tho University, for example, offers a tropical semester program that would appeal to Hendrix students, along with a diversity of coursework on issues including delta agriculture and environmental concerns.
While Hendrix and the partner institutions continue to discuss their options and plan, Gess is optimistic that an agreement could be signed this academic year for an exchange program to begin in 2017-2018.
Any student opportunity would likely be for a semester during the academic year so that students get a strong cultural immersion experience and would likely be open for up to 10 students.
About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.