Apologies For The Least Articulate Post Ever

I'm stressed, okay! I am in my third week of Hanoi and have roughly 19 days left of my abroad program. Time is flying by, and we have way too much work due in the amount of time we have. I have been working on a semester long comparative analysis paper about the main drivers of food insecurity in each country we've traveled to and social protection programs working to alleviate the conflicts, and am finding myself at a bit of a loss in Hanoi (most people are finding Hanoi to be a bit difficult in that respect). Hanoi seems to be this weird oasis where locals think poverty does not exist, or is just really well hidden. The poor are for the most part pushed out into the rural areas of Vietnam or in small, haphazard informal settlements along the Red River Delta, but there isn't that “in your face poverty” that the 32 of us have become so accustomed to in our travels. As the worlds 3^rd largest rice exporter (after the US and Brazil), much of the farmland inside and outside of the city is set aside for paddy farms, resulting in a notable lack of other crops. Since Vietnam is extremely prone to natural disasters, the government keeps extensive emergency stores of rice and emphasizes the need to ensure that each family has enough rice to survive. This dependence on rice ensures that most families have enough rice to eat, but leaves families who cannot afford fresh produce or meat with little else to eat. These families are usually the rice farmers themselves, and due to governmental influence cannot switch to farming fish or shrimp, which take up less space and are more profitable. There's this cyclical process occurring where “food security” is being replaced by “rice security”, and is really fascinating to study. Now if I can only properly articulate all of this and my findings on Brazil and Cape Town into a paper that actually makes sense. But enough on all this boring stuff!

This past week I have felt a little off to be honest, and haven't been getting out into the city as much as I should be because of it. I'm not exactly sure what I have, but my streak of Weinman stubbornness when it comes to admitting defeat and visiting a doctor is preventing me from seeing one. If I don't get better in a few days I'll gussy up and make a trip, but as of now I'm just sticking to pho, rice, eggs, and tofu, especially now that Natalie and I have realized that there is fresh dog head every day at the butcher shop we pass on our way to school. Friday night, was probably the funnest night that I have had so far on this program. After a dessert of these really yummy green tea fudge block things that were so incredibly addicting, Natalie and I walked an hour to X-Men Karaoke to meet our WHOLE group for Meredith's birthday celebration. Having the option to walk places (which was nonexistent in Sao Paulo) and feeling safe enough to walk somewhere at night without fear of getting robbed (Cape Town...) has been a great way to get some exercise, clear our minds, and see the city. Upon arriving at X-Men we were shocked by the sheer size of the place and the fact that it was the thing to do on a Friday night for couples, families, and tourists alike. As we walked up the 6 flights of stairs to the top (each floor was themed of course) we arrived to the “Space Themed Floor” and were led to our karaoke room. Our classmate Carol is a huge karaoke fanatic and had put karaoke versions of all the songs we had requested onto a USB so we could sing Rihanna, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift all night. I know that we were definitely staying in our comfort zone by not venturing out into bars in the city or meeting more locals, but it really was great to be able to let lose, drink $1 beers, and sing “Juicy” by Biggie with everyone. Another great thing about Hanoi is that there is a strict curfew for most places serving alcohol to close at 12am, so Natalie and I were snug in our beds by 11:45pm. My kind of night.

Saturday we were woken up by our bratty ass host sister knocking down our door alerting us that breakfast was ready. Our sister is really sweet, but she is pretty abusive to her mother and grandparents, and is addicted to her computer and television. I will admit that I was bad as a kid, but she is something else. We sat down and ate bahn cuon (steamed rice noodles) which is my favorite breakfast and watched some Phineas and Ferb until around noon. Natalie was feeling a bit ill so she stayed home and I walked about an hour along West Lake to meet up with Allegra. We spent the day peddling around West Lake on swan boats, visiting a few temples, and eating these potato chip things on sticks. Allegra managed to find Tabasco at a store in the city which we had both missed greatly. I know it sounds like all I do is try different food here, but I promise I am doing other things! While sitting around the lake we were harassed a few times by women selling bananas and postcards, which is something that is a little difficult to get used to. I feel like appearance-wise I blended in pretty well in Sao Paulo and Cape Town, but of course as hard as I try I cannot here. People stop and stare all the time at us, will come up to us and take pictures of and/or with us without asking, and we get yelled at a lot by people milling around on the streets. I'm sure most of it is in good fun, but it does get a little old after a while. These women were just trying to get a few extra dong, but lots of people on my program get hardcore guilt-tripped to pay more for things because we are American.

