THE WORLD AS MY WITNESS

Getting through incheon airport was a breeze, and I don't even want to know what I looked like coming from Vietnam in comparison to how clean and fashionable people dress in Seoul. I got there early morning, so I had to drop my stuff off at the hotel (courtesy of my awesome uncle who was just there before I was with his wife to visit in-laws). I did the best I could to freshen up in their lobby bathroom, and off I went to walk around the city before I could check in. The stark contrast between what I saw in Seoul and Vietnam  was readily apparent. Everything was clean, bright, modern and generally  cayyuuttee . I was only in Seoul for 3 full days, including the first day I landed, so I wanted to make my time count. After checking in and having a brunch of sorts in a cute (caayutte) cafe, I went to a tourist center to schedule a day tour for the next day. My hotel was in a great location and smack in the center of all the shopping center area. After checking into the hot...

Note: As mentioned, these are recollections of what happened more than 4 (!!) years ago since past Alexia was too lazy to finish blogging. Now my last day in Saigon. I should say this whole time I've been a little stressed trying to plan out how to get my tattoo. I originally planned to get it while I was in Hanoi so my volunteer coordinators can take me to a trustworthy place. But I thought better of it since I'll be swimming etc. It was really important that I get this tattoo when I was in Vietnam - mainly for the story (when I turned 21 and was traveling solo in Vietnam blah blah. I should also point out that now that I'm 25 (!!!) 👀 I also did something for my 25th birthday which I'll keep a secret...for now hehe). Prior to my trip I didn't really have the idea of what the tattoo would look like. I knew the inspiration was E.E. Cummings 'Carry You Heart' poem - I had the verse printed out and taped to my mirror for the whole school year: and this is ...

Note: As mentioned in previous post, these are recollections of what happened more than 4 (!!) years ago since past Alexia was too lazy to finish blogging. My second day in HCM, my aunt's family friend (who picked me up the other day when I got off the bus) took me to the Cu chi tunnels which I really wanted to go - learning about the Vietnam war. Prior to the start of the tour, the tour guides are in militia uniform so it's already a little intimidating. He showed a group of us (a Scottish family and myself) an informational video/propaganda where the beginning was a scene of a young girl chasing a butterfly through a green field. Then it pans out to show a bomb falling out of the sky to hit the village where the girl was playing. The narrator continues to say how the Americans were heathens etc. Yikes After the video was over, the tour guide asked where everyone was, and I said 'Canada'. It was slightly scary when the tour guide said there still could be bom...