I arrived safely and with all luggage intact at BWI very early on Tuesday morning. Checking into ORD was really easy, they let me take the picture with frames as carry-on and United didn't charge me for the third bag! Hooray all around!!
The transition back to the US was as if I'd never left; I drove home from the airport and it wasn't too weird. It was just like coming home from school when I was in Chicago or Philly - no big deal! The best thing about coming home was seeing my parents, eating cheese, and watching the birds and squirrels fight over the bird feeder on our deck. It feels like I've gone to the countryside!
Anyways now the fun "back to reality" stuff starts. Calling health insurance to make sure I'm covered for next year, worrying about financial aid, making bill payments, running errands, unpacking and packing again, laundry...all to get ready for the roadtrip and new life in Las Vegas!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
last year
This time last year, I was in London!
Running around Picadilly's Circus and Hampton Court Palace with Claudia, Sonal, Christopher Martin, and my family!!
and of course, Kings Cross!
What fun that was...and then a few days later, I went to Wimbledon, aiaiaia!!!!
Running around Picadilly's Circus and Hampton Court Palace with Claudia, Sonal, Christopher Martin, and my family!!
and of course, Kings Cross!
What fun that was...and then a few days later, I went to Wimbledon, aiaiaia!!!!
it it wrong
that my first real meal outside of Vietnam was at McDonald's?
ahaha but it was delicious.
ahaha but it was delicious.
10 hours at Seoul Incheon Airport
well, t minus 10 hours!
My motto of "buy now, worry about packing later" and its results:
Apparently I have become a very bad international traveler - I planned to check in 3 bags into my Asiana flight to Chicago O'Hare (by way of Seoul Incheon) and have my backpack and the painting with frames as carry on. Technically only 2 bags are allowed to be checked in, but em Na's mother knows the director of Asiana in HCMC and we all went to the office in Diamond Plaza and I got permission from him to have a third bag, 23 kgs each piece. Sweet deal since an extra bag costs over $100. Though I will still have to pay once I am in Chicago and have to check into my United flight to Baltimore...but here's the kicker: I already checked in and went through immigration and security told me that my frames were not allowed on the plane.
WHAT?! It's not the size, because other people had longer or bigger items. Pieces of wood? Urgh, em Thao and I had just talked about it as she helped me pack and we both laughed at the notion that it would be considered a weapon. I guess, well whatever, can't argue when they say go back. Except now I would have 4 pieces of checked luggage but again Asiana waived a fee. And I just hope and pray that I can either take this onto the United flight or fit it into my luggage, because paying for 2 extra checked luggage will make me really sad.
Sheesh, maybe it's just from traveling alone, but it was too stressful of a situation and my mom had to calm me down as I talked to her while waiting for my flight to Seoul.
Haha I had sticker shock at the SGN airport, $3 for a bottle of 500 ml water, $3 for croissant, $10 for box of chocolates, $6 for sandwich - it's going to be hard to adjust when just last night I had paid...yeah okay best not to think about it now...!!
I arrived at Incheon a bit after 8 am and quickly found my way to the "Rest and Relax" area so I could pass out for a few more hours. Seoul is 2 hours ahead of HCMC so I was really tired even through I slept the whole flight.
So I paid $3 for my 500 ml of water but then here in Seoul was not able to take it through the airport after the security check-point for my transfer. Poopie, just bought it at the SGN airport! Anyways, Incheon is a super nice airport, with computers and wireless internet available, a resting lounge, and lots of light and space...and tons of shopping.
Alrighty now just about 6 hours to go!
It's 12:44 am on Monday, June 29 EST time and I will arrive 11:50 pm tonight!!
My motto of "buy now, worry about packing later" and its results:
Apparently I have become a very bad international traveler - I planned to check in 3 bags into my Asiana flight to Chicago O'Hare (by way of Seoul Incheon) and have my backpack and the painting with frames as carry on. Technically only 2 bags are allowed to be checked in, but em Na's mother knows the director of Asiana in HCMC and we all went to the office in Diamond Plaza and I got permission from him to have a third bag, 23 kgs each piece. Sweet deal since an extra bag costs over $100. Though I will still have to pay once I am in Chicago and have to check into my United flight to Baltimore...but here's the kicker: I already checked in and went through immigration and security told me that my frames were not allowed on the plane.
WHAT?! It's not the size, because other people had longer or bigger items. Pieces of wood? Urgh, em Thao and I had just talked about it as she helped me pack and we both laughed at the notion that it would be considered a weapon. I guess, well whatever, can't argue when they say go back. Except now I would have 4 pieces of checked luggage but again Asiana waived a fee. And I just hope and pray that I can either take this onto the United flight or fit it into my luggage, because paying for 2 extra checked luggage will make me really sad.
Sheesh, maybe it's just from traveling alone, but it was too stressful of a situation and my mom had to calm me down as I talked to her while waiting for my flight to Seoul.
Haha I had sticker shock at the SGN airport, $3 for a bottle of 500 ml water, $3 for croissant, $10 for box of chocolates, $6 for sandwich - it's going to be hard to adjust when just last night I had paid...yeah okay best not to think about it now...!!
I arrived at Incheon a bit after 8 am and quickly found my way to the "Rest and Relax" area so I could pass out for a few more hours. Seoul is 2 hours ahead of HCMC so I was really tired even through I slept the whole flight.
So I paid $3 for my 500 ml of water but then here in Seoul was not able to take it through the airport after the security check-point for my transfer. Poopie, just bought it at the SGN airport! Anyways, Incheon is a super nice airport, with computers and wireless internet available, a resting lounge, and lots of light and space...and tons of shopping.
Alrighty now just about 6 hours to go!
It's 12:44 am on Monday, June 29 EST time and I will arrive 11:50 pm tonight!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Last night in Vietnam!
Wow, two and a half months has really gone by fast. At this time tomorrow night I will be at the airport, checking in my huge bags and saying goodbye to Chu Dung. Now I know a bit more Vietnamese (elementary Vietnamese rockstar!) and have a really bad sandals tan, but still I wish I was able to take the next level of classes. I am a bit jealous of Keisuke, em Na, and my other classmates because of this.
It has been really great and I think what I will miss most are the people. Culture and food aside, whenever I asked other travelers what they like about Vietnam, always one answer is "the people". They are kind and generous with their time and energy. If it was the reverse situation, I don't know if I could be as generous? I feel like there are too many excuses we use: not enough time, I want to watch my tv show, it's too far, it's not what I want to do, whatever.
And maybe because we are tourists, we are sensitive to this (and also perhaps some are too kind, especially when they want money) but I do think that it is different than any other country. People here want to know, it's about community. Where are you from? What do you do here? How old are you? And always...do you have a boyfriend or husband?
And the people are everywhere: eating, sleeping, drinking coffee, resting, working. People are hired to open doors for you at the shopping centers, parking lot attendants for even the smallest restaurants and stores, security guards for hotels, banks, etc at night...it's awesome just the humanity that you see here. No waiting in line at the post office (omg it's fantastic!). And in the lobby of my hotel room in Nha Trang? 5 workers! At the shopping mall, there are 2 to 3 people per every counter. They are ready to pounce if you even think of buying something. Someone's always there, where ever you are, whenever you need anything.
It's people that drive this country.
I will also miss:
- displays of affection and friendship between two people is okay between two men or two women, any age
- seeing people hanging out at the park and watching the older people exercise and stretch
- not being addicted to what's on the news right now. No more 24 hour CNN.