Tuesday was a DIY day, and a bunch of us trekked to Zone 9 near the Old Quarter to get some work done. Zone 9 is this incredibly cool industrial area five minutes from the Opera House that has been repurposed for the arts in the city. This little enclave is now bursting at the seams with French style cafes, consignment stores, art galleries, photography studios, and bars. When we walked into this hip cafe that served Vietnamese coffee in mason jars and had tables bursting with succulents we knew we had found our own little oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. I really do love this city, but it's incredibly nice to find a productive space that reminds you a bit of home. Since I have the attention span of a goldfish I managed to write maybe four sentences in the span of 4 hours and instead researched places to CouchSurf during my backpacking trip, but that's besides the point. I also blame my lack of focus on the gaggle of students that poured into the cafe to sing karaoke at 12:30 in the afternoon. One girl did manage to preform a rousing rendition of Rihanna's  “Stay”, which was acceptable I suppose. OH and another thing! This is a gross generalization, but I think I can safely say that Vietnamese culture appears to be OBSESSED with taking pictures of themselves. I know us American's are ones to talk with our “selfies” and SnapChats, but everywhere we go people are having their significant others, family members, or friends snap pictures of them. “Oh, you're standing by the lake that you drive by literally everyday? Let me take your picture”. “Oh, you're just sitting here on the steps of the Opera House? That warrants a photoshoot”. “You're drinking coffee in a cafe that you come to everyday? Picture time!”. It's incredibly weird to observe, and it's not just because I have an inferiority complex and get anxious when I see 12 year olds carting around $20,000 cameras. Point of this rant is that all these kids were taking photos in the coffee shop and I got super distracted and decided to mosey over next door to check out some clothes in the shop next door. While we were trying on clothes we heard a BANG and then the lights went out inside the shop. Confused, we walked outside of the shop and saw smoke literally pouring out of another coffee shop a few shops town. People ran into the street and engaged a few fire hoses that were coiled on a pillar outside for general use. One didn't work and the other was firing weak at best. Around 45 minutes later (if that) a firetruck came and the area was closed off. To us ignorant bystanders it had looked as if it was a very smoky but controlled fire, but unfortunately 6 people lost their lives. While I feel awful for the families of those who lost their lives, I cannot help but feel thankful for the privilege that many of us have of feeling safe in America. If a fire of this scale were to occur in a coffee shop in Washington, D.C., firetrucks would respond almost instantaneously, more lives would probably have been saved, and there would still be outrage for months to come. For a fire that claimed 6 lives in Vietnam's capitol it received a bit of coverage on the nightly news and a meager news write up. I'm headed back to Zone 9 tomorrow to do some more work and can only hope that the physical damage of the fire hasn't completely changed the face of this urban oasis. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the fire on the lives of those who were directly affected is something that can't be fixed. 

On a more positive note, here are some pictures:

My adorable little host brother

Big city/little boat

Legz and I take on the city

Bootyful

My living room (as if y'all cared...) 

Our amazing grandfather

Our street!

Clothing store in Zone 9 (preach doe)

The fire in Zone 9

Hoppin' Around Hanoi

Midway into week two of Hanoi, and I am just as amazed by this city as I was the first day we arrived. My roommate Natalie and I spent the better part of last week getting to know our host family a bit better, and have become a lot closer with our mother and her sister, who both speak English. A common theme that my fellow students and I have picked up on is that our host families here are VERY interested in learning/improving their English and do not have any qualms about hiding it. Allegra's family is an extreme and are trying to pawn her and Kiana off to another family for two weeks so their children can learn, but most families are just very interested in asking questions, having conversations, and learning more about America. Natalie and I ran into a bit of an awkward situation Saturday evening where our mom wanted an English lesson and got a bit frustrated towards the end because she wasn't learning as fast as she expected. We tried to explain that we have really never taught English before, especially formalized lessons, but I think our apologies were a bit lost on her. Everything is fine now though, and I think she, Natalie, and I are working towards better understanding each others conceptions of the whole “homestay process”, what's realistic and what is not.

