Mattituck grad rides motorcycle 2K miles across Vietnam
Mr. Husak even made it into the documentary his new friends were making about Vietnam.
“They do amazing stuff,” he said. “They’re better than National Geographic, to be completely honest. And that’s one of the best parts about meeting these guys: not only have I made incredible friends, but I’ll have this amazing, professional video of my trip.”
The group biked together and sometimes took trains as they made their way north, interacting with locals along the way. Once they parted ways in Hanoi, Mr. Husak went to Fansipan, the tallest mountain in Indochina, to hike.
“I said, ‘If I’m gonna hike, I’m gonna hike the tallest mountain,’ ” he said.
Mr. Husak was able to get by with English or with the aid of Google Translate.
“It’s amazing what you can communicate with facial expressions and miming,” he said.
He found that the specter of the Vietnam War still lingers in the country, but in a different way — and he believes his perspective benefited from learning that difference.
“It’s important to go to these places and talk to people about the war,” he said. “In America, people think of Vietnam as a war, not a country … It was important for me to go there and to come back and show people that it is indeed a country.”
Mr. Husak advised his peers to have candid conversations while traveling to gain a greater sense of where they fit in the world. Americans often have a one-sided view of the world, he said.
Such insight is what Mr. Buckner hopes all of his students can gain from traveling.
“From 18 to 29 is all about the search, who you are,” he said. “I think travel begins to put some of that in perspective … It certainly changed my life. That’s why I became a teacher.”
As for his peers, Mr. Husak has a tip for anyone looking to emulate his adventure: commit.
“Do something that forces you to have to go,” he said. “Buy the plane ticket. Book a hotel. Do it so you know you have to go, so there’s no turning back.”
Mr. Husak, however, said he is not satisfied with just one trip. He’s now planning to take another long journey next summer, preferably to Australia.
But that trip requires a travel partner for financial reasons. And if Australia falls through?
“Who knows? I might end up going to see the guys in Lebanon,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
And there is that exact in-the-moment, day-to-day attitude he learned in Vietnam.
