23 hours later, I was welcomed to Ho Chi Minh City with possibly the hottest weather I have ever experienced. Although the full humidity was unbearable and slightly irritating, I was still able to keep a smile on my face. Maybe it was because of the fact that it has been over a decade the last time I went. Honestly, I was slightly anxious when I got off the plane because of how long it is been. A lot can change in a decade. My Vietnamese wasn`t as fluent as it used to be, so my main obstacle was going to be the language barrier.

Walking out of the airport was like entering a red carpet event. All I see is a swarm of people waiting behind this belt and behind them were waves of taxis coming in and out. It took me some time until I was able to find my uncles. Apparently, they`re living in the city with full time jobs and everything, so I was pretty proud of them. We`ve had our laughs along the way as they took me to my hotel room and had some quick snacks. However, what surprised me the most was that they both spoke English.

Despite all the fun I had, these were just some of the highlights of my one month vacation. The real fun began when I flew up north to my grandparent`s village. It reminded me of that scene from Lion King where Simba comes back and everybody got excited. That was basically what happened. I felt at ease as we all took a taxi back to the house. My grandparent`s village looked very peaceful as I look to my side and see total green and mountains the entire way, along with some cows and water buffalos walking by.

Now, I could just continue on about all of the other places I went to during my vacation, but I`d rather talk about my days at my grandparent`s house. This is mainly because of the fact that it was going to be one of the biggest family reunions I`ve ever been to. I walk into a slightly oversized family waiting by the front door greeting me he whole way. However, I`ve noticed how old I got when I saw everybody. Everybody looked so different the last time I saw them. I usually just see photos of them back at home, but even that can be deceiving. One of my cousins is about 6’2 but looks 5’7 in the photos.

Nothing but laughs and smiles filled the rooms. This especially applies to my grandpa since he would be considered the jolly man of the house. He would also be the one doing the weirdest things too. I remember one time during dinner, I caught him somehow biting down on the bone of a chicken and somehow eat it. It was pretty impressive now that I think about. A man in his late 60s being able to break bone with his teeth. Anyway, it was a fairly nice moment I had when I was there. Ranging from visiting some caves up in the mountains to relaxing by the beach to feel the ocean breeze, I could say that I feel at home.