But anyways, back to the weekend. Friday night Natalie and I stayed in (what's new, I'm INCREDIBLY lame abroad) and woke up Saturday morning and traveled to a cafe on West Lake with our sister, our mother, her sister, and their cousin for coffee and ice cream. A thing that's a bit hard to get used to in Vietnam is their coffee. I'm used to drinking my coffee either black or nabbing a latte, but the coffee here is brewed with tons of sugar and loaded with sweetened condensed milk. In fact, I'm under the impression that all milk here is sweet to some extent and Natalie and I had an awkward time explaining to our mother that we don't drink milk, especially sweet milk, confounding her claim that “In all commercials of America I see, everyone is drinking big glasses of milk”.After the cafe we were whisked away to a temple (this sounds AWFUL but its a week in and I have seen so many that I can't keep the names straight), where we milled around for a bit and took pictures. We then grabbed a quick lunch of snails, fried shrimp, and veggies and headed home. After some much needed decompression time in our beds, our family decided that we were to go to the Night Market in the Old Quarter and walk around for a bit. I had expected to get some good souvenir shopping done and halfway through our cab ride there realized that I had left my wallet at home. It was for the best though, because as soon as we got there we realized that 95% of the things there were knockoff, cheap, or “Made in China” crap. The market was unique in the fact though that it starts at 9pm and runs throughout the night, bringing in tourists and locals alike to nab some of the best deals they can find at an hour thats most convenient to them. While we didn't buy anything, it was still nice to walk around and eat some delicious sesame and bean patties and fruit beams with the family. After the market our family decided to treat us to a cyclo ride around Joan Kim Lake like the good tourists we are, and I am not embarrassed to say that I had a ball whipping around street corners and weaving in-between motorbikes on a three-wheeled bicycle. I haven't been on a motorbike yet, but it made me a bit less nervous to take on the road.

Sunday we left the house at 8am with the host family, grabbed a quick bowl of pho around the corner, and headed to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. I had no idea what to expect when we got there, but boy oh boy was it an experience. Although its free to go in and pay your respects to the very dead Ho Chi Minh, you must wait in a ten minute security line in order to give up any camera or recording device you have, and then wait another fifteen minutes in a second line to get into the behemoth sized tomb. Under the watchful eye of the military officers stationed around the building, you silently shuffle around this class case where Ho Chi Minh was laid to rest in 1969. I wish I could convey to y'all via blog just alive he looked but I could do it no justice. Let me just say it looked like he could wake up at any minute he was so perfectly preserved. Afterwards we walked around the Presidential Palace grounds where our host dad travels to every day to pick up the Head of State, and then took a trip to the beautiful Temple of Literature. Since the temple is the oldest university in Hanoi, current university students come every year to rub the old stone tablets for good luck on their finals. The day we were there it was college graduation and students were milling about in their graduation gowns, taking pictures of each other and celebrating.

I'm skipping ahead to Tuesday just to give a brief overview of the most amazing site visit that I have been on so far in this program. A third of us students had the opportunity to tour Blue Dragon, which is an Australian non-profit dedicated to rescuing street kids, children who have ben trafficked to garment factories in China, and girls who have been trafficked to Chinese brothels. Their CEO Michael is an Aussie born and bred, but moved to Hanoi after college to teach English. Every day walking home from work he would take a coffee break and found himself frequently approached by street kids offering to shine his shoes. Growing up poor, he found himself uncomfortable at the idea of letting these kids pamper him, and instead offered to buy them a meal and get to know them better. His interest in helping these street kids got him involved in Blue Dragon, and now himself and his staff of 65 run a shelter/safe space for street kids as well as conduct rescue missions for those who are trafficked across the border. Basically, these girls are tricked by boyfriends or friends to houses where those who are running these trafficking rings are hiding and are brought over the border to brothels. If they eventually get a chance to use a phone, they usually first call their mother and then their mother calls the Blue Dragon. Blue Dragon then sets up a STING type operation where they cross the border into China, find where these girls are, and then in a very small window end up rushing the place and rescuing the girls. They have had an 100% success rate, and are surprisingly partially funded by the US State Department as a part of their JTIP (Justice Trafficking In Persons) program. I could go on and on about how amazing these people are, but a point I found particularly salient was when the culture of human trafficking in America was brought up. Dismayed, Michael lamented that “if America can't stop it, what chances do other countries have”. Many of the organizations we have met with during this program frame their issues as either non-existent in America, or glamourize the work they are doing/the time it takes to reach their goals. As depressing as a realization this is, his proclamation just goes to show the issues that are being swept under the rug in America, yet acknowledged and publicized by the government in other countries.

