Even though he was a tour guide, Andy Liu had never wanted to visit Vietnam. He held the hypothesis that the country was too humid and that most of the people were stupid and illiterate. And now that he was lost in the Vietnamese jungle, leading a group of Chinese tourists on what was supposed to be a one-hour hike; he really wished that he had never made the trip. They had been lost for five hours now, just sitting in one place, and hunger was starting to set in. No one was hysterical yet, but they would not be able to ignore their empty stomachs for long. Andy knew that they could not simply be idle and wait for help- it would be dark soon and they would have no light to illuminate their surroundings. Having no light in the jungle was not good-he had heard of a group of tourists in an identical situation that had been eaten by tigers. He knew that darkness and hunger would soon ignite a panic in the group, and a group of hysterical tourists would not be good for anyone.
Andy set out to try and identify the best way to get back to the city and their hotel. He felt like an idiot because he could not speak the Vietnamese language and it was his fault that they were lost, but as the host of the group he knew that his honor depended on being able to get them out of this situation. He soon stumbled upon a small village, but he didn’t know whether the people would be hostile to him or friendly. The village residents all looked homogenous to him-he could barely tell one from the other. Was his presence there illegal, or would they be hospitable to him? Andy bravely found who he thought was the village leader and asked him for help. Fortunately, the village leader had learned Mandarin when he was younger, and he escorted Andy and the rest of the tourists out of the jungle and back to their hostel. Although Andy was humiliated by getting lost, he knew that this trip had greatly broadened his horizons. He now felt more humble rather than arrogant, which made him a much better tour guide. His experience with the Vietnamese village people taught him not to hold on to his illusions and to never make assumptions about people that he had never met.
Andy set out to try and identify the best way to get back to the city and their hotel. He felt like an idiot because he could not speak the Vietnamese language and it was his fault that they were lost, but as the host of the group he knew that his honor depended on being able to get them out of this situation. He soon stumbled upon a small village, but he didn’t know whether the people would be hostile to him or friendly. The village residents all looked homogenous to him-he could barely tell one from the other. Was his presence there illegal, or would they be hospitable to him? Andy bravely found who he thought was the village leader and asked him for help. Fortunately, the village leader had learned Mandarin when he was younger, and he escorted Andy and the rest of the tourists out of the jungle and back to their hostel. Although Andy was humiliated by getting lost, he knew that this trip had greatly broadened his horizons. He now felt more humble rather than arrogant, which made him a much better tour guide. His experience with the Vietnamese village people taught him not to hold on to his illusions and to never make assumptions about people that he had never met.