Melissa
      Mokler
      pulls
      several
     
     
      envelopes
      of
      pictures
      out
      of
      a
      white
     
     
      plastic
      bag
      and
      begins
      to
      sort
      them
      on
     
     
      the
      table.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      lower
      level
      of
      Steele
     
     
      building,
      better
      known
      as
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      ‘Nursing
      School,
      we
      have
      sought
      out
      a
     
     
      boardroom
      with
      bright
      blue
      couches
     
     
      and
      classroom
      tables.
      Melissa,
      a
     
     
      fourth-year
      nursing
      student,
      explains
     
     
      that
      the
      old
      student
      lounge
      had
      been
     
     
      converted
      into
      more
      labs
      over
      the
     
     
      summer.
     
    

    
     
      Something
      else
      happened
      over
     
     
      the
      summer:
      Melissa
      spent
      six
      weeks
     
     
      in
      Vietnam,
      participating
      in
      a
      WUSC
     
     
      international
      seminar.
     
    

    
     
      One
      year
      ago,
      Melissa
      found
     
     
      out
      that
      the
      summer’s
      seminar
      would
     
     
      be
      in
      Vietnam,
      and
      also
      discovered
     
     
      that
      the
      program
      fit
      exactly
      with
      her
     
     
      schedule.
      “I
      anxiously
      awaited
      the
     
     
      phone
      call.”
     
    

    
     
      Thirty
      Canadian
      university
     
     
      students
      are
      accepted
      from
      different
     
     
      faculties
      (Melissa
      was
      the
      only
      nurs-
     
     
      ing
      student
      who
      attended
      that
      sum-
     
     
      mer).
      Each
      delegate
      undertakes
      a
     
     
      mini-research
      project
      in
      the
      general
     
     
      area
      of
      poverty
      reduction,
      but
      under
     
     
      one
      of
      three
      themes:
      health
      (Melissa’s
     
     
      area),
      education
      and
      arts,
      and
      environ-
     
     
      ment.
      Melissa’s
      particular
      project
      was
     
     
      in
      nursing
      education
      and
      primary
     
     
      health
      care,
      studying
      the
      wide
      range
      of
     
     
      the
      roles
      of
      the
      nurse
      within
      commu-
     
     
      nity
      development
      in
      developing
      coun-
     
     
      tries.
      As
      an
      interesting
      side
      note,
      the
     
     
      first
      such
      international
      seminar
      took
     
     
      place
      in
      1957
      in
      Ghana,
      and
      Pierre
     
     
      Elliot
      Trudeau
      was
      in
      attendance.
     
    

    
     
      Melissa
      added
      that
      there
      was
     
     
      great
      flexibility
      in
      the
      research,
     
     
      including
      some
      field
      visits,
      “taking
     
     
      the
      research
      where
      we
      wanted
      to
      go.”
     
    

    
     
      “If
      you
      wanted,
      you
      could
      hop
     
     
      on
      a
      train,
      or
      a
      motor
      scooter
      and
      go
     
     
      different
      places.”
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      where
      she
      shows
      me
     
     
      the
      most
      interesting
      and
      ironic
      photo-
     
     
      graph
      of
      the
      bunch:
      Melissa
      just
      hap-
     
     
      pened
      to
      have
      an
      issue
      of
      The
      Cadre
     
     
      with
      her
      in
      Hanoi,
      and
      this
      picture
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [8]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      Is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Featuring
      Melissa
      Mokler
     
     
      by
      Erin
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      her
      showing
      the
      “mole
      people”
      issue
     
     
      to
      one
      xeom
      driver
      in
      the
      middle
      of
     
     
      traffic.
     
    

    
     
      The
      motor
      scooters,
      it
      seems,
     
     
      were
      the
      ultimate
      experience
      on
      the
     
     
      streets
      of
      Hanoi,
      where
      the
      bulk
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      traffic
      in
     
     
      Vietnam
      is
      definitely,
     
     
      how
      should
      I
      say,
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      most
     
     
      petrifying
      ...
      and
      fun
     
     
      experiences.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      motorized
      transportation
      consists
      of
     
     
      xeoms
      (breaking
      down
      the
      word,
      xe
     
     
      -means
      “motor
      scooter’,
      and
      om
      means
     
     
      “to
      hold
      on”
      —
      if
      that
      offers
      a
      good
     
     
      mental
      picture
      of
      the
      experience).
     
    

    
     
      “You
      get
      on
      this
      motor
      scoot-
     
     
      er,
      there’s
      just
      hundreds
      of
      motor
     
     
      scooters
      just
      honking
      and
      honking,
     
     
      you
      can
      touch
      the
      people
      in
      the
      next
     
     
      lane,
      you
      can
      go
      in
      and
      out
      of
      lanes,
     
     
      people
      are
      yelling
      at
      you.
      .
      .there
      are
     
     
      no
      traffic
      lights
      so
      they
      use
      honking
      as
     
     
      a
      communication
      system
      ...
      and
      you’re
     
     
      going
      about
      60
      km/h
      ...
      and
      you’re
     
     
      praying
      that
      this
      man
      that
      you
      don’t
     
     
      know
      will
      get
      you
      to
      where
      you
      want
     
     
      to
      go.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Melissa
      Mokler
      reading
      The
      Cadre
      in
      Vietnam.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      traffic
      in
      Vietnam
      is
      def-
     
     
      initely,
      how
      should
      I
      say,
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      petrifying
      ...
      and
      fun
      experi-
     
     
      ences.”
     
