“Uống nước, nhớ nguồn”

Nha Trang by night, photo courtesy of Trinh

“Drink water, remember its source.”

When you drink the water, remember those who have come before you and those that will come after…

My mentor shared me this Vietnamese saying while waiting for my first bowl of phở in Việt Nam. It was a rather odd, sobering remark as I anticipated the country’s staple dish. He shared the importance of sustaining ourselves for our life’s journey and unpacked its meaning, and at that moment, I found the phrase to intersect so much of my own life. The next few months are my reflections in this country of understanding the “source”….everything the sights, the smells, and most importantly—the people I walk with through Việt Nam.