Okay, new game plan

So my blog post a day to catch up failed in epic proportions. So here's the new idea: fold old stories into new posts.

So first, here's Yen Tu. Then I'll post on my weekend.

Yen Tu was the first sunday I was in homestay. With Francis and Yoshi from a different homestay family, my host brother, and Trang from the ceramics village, we went by van to a place called Yen Tu. It's a big place to go for Buddhists, and we had a nifty time. There is a gondola part way up the mountain, and after that it's all on foot. We climbed to the top very slowly as there were tons of people surging uphill, including old ladies with walking sticks and little children. There is a shrine on top, and that is the place to go. The top of the mountain is cloudy, so you couldn't see how far up till the top, how far down to the bottom, or where people were. It was very windy. Francis and I accidentally walked almost all the way down the mountain instead of taking the gondola. If you are reading this, mom, I know... good exercise.

Now, this past weekend: HALONG BAY!

So IHP took a weekend trip to Halong Bay, this amazing spot where 250 million years ago enormous rocks and mountains were formed sticking out of the water by glacial erosions (I think). We had a boat that took us around, served us meals, we slept on the boat, and there was Karaoke. It was a lot of fun and a great break from class, especially since this past week had been really busy.

*NOW, SPECIAL DISCLAIMER FOR MY LOVING MOTHER: slow internet connection=pain in the ass to upload photos=I'll show you when I get home.

TTFN.

Tea party and chop sticks

The first Saturday we were in home stays (two saturdays ago) my host mom sent me to the ceramics village outside Hanoi (possibly part of Hanoi? Recently the city expanded area-wise five-fold, so I think the village is now actually part of the city...) with a family friend, Trang. Trang's friend came too. Trang and her friend are both in their early thirties and studied Translation and Interpretation for English at Hanoi University, making them excellent conversationalists compared to many here as far as I am concerned. They both work for different NGOs.

At the pottery village was a lot of exquisite work. Mind you, most of it I found gaudy and ugly, but even the gross stuff clearly took time and effort. And there was a lot of pretty stuff too, don't get me wrong. As some people on my program might say, it was a hot mess. It was also the type of thing where it looked like everyone was selling similar stuff, but when you looked closely it was clear how different items were in terms of quality. I bought a tea set for myself, and something nice for my mom (shout out to Sherry!).

Upon returning my host mom sought to stuff me like a thanksgiving turkey for lunch, in which her success was incomplete. Then I met Eddie and Joel and we wandered the old district. This is where chop sticks come in. You see, I had this odd idea that I wanted to buy a set of chopsticks in Vietnam. Sounds pretty simple, right? I mean, chop sticks are everywhere. But it is actually harder than you think as you need to find a design that is aesthetically pleasing, and there are many designs for chop sticks. Finding the perfect fit took a little while. But I managed it. I also got a "Good Morning Vietnam" t-shirt for $1.50 USD (yay purchasing power). We wandered the old city for a while, and while sitting at a street corner bar drinking domestic brews we saw other IHPeople. We then met up with more IHPeople at the nearby lake. Then my story abruptly ends as I had to return for family dinner. But all in all it was a good saturday.

Task List

Okay, I am behind in blogging. I have many things to tell. Here's what's up:

I'm gonna make a list. I hate lists, I'm not a list person, but I am making a list. Each item on the list will be a blog post, and that way I'll be able to catch up. Foreshadowing for all of you, helpful for me.

1. First Saturday

2. Yen Tu

3. Truong Theatre

4. Sapa

5. Hot Pot

Of course, as I never give anything bland names, the titles of the posts might appear differently to y'all. But in essence this is it.

Go team

Play Date and Hanoi Hipster Friday

I don't know when the last time I had a play date was (excluding today)... But now I can safely say that at age 21, a junior in college, I had a play date today. Mind you, it took a little while for that element to become clear, but mark my words, it was a play date.

