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(Dana) Unsure of whether outgoing media is controlled in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, I opt to delay this post until we leave the country.  The people of Viet Nam are very kind.  The one-party government is far less warm-and-fuzzy. In Hanoi, the imposing Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a stark reminder that Viet […]

(Alex) “How much is this?” I ask as I step into the shop selling the dress I want. The shopkeeper then smiles at me, since I am a vulnerable American kid. “$25 US Dolla” says the happy shopkeeper. Now, I know that there are three prices: the tourist price – usually about a 300% markup […]

(Emma w/ Dana) “The merciless American bombs ruthlessly destroyed the countryside… Like a crazy bunch of devils, they fired into women, children, chickens, schools and pots & pans.” These are some quotes from today’s movie at the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Yes, it is one-sided, but we are learning […]

(Andrew) In Cambodia, we had two different experiences, Cambodian Living Arts and the temples of Angkor Wat. We visited 4 temples in the Angkor complex: Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei. All of them were stunning and had their own special feature. For Angkor Wat it was its massiveness, for Bayon there were […]

(Dana) The Holocaust. Apartheid in South Africa. The annihilation of 25% of Cambodians by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.  Three almost unfathomable human tragedies perpetrated by human beings against other human beings. Three atrocities for which I had limited historical context before this trip.  Three incredible history lessons for the 6Explorers through visits to […]

(Dana)  As advertised, the Balinese are lovely, smiling people who welcomed us warmly to their island.  Some thoughts from our 12 days: * Rice fields still dominate the landscape and still represent a major part of the economy and food.  Growing rice remains a very labor-intensive process as terraced rice paddies do not easily support […]

(Alex and Emma) Today all six of us are wearing new sarongs and sashes for a traditional Balinese wedding. We had asked our driver, Wayan, to bring us to places not too many tourists have been, and he offered to bring us with him to a wedding in his village. The ceremony this morning is […]

(January, 2011) Usually the Road Scholars write free form prose in their journals. But sometimes, the Road School Faculty asks them to respond to specific writing prompts in a more structured 5 paragraph manner. We asked the four to consider and write about what they had learned so far? We are very proud of their […]

The privilege to go around the world and learn so many things is amazing. It was so hard to pick just three things to highlight in this document. But when forced, I chose these three because it is important to get these messages out to other people: soccer is a connection, smiling brings people together, […]

While on this trip, we have been learning a lot. We have visited many different cultures, tribes and lives. Of all of the things we have learned, I chose to talk about water, life lessons and how people are alike all over the world. Water is a necessity of all living things on the planet. […]