Hi guys!
So, quick update. My laptop had to be sent in to Ho Chi Minh City for repairs, with promises of it being back in 1-2 weeks. Luckily, the kind folks at Ben Tre College already saw fit to provide me with a desktop computer in my room, so I am able to work and I am still connected to the wider internets. It does mean, however, that I currently have no ability to transfer pictures from my camera (I don't have the Canon driver software), so this blog post will be picture less. Hopefully this all gets resolved quickly, and life can return to normal.
Anyways, time for the blog! This time, weekend updates and thoughts on the holiday season in Vietnam.
My past 3 weekends: exploring Ben Tre, exploring Vung Tau, going to Ho Chi Minh City. Let's get started!
Ben Tre:
Three weeks ago, I went on a tour of Mo Cay, one of the districts of Ben Tre. We started out by visiting a former Viet Cong stronghold in Mo Cay, reconstructed bunkers and command centers. The tunnels at Cu Chi were more impressive, but I was definitely chilled going through these structures. It was just so nerve-wracking understanding that there used to be a major Viet Cong force in Ben Tre, only about half an hour away from where I am teaching. It really underlines that the Vietnam war was fought everywhere in Vietnam, not just near major cities.
Then we went to see a pomelo packaging plant, where pomelos are packaged, cleaned and sent off around Vietnam and in Europe. It was really interesting seeing the whole process, and as a bonus the pomelos were absolutely delicious.
After that we went to see one of Mr. Thao's friend's house and orchard. To get there we had to walk down a long road that was too narrow for our van to pass through, it probably took us half an hour to walk there. I was ecstatic. The greenery was everywhere, we passed people cultivating rows of different fruits, and I kept stopping and asking what random things were. At a certain point a butterfly the size of my hand flew by and I stared at it in pure wonder. I slowed us down considerably, but I think they were okay with it.
The orchard was a huge, methodically organized place. Rows of trees, each row separated by a moat, with various bridges--some of them concrete, some of them simply a stick--crossing each moat. Rambutans, pomelos, and coconuts. A beautiful and peaceful place.
I went back that afternoon incredibly satisfied and convinced that I live in a pretty awesome province.
Vung Tau:
The next weekend Lindsay and I went to visit Jess in Vung Tau. I didn't have class on Friday, so I left at 5 am and reached Vung Tau, slightly sleep-deprived, at 9 am. We rented a motorbike, and then headed over to Jess's College to drop our stuff off.
We did some cool things in Vung Tau. We participated in Jess's English Club for teachers, we took our bikes up to the old lighthouse and we walked up a huge hill full of exercising locals to see the Vung Tau sunset over the whole city.
Mostly though, we chilled at the beach. The beach in Vung Tau is really nice, white sand and warm water. The waves were a little rough, but it was fun battling against them. Furthermore, Vietnamese people don't really like going to the beach when the sun is up (they're worried about darkening) so when we were at the beach trying to get a tan, we had the whole beach to ourselves. There are few things better than reading a book, in the sun, feeling the sand between your toes. Great weekend.
The Vung Tau trip was over too soon, hopefully I get the chance to go back and impose on Jess's hospitality soon.
Ho Chi Minh City:
So, I was only in Ho Chi Minh City for one day, went in on Friday and left on Saturday. I was there with Lindsay, and we both had some errands to run. We went shopping on Saturday, and I went to get my computer fixed on Friday. The big thing for us was the dinner on Friday night.
As a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Fulbright in Vietnam, there was a big dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. We walked into the convention center and were immediately overwhelmed by class. Everyone in suits, influential Vietnamese people who all seemed to know each other, delicious food and free-flowing wine and champagne. Lindsay and I tried to act like we belonged.
We were seated at the Consulate General's table as guests of the consulate with Chi Nga, head of the Fulbright program, several people from the Consulate General who I had met before, the Deputy Consulate General and the Consulate General himself. Pretty impressive company, and they were all very friendly. The wine and champagne definitely led to a sociable mood, and it wasn't long before we were catching up with friends as sporadic cheers were shouted regularly from different corners of the room.
After the dinner we went and explored the Ho Chi Minh City nightlife for a while with Chi Nga and Mrs. Thy, Chi Nga's friend. Mrs. Thy is incredibly friendly, and soon we were one close group of friends bouncing from bar to bar. We started at Chill, a rooftop bar that is almost overwhelmingly chic and hip. It was really cool, but drink prices were pretty steep so we headed out. We got more drinks at the cafe on the ground floor, then headed to another cafe for smoothies before heading home.
Lindsay, one of the more mellow members of our group, officially passed her ride-or-die Fulbright party induction by staying out until 2 am. Well done Lindsay, welcome to the crew.
It was a fun few weekends, and I'm looking forward to more adventures in Vietnam!
Living in Vietnam, some days it feels like someone pressed a pause button, and time has temporarily stopped progressing. The days go by quickly, it's true. Teach in the morning, lunch then nap, work in the afternoon, goof off in the evening and then it's already time to go to bed. But when you're living in south Vietnam, the world doesn't really seem to change from day to day.
