Border Crosser: Five Countries, Five Months, One Big Adventure: 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: