Dan Vogue 101 – The Basics

By The Rivers of Vinh Long (sung to the tune of Rivers of Babylon)

It’s time for an introduction!

The basics are; I’m Melbourne born, 27 years old, of Southern Vietnamese heritage (I speak Viet with a heavy Can Tho accent) and was born in the year of the pig (my oinker traits are loyalty, honesty and stubborn optimism).

I studied marketing at the University of Melbourne and worked in radio at JOY 94.9. I love photography, writing and drawing. I rock climb for the mental challenge, tinker on the piano to annoy others and my obsession is international food; I love weird foods from different cuisine cultures (eg. scorpion, rat, tortoise, dog, snake, etc.).

I adapt quickly and often find myself guiding fellow travellers in towns I’ve only just set foot in. Ironically, I have no internal compass and you’ll often find me with rotating maps to match the direction I am facing (thank goodness the iPhone solved this problem, now you’ll find me constantly figure-eighting my phone).

Six months ago, I quit my job and prepared to set sail for the world. Three months ago, I left my home to tour the world with my heart set on seeing Saigon, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris and Rome (as a bare minimum). With no return ticket, I plan on travelling for at least 2 years.

So far, I’ve seen Singapore, Tokyo and the entire coastline of Vietnam. Next week, I’ll fly into Seoul, Hong Kong then London. The most magical thing of all is to see the same sun set in different cities (and clouds seem different everywhere I go).

Up until recently, my greatest phobia was to be in a foreign country with no friends, job or money (my parents are immigrants to I think I inherited this from them). When my wallet was pinched in Hanoi I was forced to face that fear, and walk into it.

Before I left Melbourne, I was interested in a guy my friends nicknamed ‘North-West’. He checked to see if I’d be a suitable boyfriend by asking me for a list of 10 things that make me great. I wrote one, but didn’t share it with him because I felt he should discover it for himself.

Yesterday when I re-read the list I laughed at how ‘inside the square’ my life once was. I wouldn’t write those 10 things now. I don’t think I could be restricted to 10 either –  I need 101, or even more! I guess while travelling, what I’ve learnt is to trust and believe in myself.

I am who I am, and that makes me happy.