Janet Lunn's Story
From day one in Vietnam, after getting to know the other student travelers and our faculty advisors, Scott and Christine, I knew we would have a ball. While all of the experiences were memorable my favorite day was getting to visit Sokfarm which is run by an exceptional woman entrepreneur. We got to see the entire process behind the gathering the coconut nectar and experience the passion they have for their business. It reminded me a lot of tapping trees in Canada to get maple syrup. While we perform similar tasks in a very cold environment, I found it eye-opening to see it done where it’s so hot. It shows that our similarities surpass our very differing climates.
I was very appreciative of seeing a woman run business and one who hires women to do this type of work. While students had many experiences with working women in Vietnam they are often in the service industry, not CEO’s of successful companies like this. Showing a female in charge of a farming business was a personal favorite moment for me. She was gracious enough to pose for a photo with me which is one of the best souvenirs from my trip.
The entire experience has left me with the desire to revisit Vietnam and my new friends there. I truly believe that we changed each others lives for the better. I will always have a piece of my heart in Tra Vinh and while I did leave something big behind, I take with me the memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.