Host sister and aunt just sippin' on some coffee 

Fisherman at West Lake

Fineshrine 

Turtle Tower at night

Ho Chi Minh is in there!

We are giants here. 

Graduation day at the Temple of Literature

I think it is also very necessary to acknowledge the recent storm that hit the Philippines and Vietnam for a bit in this blog post since Sunday night and Monday were clouded by fear, apprehension, and uneasinesses for all during Typhoon Haiyan. Early Sunday morning we were informed by email that classes were to be cancelled Monday due to an almost “imminent threat of flooding” within the city and our whole program was really nervous, as lame as that may sound. Natalie and I spent Sunday night glued to the television in horror, watching the situation in the Philippines unfold and repeatedly refreshing our internet browsers to assess the storms threat on Vietnam. It started raining around 11am Sunday, and we fell asleep listening to the wind howling and rain pouring that night. When we woke up Monday morning we expected to see flooded streets, downed powerlines, and empty roads. This was not the case at all and we can thankfully say that albeit for some flooding in a few areas, Hanoi was spared from Haiyan. I can only imagine the struggle that families in Cebu or Tacloban are facing currently, and my deepest condolences go out to anyone and everyone who was affected by this disaster. Although I have no right to compare my experience with the experience of the families directly affected by the storm, being so close to a natural disaster of this magnitude was an experience that was both eye-opening and terrifying. I am ashamed to admit that when I am in America, it is quite easy for me to acknowledge natural disasters such as these and then quickly replace my feelings about them with trivial things such as papers, work, or gossip. America is so uniquely geographically situated and is fairly safe from natural disasters of this magnitude, making storms such as these completely unrelatable to most because, quite simply, our lives are not on the line. While my life was not at all in danger, this was the first time I felt close to a natural disaster, and the feelings I experienced of complete powerlessness and lack of control during the storm were emotions that were foreign to me in this respect. Our program had an evacuation plan in place in case the storm reached a certain level of danger that consisted of the 35 of us packing our bags and flying our of harms way to China (that's basically all we were told...) which did not sit well with any of us. The fact that we had the option to escape a disaster, leaving our host-families, Vietnamese professors, and friends to suffer the inevitable, speaks highly to the amount of privilege we as Americans hold. As hard as we “globalized citizens” try to assimilate into the place of anywhere we travel, and as earnest as our desires to better understand another cultures way of life are, I would argue that this is impossible when we have the privilege to escape, a fact that I have taken for granted until this moment.This feeling of privilege is one that I have been struggling with throughout our travels, but it hit me the hardest during this disaster.

 

Pho-nomenal Vietnam (hehehe)

Okay okay, so I have only been in Hanoi for four days but I am absolutely in love with the city. After a wretched 36 hours of travel (flight from Cape Town →Johannesburg →Doha →Bangkok →Hanoi) we finally landed and drove into the city from the airport, passing rice paddy fields, yaks, and hundreds of thousands of motorbikes. I don't know how to explain how I feel about Hanoi exactly, but the motorbike brigades, air pollution, and overpopulation of the communist state are easy to forget for a little when one is surrounded by friendly people, delicious food, and trees (yes, there are trees everywhere unlike freaking Sao Paulo!).