The sun rises at around 5 am. It's cool in the morning, then rapidly gets viciously hot. By eleven the heat is punishing, and this continues until about two. Then the heat gradually subsides, finally getting lost in a pleasant coolness. The sun sets at around 5:45 - 6:00 pm. By 8:00 pm it's darkest night. It is like this every single day. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes it's clear. That is the only variation. It is always hot.
The trees never change, leaves never fall. The weather never gets cooler. The weather never gets hotter. People wear the same clothing every month. Coming from Boston and Chicago, this is the strangest sensation.
The place around you changes. Businesses are founded, shops go out of business, food sellers move their stalls, houses are built and buildings are torn down. But the essential structure, the bones of Southern Vietnam, never change. The leaves are always green. The weather is always hot. Some days it rains, some days it doesn't.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the holiday season. It is currently fifteen days until Christmas, and I officially cannot believe it.
Where is the snow? Where is the cold wind? Nope, it's blazing hot and the sun is actively trying to murder me. Must be July.
Where is the Christmas music? The crazy Christmas lights? The giant Christmas trees? Nope, I've only seen one Christmas tree, and it looked really out of place. No Christmas decorations, must be sometime in the summer.
It's just strange for me, because Christmas is such a HUGE part of American culture. I don't think I really appreciated how important it is in America until I got here. I mean, you have TV Christmas specials, giant Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Secret Santa, Mall Santas, non-stop Christmas music played everywhere for more than a month and every store on earth offering a Christmas discount. And honestly, that's just what I came up with off the top of my head.
And then I get here, and Christmas is...a Catholic holiday. That's it. Catholics celebrate it by going to Mass. No one else really cares.*
In some ways, this really makes me wish I was going back home for the holidays. I would love to see family and friends, and celebrate a classic New England Christmas surrounded by snow (actually, the temperature change would probably kill me). But at the same time, I think it's very educational to be away from America during the most American of holidays, if only to observe how a very different part of the world observes a holiday that is easily the most important holiday in America.
Plus, going to do my best to bring some Christmas to Ben Tre. Give me a hand here, Santa.
Peace,
Jefferson
*I should note that this is in Ben Tre. In Ho Chi Minh City I saw more decorations, and in Hanoi I'm sure there is Christmas stuff as well. In rural Vietnam? Eh, not so much.
So, quick update. My laptop had to be sent in to Ho Chi Minh City for repairs, with promises of it being back in 1-2 weeks. Luckily, the kind folks at Ben Tre College already saw fit to provide me with a desktop computer in my room, so I am able to work and I am still connected to the wider internets. It does mean, however, that I currently have no ability to transfer pictures from my camera (I don't have the Canon driver software), so this blog post will be picture less. Hopefully this all gets resolved quickly, and life can return to normal.
Anyways, time for the blog! This time, weekend updates and thoughts on the holiday season in Vietnam.
My past 3 weekends: exploring Ben Tre, exploring Vung Tau, going to Ho Chi Minh City. Let's get started!
Ben Tre:
Three weeks ago, I went on a tour of Mo Cay, one of the districts of Ben Tre. We started out by visiting a former Viet Cong stronghold in Mo Cay, reconstructed bunkers and command centers. The tunnels at Cu Chi were more impressive, but I was definitely chilled going through these structures. It was just so nerve-wracking understanding that there used to be a major Viet Cong force in Ben Tre, only about half an hour away from where I am teaching. It really underlines that the Vietnam war was fought everywhere in Vietnam, not just near major cities.
Then we went to see a pomelo packaging plant, where pomelos are packaged, cleaned and sent off around Vietnam and in Europe. It was really interesting seeing the whole process, and as a bonus the pomelos were absolutely delicious.
After that we went to see one of Mr. Thao's friend's house and orchard. To get there we had to walk down a long road that was too narrow for our van to pass through, it probably took us half an hour to walk there. I was ecstatic. The greenery was everywhere, we passed people cultivating rows of different fruits, and I kept stopping and asking what random things were. At a certain point a butterfly the size of my hand flew by and I stared at it in pure wonder. I slowed us down considerably, but I think they were okay with it.
The orchard was a huge, methodically organized place. Rows of trees, each row separated by a moat, with various bridges--some of them concrete, some of them simply a stick--crossing each moat. Rambutans, pomelos, and coconuts. A beautiful and peaceful place.
I went back that afternoon incredibly satisfied and convinced that I live in a pretty awesome province.
Vung Tau:
The next weekend Lindsay and I went to visit Jess in Vung Tau. I didn't have class on Friday, so I left at 5 am and reached Vung Tau, slightly sleep-deprived, at 9 am. We rented a motorbike, and then headed over to Jess's College to drop our stuff off.
We did some cool things in Vung Tau. We participated in Jess's English Club for teachers, we took our bikes up to the old lighthouse and we walked up a huge hill full of exercising locals to see the Vung Tau sunset over the whole city.