Two other guys on IHP are living with a family in Ha Noi that knows my host family, and last night it was arranged that they would come over today after class. They were unaware, and it was phrased to me as an invitation rather than a directive. This morning, I clued them in on the invitation. They called home and realized that participation in the planned play date was not optional, and my host brother Long sent a few texts to me during the day reminding me that we were meeting him after class.

We wound up going for some fried street food (chips, and I don't quite know what the other stuff is, though it is some kind of pork) with two of Long's friends from high school. Then came the fun part: getting back to my host home. Keep in mind that Long and I ride bikes to school every day (Long's school is a block or two from the Ha Noi School of Public Health), but Francis and Yoshi live much farther away and take the bus. This meant having them ride on the back of our bikes, which was attempted on an empty street, and didn't work. Yoshi and Francis wound up using a motor bike taxi to my host home, arriving a few minutes before I did on bicycle.

We ate a delicious dinner, and Yoshi and Francis realized just what I mean when I say Dung is trying to fatten me up... sooooo much food. It starts out a reasonable amount of food, and then new dishes come from the kitchen, and at some point you realize there's more food coming. After dinner they gave us some kind of fruit that looks like a big avocado when sliced, but tastes and has a consistency completely different from that of most fruit I am used to. Unfortunately my host family doesn't know the name in English of many of the native fruits we don't get in the States...

After dinner we drank tea and played cards for a while (a game called Attack/Defend), until their host family called my host family and Tang declared the play date over. It was a lot of fun, and it was cute how the Vietnamese host families arranged a play date for us youngsters. It would have been nice to know what was going on, but I gave up on that expectation back in Bushbuckridge, and everything works itself out.

In other news, Today was Hanoi Hipster Friday! which means nothing really, except some people in the class got a cake for HHF (the cake came from a tasty bakery across the street and cost 140,000 VND, or around 7 USD). It looks better than it tasted, but it wasn't bad, and was totally worth more than it cost in flavor and in meaning... Also, we walked past those cakes every single day, and it was really cool to finally have been part of a purchase of one (I think I gave the US equivalent of 50 cents to bring our cake dream to life).

Good night and good luck.

"Why is it that everything I sit or lay down on is hard?" -Abby, IHP student

Amusing comment, but good point. Cushions are not at all common here. Chairs are either plastic or carved wood, other seats are stiff, when sleeping mattresses are only a few inches thick and are stiff... It is odd to me, but surprisingly comfortable, so who can complain?

In other matters, the IHP program in Ha Noi is amazing. I know I've already sung some praise for the coordinators, and I will continue to do so. They have arranged access to such wonderful and informative resources...

Yesterday we went to the Hospital of Traditional Medicine, the leading TM hospital in Vietnam and WHO partner for the region. We heard from some of their top staff and a received personal tour of the facilities. This morning we had a speaker on urbanization, and visited a waste management facility (which was neat, even if it smelled and was full of flies). Tomorrow we have a discussion on Agent Orange and the Vietnam (or Anti-American) war... I don't know that I've been this impressed all semester, and Jeremy did a spectacular job in DC as country coordinator, so that says something.

In other news, my host mom is back from Cambodia. Her name is Dung (pronounced Zun? I don't understand the connection between spelling and pronouncing names in Viet Nam...) and is very nice. She also speaks no English and cooks mad crazy amounts of food... My first experience with her cooking involved a 4-eggs scrambled and 4 pieces of toast breakfast, of which I ate a third (much to her dismay). Her idea of a snack is half a watermelon, and then some. She is a wonderful cook, and she is being a wonderful host according to custom, I just can't eat that much and I feel bad. Slowly she is making more reasonable requests of my stomach in terms of quantity, and I am much appreciative. Of course, if she makes too much food, I just give some more to my host brother and he eats it, so it works out. Also, too much food is always preferable to too little food, so who can complain? It all tastes good and is good so long as I cut the quantity in half.

That's really all for now. I am safe, healthy, well-fed, and going to go read a book. Adios.