- the relief we all get when it's rainy and cool; even on motorbikes it doesn't feel like a damper to the afternoon
- seriously, not having to wait in line for things is wonderful!
- abundance of fruit and delicious fruit drinks and desserts
- watching people carry crazy things via motorbike: aquarium, small fridge, 6 boxes of Heineken beer, a family of four...a dog??
- where honking is so common it's message is less "Eff you, jerkface" and more "I'm here!"
- Asian babies, because they are the cutest
I realize now that I have not worn a seat belt for over two months. And I really appreciate our dental health care and hygiene.
I am also ready and looking forward to seeing my family, for cooler weather, an actual closet and my own home. Not having to worry "will this place make me sick?". Mom's home cooking and Dad's singing and laughter. Doing my own laundry (odd, no?). Going to the library and Costco. Being able to know exactly where to shop, not bargaining, and being able to drive myself there.
Alas it is on to the next chapter: Vegas and med school!
It has been really great and I think what I will miss most are the people. Culture and food aside, whenever I asked other travelers what they like about Vietnam, always one answer is "the people". They are kind and generous with their time and energy. If it was the reverse situation, I don't know if I could be as generous? I feel like there are too many excuses we use: not enough time, I want to watch my tv show, it's too far, it's not what I want to do, whatever.
And maybe because we are tourists, we are sensitive to this (and also perhaps some are too kind, especially when they want money) but I do think that it is different than any other country. People here want to know, it's about community. Where are you from? What do you do here? How old are you? And always...do you have a boyfriend or husband?
And the people are everywhere: eating, sleeping, drinking coffee, resting, working. People are hired to open doors for you at the shopping centers, parking lot attendants for even the smallest restaurants and stores, security guards for hotels, banks, etc at night...it's awesome just the humanity that you see here. No waiting in line at the post office (omg it's fantastic!). And in the lobby of my hotel room in Nha Trang? 5 workers! At the shopping mall, there are 2 to 3 people per every counter. They are ready to pounce if you even think of buying something. Someone's always there, where ever you are, whenever you need anything.
It's people that drive this country.
I will also miss:
- displays of affection and friendship between two people is okay between two men or two women, any age
- seeing people hanging out at the park and watching the older people exercise and stretch
- not being addicted to what's on the news right now. No more 24 hour CNN.
- the relief we all get when it's rainy and cool; even on motorbikes it doesn't feel like a damper to the afternoon
- seriously, not having to wait in line for things is wonderful!
- abundance of fruit and delicious fruit drinks and desserts
- watching people carry crazy things via motorbike: aquarium, small fridge, 6 boxes of Heineken beer, a family of four...a dog??
- where honking is so common it's message is less "Eff you, jerkface" and more "I'm here!"
- Asian babies, because they are the cutest
I realize now that I have not worn a seat belt for over two months. And I really appreciate our dental health care and hygiene.
I am also ready and looking forward to seeing my family, for cooler weather, an actual closet and my own home. Not having to worry "will this place make me sick?". Mom's home cooking and Dad's singing and laughter. Doing my own laundry (odd, no?). Going to the library and Costco. Being able to know exactly where to shop, not bargaining, and being able to drive myself there.
Alas it is on to the next chapter: Vegas and med school!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Long Xuyen
Friday, June 19, 2009
I left with Cau Giang (Chu Dung's nephew) in the afternoon to catch a MaiLinh express bus to Long Xuyen, my mom's hometown. I still have some extended family there, and would be staying with an aunt, travel around and meet family, and then come back to HCMC on Sunday evening. A really quick trip, considering it takes about 5 hours by bus (though less crazy than the trip to Bac Lieu), but it was worth it to see this side of my family that I'd never met before.
This bus to Long Xuyen was one of the larger charter buses and it was quite nice, though a bit more difficult to sleep in than the buses I take from PHL to DC and NYC, I think because the extra leg room make it harder to put your legs up. But the trip was fine, we again took a ferry to cross a large river, and on the other side was Long Xuyen, a rather large city just west of Can Tho.
My mom's father was one of five brothers, and he was brother #7 (Ong bay = literally Mr. 7). Ong Thu (#4) and Ong Nam (#5) are the only siblings still alive, but many children of these siblings are still in Long Xuyen. I stayed with Di Dung (Aunt Dung) and her family, she is the daughter of Ong Sau (#6), I believe, and when he passed away, she lived with my mom's family and that is why they are very close. Di Dung has three children, but my aunt took one of them as her own when she came to the US. But now, cousin Dennis (who was 10 at the time) can only speak English and has lost a connection back to his family. He has married and his children are half Vietnamese and half Hispanic but can only speak English.
I understand fully now the importance of keeping with your heritage and culture, so much history is in the language itself!
Saturday was spent walking around and visiting all of the relatives. Ong Nam really reminded me of my grandfather, and he has 11 children and many grand-children, many of which still live in Long Xuyen. We had dinner that night with some family on Ong Nam and there were about 30 people (lots of kids), and it was absolutely crazy to know that they were all family. I had normally thought of the "family" as small since my mom and dad don't have very many siblings combined and there aren't so many cousins.
In English, they would be called "extended" or "distant" family and relatives, but it was clear that at dinner, "distant" was not the right word. In English, they still called me "sister" and invited me to travel with them to Nha Trang. Sadly I had to say no since I will be back in US by then - but imagine, traveling with 40 family members! I wish I could have gone!!
I was sad that my mom's old school was not there anymore (new school built in its place), and my grandfather's land after the war had been claimed by the government. A large government building and state-owned gas station are in its place.
It was incredible to see this side of my family, I hadn't really even heard many stories about them; but I'm so glad that I was able to see them and speak just a little bit of Vietnamese with everyone. I really hope that I can come back and see everyone again.
I left with Cau Giang (Chu Dung's nephew) in the afternoon to catch a MaiLinh express bus to Long Xuyen, my mom's hometown. I still have some extended family there, and would be staying with an aunt, travel around and meet family, and then come back to HCMC on Sunday evening. A really quick trip, considering it takes about 5 hours by bus (though less crazy than the trip to Bac Lieu), but it was worth it to see this side of my family that I'd never met before.
This bus to Long Xuyen was one of the larger charter buses and it was quite nice, though a bit more difficult to sleep in than the buses I take from PHL to DC and NYC, I think because the extra leg room make it harder to put your legs up. But the trip was fine, we again took a ferry to cross a large river, and on the other side was Long Xuyen, a rather large city just west of Can Tho.
My mom's father was one of five brothers, and he was brother #7 (Ong bay = literally Mr. 7). Ong Thu (#4) and Ong Nam (#5) are the only siblings still alive, but many children of these siblings are still in Long Xuyen. I stayed with Di Dung (Aunt Dung) and her family, she is the daughter of Ong Sau (#6), I believe, and when he passed away, she lived with my mom's family and that is why they are very close. Di Dung has three children, but my aunt took one of them as her own when she came to the US. But now, cousin Dennis (who was 10 at the time) can only speak English and has lost a connection back to his family. He has married and his children are half Vietnamese and half Hispanic but can only speak English.
I understand fully now the importance of keeping with your heritage and culture, so much history is in the language itself!
Saturday was spent walking around and visiting all of the relatives. Ong Nam really reminded me of my grandfather, and he has 11 children and many grand-children, many of which still live in Long Xuyen. We had dinner that night with some family on Ong Nam and there were about 30 people (lots of kids), and it was absolutely crazy to know that they were all family. I had normally thought of the "family" as small since my mom and dad don't have very many siblings combined and there aren't so many cousins.
