Campus Blogs

Axel Atkinson Most places in the United States have a very clean-cut business market. If someone wants to shop they will go to a designated area and make their transaction. Usually there are price tags involved and the whole process is very easy. An American customer can rest assured that they have paid a fair amount after their purchase because they thoroughly understand the currency. In Vietnam, do not look at someone for too long unless you want to buy something and don't try to buy something to buy something unless you have memorized the value of the currency. Most people will try to rip you off; especially if you look foreign. Vietnam is a huge flea-market and one must master its economic flow. Haggling, sweet-talking, and walking away are some of the most important tactics one should know in order to thrive in the Vietnamese market. There are rarely price tags on anything and if you ask the shopkeeper "bao nhiêu tiền?" or "How much money is this?" they will often show you a calculator with an amount that is much higher than the actual worth. The trick is to just spend a few days walking around and figuring out the street-rate of common items and the comparing the prices. The main weapon in a buyer's arsenal is knowing the exchange rate. It may seem really complicated but it becomes second-nature after a few days. 20,000 Dong (pronounced Dome) is a little less than a dollar. There are four main denominations: 20,000 Dong, 50,000 Dong, 100,000 Dong, and 200,000 Dong. Memorizing the conversions is of the utmost importance: 20,000 = $1.00, 50,000 =$2.50, 100,000 = $5.00, 200,000 = $10.00. It is also very helpful to remember combinations such as: two fifties equals five dollars, two one hundreds is equal to ten dollars, etc.. I have learned a lot about business since I have been here and, through learning from being ripped-off, I have gotten to the point of understanding the busy market of Vietnam and enjoying the organized chaos. Going back to American markets will be the next challenge.

Elizabeth Taylor After our first night in Hoi An, we traveled by bus over three hours to arrive in the small village where the famous "My Lai Massacre" occurred on March 16th, 1968. Nearly 45 years later, the heartache from that day could be felt by all and our deepest sympathy went out to the 504 men, women and children whose lives were unnecessarily ended. It was interesting to find out, however, that the general American public did not know about this event until late 1969. For Professor Jim, like so many millions of young people growing up during this time, this event forever changed public opinion against war in Vietnam and the truthfulness of the American President and government. The village itself is fairly small, and no original houses remain, only foundations and restorations of what a traditional rural home would look like. It is vary basic, with one large room with beds and another room for cooking and eating meals. The roof is thatched and the structure would most likely have been made from bamboo. Along each house, many families grew rice and vegetables, and an irrigation canal is nearby for watering, washing clothes, and drinking. On the morning of March 16th, around 6AM, American troops landed on the outskirts of this village and carried out their "destroy mission" for the next four or so hours. They were led by Lieutenant William Calley, would ordered his company to shoot "anything that moves." He was later court martialed and convicted of the murders, for which he spent just over a year in prison. Other soldiers who partook in this insisted that they were simply "following orders," and still hold true to that today. Regardless of the motive, the attack was extremely brutal and savage, yet it was not the only village to have incurred such atrocity. Many villages in Vietnam, especially in the central area, were hit by American troops and 20-30 people would be killed. The reason My Lai is so well known is because of vast number of deaths inflicted. So....how do the Vietnamese feel about American college students visiting their country? Surprisingly, we have been very welcomed and included with the citizens of Vietnam. I think Americans should take note that many families do not hold hostility against us for what our forefathers have done to their country, rather they want us to learn more about them, more about their culture, and most importantly, educate ourselves and future generations of events like My Lai to prevent future heartbreak.

Amanda Alvarez   Once returing from the amazing overnight boat ride on Ha Long Bay, we arrived back to Hanoi for one last quick visit, before we were to board on the mysterious overnight train ride into Hue. Now amongst the group there was this preconcieved idea of how this train was going to look, and for the most part everyone pictured the Hogwarts train from Harry Potter. However, to our surprise no one was accurate. Instead what we got was the most interesting and unforgettable train ride of our lives. Loading onto the train i remembered thinking to myself, perhaps this is the train that will take us to the real one, but shockingly the reality i imagined was no more than just a fantasy. The hall ways were large enough for just a suitcase and the rooms which blew my mind, were able to fit four people inside on bunks! I wish i took a picture with my phone, but the best way to describe our carts would be to compare it to a shoebox. Consequently, i am not complaining at all, it was actually a very amazing experience. For instance, we had some "peaceful " Vietnamese music playing as we relaxed in our cool ventilated compartments, which were just wide enough to were one and half people could stand up at a time. Now unfortunately, i was not gifted with the presence of several "visitors", but the cart next to mine had some friendly insects that were so large, with their strength they could have carried us all to Hue! Ok so joke, but overall my experience of Vietnam has truly been remarkable and i am so blessed to have been given the chance to come and see this awesome culture. Truthfully, i never believed it was possible for me to love another country other than America, but over these past few weeks i have grown a strong connection to this beautiful place. I would recommend this trip to everyone, because it has changed my life for the better and i would definitely come back again.  

