We have been in Vietnam for a week now. Just long enough where you truly start to get adjusted to everything happening around you. We started off in Hanoi, and now we are visiting the beautiful rice fields and steep hills of the city of Sapa and its surrounding native villages. Sapa is located in the very North of Vietnam and is truly a place that takes your breath away. The beautiful green of the rolling hills combined with the bright colors of the native people truly make for a pleasing picture. And while Sapa is truly a beautiful place to live, it doesn’t come without its quirks. One of those was traveling on all of those steep hills and short paths. For one of our activities in our Vietnam study abroad, we decided to trek from Sapa city into the villages nearby to really gain knowledge of the lives of the native people. And it was probably the most harrowing thing I have ever had to do in my life. The background for me is that I’m a former athlete, but I am definitely not a hiker or one who goes out into nature as much. And so when tracking through the winding river, slippery mud, and rocky hills, it was very easy to fall into the despair of how bad my body is feeling. But even when I felt like I had to look down at my feet at all times to make sure I didn’t slip, the trek was very much worth it when I had the time to look up. To meet the different native people and even get to stay with one. To witness the artifacts that they keep sacred and to truly come to understand what their way of life is and how they strive to maintain it, or even grow it. Trekking through the edges of Sapa was not only worth it for what I got to witness but also for what I learned about myself and my fitness level. I never want to feel that way again.