In English, they would be called "extended" or "distant" family and relatives, but it was clear that at dinner, "distant" was not the right word. In English, they still called me "sister" and invited me to travel with them to Nha Trang. Sadly I had to say no since I will be back in US by then - but imagine, traveling with 40 family members! I wish I could have gone!!
I was sad that my mom's old school was not there anymore (new school built in its place), and my grandfather's land after the war had been claimed by the government. A large government building and state-owned gas station are in its place.
It was incredible to see this side of my family, I hadn't really even heard many stories about them; but I'm so glad that I was able to see them and speak just a little bit of Vietnamese with everyone. I really hope that I can come back and see everyone again.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday night outing
haha what a crazy day I planned for today!
Since I'm leaving for Long Xuyen (my mom's hometown, going to see some extended family) tomorrow and then leaving for the US shortly after that, Chu Dung wanted to host a dinner for some of my new Vietnam friends. What a great way to say thanks and bye to my new friends!
In the afternoon, I met up with Keisuke and YoungJi at Parkson Plaza across from the medical school (126 Hung Vuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City); it's a huge shopping center than sells all the name brand stuff, cosmetics, handbags and shoes, women and mens clothes, kids stuff, etc. Some of the prices are more expensive than in the US, but I suppose you could find some good deals there. There's also one floor of food court, one floor for a gym (which was completely enclosed in glass and looked really cool), and a movie theater on the top, 7th floor.
We got some bubble tea and walked around the mall. Em Na met us later and we all got tickets for the 3:15 show of the new "Star Trek" movie - only 60,000D because it was a matinee showing before 3:30 pm. That's only $3, so for sure I was going to see a movie here in Vietnam before I left. And the movie theater and seating was great, just in like in the US. Although the popcorn is sweet and sticky, not the salty kind that YoungJi and I were expecting to taste =/ boo!
Loved the movie more than I expected too, and everyone else seemed to have a good time. YoungJi said she really enjoyed it and hoped to see again with Korean subtitles so she could fully get the whole movie.
For dinner we headed out to district three and met up with Chu Dung, Chi Cindy, Chi Linh, Chuong, and MooYoung (student from class). We had a great meal of seafood, meats and rice, and it was fun to see all my friends from different parts of my Vietnamese life at the same time.
L to R: Chuong (mom's friend from US that travels back and forth between VN and USA, finishing up MBA in Vietnam, and really helped me plan my trip here), Chu Dung (my host), me, and Chi Cindy (former coworker of Chu Dung, we went to Vung Tau together, and since then we have become friends).
After dinner we walked over to Cafe Soi Da (went there a few times with Chuong and once with anh Khanh) to enjoy some dessert. I also brought along some chocolates to share, the little chocolate liqueur bottles and we had a blast giving the Vietnamese Cheer "YO!" and taking our shots of chocolate. Thought sometimes they were so melted because of the heat, so it was a bit messy to eat them...
With YoungJi and MooYoung.
A good way to celebrate the trip with friends and say bye!
pictures from Thursday
Since I'm leaving for Long Xuyen (my mom's hometown, going to see some extended family) tomorrow and then leaving for the US shortly after that, Chu Dung wanted to host a dinner for some of my new Vietnam friends. What a great way to say thanks and bye to my new friends!
In the afternoon, I met up with Keisuke and YoungJi at Parkson Plaza across from the medical school (126 Hung Vuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City); it's a huge shopping center than sells all the name brand stuff, cosmetics, handbags and shoes, women and mens clothes, kids stuff, etc. Some of the prices are more expensive than in the US, but I suppose you could find some good deals there. There's also one floor of food court, one floor for a gym (which was completely enclosed in glass and looked really cool), and a movie theater on the top, 7th floor.
We got some bubble tea and walked around the mall. Em Na met us later and we all got tickets for the 3:15 show of the new "Star Trek" movie - only 60,000D because it was a matinee showing before 3:30 pm. That's only $3, so for sure I was going to see a movie here in Vietnam before I left. And the movie theater and seating was great, just in like in the US. Although the popcorn is sweet and sticky, not the salty kind that YoungJi and I were expecting to taste =/ boo!
Loved the movie more than I expected too, and everyone else seemed to have a good time. YoungJi said she really enjoyed it and hoped to see again with Korean subtitles so she could fully get the whole movie.
For dinner we headed out to district three and met up with Chu Dung, Chi Cindy, Chi Linh, Chuong, and MooYoung (student from class). We had a great meal of seafood, meats and rice, and it was fun to see all my friends from different parts of my Vietnamese life at the same time.
L to R: Chuong (mom's friend from US that travels back and forth between VN and USA, finishing up MBA in Vietnam, and really helped me plan my trip here), Chu Dung (my host), me, and Chi Cindy (former coworker of Chu Dung, we went to Vung Tau together, and since then we have become friends).
After dinner we walked over to Cafe Soi Da (went there a few times with Chuong and once with anh Khanh) to enjoy some dessert. I also brought along some chocolates to share, the little chocolate liqueur bottles and we had a blast giving the Vietnamese Cheer "YO!" and taking our shots of chocolate. Thought sometimes they were so melted because of the heat, so it was a bit messy to eat them...
With YoungJi and MooYoung.
A good way to celebrate the trip with friends and say bye!
pictures from Thursday
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Happy birthday em Thao!!
Chúc Mừng Sinh Nhật
June 16, 2009
em Thao turns 25!
I met up with em Na in the afternoon at Ben Thanh market so that we could shop and walk around a bit before the dinner party. Em Na bought some flowers for Thao (they met previously at the Jazz club outing) and I had my gift ready (some printed pictures of our recent outings and to Bac Lieu, the Twilight soundtrack, and Oil of Olay lotion) and just needed a card.
We met up at the medical school dormitory and there were lots of people there ready for the birthday celebration. We went to a nearby restaurant for ban xeo, beef hot pot and banh trang, lots and lots of food. em Na and I practiced our Vietnamese, as we were meeting many of Thao's friends, all medical school students or doctors already. I met Thao's roommates (6 girls in the room) and other classmates; everyone was very friendly and spoke English, but willing to talk to me as I practiced my Vietnamese.
Thao said that this was the first time she'd celebrated with friends; normally she goes home and celebrates her birthday with family. Keeping with tradition, Thao paid for the dinner because she invited us all out. Completely different from what we do in the US, but I suppose it makes sense?
After dinner, we all headed to a nearby ice cream and coffee shop for more celebration and cake! There were two beautiful and yummy cakes; one traditional cake has gelatin on the outside, then the flour cake inside, it was so delicious!
Best picture of the night: Tuan sneaks a bite of a cake from Minh...
Thao gave bookmarks to everyone and gel candles that she had wrapped with tissue paper. She seemed to have a great time and it was really fun to share the event with so many people!
all pictures from em Thao's birthday celebration
June 16, 2009
em Thao turns 25!
I met up with em Na in the afternoon at Ben Thanh market so that we could shop and walk around a bit before the dinner party. Em Na bought some flowers for Thao (they met previously at the Jazz club outing) and I had my gift ready (some printed pictures of our recent outings and to Bac Lieu, the Twilight soundtrack, and Oil of Olay lotion) and just needed a card.
We met up at the medical school dormitory and there were lots of people there ready for the birthday celebration. We went to a nearby restaurant for ban xeo, beef hot pot and banh trang, lots and lots of food. em Na and I practiced our Vietnamese, as we were meeting many of Thao's friends, all medical school students or doctors already. I met Thao's roommates (6 girls in the room) and other classmates; everyone was very friendly and spoke English, but willing to talk to me as I practiced my Vietnamese.
