Autobiography of Micaela Georgina Galedo Bacon

Berkeley and Beyond

I came to this world at 6:30am on December 27, 1988. My birthplace was Oakland, California the town adjacent to the town where I would spend my childhood, Berkeley. I grew up mostly alone, though I have two sisters. They are 9 years and 20 years older than I and named, respectfully, Yolanda and Miel Bacon. My parents are Lillian and David, and they have supported me throughout my life, trying to help me with all my ambitions (lately: making my way to Hanoi, Vietnam!). I am ethnically Filipina-American but was never too terribly connected with the Filipino community, though my mother was very involved working to help recent Filipino immigrants find a comfortable place in America. I used to blame my non-involvement on the fact that not many Filipinos live in Berkeley, but that’s not altogether true as many of my best friends are Filipina-American. I think that’s one reason I came to Southeast Asia, if not specifically Vietnam, to feel more connected to a culture that is not American and has roots and traditions much older than 250 years.
Throughout my pre-college life I was a gymnast and classical musician. I fell in love with gymnastics after the 1996 Olympics when the Dream Team won gold and inspired thousands of other little girls and boys to start their own gymnastics dreams. I loved the sport and when I was finally awarded a spot on my club’s team I would work-out all the optional days as well as the required ones. This did not necessarily mean I was good at gymnastics and in fact it took all that extra work to start scoring higher than 6.5/10. Eventually however my hard work paid off and I was able to make my way to Level 7 out of 10 before I quit in the middle of high school. I’ve always regretted quitting but it was necessary to continue with other parts of my life. Gymnastics can consume all of your time as well as much of your spirit if you let it, and it was time for me to let go. However, I am still active in the community and I still teach gymnastics to this very day. It is a passion I will always have, similar to music.
Since placing a clarinet in my hands at the age of 9, I have been in love with music (ALL kinds) and being able to play music is an amazing feeling. Even throughout college I tried to continue playing but unfortunately, at UC Santa Cruz you are only allowed to participate in music if you are a music major. This was a devastating discovery and even now, I am searching for a community band who will let me participate. Personally a life without music is not worth living, but thankfully music surrounds everyone and is everywhere, you just have to find it. As corny as that sounds I am a firm believer in it.
When the time to apply for college came around I was itching to get myself out of California and out of the optimistic bubble that Berkeley creates around its citizens. My first escape was to Seattle, Washington where I attended the University of Washington, Seattle for my freshmen year of college. This was an unbelievable experience where I met so many people who helped me find my true self and shape myself into the person I am now. I would still move back after college and spend the rest of my life there.
It was during my stay in Seattle that I found another calling in my life: politics! During younger years I would stay as far away from politics as I could since my parents were so active in it, and Berkeley politics (unapologeticaly liberal and loud about it) were constantly being showed down my throat. But my first political science class was like my first breath of cool, fresh air. I had found my calling in studying other cultures, as well as my own, and figuring out how they worked. Politics encompasses many subjects in one and is constantly changing so my attention is constantly being engaged.

My besties and I, kicking ass as usual

This is part of why I came here to Vietnam. I want to immerse myself in another culture that is very different than my own and see how it functions. Vietnam also has a very strong and proud history that I want to learn as much about as I can. Though I didn’t know it when I applied, we are here in Hanoi at a pivotal point in time! The 65th Party Plenum announcing the next 5-year plan for 2010-2015 is this year, as well as the celebration of Hanoi’s 1000-year anniversary. This was the best time for me to come here, and I feel as if fate brought me to this amazing city and country. In the next 4 months I hope to learn as much Vietnamese as possible and meet as many Vietnamese as possible. I want to be able to get myself from one side of this giant, bustling city to the other without getting lost or at least anxious on the way. I also want to make connections so that when I come back there are familiar faces to see and people with which I can enjoy a cup of café no da.