    

    
     
      “You
      get
      addicted
      to
      it,”
     
     
      Melissa
      grins.
      “It’s
      such
      an
      adrenaline
     
     
      rush.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      other
      motor
      scooter
      sou-
     
     
      venir
      which
      Melissa
      shows
      me
      is
      what
     
     
      she
      calls
      a
      “Vietnamese
      tattoo.”
      The
     
     
      scar
      is
      still
      on
      her
      ankle,
      where
      she
     
     
      burnt
      herself
      on
      an
      exhaust
      pipe
      while
     
     
      disembarking.
      She
      tells
      me
      that
      it’s
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      most
      common
      injuries
      in
     
     
      Vietnam.
      It
      was
      a
      frightening
      experi-
     
     
      ence
      for
      her,
      since
      it
      got
      infected
      (an
     
     
      added
      risk
      in
      a
      tropical
      country),
      and
     
     
      had
      to
      go
      to
      the
      hospital
      for
      treatment.
     
    

    
     
      In
      Vietnam,
      the
      delegates
      also
     
     
      worked
      with
      twenty
      local
      university
     
     
      students
      through
      a
      mutual
      learning
     
     
      initiative.
      The
      Vietnamese
      students
     
     
      learned
      about
      the
      research
      methods
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      students,
      including
      the
      ways
     
     
      in
      which
      they
      could
      form
      their
      own
     
     
      opinions
      and
      ideas
      after
      analysing
      the
     
     
      data.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      “They
      do
      what
      we’d
      call
      pla-
     
     
      giarism.
      .
      .they
      restate
      what
      someone
     
     
      else
      has
      done
      before.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      Vietnam,
      getting
      into
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      is
      drastically
      different
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      here.
      You
      must
      be
      in
      the
      top
      |
      percent
     
     
      of
      students,
      and
      there
      is
      an
      entrance
     
     
      exam.
     
    

    
     
      “Entire
      families
      are
      working
     
     
      for
      them,
      for
      money
      for
      education.
      For
     
     
      example,
      one
      was
      the
      youngest
      in
      a
     
     
      family
      of
      nine,
      and
      the
      extended
      fam-
     
     
      ily
      are
      all
      working
      so
      they’ll
      have
     
     
      enough
      money,
      which
      [the
      family]
     
     
      would
      get
      back
      later.”
     
    

    
     
      Melissa
      did
      find
      that
      the
      cul-
     
     
      ture
      was,
      “very
      much
      different
      than
     
     
      ours,”
      and
      did
      find
      herself
      in
      unfamil-
     
     
      iar
      situations,
      but
      it
      was
      the
      return
     
     
      home
      which
      caused
      her
      to
      experience
     
     
      the
      greatest
      “culture
      shock.”
     
    

    
     
      “When
      I
      got
      home,
      I
      remem-
     
     
      bered
      some
      of
      the
      things
      I
      experi-
     
     
      enced,
      from
      conversations
      with
      others.
     
     
      I
      felt
      a
      bit
      lonely.
      You
      have
      this
      extra
     
     
      life
      experience.
      When
      people
      ask
      you
     
     
      about
      Vietnam,
      you
      have
      thirty
      sec-
     
     
      onds
      to
      tell
      them
      how
      Vietnam
      [was].”
     
    

    
     
      “You
      have
      all
      this
      inside
      you
     
     
      ...
      that
      you
      can’t
      express.”
     
    

    
     
      “I
      think
      that
      ...
      one
      thing
      in
     
     
      Vietnam,
      I
      didn’t
      feel
      pressured
      to
     
     
      have
      to
      be
      cool.
      My
      Vietnamese
      coun-
     
     
      terparts
      were
      very
      accepting
      ...
      I
      felt
      I
     
     
      could
      really
      be
      myself.”
     
    

    
     
      Since
      she
      has
      come
      back,
     
     
      Melissa
      has
      found
      herself
      “remember-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      that,
      and
      recognizing
      that
      in
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
      family
      and
      friends.”
      She
      says
      that
      she
     
     
      was
      impressed
      by
      the
      loyalty
      extended:
     
     
      towards
      friends
      in
      Vietnam.
     
    

    
     
      One
      requirement
      to
      participate
     
     
      in
      the
      international
      seminar
      is
      to
      be
     
     
      returning
      to
      a
      Canadian
      university
     
     
      (not
      necessarily
      the
      same
      one),
      and
     
     
      willing
      to
      get
      the
      word
      out
      on
      WUSC
     
     
      and
      the
      seminar
      on
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      The
      deadline
      for
      next
      year’s
     
    

    
     
      seminar,
      which
      will
      also
      be
      in
     
     
      Vietnam,
      is
      November
      9th.
     
     
      “They
      look
      for
      someone
      with
      involve-
     
     
      ment
      in
      WUSC,
      local
      commitment.
      It
     
     
      is
      also
      for
      those
      with
      little
      or
      no
      expe-
     
     
      rience
      with
      developing
      countries.”
     
    

    
     
      Requirements
      include
      a
      two-
     
     
      page
      research
      proposal,
      three
      refer-
     
     
      ence
      letters,
      a
      letter
      stating
      interest,
      a
     
     
      fundraising
      scheme
      for
      the
      $3,000