Hey guys!
So this past weekend was a lot of fun, and I have got a lot to update you on. Mekong adventures and Ho Chi Minh City travels, as well as some upcoming fun for this weekend!
But first, a few notes about teaching.
After the first week of teaching was over, I sort of assumed that I would be better next week. And that was definitely true, but there were still some pretty rough patches. I am getting better at trusting my students and encouraging them to talk more, but there are still far too many times when I ask a question and get a blank stare in response. Also, lesson planning is really hard and I'm really bad at it.
But overall I would say that my teaching is going pretty well.
At English Club
3rd year students
English Club for Teachers
One of the more entertaining meetings I had was with the Young Creative Group, who do youth outreach projects around Ben Tre College. They were very excited to have me at their meeting, and although the exact role they hope to have me fill is a little unclear, their enthusiasm was quite infectious.
With the Young Creative Group
On Friday morning I left on the bus to Ho Chi Minh City. We were staying at the same hostel I stayed at two weekends ago, and so I was greeted by the same cheerful manager, who was incredibly happy to see me. I met Jess, and both of us went to the War Remnants Museum.
I have been to Ho Chi Minh City several times in my life, but I have never been to the War Remnants Museum before. When I went with my family, my parents insisted the first time that I was too young, and then that my little brother was too young. Quite frankly, they were right.
The War Remnants Museum does a fantastic job of documenting not only the history but also the daily struggle and the perception and media portrayal of the Vietnam War. Whereas most museums end up painting a sanitized and bloodless picture of war, where "conquests" and "victories" are heralded with little description of the carnage that accompanies war, the War Remnants Museum does its best to capture the daily bloodshed, deaths and moral complications of war. Furthermore, they do this with the Vietnam War, possibly the most atrocity-filled, morally complex and occasionally morally bankrupt conflict in American history. It's a powerful place, but not one that I would recommend for children.
The front yard of the War Remnants Museum is just a cool place, with authentic American military craft abandoned after the war displayed prominently. Thus in one yard you have Chinook helicopters, Abrams tanks, antiaircraft guns, tanks and heavily armed riverboats.
Was seriously tempted to hijack this boat for our Mekong river tour
Standing next to an interceptor
Next to an Abrams tank and a Chinook helicopter
Inside the museum, the first floor is also family friendly for the most part, as it is dedicated to all the organizations and people who protested the Vietnam War and pleaded for peace. Communist, capitalist, Americans and foreigners, if they protested against the war at some point then they probably have a plaque somewhere in this museum. The other bonus of this museum that I should mention is that, unusually for Vietnam, all the exhibits have English plaques that are very well-translated.
Inside the museum
The second floor is where things start to get grisly. The second floor includes an exhibit memorializing the Vietnamese who died in the Vietnam War. Extensive time is spent on the torture and brutality with which ARVN and American forces inflicted on suspected Viet Cong fighters. The My Lai massacre is extensively covered, as is the massacre of Vietnamese civilians that occurred in Thanh Phong, Ben Tre.
A SEAL team allegedly slaughtered twenty Vietnamese at Thanh Phong, a hamlet in the southeast corner of Ben Tre. Those killed included several elderly men and women and several children. The SEAL team used knives, to avoid detection. All of this happened in my province, only 40 years ago.
It's easy to forget sometimes in Vietnam that America fought a huge war over here, and the memorial to the victims at Thanh Phong brought that back to me in a big way.
All these people were killed in my province. Jesus
There was also an extensive exhibit on the after-effects of Agent Orange. A deforesting agent that was sprayed over large swathes of Vietnam to deprive the Viet Cong of cover, Agent Orange has been proven to cause long-lasting damage to people exposed to the dioxin. Those afflicted suffer various neurological problems, and worst of all, Agent Orange also causes horrific birth defects in children born to parents who have been exposed to Agent Orange.
I'm not going to show pictures or describe what I saw in too much detail for your sake, but I do urge you to google "Agent Orange" and learn some more about the issue.
The War Remnants Museum also has one of the most fantastic exhibits I've ever seen. Called Requiem, this exhibit memorializes the photographers who died in the Vietnam War. The exhibits center around the fantastic photos these men and women took, sometimes the last pictures they took before they died. Many of the photos come with commentary from either the photographer, the subject or people who were nearby when the photo was taken.
The War Remnants Museum also has an extensive weaponry collection, and I think my reaction here was a bit telling. Now, I think in general weapons are the most interesting parts of most museums. I'm interested in military history so I have that interest, but plus weapons are just kind of cool, doesn't matter whether they are Medieval swords or World War II grenades.