Mostly though, we chilled at the beach. The beach in Vung Tau is really nice, white sand and warm water. The waves were a little rough, but it was fun battling against them. Furthermore, Vietnamese people don't really like going to the beach when the sun is up (they're worried about darkening) so when we were at the beach trying to get a tan, we had the whole beach to ourselves. There are few things better than reading a book, in the sun, feeling the sand between your toes. Great weekend.
The Vung Tau trip was over too soon, hopefully I get the chance to go back and impose on Jess's hospitality soon.
Ho Chi Minh City:
So, I was only in Ho Chi Minh City for one day, went in on Friday and left on Saturday. I was there with Lindsay, and we both had some errands to run. We went shopping on Saturday, and I went to get my computer fixed on Friday. The big thing for us was the dinner on Friday night.
As a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Fulbright in Vietnam, there was a big dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. We walked into the convention center and were immediately overwhelmed by class. Everyone in suits, influential Vietnamese people who all seemed to know each other, delicious food and free-flowing wine and champagne. Lindsay and I tried to act like we belonged.
We were seated at the Consulate General's table as guests of the consulate with Chi Nga, head of the Fulbright program, several people from the Consulate General who I had met before, the Deputy Consulate General and the Consulate General himself. Pretty impressive company, and they were all very friendly. The wine and champagne definitely led to a sociable mood, and it wasn't long before we were catching up with friends as sporadic cheers were shouted regularly from different corners of the room.
After the dinner we went and explored the Ho Chi Minh City nightlife for a while with Chi Nga and Mrs. Thy, Chi Nga's friend. Mrs. Thy is incredibly friendly, and soon we were one close group of friends bouncing from bar to bar. We started at Chill, a rooftop bar that is almost overwhelmingly chic and hip. It was really cool, but drink prices were pretty steep so we headed out. We got more drinks at the cafe on the ground floor, then headed to another cafe for smoothies before heading home.
Lindsay, one of the more mellow members of our group, officially passed her ride-or-die Fulbright party induction by staying out until 2 am. Well done Lindsay, welcome to the crew.
It was a fun few weekends, and I'm looking forward to more adventures in Vietnam!
Now, a quick note on the holidays in Vietnam.
Living in Vietnam, some days it feels like someone pressed a pause button, and time has temporarily stopped progressing. The days go by quickly, it's true. Teach in the morning, lunch then nap, work in the afternoon, goof off in the evening and then it's already time to go to bed. But when you're living in south Vietnam, the world doesn't really seem to change from day to day.
The sun rises at around 5 am. It's cool in the morning, then rapidly gets viciously hot. By eleven the heat is punishing, and this continues until about two. Then the heat gradually subsides, finally getting lost in a pleasant coolness. The sun sets at around 5:45 - 6:00 pm. By 8:00 pm it's darkest night. It is like this every single day. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes it's clear. That is the only variation. It is always hot.
The trees never change, leaves never fall. The weather never gets cooler. The weather never gets hotter. People wear the same clothing every month. Coming from Boston and Chicago, this is the strangest sensation.
The place around you changes. Businesses are founded, shops go out of business, food sellers move their stalls, houses are built and buildings are torn down. But the essential structure, the bones of Southern Vietnam, never change. The leaves are always green. The weather is always hot. Some days it rains, some days it doesn't.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the holiday season. It is currently fifteen days until Christmas, and I officially cannot believe it.
Where is the snow? Where is the cold wind? Nope, it's blazing hot and the sun is actively trying to murder me. Must be July.
Where is the Christmas music? The crazy Christmas lights? The giant Christmas trees? Nope, I've only seen one Christmas tree, and it looked really out of place. No Christmas decorations, must be sometime in the summer.
It's just strange for me, because Christmas is such a HUGE part of American culture. I don't think I really appreciated how important it is in America until I got here. I mean, you have TV Christmas specials, giant Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Secret Santa, Mall Santas, non-stop Christmas music played everywhere for more than a month and every store on earth offering a Christmas discount. And honestly, that's just what I came up with off the top of my head.
And then I get here, and Christmas is...a Catholic holiday. That's it. Catholics celebrate it by going to Mass. No one else really cares.*
In some ways, this really makes me wish I was going back home for the holidays. I would love to see family and friends, and celebrate a classic New England Christmas surrounded by snow (actually, the temperature change would probably kill me). But at the same time, I think it's very educational to be away from America during the most American of holidays, if only to observe how a very different part of the world observes a holiday that is easily the most important holiday in America.
Plus, going to do my best to bring some Christmas to Ben Tre. Give me a hand here, Santa.
Peace,
Jefferson
*I should note that this is in Ben Tre. In Ho Chi Minh City I saw more decorations, and in Hanoi I'm sure there is Christmas stuff as well. In rural Vietnam? Eh, not so much.
Not being in your usual surroundings during major holiday takes incredible mental resilience.
ReplyDeleteThe visceral longing for comfort that comes with traditions (even it it is nonstop Christmas music at stores starting at Halloween!) can be easily understood by those who have been displaced, willingly or otherwise.
We Bostonians miss you and love you lots, Jefferson.