Jorge Cubillos After saying goodbye to Hanoi, we have reached our destination of Hue. This beautiful city is divided down the middle by the Perfume river. It is definitely less crowded than Hanoi and has a very calm atmosphere for being Vietnam's third largest city. We got off the train and headed settled into our new home. As usual, our day was scheduled with many interesting stops and sites. First on our list was a visit to the Thien Mu Pagoda. This historic temple has seven stories making it the tallest in Vietnam. [caption id="attachment_78" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Thien Mu Pagoda[/caption] After learning a bit about the Buddhism of Vietnam, we traveled to the Imperial City. This was a large walled fortress that was the former palace and capital site of Vietnam prior to the move to Hanoi. This old structure was filled with various living quarters, rooms, and monuments. [caption id="attachment_79" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Dragon Statue in the Imperial City[/caption] After a visit to the palace, it was only appropriate that we have a royal dinner! We dressed up in traditional Vietnamese clothing and were treated with a very delicious meal. It was a great way to finish our first day in Hue. [caption id="attachment_80" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The ladies in their Vietnamese attire.[/caption] Hasta mañana, Jorge Cubillos

St Matthew 5:44 "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” In today's world are many wars and tragedies that have been caused by sin. These acts of sin cause us to develop rivals or enemies. The bible teaches that God has enemies who are in rebellion against him, and who have refused to obey him. However, God loved his enemy and gave himself for them. The Bible say's in John 3: 16 That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will never perish but have everlasting life. One of the greatest struggles in the Christian life is that of praying for the enemy that abuses, mistreats, oppresses, lies on and attacks you. Praying to God for the enemy is something that you just don't want to do. This is no doubt one of the hardest things that we are commanded to do and must do. Jesus said in St Matthew 5:44

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

This command is entrusted to the faithful followers of Christ that we may show unto an unbelieving planet that our God is God, and that he loves the world and desires relationship with them. As the ecclesia of the New Testament, the called-out ones for heaven, we are called to suffer in this season for the Master. God has given us the privilege of entering into the fellowship of Christ and the sufferings of his cross. We are now able to be like Jesus and the saints of old, by enduring the enemies of today. For now is the opportunity to show them that we love Jesus Christ and we are the light in a dark world. God has given us the privilege to identify with him today by dying to ourselves, our agenda's and ideologies of an earthly kingdom. He is calling his bride to identify with him by producing fruits of righteousness through the life of our suffering king. Our charge is one that can only be done through the Holy Spirit of Christ. He is calling us to another level of living and today we have the ultimate example of our Savior and King on how to pray for our enemies in this life. Here are a few important words to live by…

• We are a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2;5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ
• We are to be a living sacrifice (Rom 12: 1-2) I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
• We are to be intercessors (Rom 12: 12) rejoicing in hope: patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

If we are going to be Christ-like we must pardon all enemies, and realize that they don't know what they are doing. Sin has blinded their eyes; they can't see spiritually what they are doing. We must always remember that our Hero and Savior teaches us how to endure the sufferings of the cross. He is a great example for us to follow. Praying for the enemy may be hard, but by the power of God living in us we can do all things through Christ. For Christ and His Kingdom AW

Greetings, Sunbirds. This is Anthony Fredette, one of three travelers to Greece who will be making a brief, one-week stop in the "boot" of the Mediterranean before arriving in Athens to meet up with the larger group. As the particular journey of our subgroup (Luis Ramos III, William DePledge, and yours truly) will be markedly different from that of the rest of the travelers, I have been asked to say a few words about our preparation for the trip. First, an admission: I really don't want to sit on a bus with Marshall for hours at a time. A casual observer of my, Will's, and Luis's predicament would likely note that the significant amount of money spent on securing food and lodging for a week in The Eternal City is well worth it considering the frightening alternative. What is that alternative, you, the astute reader, rightly ask? It is nothing less than a bombardment of jokes made at the expense of the upperclassmen, the hardest working members of the traveling cohort. Attempts to denigrate our intelligence will be interspersed with constant verbal reminders that we are approximately two academic degrees short of being able to authoritatively comment on anything. For my part, I sometimes wonder how anyone is able to put gasoline into a car without the educational benefit of at least a master's degree. Rather than perpetuate this cycle of general self-doubt, the three of us chose to find our own way into the Mediterranean. After spending hours testing the spatial limits of a single suitcase, I proceeded to drive to the Ramos Estate. After picking up Will at an undisclosed location (being that he is much too important for world affairs to simply transport himself), Luis's stately villa became the launching point of our journey. A fleet of pristine vehicles adorn the front of the estate. I can only assume that they serve to escort Luis to his various obligations each day. All three of us consistently showed the symptoms of having studied the classics. I had to be constantly reminded that we had not yet left the country. A canine figure in the front of the villa seemed, until closer inspection, to be the fabled Capitoline Wolf. Will pointed out the bust of an emperor, which slowly became a trophy commemorating one of Luis's many childhood achievements the more that we looked at it. It wasn't until I observed a group of birds leisurely resting around a pool of water and commented on the extensive public bath system that I was reminded by my fellow travelers that I was neither in Rome nor in the first century A.D. (although one would be forgiven for confusing Clovis with the northern Mediterranean) Finally, Will and I had to remind Luis shortly before we left the estate that an animal sacrifice would not be necessary unless our first flight should be delayed. Thus begins the first chapter of our Sunbird Synodia. The Greek word in the blog's title (literally "a journeying together") reflects the fact that Fresno Pacific's idea of a community of learners is not bound by the physical constraints of FPU's main campus and regional centers, but, rather, it achieves its fullest expression when it is taken out into the world at large. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more! (Author's Note: In case it was not already obvious, the above post is satirical in tone and partially in content. Marshall Johnston is an incredible professor whose company on the trip will be highly valued and constantly enjoyable.)