Normally I wander over to the weapons display, trying to see what I recognize and perhaps saying something about its historical role, for instance I might explain that the Roman use of the javelin was a huge part of their military success and the establishment of the Roman Empire. This time, the weapons display seemed more ominous than anything. Having seen the massive slaughter that each of these weapons took part in, for either side, it was hard to see these weapons as historical artifacts. They looked a lot like incredibly dangerous, murderous tools to hopefully never be touched. Maybe that's a better way to look at them.
The War Remnants Museum ends on a hopeful note, as the final display focuses on Vietnam rebuilding. Side-by-side images are shown of various provinces immediately after the war ended, and then a picture of the province today.
Ben Tre before rebuilding, Ben Tre after (the Rach Mieu bridge, which connects Ben Tre to the mainland)
After emerging from the War Remnants Museum, Jess and I implemented my favorite tourism strategy, which I call "Ooh, shiny." "Ooh, shiny" consists of Jefferson seeing something shiny/interesting/unusual, saying "Ooh, shiny (or something similar)!" and then walking that way. It's my favorite way to explore a new city, and you end up in some pretty random places.
Eventually, after much wandering, we ended up in the colonial district of Ho Chi Minh City. Here towering French villas adorn the streets, and you can easily imagine belles from Paris with powdered hair and pearl necklaces gazing out on us uncouth Americans through beautifully latticed windows and over a delicately carved iron fence.
Eventually we wandered by Reunification Palace, the old Presidential Palace in Saigon. The gates were closed, but we managed to snag a few pictures through the bars anyways.
That night we hit up the Ho Chi Minh city nightlife. Last time I was here we saw a bar called Le Pub that was absolutely packed with Vietnamese 20-somethings, barely a Westerner in sight. It was completely packed at 11:00, so when Jess and I wandered by at 9:00 and I saw an empty table I jumped at the possibility.
Le Pub serves pitchers of cocktails, so how could we resist. While the pitcher of Pina Colada was way too strong for us to finish (I think they made the Pina Colada by mixing equal parts pineapple juice and rum, then adding ice and calling it a day) the atmosphere was fantastic. A bar that pumped in loud dance music without being too clubby, a young and hip crowd and a really cool atmosphere.
Jess with our pitcher of Pina Colada
The next morning Jess and I woke up, groggy and hungover at 6:00 am, bleh. At least the bus ride back to Tien Giang was comfortable and relaxing! Oh wait, the other thing. Cramped and bumpy. Yeah, that.
As a bonus, the bus rider who had previously ferried me from Ben Tre to Ho Chi Minh City and then immediately back to Ben Tre on my misadventure three weeks ago would be driving our bus. He immediately recognized me and began joking with me and giving me a hard time. He told my story to several of the other bus drivers gathered around, and we all had a good laugh over my past folly.
After we reached My Tho, we went to Tien Giang University, where Lindsay was staying. We saw her room, which I would say is nicer than my room but also smaller, and we got coffee at the school canteen while we chatted. Tien Giang University is much bigger than Ben Tre College, with much nicer facilities, so it was cool wandering around the University a bit.
Then we took a taxi to the docks, where we met Annie, an Australian volunteer teacher from Tien Giang who is friends with Lindsay, Mr. Hoang and our tour guide, who led us onto our boat.
Getting on the boat!
First we would be heading into Phoenix Island to try out some local honey tea. Along the way, we got to just sit back and enjoy the view.
Floating restaurants
Along the way, our tour guide showed us some of the river vegetables
When we reached Phoenix Island, we stopped and got off the boat, then walked to the restaurant pavilion. There we saw a lush island with a thriving colony of bees. We strolled through the garden, finally reaching a bamboo pavilion. There we were served honey tea, fresh honey poured into a small cup and then mixed with jasmine tea, served with fresh fruit. It was absolutely delicious. While we drank honey tea a band of singers serenaded us with traditional Vietnamese songs about Ben Tre and the Mekong Delta. One of the more relaxing experiences I've had!
Annie with the honey tea and fruits
Traditional Vietnamese singers
At one point our guide asked us if we would like to see some "honey beer." I enthusiastically agreed, despite the chiding from my friends that it was only 11:00. I countered that it was Saturday and I was playing tourist, then asked the guide to show us the "honey beer."
She beckoned over one of the waiters and a local boy came running up with something that was absolutely not beer. You see, I thought she was saying "honey beer." She was in fact saying "honey bees." Lol pronunciation.
OH MY GOD BEES RUN!!! oh okay one picture, I'll just take one picture. THEN RUNNN!!!
I took so many of those photos because the vegetation is just all around you here. Everything green surrounds you, and you routinely pass coconut palms that are 30-40 feet high, chickens roam through the plants with little regard to what property they are supposed to be on. Houses seem to sporadically pop up along the road.