Thao said that this was the first time she'd celebrated with friends; normally she goes home and celebrates her birthday with family. Keeping with tradition, Thao paid for the dinner because she invited us all out. Completely different from what we do in the US, but I suppose it makes sense?
After dinner, we all headed to a nearby ice cream and coffee shop for more celebration and cake! There were two beautiful and yummy cakes; one traditional cake has gelatin on the outside, then the flour cake inside, it was so delicious!
Best picture of the night: Tuan sneaks a bite of a cake from Minh...
Thao gave bookmarks to everyone and gel candles that she had wrapped with tissue paper. She seemed to have a great time and it was really fun to share the event with so many people!
all pictures from em Thao's birthday celebration
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bac Lieu, Vietnam
Last weekend (June 5 - 7, 2009) I traveled with some friends to Bac Lieu, Vietnam (about 7 hour bus ride south west of Ho Chi Minh City) to spend time in the countryside and attend an engagement party. The bus is really like an extension van, about 15 seats, and so the ride isn't bad, depending on how crazy of a driver you have. I traveled with 4 other girls (all doctors!) and they all had to take medication to prevent car sickness. I survived, but the driver was a bit maniacal.
Like "HOLY WTF we're going to crash head first into oncoming traffic as you pass these 4 trucks....wheeeeew that was a close one!!!!!". And repeat...
I talked with em Thao a bit, it has been really nice to make a good friend here in Vietnam. And I was able to sleep, thanks to the help of my ipod. I think otherwise, it would be have been a bit difficult for me with the honking, music, and general crazy noise of the trip. We did have two 30 minute rest stops to use the bathroom and eat/drink, so that was nice. There was also a really cool ferry ride across the Mekong River, where we passed through the city of Can Tho.
We arrived in Bac Lieu about 10:30 pm and the town was very quiet, it was actually difficult to get a taxi to take us to the Bride's home. But we finally made it, and met with the the Bride's family and their friends. We had a late meal and then the family took us to the hotel where our group would be staying the night, a small guest house with a great big room with 4 beds. And air-conditioning...which is all I really needed as Bac Lieu was hotter than HCMC, if one can even imagine that...seems like there are less big trees, more flat land countryside...
But the countryside is beautiful, watching the buildings pass by, seeing how simple life can really be and also how poor the country really is. Often I'd see something really interesting: above ground coffins facing all the same direction, rows of lamps illuminating pools of water (em Thao though this may be somehow related to raising shrimp or crabs), a huge house every now and then, a large factory with rows and rows of motorbikes and bicycles. Seems like everything is fascinating out in the countryside.
Saturday morning, we woke up around 6:30 and prepared our dresses for the engagement party. Bich and I were the only ones who chose to wear ao dai - and it nearly killed me, because it was so stinking hot and the ao dai is supposed to be tight fighting and therefore very hot. At least we suffered together and we did look very nice!
We arrived at the house close to 8 and watched Minh (the bride) get her make up and hair done. Minh is already a beautiful girl but these people can really do some magic with these glosses, powders, and sticks of color. And the hair! Lots of hairspray and pins, and they even hot glued pearls in a crown shape. Sounds weird, but it was so beautiful and really reminded me of a fairy princess.
I have only ever been to family weddings, so am familiar with some of the traditions of the Vietnamese wedding. But I was still interested to see how this engagement party was the same or different...Engagement parties take place in the Bride's home while the actual wedding ceremony takes place in the Groom's home. Then there is of course a celebration dinner and reception at a restaurant or hotel, but the ceremony of Vietnamese Buddhist tradition takes place in the home, in front of ancestors, family, and friends.
At 8 am, Tuan (the Groom) and his family arrived. As is tradition, they walk in a ceremonial process from the driveway to the front of the house. First is the Groom's representative (often a good family friend), followed by the parents and grandparents, then the Groom himself. Following him is a procession of other family and friends, each holding a gift offering to the Bride's family - all in all, it's about 30 people.
Meanwhile, the Bride's family is lined up at the house entrance, ready to greet the Groom. The Groom's Representative introduces the family and makes an offering. The Bride's family offers tea to the Groom's parents and the Groom's family is escorted in. The Bride has yet to be seen.
The parents, grandparents, and other high family members sit across from each other at a long table and one by one, make offerings and prayers to their ancestors and greet each other. Then the Groom makes offerings to the Bride's family, says prayers...and then the Bride comes down. Together the Bride and Groom make offerings to their ancestors and to each family member at the table. The Bride is presented with gold jewelry and other gifts. It takes about one hour and there's lots of bowing, clapping, blessings, and presentation of money.
It's a beautiful ceremony, enriched in tradition and with gestures to family, past and present. I really would like to have such a ceremony for my own wedding. Often at cousin's weddings, because not many people can make it to an engagement party (whereas here, most family from both sides live in Bac Lieu), it becomes a part of the wedding day celebrations. So in the morning you have the celebration at the Bride's home, then the wedding ceremony (either at Groom's home or church or other location), then the reception. It turns into an all day event, but I've always found it to be fun and interesting.
Minh the Bride is on the far right, in a traditional pink ao dai. Her wedding ao dai will be red. There is also a traditional ao dai for men as well, but nowadays they elect to wear the Western suit and tie.
Friends (and doctors!).
After a hearty lunch, our group of 5 girls headed back to the hotel to change and rest. At 4 pm, we headed back out to tour Bac Lieu and make the most of our (essentially) one day excursion to the countryside.
First up, a visit to the Goddess of the Southern Seas, a popular statue and temple in Bac Lieu.
The landscape is just incredible...those are clouds, not smoke from incense. Absolutely beautiful.
Then we headed out to the ocean. The Mekong Delta does not have beaches, it is rather muddy. And there are fascinating creatures that live in the mud, amongst the mangrooves. Small crabs the size of your thumb that have one huge claw the size of their body and the other claw tiny. Or weird amphibian/fish-like creatures that look like large tadpoles and can swim by moving their tail but like to get around by hopping on top of the water. They can also climb onto sticks and mud - it was really weird, like I was imagining these were prehistoric fish and they were going to evolve into frogs or land animals...if that makes any sense.
Best of all the ocean is shallow, so you can walk basically out into the sunset and it's a fantastic sense of really being on the edge of the world:
Urgh, I feel like I'm using all of these adjectives, but still cannot really describe how cool this place was. I really wish we had more time to be here, because walking out into the ocean like in the above picture would have been really awesome.
Then we met up with a larger group of friends and headed to dinner at a small restaurant that specializes in turtles. Yeah, eating turtle was kind of a weird thing, and definitely following the group into the back kitchen area was a bad idea (!!). Oops It was a novel thing to see, but I think when you see the process of live animal to dead animal, it makes it difficult to follow through with eating the thing. I think really only the guys were into the meal, the girls not to much. We kept asking for more noodles, to fill our stomachs with something. I didn't even remember to take pictures, as unique as this meal was.
In fact the most interesting part of the meal was probably when we were waiting for everything to get ready, we ventured into the back, where there was a great view of the sunset and countryside filled with rice paddies, banana trees, and a few ancestral burial grounds...
Sunset in Bac Lieu
After dinner, we all headed to a famous large hotel, restaurant, and cafe in Bac Lieu. Built in 1919, it was formerly owned by the richest man in the province. He was so rich (through owning land and farms) that apparently he once burned money to cook an egg. Whack! Anyways I think probably the government seized the property after the war and now it's a hotel, restaurant, and cafe. A few of us walked around the area, it's about as big as a city block, and then returned to finish our drinks.