Happy in Ha Noi

I'm really enjoying myself here. You can get a full meal for 12,000 VND (65 cents US-ish), probably for less if I spoke Vietnamese and could haggle lower. But 65 cents is as good a deal as any. You can walk just about anywhere, and there is always something to see. Oh, and the coffee is really good, VERY strong with sweetened condensed milk added (SO GOOD!), and of course there is tons of tea. This last thing makes me very happy... Tea is good... Oh, another fun bit, there is a 35000 VND store (a just-under-2-dollar-store) with all of the junk nobody would ever want, which is why I didn't buy anything (but it was cool to browse through).

So for a bit more information than on the smog (though it is really noticeable, especially at night when it catches the light from signs and street lamps):

My host family lives in the city near Lenin Park (which I have still not managed to explore, maybe tomorrow after class), a few kilometers from the Hanoi School of Public Health. Tang (my host father) is a math teacher and his wife (She is currently in Cambodia, I haven't met her yet and thus cannot remember her name for the life of me, I will meet her in a few days) works at a bank. They have two children, a 23 year old daughter who studies economics in Paris, and a 17 year old son named Long. Long and Tang both know English, which makes life so much more simple.

The Hanoi School of Public Health is in a different district, the Ba Dinh district, and it's just down the block from the Ministry of Health. Every morning I ride a bike my host family has lent me to class, which is rather refreshing. However, it is tricky given the rush hour traffic and the tons of motor bikes that define Ha Noi transit. Some other IHP students walk or take the bus, but I ride the bike because it is quicker than walking but nice and outside. Except if it rains, then I will take the bus. It has been cool lately, so I have needed a jacket, but the weather varies this time of year. I haven't explored any of the places to see really except for the old city, but I plan to see a lot this weekend.

So far IHP has been good here. The country coordinators are awesome, and had packets made for us, maps ready, they have power point presentations printed so we can have a copy, they got us all bus passes, they really thought of everything. Nguyen and Nyoc An are totally amazing. They also have insane connections. Today we heard from an expert on health insurance from the Ministry of Health, and from two of the leading economists in Vietnam, all on the topics of healthcare and economic development (respectively). The collective brain power of today's speakers is staggering, and unbelievably influential. If that is in the first week, I am really excited for what is yet to come.

For a city in a part of the world I've never been to that speaks a language I don't know and celebrates a culture in which I do not live, I find Ha Noi surprisingly accessible and open, and I am so happy to be in such a neat urban setting.

Until next time!

So, Bushbuckridge Homestay Pictures:

1. Peniel, my host cousin. He's 11 and in 7th grade.

2. Amu, she's in her final year of high school, and is my host cousin.
3. Lemlemu is my 10 year old host sister in 5th grade.
4. On the left is Phindile, my host cousin. Jasmine (IHP) is to her right, then Tintswalo, another cousin, then me. Lemlemu is next to Yoshi (IHP).
5. Phindile again.
6. Mama Merlyne, my host mom.

7. Lemlemu and Jasmine.
8. Yoshi and Viola, our four year old host cousin (so cute!).

Not all, but some of the family! Slightly late in posting, but better late than never.

Smog

It's really smoggy here.

I'm in Hanoi now, that took a while. We flew Joburg to Kuala Lampur, and then from there we changed planes to Hanoi. I sat next to a lady from Namibia who worked for the government on women and children issues, and was attending a conference in Malaysia on the empowerment of women through information and communication technology, or something like that. Pretty neat lady.

Hanoi is a fascinating city, I feel like I need more time to have something useful to say, so until then. Just saying hi from Hanoi!

The Edge of the World...

So, It's back to me, as in the person you expect rather than someone else being nice. Due to lack of access, I never got to finish Cape Town I Am Straddling Continents style, so here we go.

Where I last left off, I was in Cape Town. Two events are worthy of mention: the LSB bonfire and sand boarding. Let's go in order.