Because of the less than ideal family situation in Langa, and Natalie's pretty crappy homestay in Bo-Kaap, we were pretty nervous to meet the family that is going to be hosting us until the programs conclusion on December 7^th. Karma is in our favor though, and I can safely say we have probably the coolest family known to man. We live on Hoang Hoa Tham, which is a long street near the massive freshwater lake Hoy Tay. Most streets here are known for the three or four goods that they specialize in, and ours happens to be the woodworking, tree, fish, and bird street. Our house is five stories, with a living room and kitchen on the first floor, a bedroom and bathroom for our grandparents on the second floor, the same setup for Natalie and I on the third, the same for our parents and siblings on the fourth, and a shrine and laundry room on the fifth. We don't have dining room table (which seems to be pretty common here), so for dinner all eight of us crowd around a mat on the floor and feast on tofu, veggies, eggs, rice, fruits, soups, etc. My family was perfectly fine with me being a vegetarian, once I explained to them what that meant, and they have been making some bomb dishes. I feel guilty that I don't remember the names of my family members because they are so sweet! Our host dad is a security officer of some sort who protects the head of state here in Hanoi, and is like the go-to guy when foreign dignitaries come to town. He has picked up John Kerry, Bill Clinton, and is nabbing Vladimir Putin next week...! Our mother is a financial advisor at a non-profit called One Reason that I think works towards improving residents quality of life in what she calls “the poorest province” in Vietnam. We have an 8-year-old host sister who seems bratty but is warming up to us, and a 12-year-old brother who is really shy but adorable. Our grandfather fought in the Vietnam War and lost part of his hearing during an airstrike, and our grandmother is this kickass lady who is super goofy and friendly. Our host mother is the only one in the home who really speaks English, and is really excited to practice with us whenever possible. Our presence here feels more like a tradeoff instead of a monetary transaction, and I think that we are all genuinely excited to learn about each others culture. It is also their first time hosting students, so they are really intent on showing us the city, taking us to markets, and taking a trip to our host aunts country house one weekend.

The hustle and bustle of the city has been a bit tough to get used to, but I think by the time we leave the chaos that is constant once one walks out their front door will be nothing more than a small nuisance. On Monday, myself and three other students were faced with the task of exploring our neighborhood and made plans to meet at an arbitrary street corner we found on the map at 10 am. As soon as we starting walking we knew it was going to take us longer than we expected. Motorbikes here are the main form of transportation and own the streets, meaning that if you want to cross you have to wait for forever until there is a break in traffic, or suck it up, weave in between bikes, and hope that they dodge you in time. Sidewalks are pretty much non-existent here and restaurants, traders, and even motorbikes command any and all open sidewalk space. This means you basically walk in the road and pray you don't get hit. I took a nasty spill and busted my knee while we were trying to find our friends because I didn't notice a curb or something. ANYWAYS, we finally found our friends at the assigned corner, which turned out to be adjacent to a tiny little lake. Inside of this lake is a giant piece of an airplane, which turned out to be a piece of a B-52 plane from the “US Imperialist Strategic Air Raid ” that the Vietnamese army shot down in 1972. Happening upon this little piece of history made me really excited to learn more about the Vietnamese ethos surrounding the war and hear their opinions. After stopping at Cafe B-52 for some delicious avocado smoothies we stumbled upon the Hanoi Botanical Garden and spent the rest of the day walking around, admiring the peacocks, and napping off jetlag.

Tuesday was pretty standard. Natalie and I walked to school, which is about a 25 minute walk, presented on our neighborhood, and then we all took a trip to the Vietnam History Museum. To be honest, the tour was pretty boring and our guides seemed to hold a lot of information back from us about the history of the country which I don't know if I should attribute to the fact that we are American or the language barrier. After the tour a few of us walked around the Old Quarter of the city and Ho Hoan Kiem lake, which is a big attraction for tourists and locals alike. Tons of women were taking pictures with their men on the banks of the lake, all gussied up in these white dresses and black pant outfits. It was too adorable. OH, and I got a bowl of Pho for 15,000 dong, which is like 75 cents or something ridiculous like that. We then helped our mom with English for a bit by identifying kitchen supplies and then passed the hell out.

Yesterday was by far my favorite. We had a free afternoon, so myself, Hayley, and Natalie decided to treat ourselves and found a massage parlor. I've never gotten a massage before, and by the end I realized for 200,000 dong it was totally worth it. I feel more relaxed than ever, and have most of the kinks I've accumulated from traveling all sorted out. After dinner our host mother suggested we take a walk with our grandmother around West Lake. We thought it would be a short, 20 minute walk, but it ended up taking over two hours. She took us past tons of cute cafes along the river where couples were posted up cuddling on their motorbikes, temples, groups dancing in the park, The Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and this place that has delicious 7,000 dong coconut ice cream cones. We came back home embarrassingly exhausted and once again passed out.

I'm not sure what I'm doing this weekend but I'm sure it will be fun. And cheap, which is most important! I should also probably devote some time to learning vietnamese, but I at least know thank you, sorry, and vegetarian which are the three most important words in my book!

Quick selfie in Qatar

And the journey begins!

B-52 Lake

The Hanoi Botanical Gardens!

Typical Lunch! 

Tran Quoc Temple

Traffic but not really.  

My sassy ass host sister