The Birla Orphanage

My friend Steve was a CIDA intern last year with the Samaritan's Purse which is an NGO that does humanitarian work around the world. He is now working with them full time in the Vietnam office. The founder of Samaritan's Purse is actually the founder of World Vision, but he (his name escapes me right now) created SP to avoid all the red tape so that if help was needed, immediate assistance could be provided right away. SP is supporting the Birla orphanage and I eagerly accepted the invitation to visit. There are about 110 kids from the ages of 3 to 15. They were having a farewell party for Mr. John Pham (he is the older gentleman in the group photo with the glasses) because he is returning to Canada for retirement (although they say he has been retiring for the last year and keeps coming back!) and actually helped to establish Samaritan's Purse in Vietnam 12 years ago.

I wasn't sure what type of conditions to expect at the orphanage, I saw a documentary by the CBC a few years ago called 'Falling from the Sky' that partly took place in a Vietnamese orphanage, so I had that pictured in my mind - concrete walls, bare, and glum.

But as you can see at this orphanage the kids were healthy, happy, and energetic. I got to hand out ice cream and cake and it probably made them a little hyper, but it was nice to see them play and have some fun with them. I was pretty popular when I pulled out my camera. They loved having their picture taken and seeing their faces on the screen. SP has sponsored the glass of milk a day program as well as scholarships to help them go to university when they are older. There was a little Hieu there, you can't see his face but that's his hand waving to the camera (must be a Hieu trait - we like being in photos ...). I am hoping to do some volunteering with them soon.

Super Saturday: Inc. Vietnam Run & Turkey

I survived the run around West Lake and actually ran (well, jogged) most of the 13km. In the photo is Paul, my running partner, and the start/finish of the run. I would not have been able to do it without Paul! I only expected myself to run for about half an hour and thought I would be walking the rest that I even was carrying my camera with me. I couldn't convince any of my friends to come join me at 630 in the morning. I was picturing actually running around the lake, but really we ran on the streets around the lake. It is not like Ottawa where they close the streets ... we were running in the traffic, weaving around the buses and xe om's (motorbikes). So I really was not expecting to last that long, but perhaps having cars behind me made me run faster. Paul was running in front of me and he is probably about 60 and I guess my competitive side came out and I told myself I was not going to stop until he stopped and we ended up running together for the rest of the run. Good thing I ran with him, he has been in Hanoi for about a year and runs regularly around the lake. I would have gotten lost since there were no route markers.

I was rewarded in the evening. I did have turkey for Thanksgiving afterall - just a week later. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce organized a big dinner hosted at the Ambassador of Canada's home. There were probably about 70 other Canadians there and all the food was cooked in the ambassador's kitchen and was delicious. They imported turkeys and there was mash potatoes (which were first to go), cranberry sauce (not the canned stuff), stuffing, veggies, and even pumpkin pie.

So that was my Saturday, normal as always!

Women's Day & Food

Today is Vietnam Women's Day. Women are treated to flowers and small presents at work and home. I was given a bouquet of flowers and shampoo (hopefully not because they thought I needed it ...). The hard part is, but I am not particularly shocked, I was the only one given a present in the office even though I have 2 other female colleagues. You can't not accept it, but I feel a bit guilty at the same time since they weren't given anything. It is pretty common for foreigners/guests to be given special treatment and I am definitely given special treatment all the time, no matter how many times I say it is not necessary. It was very similar to when I was in Beijing when they made special food for me in the cafeteria and put me first in line when there were already people waiting.

I probably eat best at lunch. There is a lunch fund (City of Ottawa should consider that!) and we eat together everyday and we either go for bun cha, which is a noodle soup with pork, or have rice with meat and veggies. I loved bun cha the first time, but I probably had it at least 10 times since and I admit it's losing its appeal. But the part I like is when we get take-out. There are lots of nearby small eateries, that they walk the food over on a tray with dishes and chop sticks. It's not pre-packaged and you aren't using disposible utensils, so we barely have any garbage after we're done eating. Someone from the restaurant just comes back to pick up the dishes. We should spread that idea to Canada or at least do tupperware.

I found the best sandwich shop for Vietnamese subs, my roommate Kate does not share my love for them, but maybe she'll change her mind when I take her to this place at Xmas. They are only 5000 dongs which is about 30 cents Canadian. Eating locally and street food is very cheap - I know it doesn't sound very appetizing, but street food really means to eat on the street, there are lots of little tables set on on the sidewalks and you sit on even tinier stools, and they bring out the food from the kitchen since there isn't any room to sit inside. Once you want to sit at a proper table or have Western/European food it is a bit more expensive. I find the street food a lot tastier and it's more easy going sittin' at a street table.

