The following day marked a major milestone in our backpacking program. Up until this point, we had focused mostly on exploring the city and adapting to our new environment, but today was the official start of our Kegiatan Belajar Mengajar (KBM), or learning activities. We started the morning with our usual routine—waking up early, praying Fajr, and attending our morning halaqah—before shifting our focus completely to our studies.
However, holding a formal class in a backpacking setting proved to be quite a logistical challenge. Our accommodation was comfortable for sleeping, but it was incredibly limited in terms of open space. There were no desks, no proper chairs, and certainly no whiteboards. Instead, the room was dominated by our beds, leaving only a tiny square of empty floor space in the middle. But as backpackers, we had to be highly adaptable. We quickly transformed the bedroom into a makeshift classroom.
We found a large, blank white wall to act as our screen and set up a portable projector. Without any chairs available, all of us simply climbed onto the beds, sitting cross-legged with our notebooks on our laps. The glowing projection on the wall illuminated the room as we paid close attention to the lesson. Although the setup was incredibly unconventional and far from an ordinary school environment, it created a highly intimate and unique learning experience. There was something special about studying complex materials while sitting on a mattress in a foreign country; it proved that learning can truly happen anywhere if you have the right mindset.
A Sudden Twist: From Studying to Content Creation We maintained our focus and continued studying until around 11:40 AM. As the lesson wrapped up, we took a break to perform our Dhuhr prayers and enjoy a little bit of free time. Initially, we all assumed that after lunch, we would dive right back into more intensive learning sessions. However, the instructors surprised us with a sudden schedule change. Instead of staring at the projector for the rest of the afternoon, we were assigned a hands-on creative task: a vlog project.
The instructions were simple but challenging: form small groups of three, decide on a creative theme, and produce a video documenting an aspect of our journey. The minimum duration was set at seven minutes, though we were free to make it longer if we wanted. I immediately grouped up with two of my good friends, Azzam and Kenzie.
Brainstorming and Becoming "Food Vloggers" We huddled together in the corner of the room to brainstorm. What could we film that would be engaging, informative, and fun to make? After tossing around a few ideas, we unanimously decided to become amateur food vloggers. Our concept was straightforward: we would hunt down traditional Vietnamese food, taste it on camera, and share our honest, unfiltered opinions about the flavor profile, the presentation, and the overall dining experience. We figured this was the perfect excuse to explore the local culinary scene while simultaneously completing our assignment and documenting our adventure.
Lights, Camera, and a Lot of Bloopers Once our concept was locked in, we didn't waste any time. We grabbed our gear and started recording right away. However, we quickly realized that filming a vlog in real life was much more difficult—and much more awkward—than it looked on YouTube.
Standing in public, holding a camera, and trying to speak naturally required a lot of confidence that we were still trying to build. The filming process was chaotic in the best way possible. We found ourselves bursting into laughter every few minutes. Someone would completely forget their lines halfway through a sentence, another would awkwardly stare directly into the camera lens with a blank expression, or we would stumble over our words trying to describe the taste of the food. There was even a moment when we made funny, ridiculous mistakes while speaking, forcing us to cut and restart the scene. We had to record several shots multiple times before we were finally satisfied with the footage. Despite the endless retakes and the minor frustrations, creating that vlog was easily one of the most enjoyable and memorable activities of the trip. It forced us out of our comfort zones, sparked our creativity, and brought the three of us closer together as a team.
Winding Down After a Productive Day After we finally wrapped up our recording session and had enough footage to work with, our mentors informed us that we could put the cameras away. The heavy editing process was scheduled for the following day, meaning we were officially off duty. With no more activities on the agenda, we headed back to the comfort of our accommodation.
As soon as we arrived, I dropped my bag, took a refreshing shower, and changed into my most comfortable clothes. The adrenaline from being on camera finally wore off, replaced by a satisfying sense of accomplishment. I spent the late afternoon just lying flat on my bed, chatting casually with Azzam, Kenzie, and the rest of the guys, laughing as we replayed some of the hilarious, unedited clips from our shoot. It was the perfect way to unwind after such a highly productive day.
As evening approached, we seamlessly transitioned back into our established daily routine. We cooked and ate dinner together, performed our Maghrib and Isha prayers, and gathered for our nightly halaqah to reflect on the day's unique lessons. By the time 9:00 PM rolled around, the room was once again quiet. We turned off the lights and went to sleep, feeling incredibly fulfilled and curious about what tomorrow's editing session would bring.