You are walking in a stretch of road so desolate and wild it seems that no one has lived here for decades, and then you turn the road and hear a child crying, a mom chiding and a father cursing in a giant ramshackle hut while a motorcycle with two rowdy teenagers wearing Chelsea and Bayern Munich jerseys roars past. People grow cacti-like plants here to serve as a natural barrier to any thieves, and dig moats to both protect their homes and store fish for future consumption. Taken all together, it is beautiful and overwhelming and mundane and drab at the same time.
However, viewed through a camera lens, its just a random picture of a tree.
So, I had to cull those pictures from my blog posting, and I submit to you the highlights from my camera.
Lovely ladies
Look, I found a snake!
And old man was catching fish in a trap as we passed by...
And he showed us his catch! Apparently these fish are very commonly eaten around the delta
A family graveyard, easily the nicest construction we saw in the whole village
A nice house in the village
Next to a water coconut plant that was probably 20 feet tall
Our tour guide plucks a beautiful orchid
PUPPY!
MONKEY!
PUPPY AND MONKEY!
After the tour of the island, we stopped for more honey tea and then jumped in a smaller boat to go through a small channel in the Mekong delta.
Heading into the river
Jess, handling the oar like a pro
As we cruised through the channel, all conversation slowly ceased. As the brown rivers of the Mekong parted before us, we just sat and listened to the soft breeze, the insects chirping and the drip of water from the coconut plants falling into the river. Our guide stopped telling us the names of different plants or local customs, falling silent as the Mekong showed us a hint of its tranquility and beauty.
It was so relaxing in the channel, I was sad to round the corner onto an open stretch of river. Eventually, though, we had to turn out and head towards our larger boat.
We got onto our boat and headed for Turtle Island, where we saw a coconut candy factory. Coconut candy is one of the main exports of Ben Tre province, so I was very excited to see it being made!
The coconut candy factory, with the candy dough right in front of me
The furnace, fueled by coconut shells
The women working to package the candies
They wrap and package the candies incredibly fast
It had been raining and would continue raining sporadically throughout the day, but on our boat ride to Turtle Island the rain really started coming down. The boat had a roof but the sides were uncovered, meaning we got soaked. More worryingly, the river started swelling and our tour guide insisted that we put on life jackets. Luckily, we reached Turtle Island without incident.
Jess demonstrates how not to wear a raincoat
After lunch at Turtle Island, we explored the Coconut Monk's sanctuary. Born Nguyen Thanh Nam, the highly-educated man from a wealthy family founded his own religion in late 1960 in Turtle Island, part of Ben Tre province. He followed an ascetic lifestyle, eventually only eating coconuts and water, and he meditated for days at a time, with periodic vows of silence. The religion he founded borrowed elements from Buddhism and Christianity, and he had an estimated 3,000 followers at the zenith of his popularity. He preached a constant message of peace, and his temple was considered a safe zone during the Vietnam War by both North and South Vietnamese forces.
A fascinating man, and one who I don't know nearly enough about. Unfortunately our guide wasn't able to really communicate a lot to us, but it was enough that she showed us his religious sanctuary, because it is really stunning.
Entryway
Which is more colorful, this or Cao Dai? Can't really decide
Overlooking the coconut monk's sanctuary
The urn of the coconut monk
After that, we went back to My Tho and spent the rest of the evening hanging around the city with Lindsay and Jess. It was great to catch up with them, and I hopefully will be exploring My Tho more with them or showing them Ben Tre in the future!
Sunday through this week has been relatively uneventful. Teaching has gone better this week, and the major news was Chi Diu and Chi Nga from the Fulbright program coming to visit me, which was awesome!
Chi Nga and Chi Diu, so glad to see them!
So it was great to see them and great to introduce them to everyone in the school. I can't wait to see them at the Fulbright Gala on October 5th!
Also going to Ho Chi Minh City this weekend to see my family, go to a fancy dinner and explore the city and Vung Tau with ETA friends. Yay!
Currently writing this blog in my new favorite spot, Lang Van Cafe about a ten minute bike ride away from school. It's a fantastic open-air cafe, and a great space to work and blog. I had already decided I really like this place when I heard the dulcet tones of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" blast out of the speakers. New favorite cafe. Done.
Thanks for reading guys, as a gift for making it this far I present you with this photo:
Not, one, but two kittens. You're welcome.
What's that? You want more cute animals? Sigh. Fine, but this is the last one.
Here's a dog begging for some coconut. What else do you want from me?!?!
Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll keep you posted about this weekend!
Peace,
Jefferson
Thanks for including me in the blog!
ReplyDeleteI love coconuts.
The flower is pretty.
~~Angelflower0