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Vietnam

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Vietnam had been high on my list for a long time. It was also one of the places where I hoped to volunteer. But it wasn’t where I imagined I would go after India. Since my path had been moving east, the plan was to stop in Thailand to visit friends, then continue on to Vietnam. It turned out both friends were out of the country during that period, so I changed course and moved Vietnam to the top of the list. I went back on my volunteer application and found an NGO called Catalyst for Change , which among other things works with a network of English teaching centers. Normally I prefer having things planned a bit earlier, but it turned out to be a good chance to practice staying calm when plans shift. In the end it worked out very well. The NGO has many centers in their network, and I found out near the end of the process that I would be going to a small village in the north of the country. I flew into Hanoi, and my host traveled all the way to the airport to pick me up. She owns and man...
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Vietnã

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O Vietnã estava no topo da minha lista há muito tempo. Era também um dos lugares onde eu esperava fazer trabalho voluntário. Mas não era para onde eu imaginava ir depois da Índia. Como meu caminho estava se movendo para o leste, o plano era parar na Tailândia para visitar amigos e depois seguir para o Vietnã. Acontece que meus dois amigos estavam fora do país durante esse período, então mudei de ideia e coloquei o Vietnã no topo da lista. Voltei ao site que uso para encontrar trabalho voluntário e encontrei uma ONG chamada Catalyst for Change , que, entre outras coisas, trabalha com uma rede de centros de ensino de inglês. Normalmente, prefiro planejar as coisas com um pouco de antecedência, mas acabou sendo uma boa oportunidade para praticar a calma quando os planos mudam. No final, tudo deu muito certo. A ONG tem muitos centros em sua rede e, perto do final do processo, descobri que iria para uma pequena vila no norte do país. Voei para Hanói e minha anfitriã foi até o aeroporto para...
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Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
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Chennai

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The second and final city during my stay in India was Chennai. I first chose it because of a good friend who had moved back earlier in the year, but it turned out to be even more serendipitous. Chennai was the city my partner had visited a year before to attend a meditation event. She had been hoping to return sometime in the future, and as it worked out, the timing aligned for us to meet and spend this time together. She had just finalized a big career shift and her son would have a week off from school. We arrived on the same day, just an hour apart. There were no major flight delays, and I was able to meet them as they landed. It was wonderful seeing each other again, and somewhat surreal meeting in such a different place. We called a taxi and the three of us were off to the apartment we’d call home for the next three weeks. After settling in, we ordered our first meal: dosas and idli . It was all very tasty, with bold, strong flavors. One thing that caught my attention was the use ...
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Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Chenai

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A segunda e última cidade durante minha estadia na Índia foi Chennai. Eu a escolhi inicialmente por causa de uma boa amiga que havia voltado no início do ano, mas acabou sendo alinhamentos ainda maiores. Chennai era a cidade que minha parceira havia visitado um ano antes para participar de um evento de meditação. Ela esperava voltar em algum momento no futuro. Tudo se encaixou para nos encontrarmos e passarmos esse tempo juntos. Ela tinha acabado de finalizar uma grande mudança de carreira e seu filho teria uma semana de folga da escola. Chegamos no mesmo dia, com apenas uma hora de diferença. Não houve grandes atrasos nos voos e pude encontrá-los quando pousaram. Foi maravilhoso nos reencontrarmos, e um pouco surreal em um lugar tão diferente. Chamamos um táxi e nós três fomos para o apartamento que chamamos de lar pelas próximas três semanas. Depois de nos instalarmos, pedimos nossa primeira refeição: dosas e idli . Estava tudo muito saboroso, com sabores fortes e marcantes. Uma cois...
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Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Hyderabad

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I arrived in Hyderabad, India, around 3:30 AM. Not my normal arrival time, but it was one of the cheaper and more direct flights. After going through passport control, I ordered an Uber and went to the designated meeting spot. Without much waiting, I was soon on my way to the hostel, about 50 minutes away. I had a nice chat with the driver, who told me how he moved here to pursue his dream of working in the film industry. He explained how Hyderabad had become a big center for movie and television production. We talked about the importance of following our passions when we can. As we neared the address I was given, we didn’t see the hostel or any signs for it. He pulled over and asked a young man sitting by the road. The man came up and said he thought it was ahead of us around the corner. We thanked him and slowly went forward, looking around, but still not seeing anything. Just a few minutes later, we heard a tapping on the window. It was the same young man, saying it was back where ...
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Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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