Traveling through Vietnam #HogsAbroad #UARKlife

Thanks for sharing Vietnam with us, Jordan!

My last day in Vietnam. We visited a beautiful pagoda in Phu Quoc. This view blew my mind - I've never seen something so breathtaking in my life. This trip made me grow as a person - I've learned so much about the culture and people of Vietnam. It has given me a whole new perspective on life and I'm excited to continue my journey even when I return home tomorrow. "Life is beautiful, as long as it consumes you." #Vietnam #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 16, 2016 at 1:02am PST

This was our first excursion in Vietnam. Our flight landed last night and now we are in Ho Chi Minh city - the biggest city in South Vietnam. The War Remnants Museum was crazy cool to see! There were different floors explaining and displaying history, pictures and videos about the Vietnam war. Everything was in the perspective of the Vietnamese government, so it was really interesting to experience. #Vietnam #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 3, 2016 at 8:47pm PST

We just arrived to Can Tho University - where we will be living for the next two weeks. It was a 4 hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh. I purchased a journal and exchanged my US currency for Vietnamese Dong (VND). For every 1 USD it is 22,000 VND.

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 4, 2016 at 7:12am PST

Today we went to a local rice farmers home and learned about biogas digesters. Our Fulbright service learning team will be making 2 biogas digesters for other local families. Biogas digesters save families on average 3-5 hours a day of work and $20 USD a month. On our way back from the rice farm we stopped at a little coffee shop. They had Vietnamese coffee, sodas and these super fun coconuts! Coconut water is my new favorite drink! #Vietnam #HogsAbroad #cocoNUTS

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 6, 2016 at 2:28am PST

It was way harder than it looks to climb on top of this river boat! We all bought fresh fruit through out the morning and this was the boat that was selling fresh pineapples. The locals have a very cool way of cutting up the pineapples that makes it easier to eat - it was delicious! We also bought mangos and coffee by this boat. #Vietnam #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 9, 2016 at 6:16pm PST

These students have my heart! We taught English lessons today in Hoa An - a rural community right outside of Can Tho. Hoa An Elementary 1 is in a very rural area and our group had to ride a river boat to get to the school. We taught lessons to the students about health, hygiene, and computers. After class I had the opportunity to play with the students on their break - some of the popular games were jump rope, shuttlecock (similar to hacky sack) and tag! #Vietnam #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 12, 2016 at 6:42am PST

These girls were my best friends for the day! We have started teaching English lessons at our second elementary school - Hoa An 4. We also had the opportunity to donate 3 computers to the school so that the students can use them to learn. Much like the first school, these students were so eager to learn English and speak with us. These girls loved taking pictures and wanted to take selfies with our group. #Vietnam #HogsAbroad

A photo posted by Jordan Joeckel (@jordanjoeckel) on Jan 13, 2016 at 11:06pm PST

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Make plans to join the group to Vietnam next January! Information and updates can be found at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/vietnam.