Turns out some people were still hungry (yes indeed!) and then we all ventured out to experience some special Bac Lieu seafood noodle soup. The small local restaurants have tiny chairs and tables that make you feel clownish and can put a kink in your back and cramp your legs. But some of the best food (and always super cheap!) comes in these locations, so it's just a part of the culture. And really these people, guys and girls, are tiny so it's okay for them. Haha, us Americans would be thinking, "Uhh you expect my butt to fit where?!"
And so after this late meal, our group of girls split ways and headed back to hotel to clean up and get ready for the overnight trip back to HCMC. Taking the 11:30 pm bus seemed like a good idea at the time (save time! sleep on the bus and you save a whole day!) except it was much harder to me to sleep. And plus there were still the 2 30 minute stops, where you have to get out while they clean the bus, so it's not a good sleep. At 5:30 am we arrived in HCMC, and I think we all still slept for another few hours after that....
It was really a fun trip; I really wanted to get out of the city and see something new, and spending time with these ladies was really great!
Special Bac Lieu album here, as I cannot post all of pics on the blog
Sunday, June 14, 2009
HEI outing
Sunday afternoon was my "goodbye" outing with HEI, the medical English club that I've been meeting with a few times during my trip. There was a big group of us that went out, most were the HEI officers and 3rd year medical students. We headed out to district 4, across the river, for what was an eventful night.
First on the menu? ốc! Snail!
We had little ones that you had to poke out with a fork, larger ones that just came on the shell, and these "fingernail" snails, called because of the shells they come in.
I have never eaten so much snail in one sitting, but it was quite good - though we all knew that one cannot really get full just eating snail!
Second course was a real sit-down dinner of fried rice, vegetables, noodles, and french fries!
After dinner, we headed back to district one so that we could walk around and burn off the meal. We ran into a group of bicyclists who had left Cambodia that morning and just arrived then at their hotel in Vietnam. That's the coolest thing about being in District 1: you can just walk around and see cool, fun things and run into a great variety of people.
We walked around a night market that was just closing up, enjoyed some coconut gelatin on the streets by Nhu Lan (where I had one of my first meals in HCMC with Chuong), and then continued walking. I ended up finding the new "Vietnam Quilts" store (64 Ngô Đức Kê), which was totally random, but there were two women still there and invited me inside to see the new shop. It's really big and beautiful inside, I hope to return in a few years and buy more quilts! (Total purchases for this trip include 4 quilts, 4 custom ordered pillows, 2 baby quilts, some aprons, and a bag - yeah my motto has become "buy now, worry about packing later".)
We also went through the large Fahasa bookstore, where I bought three more children's books to bring back with me. These books are about Vietnamese myths and have English and Vietnamese on the pages so that I can learn the new vocabulary quite easily. There were a ton of people in the store, even though it was so late, probably because it was nice and cool inside!
After this, it was time for goodbyes. One first year gave me a keychain that she and her roommates had made by hand out of beads and wiring, so sweet! Em Khue, who was my original contact person for the group, presented me with a small gift: a small display of 3 dolls dressed in traditional ao dai from the North, Central, and South Vietnam, a bookmark, and a note of thanks. It was really sweet, I know that they don't have a lot of time or money and their generosity is just overwhelming; these students are a lot of fun to talk to and are just so nice and friendly! It was really great to get to know them and I really hope our paths can cross again.
First on the menu? ốc! Snail!
We had little ones that you had to poke out with a fork, larger ones that just came on the shell, and these "fingernail" snails, called because of the shells they come in.
I have never eaten so much snail in one sitting, but it was quite good - though we all knew that one cannot really get full just eating snail!
Second course was a real sit-down dinner of fried rice, vegetables, noodles, and french fries!
After dinner, we headed back to district one so that we could walk around and burn off the meal. We ran into a group of bicyclists who had left Cambodia that morning and just arrived then at their hotel in Vietnam. That's the coolest thing about being in District 1: you can just walk around and see cool, fun things and run into a great variety of people.
We walked around a night market that was just closing up, enjoyed some coconut gelatin on the streets by Nhu Lan (where I had one of my first meals in HCMC with Chuong), and then continued walking. I ended up finding the new "Vietnam Quilts" store (64 Ngô Đức Kê), which was totally random, but there were two women still there and invited me inside to see the new shop. It's really big and beautiful inside, I hope to return in a few years and buy more quilts! (Total purchases for this trip include 4 quilts, 4 custom ordered pillows, 2 baby quilts, some aprons, and a bag - yeah my motto has become "buy now, worry about packing later".)
We also went through the large Fahasa bookstore, where I bought three more children's books to bring back with me. These books are about Vietnamese myths and have English and Vietnamese on the pages so that I can learn the new vocabulary quite easily. There were a ton of people in the store, even though it was so late, probably because it was nice and cool inside!
After this, it was time for goodbyes. One first year gave me a keychain that she and her roommates had made by hand out of beads and wiring, so sweet! Em Khue, who was my original contact person for the group, presented me with a small gift: a small display of 3 dolls dressed in traditional ao dai from the North, Central, and South Vietnam, a bookmark, and a note of thanks. It was really sweet, I know that they don't have a lot of time or money and their generosity is just overwhelming; these students are a lot of fun to talk to and are just so nice and friendly! It was really great to get to know them and I really hope our paths can cross again.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Water Puppet show
Friday night, went out with em Hoang to see the Water Puppet Show (Golden Dragon Water Puppetry Theatre, 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1). I had seen a show in Hanoi back in 2004, but it's always a fun sight to see the myths and Vietnamese fables in action and to wonder how on earth the puppeteers are actually moving the puppets around.
The puppeteers are hiding behind the screen and move their puppets in sticks (somehow?) underneath the water. But the puppets criss cross in fighting or running action and there's just so much movement that it seems impossible to do this without the lines crossing? I don't know really how to explain it, but it's awesome. Em Hoang said that the puppeteers must train for many years before they are qualified.
Super cool!
Extra large life-sized water puppet...
Afterwards we walked around the theater and then went back to around the med school area to get some dessert. Many restaurants around this area were advertising "Che Thai Lan", which is a special dessert and I immediately found to have lots of durian in it.
Oops, "Tôi không ăn sầu riêng được", I cannot eat durian!
So I got some other che dessert and we talked for a bit about school, post graduation life, living in Vietnam. At this point, I have two weeks left in Vietnam and will be doing a lot of traveling, so we also knew that this would be a good-bye meeting. It's hard to say "Bye" when I just finished saying "Hi!".
more pics from water puppet show:
The puppeteers are hiding behind the screen and move their puppets in sticks (somehow?) underneath the water. But the puppets criss cross in fighting or running action and there's just so much movement that it seems impossible to do this without the lines crossing? I don't know really how to explain it, but it's awesome. Em Hoang said that the puppeteers must train for many years before they are qualified.
Super cool!
Extra large life-sized water puppet...
Afterwards we walked around the theater and then went back to around the med school area to get some dessert. Many restaurants around this area were advertising "Che Thai Lan", which is a special dessert and I immediately found to have lots of durian in it.
Oops, "Tôi không ăn sầu riêng được", I cannot eat durian!
So I got some other che dessert and we talked for a bit about school, post graduation life, living in Vietnam. At this point, I have two weeks left in Vietnam and will be doing a lot of traveling, so we also knew that this would be a good-bye meeting. It's hard to say "Bye" when I just finished saying "Hi!".
more pics from water puppet show:
last day of school!
Last day of class with co Mien.