My favorite beverage is the fresh juice, which is unbelieveably cheap, I don't know why it has to be that expensive in Canada. I have fresh mango juice almost everyday and we usually go to sugarcane juice after ultimate. It is litterally costs cents to have juice with no preservatives or artifical flavour, all they usually do is just peel it and blend it up.

In about 15 hours I am participating in a charity run/walk tomorrow morning. It's organized by the Asia Development Bank and it's to raise scholarship money for disadvantaged and disabled Vietnamese children. It is around West Lake, which is what Hanoi is famous for. It's 13km in perimeter and I haven't gone running since I have been here, I haven't been up that early since I've been here, plus it's suppose to be between 24 and 33 degress and my favorite, it is suppose to be really humid. I asked if there would be water stations and the organizer told me that they have motorbikes that drive around the lake dropping off water to the runners. I guess I could always just hop on the back of one if I am really desperate ...

Name Tracing

I had an interesting Vietnamese lesson yesterday. My teacher and I went over the origins of my name and he said I had a very interesting one. He also said he could see what my parents were trying to do with the formation of mine and my sister's name.

For those of you who don't know my full name it's (written in the Vietnamese order): Nguyen Thi Dao Ngoc Hieu (Cdn way would be Hieu Ngoc Thi Dao Nguyen). For one Nguyen is the most common Vietnamese name you'll see. Considering there are about 84 million people in Vietnam (compared to Canada's 33 million) Mr. Hung said about 50% of the population has the family name Nguyen, so think twice before asking me if I am related to so and so just because we have the same last name ...

Dao is my mom's maiden name, so it is there to carry on my mother's side of the family. Thi is a traditional middle name for women while Ngoc (means Pearl) is a modern middle name and normally people only have one middle name. For women you carry on your mom's middle name which my mom's is Ngoc and for sons they would carry on their dad's middle name. In the old times almost all women had the middle name Thi, but other names started becoming popular that it started to die out. So really my middle names are a combination of traditional and modern Vietnamese names.

Mr. Hung also said I was 'special' to have the name Hieu since only about 10% of Hieu's are females. Not that I am complaining, but my sister's name means beautiful while mine means to love your parents?! That must be why I am the one with the heavy conscience and my sister likes to shop ... joking Diem!

Ramblings

I am a first time blogger and having a little bit of a hard time uploading photos to my blog. It seems like I can only do one per posting because if I upload a few, the images don't appear. So if fellow bloggers can give me some advice on how to deal with this, please let me know! I have lots of pics to show. This pic is also of Hoa Lu.

I started my Vietnamese lessons last week and I think my teacher (I actually have to call him teacher) thinks I am lying when I tell him that I really cannot read or write Vietnamese. Most of the words I know are just by memorization. I had 2 lessons and I am already practicing to read even though we haven't gone through the whole alphabet yet! But the lessons are definitely helping, I can tell that I am able to communicate better and starting to get a little more confidence. The only part I find frustrating is that many of the words that I do know are pronounced differently in North Vietnamese, but I would rather keep my southern roots. It is a big compliment when he says I sound Vietnamese and I know I am pronouncing it wrong when he tells me that's how a foreigner would say it (ouch!).

There is the International Film Festival on Women & Migration this week. I went to a film yesterday called 'Dying to Leave' which was about migrants who escape by container boats or taken advantage of by trafficers. It was pretty depressing, but quite eye opening - when you think of migration you might think it might be a developing world problem, but you have to think where these people are trying to go ... it's the places where we don't think it's a problem. There was a story about a girl from Eastern Europe who was told by a friend that she could get her a job in Italy since she was not able to find work in her home country. When the girl said she didn't have a passport, the friend said she would lend her the money - she doesn't know that she is being set up and the friend oh course makes a commission for every person she hooks. The girl goes on a bus thinking she is heading to Italy, but soon finds out she is getting dropped off in Albania and is sold then forced to pay back her 'debt' over the next 5 years until the authorities recognize she is a victim of trafficing. I am hoping to catch a few more films this week. It is an impressive set up - the films are in English, but they have headphones for the Vietnamese and offer simultaneous translation.

I feel like I have a blind date tonight, but really I am meeting this guy from England that might be a potential roommate for dinner. We have emailed a few times and he hasn't find an apartment either and suggested that it might be easier to get a few people together and rent a flat instead of looking for a room to sublet. I am pretty quick to assess whether I am going to be friends with someone in the first few minutes (I know you aren't suppose to judge a book by its cover, but I like to think I have good intuition), so we'll see if we make a good match (as roommates). If that doesn't work, there is a guy from Paris who is arriving in Hanoi next week also looking for a roommate, but I haven't told either about the other because well I figure it's better to wait and see ... plus it'll be funny because they probably don't know I am female because my name is more common for a male, but I have been told a few girls are named Hieu. They probably suffered the same fate as I, their fathers really wanted a son. Hieu actually means to love ones parents.