LSB Bonfire:
The owner of LSB, Steve, found this spot a number of years back, and every so often the staff of LSB and certain invited boarders at the hostel go out there for a bonfire. Sounds simple, right? No, it's not. It's freakin awesome and rather complicated. There is this town outside of Cape Town called Llandudno, one of the most expensive real estate areas in all of South Africa. We took a cab out there to the beach, where we met the LSB people. They had wood, a fire pit, speakers, and a number of other things they were schlepping. We then walked to a group of rocks and hiked out to a big cliff jutting out into the water. It was a sight everyone tried to capture on film, but none of us could... it just didn't work. I describe it as being on the edge of the world, someone else thought of it as a sci-fi moment with the moon rising over the mountains and the ocean swirling about the lower rocks. It was sheer beauty, and we were all stunned. We stayed on that rock with the fire, music, and company until 1 in the morning, and it was so special the LSB staff deigned us worthy of invitation.

Sand Boarding:
If you've never gone, you ought go. It was fun, despite being exhausting. Joel, Mija, and I used Downhill Adventures to book a half day trip sand boarding. They took us to a place called Atlantis, a five square kilometer sand dune area that is a natural filter for water in the local area. We would hike up the dunes, strap in, and board back down, like snowboarding only with many fewer turns, and at a slower speed. I will admit, I had one MASSIVE wipe out, where my board hit an edge and I flipped head over heals 540 degrees and landed completely winded, my face in the sand, my board over my head. It was special. Great morning, great fun...

That's really it for Cape Town. The group came back together and we flew to Vietnam (next post)! Farewell Cape Town, we'll always have Paris.

... thanks the stranger for his/her kindness

I'm also working on signing out at internet cafe's.
I left my facebook and blogger account signed in, lucky a stranger took pity and signed me out of both and left me this message to remind me.

cheers.

Cape Town!

For those of you who have been waiting forever for my next post, wait no more. For those of you who are not my die hard fans but appreciate hearing from me, this one is for you as well.

jk, hi.

So Cape Town is a wonderful place, and a real mix of stuff all in one city. I'm staying on Long Street, which is a fun and youthful area with bars, cafes, clubs, and shops, and a market a few blocks down and around the corner. It's loud and quiet, quaint and bold, it's a cool place in general. And that's just this one area. I think by now we've been to all of the places within a block of our hostel, and we're branching out.

Then there's the beach, a short cab ride away. Clifton 4 is this great little beach with nice rocks to lie on and read a book, and freezing cold water to dip in briefly. There's great little spots along the beach, and it's a great way to spend a morning.

Then there's Table Mountain. Everyone told us there was a hard way to climb it, and that we should take the easy way. So of course, thinking we were avoiding the hard way, we took it instead. It was exhausting. But also amazing and the view was spectacular. It was a clear and crisp day, and you could see soooooo far out. Being tired, we then took the gondola down. It rotates so that you can see the whole view no matter where in the car you are. Pretty snazzy, he?

It's also nice to walk around the waterfront, even if not to buy anything because it's all overpriced. But it's a nice half hour walk there, maybe 20 min., who's counting?

Places of note:
Mr Pickwick's- great food, R9 breakfast (eggs, toast, potatoes and onions, and tomato for $1.20). Also good burgers, and fun atmosphere.
Loafers- AMAZING sandwiches, and rather cheap. Great little spot, only been there a few months.
Zula- cool bar with great music and lots of people dancing and having fun.
Long Street Backpackers- our hostel. So good. The lady who owns the place, Chris, is a no-nonsense kind of woman who is really helpful, and the lot of them are wonderful. People staying there are nice and from all over, and the location is superb.

This break from IHP has been wonderful. With Deeba's birthday on the 26th, mine the next day, and Joel's the day after, it's been tons of fun with good company. And tonight it will continue with a beach bonfire, and then tomorrow with sand boarding (so excited!) with Mija and Joel.

I'm psyched for Vietnam, but who would ever want to leave Cape Town?