Hooray got a 98/100 on the examination, I am an elementary Vietnamese superstar!
But now I am jealous that my classmates will continue onto the next level of classes and I wish I continue too, so I can really speak with my family. I'll just have to keep practicing at home and keep with my books and cds that I am bringing back with me.
And of course, the best part about school being out are the reunion parties! So after the examination we all went out to EunJi's family's Korean restaurant, near Le Thanh Ton street and had a feast of Korean food.
Of course, the American and the Japanese had to have special "non spicy" meals ordered while everyone else had at the kimchi. I think it was actually my first "real" Korean meal, and who better to go with then people who know what to get!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Recovery
Monday night until Wednesday morning I was really sick with something and spent all that time holed up in my room. It got to the point where I thought I might have appendicitis and became one of those freaks who tries to Google every symptom and make a diagnosis (WebMD is going to be my professional enemy, I can tell, it makes everyone think they have cancer). I started to worry about a foreign hospital visit and made a list of the doctors that I could see on my travel insurance. Who can I call for help and support? What medicines do I buy? How can I get more electrolytes if they don't sell Gatorade?!
It really was the first time I truly missed home and my parents.
Well the stomach virus is gone and so today I went out and about with some expat friends who showed me the uber touristy area:
Tay Ba lo is slang for "western backpacker"
and this area is all about the foreign backpackers. Not the uber rich foreigners, no there are huge department stores and designer shops for them (more expensive than in US because retailers pay 100% import tax, WHAT?!) - this area is all about the fake dvds (13000D for one, 150000 for box set - it's incredible! That's right, the entire Sopranos series Dan bought for less than $10), cool print tshirts, artwork, and hip bars and restaurants serving all sorts of cuisine.
With Linh (She's from Chicago, lived here for 2 years) sending a message to our mutual friend
I had a chicken sandwich with a salad and potatoes for 75,000 D. The salad was small (it's okay! they advertise that they wash everything in purified bottled water and make their ice from that too!) and I got three little potato sticks - but it was a piece of Western food that I'd really missed.
And the music? Tracy Chapman to Beatles to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It was nothing like I'd ever expect in Vietnam, yet somehow as I walked around with Linh and Dan afterwards, a part of me was fascinated and yet also disappointed.
Who really comes to Ho Chi Minh City to go to sleazy bars and eat pizza?? Right at the main intersection of this "Tay Balo" area, they are building a huge 3 story nightclub that advertises hiphop dance floor...there is a donut shop around the corner...
This is not Vietnam, this is not Ho Chi Minh City.
It really was the first time I truly missed home and my parents.
Well the stomach virus is gone and so today I went out and about with some expat friends who showed me the uber touristy area:
Tay Ba lo is slang for "western backpacker"
and this area is all about the foreign backpackers. Not the uber rich foreigners, no there are huge department stores and designer shops for them (more expensive than in US because retailers pay 100% import tax, WHAT?!) - this area is all about the fake dvds (13000D for one, 150000 for box set - it's incredible! That's right, the entire Sopranos series Dan bought for less than $10), cool print tshirts, artwork, and hip bars and restaurants serving all sorts of cuisine.
With Linh (She's from Chicago, lived here for 2 years) sending a message to our mutual friend
I had a chicken sandwich with a salad and potatoes for 75,000 D. The salad was small (it's okay! they advertise that they wash everything in purified bottled water and make their ice from that too!) and I got three little potato sticks - but it was a piece of Western food that I'd really missed.
And the music? Tracy Chapman to Beatles to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It was nothing like I'd ever expect in Vietnam, yet somehow as I walked around with Linh and Dan afterwards, a part of me was fascinated and yet also disappointed.
Who really comes to Ho Chi Minh City to go to sleazy bars and eat pizza?? Right at the main intersection of this "Tay Balo" area, they are building a huge 3 story nightclub that advertises hiphop dance floor...there is a donut shop around the corner...
This is not Vietnam, this is not Ho Chi Minh City.
Monday, June 8, 2009
HCMC music scene
(100th post! I'll make it a good one)
5.29.09
What a fun weekend of music!
Friday night was Ratatat at Pacharan Tapas and Bodega, right next to Caravelle Hotel and behind the Oprah House on Hai Ba Trung Street. I love this band (great study music because no lyrics!) and have not been able to see any of their small touring shows in the US - so what are the odds that they would be playing in Vietnam in the same city and date that I am there? Clearly it was a sign that I had to be there.
Super small and intimate venue, basically in a small room with a bar - it was packed so tightly that it took maybe 30 minutes to get a drink. Clearly a fire hazard and the music was BOOMING. The guys were so crazy and amazing live, but I could only stay for a bit over an hour because it was so loud and hot and sweaty inside that room. And also I had waited for the show since 9 pm and they didn't take the stage until 11 pm. hrmpf =/ Oh well, got to hear them play some new stuff and one of my favorites, so it was all good!
RATATAT playing "Lex" from their "Classics" cd!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO. ^_^
Saturday night I met up with em Thao and 2 of her friends for dinner. They are all from the same city, Bac Lieu, about 6 hour drive from HCMC and all have graduated from medical school. Minh is an OBGYN intern year at Benh Vien Tu Du, the hospital with the children's dormitory. Her fiance, Tuan, is in his third year neurosurgery residency at Cho Ray Hospital - the largest hospital in the city.
We must have been hungry - look at all of that food!!! haha
em Thao is sitting across from them - I see her about once a week so we have become good friends. She is in her internship year as a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist.
We had dinner at Mon Hue - restaurant specializing in Hue food - and talked a lot about medical school, working as a doctor, and international and public health. Apparently Cho Ray hospital is very popular as an elective rotation site for foriegn doctors, especially in surgery and emergency medicine - no Vietnamese language necessary. Which I found a bit odd, but Tuan explained to me that there are many international doctors that work there and so the language is not an issue. Very cool, something to keep an eye out for when I get to that point. That would be awesome!
Their stories are really fascinating - Tuan's older sister was the first and only person in their province to get a full scholarship to study medicine in Australia. Full scholarship! Medical school in another language - INCREDIBLE!
They invited me to their engagement party in Bac Lieu over the weekend. How awesome - a countryside party!!! And I get to wear my ao dai =D
After dinner we went to Sax 'n Art Jazz club (intersection of Le Loi and Pasteur Streets), home to a great house band that includes a famous saxophone player, Tran Minh Tuan, who actually studied music out in California.
I'm usually not a huge fan of jazz music, but Chu Tuan mixes classical Vietnamese songs into the jazz style and it's amazing. And all of the other players are so great at improvising - they invite anyone from the crowd to join them and are able to play along, it's great!
I met up with my friend em Na, a fellow student in my class who studied music and goes to this club every weekend. He is a regular and so usually goes on stage to play with them - tonight they asked him to join! His parents were also there so he had a big fan club
Group Shot: em Na, me, em Thao, Chi Minh, and Anh Tuan
Sax n Art Jazz Club
Drinks were about 95,000D for mixed drinks, 50000 - 75000 for beer; $3 for cover charge for the Jazz Club.
It was a really fun time, the first weekend that I stayed out late and attended an event. I know that the med students don't usually do this either, so I think it was a treat for all of us.
And I am really excited to be attending the engagement party, how cool is that!!
5.29.09
What a fun weekend of music!
Friday night was Ratatat at Pacharan Tapas and Bodega, right next to Caravelle Hotel and behind the Oprah House on Hai Ba Trung Street. I love this band (great study music because no lyrics!) and have not been able to see any of their small touring shows in the US - so what are the odds that they would be playing in Vietnam in the same city and date that I am there? Clearly it was a sign that I had to be there.
