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My host mom on a rafting adventure!

During my Dartmouth Dickey Global Health Internship, I was matched with a host family from Hanoi, Vietnam.

Many Dartmouth internships and study abroad programs are housed by host families and now I truly understand the benefit and importance of the experience.

Going into the internship program, I spoke almost no Vietnamese, so I was definitely apprehensive about living with the host family. However, my host mom, sister, and brother all spoke excellent English! My host dad spoke a little English, and my host mom would translate for us. 

My host family lived in an apartment near downtown, and this was great because I was able to meet many different people in their complex! My host mom and dad were excellent cooks, and I would eat fantastic breakfasts and dinners with the family! My favorite dishes were pho noodles, traditional oatmeal and local shrimp.

My host dad was an economics professor at a local university. Because the study of economics is so popular at Dartmouth, I enjoyed exploring his campus and learning about Vietnamese economic policy, which I related to my Dartmouth Economic Principles and Policies class.

My host brother was a freshman in college, and my host sister was a freshman in high school. Being able to talk and hang out with them was one of my favorite experiences because I could understand Vietnamese culture from people my age; we often shared stories from our different cultures.

Overall, living with my host family was a great experience!

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