In his book, My Seasons in Saigon, Roy J. Nirschel, PhD, tells his first-hand experience of the mystical and modern land of Vietnam-from his initial introduction as a student during the war through his current experience as an educator today.
The challenges of the traveler are often quelled with the wonder of a new place. In My Seasons in Saigon, Nirschel writes about what it was like for him leaving New York for Southeast Asia, on a journey that ended with a surprising turn.
The gist of the twist is the planned visit to help set up the first American college in Vietnam has led Nirschel to stay indefinitely. Not as an expatriate, a word he loathes, but as a multipatriate-a world citizen.
While Vietnam remains seemingly inextricable from the word "war," the story Nirschel tells unlinks the two. Vietnam cannot be summed up in a single vision.
My Seasons in Saigon is an honest, even critical look at present day Vietnam. So honest, Nirschel notes he could be booted from the country for writing the book. Hopefully readers will have a chance to peruse its pages before then.
About the Author: Roy J. Nirschel, PhD, is an educated, well-traveled man with a passion for learning and teaching. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with an MPA, and he earned his PhD from the University of Miami. A proud father, as well, he has three grown children who have followed their own passions to find great success.
Nirschel lives in New York City part-time and in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon the remainder of his time. He went to Vietnam to help open the first American University in the country.
Nirschel has also been instrumental in opening education programs in Afghanistan, and has aided in rescuing scholars at risk in Egypt, Cuba, and Iraq. Because of his travel and study in many places from Taiwan to Mt. Kilimanjaro, he has a uniquely informed view of the world.