Super small and intimate venue, basically in a small room with a bar - it was packed so tightly that it took maybe 30 minutes to get a drink. Clearly a fire hazard and the music was BOOMING. The guys were so crazy and amazing live, but I could only stay for a bit over an hour because it was so loud and hot and sweaty inside that room. And also I had waited for the show since 9 pm and they didn't take the stage until 11 pm. hrmpf =/ Oh well, got to hear them play some new stuff and one of my favorites, so it was all good!
RATATAT playing "Lex" from their "Classics" cd!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO. ^_^
Saturday night I met up with em Thao and 2 of her friends for dinner. They are all from the same city, Bac Lieu, about 6 hour drive from HCMC and all have graduated from medical school. Minh is an OBGYN intern year at Benh Vien Tu Du, the hospital with the children's dormitory. Her fiance, Tuan, is in his third year neurosurgery residency at Cho Ray Hospital - the largest hospital in the city.
We must have been hungry - look at all of that food!!! haha
em Thao is sitting across from them - I see her about once a week so we have become good friends. She is in her internship year as a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist.
We had dinner at Mon Hue - restaurant specializing in Hue food - and talked a lot about medical school, working as a doctor, and international and public health. Apparently Cho Ray hospital is very popular as an elective rotation site for foriegn doctors, especially in surgery and emergency medicine - no Vietnamese language necessary. Which I found a bit odd, but Tuan explained to me that there are many international doctors that work there and so the language is not an issue. Very cool, something to keep an eye out for when I get to that point. That would be awesome!
Their stories are really fascinating - Tuan's older sister was the first and only person in their province to get a full scholarship to study medicine in Australia. Full scholarship! Medical school in another language - INCREDIBLE!
They invited me to their engagement party in Bac Lieu over the weekend. How awesome - a countryside party!!! And I get to wear my ao dai =D
After dinner we went to Sax 'n Art Jazz club (intersection of Le Loi and Pasteur Streets), home to a great house band that includes a famous saxophone player, Tran Minh Tuan, who actually studied music out in California.
I'm usually not a huge fan of jazz music, but Chu Tuan mixes classical Vietnamese songs into the jazz style and it's amazing. And all of the other players are so great at improvising - they invite anyone from the crowd to join them and are able to play along, it's great!
I met up with my friend em Na, a fellow student in my class who studied music and goes to this club every weekend. He is a regular and so usually goes on stage to play with them - tonight they asked him to join! His parents were also there so he had a big fan club
Group Shot: em Na, me, em Thao, Chi Minh, and Anh Tuan
Sax n Art Jazz Club
Drinks were about 95,000D for mixed drinks, 50000 - 75000 for beer; $3 for cover charge for the Jazz Club.
It was a really fun time, the first weekend that I stayed out late and attended an event. I know that the med students don't usually do this either, so I think it was a treat for all of us.
And I am really excited to be attending the engagement party, how cool is that!!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
move over KFC...
Dinner after the amusement park was in District 4, across the Saigon River. Vietnamese fried chicken with rice and vegetables. ohhhhemmmgeee, the fried chicken was not greasy but the perfect amount of crisp that actually felt maybe even healthy to eat. And the rice was flavored with tomato to balance the veggies and it was perfect. And only 15,000 D.
Hands down the best meal I've had in Vietnam so far was in Cho Lon (Chinatown) on Wednesday night with my uncle, Chu Hanh.
Mi vit = yellow noodles with duck in broth. 40,000 D
My mom wrote me an email telling me that nearby Cho Lon has a special roast duck dish and of course, I sought it out immediately. Anything with duck is high on my list, and this was the most delicious, tender, and easy to eat (!) duck I've ever had. Oh man, I almost ordered another just to take home...
Suoi Tien Amusement Park
Sunday em Thao and I also visited the Suoi Tien Amusement Park, located in District 9 of HCMC. I was especially interested in the Fruit Festival that had just started (since that's the number one reason why I heart Vietnam), and walking around a huge park is a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. We took a bus (3000D per person) from near the medical school, and 45 minutes later and still within city limits!, we arrived at the grand entrance of the park.
em Thao and Anna in front of the dragon
Standing in front of the toad with a coin in its mouth - a re-occurring symbol but neither of us knows what it means...probably prosperity? (Edit: YES, Thanks google for confirming this. Apparently it is a special three legged frog. Nice!)
Entrance to the park was 35,000 D but doesn't include any rides, which means that lots of families and older people can use the park as well as kids. We did ride one ride (5000D) which was like a paddle car on a single (read: very skinny and totally not safe) track about 30 feet up in the air and it was the most terrifying ride as our car shook back and forth on the track's twists and turns. We almost didn't make it and had a huge line of other cars behind us =/
The park is designed around the history and culture of Vietnam - featuring many supernatural creatures like dragons and phoenix. The park also has a pagoda, lots of waterways, many Buddha statues, and is large and beautiful. There were also large displays of things for sale: orchids and other flowers, cacti, bonsai trees, birds, rock formations, jewelry, and of course, lots and lots of food!
Walking around was fun to see the free features and areas of the park - but the fruit festival was really great. We walked through all the fruit displays and basically pigged out on fruit for 4 hours...it was amazing! And super cheap!
I love the toad! Bring on the Prosperity!!
Watermelon ranges from 6000 to 9000 D per kg!
Did you know there are 5 kinds of bananas in available in Vietnam? Mmmmm.
mango, sapodilla, cherries, and water apples, OH MY!
And the icing on the cake?
A long parade that displays the fruits of every seasons! And people dressed up like monkeys trying to steal them! I am always a sucker for synchronized dancing, even if they are in monkey suits...
It was a really wonderful and absolutely beautiful day. I definitely have a sandals tan now from my flipflops, ahaha!
Tons more pics of the park here
em Thao and Anna in front of the dragon
Standing in front of the toad with a coin in its mouth - a re-occurring symbol but neither of us knows what it means...probably prosperity? (Edit: YES, Thanks google for confirming this. Apparently it is a special three legged frog. Nice!)
Entrance to the park was 35,000 D but doesn't include any rides, which means that lots of families and older people can use the park as well as kids. We did ride one ride (5000D) which was like a paddle car on a single (read: very skinny and totally not safe) track about 30 feet up in the air and it was the most terrifying ride as our car shook back and forth on the track's twists and turns. We almost didn't make it and had a huge line of other cars behind us =/
The park is designed around the history and culture of Vietnam - featuring many supernatural creatures like dragons and phoenix. The park also has a pagoda, lots of waterways, many Buddha statues, and is large and beautiful. There were also large displays of things for sale: orchids and other flowers, cacti, bonsai trees, birds, rock formations, jewelry, and of course, lots and lots of food!
Walking around was fun to see the free features and areas of the park - but the fruit festival was really great. We walked through all the fruit displays and basically pigged out on fruit for 4 hours...it was amazing! And super cheap!
I love the toad! Bring on the Prosperity!!
Watermelon ranges from 6000 to 9000 D per kg!
Did you know there are 5 kinds of bananas in available in Vietnam? Mmmmm.
mango, sapodilla, cherries, and water apples, OH MY!
And the icing on the cake?
A long parade that displays the fruits of every seasons! And people dressed up like monkeys trying to steal them! I am always a sucker for synchronized dancing, even if they are in monkey suits...
It was a really wonderful and absolutely beautiful day. I definitely have a sandals tan now from my flipflops, ahaha!
