Before flying to Viet Nam, I attended a UNV training

Well, the truth is that not everybody is comfortable with this way of life and at that time I felt I needed a real change. I knew about a program between my university in Barcelona and UN Volunteers so I decided to apply for an assignment. UNDP Viet Nam was looking for an IT specialist and I was sure I could get the job because my profile suited the requirements of the post. According to the terms of reference, the job was similar to what I was already doing, even if the underlying goal of development was quite different. My motivation then, as now, was focused on the greater good.

Once I had had my interviews and heard the results, I talked about it with my parents. At the beginning they didn’t understand why I was quitting my job in France and going to work as a UNV volunteer in Viet Nam. “What?, Are you crazy?�? I can still hear these words of my parents, and it still makes me laugh! They might have been wondering why I would give up my idyllic life for the unknown, but they supported my reasons and gave me their backing. At least, they pretended to…

A few months later I was in a plane heading to Ha Noi, so excited and thrilled to be starting a new chapter in my life.

I will never forget the day I arrived in Viet Nam. Someone was supposed to pick me up at the airport, but for whatever reason, when I got off the plane nobody was waiting for me. Luckily, I had the address of the place I was due to stay for the first couple of days so I decided to take one of those minibuses. It was the first time I had been to Asia, so I spent the entire journey either looking at the other passengers (all of whom were Vietnamese) or through the windows. It was early evening when the driver dropped me near my place and I remember very clearly the first thought that crossed my mind: “What the hell am I doing here?!�?

The street was crowded with people eating and drinking outdoors, the noise of the traffic was everywhere and I was sweating with all my luggage, but I did manage to find my place in the end, much to my amazement.

Michele, who was to be my supervisor during my assignment, was on holidays when I arrived in Ha Noi, so she allowed me to stay in her apartment while I looked for something else. That’s what I call a cool boss!

The next day I went to the UNV office and the welcome I got was great. I was surprised to see many foreigners working with the locals, and I thought it was excellent. I don’t know why but before coming I thought that almost all the staff members of UN agencies were foreigners. Obviously, I was wrong.

My colleagues wishing me a happy birthday after a hard day’s work. I miss you guys!

After doing the usual briefings about security, rules, etc, I was driven to my place of work, one of the buildings belonging to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, where I was about to become the newest member of a team made up of national and international UNV volunteers. From the minute I walked in to the room I knew I would be comfortable working there with such nice colleagues and such a pleasant working environment.

Once I got over the shock and fatigue of the first few days, I began to settle in. I found it easy to get used to the heat, the noise, the food and to the life in general. I made new friends, found a house to live in, bought a bicycle and I started to find out a little bit more about the city, its citizens and their habits.

I won’t enter into the details of my job, although I will say that, when I first arrived, my project wasn’t as well developed as I had hoped. I now know that this is not unusual, in fact it is often part of the challenge which UNV Volunteers face, and it certainly explains why we need to be flexible! But as with everything in life, I learned from this situation and I tried to make the most of it and manage it in a proactive way. A word of advice for all potential UNV Volunteers: be prepared for all kinds of unexpected challenges!

Fortunately, as time went on, things started to sort themselves out a little, and I was able to develop my responsibilities. It’s a pity that this happened close to the end of my assignment, and inevitably I would have liked to have had a little bit more of time.

My lovely roommates!	Tasting chicken feet for the very first time, courtesy of Michele, my boss!

I could write a novel about all my experiences in Viet Nam but I just would like to thank the Vietnamese people for their hospitality and kindness towards me. I was once invited to meet the family of a friend in a small town near Ninh Binh province. I was really impressed with their way of life, with the way they treated me and I found that we were so comfortable with each other, even if language barriers meant that I needed a full time interpreter!

International Volunteer Day 2007, promoting volunteerism for development

Thanks to my experiences while volunteering in Viet Nam, I’m now doing a postgraduate course in International Cooperation in my hometown, Barcelona. The lessons I learned there are helping me advance towards a career in development. I hope to come back to as soon as possible to Viet Nam both for professional and for personal reasons - I didnt get round to mention that I met a lovely girl there… but that will just have to wait until “Jordi’s Story Part 2!�?

To sum up, I’m over the moon with my experience serving as a UNV volunteer in Viet Nam and I want to thank everyone who made it possible!

So far so good! Where do I sign for my next UNV assignment?