My Mother's Land

My hidden gem isn’t necessarily a place you can visit, but something that can be uncovered if you persevere through the distractions, ailments and other mishaps that may occur while traveling abroad.

According to Tripadvisor, I’ve traveled three percent of the world and of that three I’ve probably spent most of my time in one place.

Vietnam is a country I knew little about, an elusive place my parents hardly mentioned other than there was a war.

As an adult, I realized, there was no reason why I couldn’t go, so in 2008, I made my journey across the Arctic Circle to Southeast Asia!

My mom and I arrived in Saigon to hundreds of people crowding the exit doors eagerly awaiting their family’s arrival. I immediately became incapacitated from the sweltering heat as I slowly peeled away winter layers and adjusted to the cacophony of taxi, moto and bus horns that swelled the eardrums.

When we finally equilibrated, we found time to tour to the Mekong Delta, and canoed along the floating markets and I ventured out solo to crawl through the Viet Cong Cu Chi Tunnels. However, my first 10 days in Vietnam, weren’t easy. I was nauseous, enduring stomach cramps, balminess and eating next to nothing.

On a trip with newly acquainted relatives, we traveled north of Ho Chi Minh City to Bình Duong, where we boarded an open air ferry and had lunch at Bình M? Restaurant. When we finally arrived at our destination there were picnic areas adorned with hammocks and life rafts available to paddle around the inlet.

This is when things began to coalesce. My sickness temporarily subsided when I focused on my mom. She nervously climbed into a raft with her sister and they began to make dizzying circles around the inlet while laughing hysterically. For as long as I knew my mom, who was in her sixties, this was the first time I ever witnessed her having fun. They were all smiles and I captured the moment on film.

From then, the trip took on a whole new meaning and I began to question why I never made the journey years ago. Seeing her like this for the first time, made my experience all the better.

With each return, I uncover new gems, while gaining new perspectives. I’ve made lasting memories and bonds with travel companions and distant relatives. We visit some of the same landmarks but also fully immerse ourselves in new ones. This experience has enabled me to view the world through a diverse lens, embracing my mom’s “old culture” and turning it into my “new culture”.