Tons more pics of the park here
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Visiting the Women and Children's Hospital
5.24.09
On Sunday, em Thao and I arrived early in the morning at Binh Vien Tu Du (Binh Vien = hospital), a hospital for Women and Children in the downtown area of District 1. Em Thao wanted to show me the hospital and visit with some of the children living in the dormitories at the hospital, orphans with disabilities or special needs that are able to live in the hospital and get treatment, attend school, and make friends.
Earlier that week, we went again to the sieu thi (supermarket) to buy some candies and foods for the children. It's always been fun to visit the supermarket and this time I found amazement in the milk aisle:
It's as big as the US's aisle for carbonated drinks!! They really have quite a few options of sizes and flavors of milk...whereas the carbonated drinks aisle was smaller than if I spread my arms wide. Impressive! Drink your milk (sua) kiddies!
Speaking of milk, a little digression:
So I watch a lot of tv when I eat meals with the housekeeper. It's all Korean/Japanese/Chinese/Taiwanese/Vietnamese dramas that are dubbed in Vietnamese - even I think sometimes the Vietnamese shows are voiced-over because the voices are so much louder and clearer than the rest of the noises in the background, ie footsteps, doors opening and closing. It's fun to watch their emotions and try to follow the crazy drama -
AH! Speaking of great drama: There is a great show that is called "Vi Yeu" that is just like "She's the Man"! And it's the only show I really like because the "boy" is so obviously a girl and the roommate that she has a crush on now knows that the "boy" is a girl but she doesn't know that - and hilarity ensues. Comedy can be understood without actually understanding WTH is going on...
okay back to milk - So watching tv, every now and then there is a commercial break (so much better than a break every 10 minutes!). There is one commercial in particular I think is so cute in delivering it's message: VINAMILK feeds Vietnam...hooray youtube has it!
It has beautiful shots of a downtown city, a countryside with its green fields, an old pagoda or temple, and the Mekong Delta (child on the bridge) - the complete essence of life in Vietnam
OKAY back to the hospital:
It specializes in Women's Care and basically a campus of buildings for cafeteria, pharmacy, and one building that serves as a dormitory for babies and kids. Em Thao and I were able to join in with a "Red Cross" like group that was touring the rooms and handing out gifts - we also spent some time talking with the kids about school and the activities they do.
It seems to be really hard to live as a disabled child in a developing country; wheelchair ramps (let alone elevators) are rare in this city and the buildings and houses are generally tall and skinny, so being able to climb stairs is a must. I'm pretty sure my school does not have any kind of wheelchair ramp...But the hospital does a good job at maintaining a sense of normalcy for these kids and it was really neat to see the nurses taking care of the babies. I really wish I could understand their conditions and read the information that was available to us...
more pics here
On Sunday, em Thao and I arrived early in the morning at Binh Vien Tu Du (Binh Vien = hospital), a hospital for Women and Children in the downtown area of District 1. Em Thao wanted to show me the hospital and visit with some of the children living in the dormitories at the hospital, orphans with disabilities or special needs that are able to live in the hospital and get treatment, attend school, and make friends.
Earlier that week, we went again to the sieu thi (supermarket) to buy some candies and foods for the children. It's always been fun to visit the supermarket and this time I found amazement in the milk aisle:
It's as big as the US's aisle for carbonated drinks!! They really have quite a few options of sizes and flavors of milk...whereas the carbonated drinks aisle was smaller than if I spread my arms wide. Impressive! Drink your milk (sua) kiddies!
Speaking of milk, a little digression:
So I watch a lot of tv when I eat meals with the housekeeper. It's all Korean/Japanese/Chinese/Taiwanese/Vietnamese dramas that are dubbed in Vietnamese - even I think sometimes the Vietnamese shows are voiced-over because the voices are so much louder and clearer than the rest of the noises in the background, ie footsteps, doors opening and closing. It's fun to watch their emotions and try to follow the crazy drama -
AH! Speaking of great drama: There is a great show that is called "Vi Yeu" that is just like "She's the Man"! And it's the only show I really like because the "boy" is so obviously a girl and the roommate that she has a crush on now knows that the "boy" is a girl but she doesn't know that - and hilarity ensues. Comedy can be understood without actually understanding WTH is going on...
okay back to milk - So watching tv, every now and then there is a commercial break (so much better than a break every 10 minutes!). There is one commercial in particular I think is so cute in delivering it's message: VINAMILK feeds Vietnam...hooray youtube has it!
It has beautiful shots of a downtown city, a countryside with its green fields, an old pagoda or temple, and the Mekong Delta (child on the bridge) - the complete essence of life in Vietnam
OKAY back to the hospital:
It specializes in Women's Care and basically a campus of buildings for cafeteria, pharmacy, and one building that serves as a dormitory for babies and kids. Em Thao and I were able to join in with a "Red Cross" like group that was touring the rooms and handing out gifts - we also spent some time talking with the kids about school and the activities they do.
It seems to be really hard to live as a disabled child in a developing country; wheelchair ramps (let alone elevators) are rare in this city and the buildings and houses are generally tall and skinny, so being able to climb stairs is a must. I'm pretty sure my school does not have any kind of wheelchair ramp...But the hospital does a good job at maintaining a sense of normalcy for these kids and it was really neat to see the nurses taking care of the babies. I really wish I could understand their conditions and read the information that was available to us...
more pics here
Vietnam Quilts
Vietnam Quilts (26/1 Le Thanh Ton, HCMC but there are stores in a few other cities) is an NGO that I have fallen in love with:
"Vietnam Quilts supports community development programs in remote villages in Cambodia and in Vietnam. Its key objective is to generate employment for women. One hundred per cent of profits from its quilt shops are returned to the villages. Vietnam Quilts focus is to provide rewarding employment, increase family incomes and improve conditions for children in these remote communities."
Beautiful hand-made, high quality (and can be custom designed!) quilts, pillows, and other home accessories. All for a good cause, but what is really striking is the quality, color, and design; it's amazing and in the past 2 weeks I have become a repeat customer!
Chu Ni carries back one of my purchases "local style" on the xe om...we did this 4 times! Yeah, don't ask how I am going to get these all back to the States, that is my next project. This is why when traveling to Vietnam, you bring an empty suitcase or prepare to buy one here, because there are just tons of amazing, beautiful things you can bring back!
I really fell in love with the "Ao Dai" pillows because the characters are just so stinking cute!!! They also have little crib quilts with these figures, as well as aprons!
Cotton pillow cases, machine washable
40 x 50 cm
$12
For myself, I bought two red ao dai pillows in the larger 50 x 50 cm size and a white cotton quilt with a flower design.
I am in LOVE with this quilt:
Crib sized baby quilt with green figures
100 x 120 cm
$40
I bought this for a family member who is expecting...and another crib quilt with the alphabet just to have and be prepared for the next addition to our friends or family network...My mom buys baby quilts as gifts and buys them at "Things Remembered" and they are a lot more expensive than $40.
Queen sized, silk and cotton quilt
$190
I purchased this for my mom and custom designed 4 pillows with the silk fabric available in the store.
Silk fabrics available at the store:
There is also cotton available, but you can also purchase your own fabrics at a market and bring it in. They have many workers and volunteers at the store that speak English and other languages that can help you design what you want. And to custom make, it's still cheap - we were charged just a few dollars for the silk fabric and $3 additional for a custom order...and it'll be done in 4 weeks! Otherwise, they can also ship by air or sea for a reasonable price...
Again, I love this store!
For more pictures of the store, products, and fabrics! Yes, I had to create a new album for this store! Haha
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