Hoa Lu: Ancient capital of Vietnam

I decided to take a day trip outside the city over the weekend to get some fresh air and a break from the city buzz. I went to Hoa Lu, which is in Nim Binh province 96km south of Hanoi. In travel time, it is about a 2 hour car ride.

It is known as the ancient capital of Vietnam because in the 10th century the Vietnamese defeated the Chinese occupiers who had been in power for almost a thousand years.

It was absolutely beautiful, one of the reasons it was chosen as the capital because of all the mountains that surround the city which would have made it difficult for invaders to penetrate the area.

In terms of weather Hanoi hasn't been too hot, just really humid - but just going a bit south, the weather was extremely warm. I was silly and did not come prepared at all, no hat, no sunscreen, but least I remembered to bring water and toilet paper ...

I went with a small tour group and there were 4 French people from France who knew very little English. My good old French immersion came in handy, I ended up translating most of the tour and when the guide found out I knew some Vietnamese, so she kept asking me what the English words were for certain things. Juggling three languages, in which 2 I am not really that great in, was a bit tiring, but it made me really appreciate languages. Everytime people talk about Canada (locals and foreigners), they say it's the country with 2 languages except there is a misconception that everyone in Canada speaks both French and English. Because I could speak in French and Vietnamese, I was able to meet more people and help out. It made me appreciate Canada having 2 official languages and it is nice to know we are known for that.

The Stuggle for Breakfast

Who needs breakfast, anyway, really? I know it is suppose to be the most important meal of the day and I use to get mad at my old roommate Jessica for not eating breakfast. I always ate breakfast, sometimes 2.

This makes me remember a time when I was in Uganda with a Dal study program in undergrad and we visited a small rural school. There was art work decorating the classroom and some of the drawings were the children's ideas of foreigners. One drawing which I remember vividly, was a crayon picture of a mazungo (white person) and it said he eats breakfast. Eating 'breakfast' is a meal of the developed world and eating three meals a day was such a strange idea to the child. I am not dissing breakfast, but I had breakfast for the first time yesterday since I've been here ...

Eating breakfast in Hanoi is not expensive, but a bit of a hassle to get. Typical Vietnamese breakfast food is similar to what you would eat for lunch: noodle soup or rice, so when you are already eating that twice a day, your palette just wants to taste something else. I was discussing the troubles of getting breakfast with my Cdn friend Scott and his solution is having a cigarette (which is suppose to suppress your appetite) with a cup of coffee.

My first plan was just to wait it out until lunchtime. I don't get to work until 9/9:30 and we usually have lunch at 11:30, that I thought I could just wait since I am not expending that much energy anyway. But I was starving once I sat at my desk for like 5 minutes. So I when I realized starving my self was not going to work, my second plan was to buy fruit from the local stands and juice. However, everything is sold by the kg and I would just want to buy 2 bananas. I really didn't have a clue how much it should be and getting strange looks from the vendor when they didn't understand what you are saying, just does not make you want to go back for more. The boxes of juice and soy milk I bought tasted horrible and I know now not to buy those brands.

What I really needed to find was a grocery store, which I finally found 2 days ago! I was able to buy cereal (which is actually expensive because it is imported for people like me) and milk (but the milk is in those tetrapacks, so I won't be getting any fresh milk while I am here), plus yogurt. My colleague, Ms. Linh, took me to a market today and helped me buy some fruit. So now I know how to order it and have a better idea of how much it should be. The struggle for breakfast has finally ended and I am much more productive at work now ...

The Weekend

There are I think about 3.5 million people in Hanoi which includes a small expat community. There are quite a few foreigners here - the people I met are usually here to teach english, work with a NGO, or work with their consulate. I went out with 2 Canadians who work with WUSC (I have become an honourary WUSC member since they usually let me tag along to their outings) on Saturday night and we learned to make deep fried and fresh springrolls at one of their colleagues' homes. We went out dancing and ended up at a place where there was salsa-ing and for those of you who have seen me salsa ... you know I can't! But the funny thing is I went for coffee that afternoon with the captain of the utlimate club and met one of her friends and I ended up running into her friend that evening.

I emailed the Hanoi Ultimate Club before I came - the captain was super nice and said I could join and play with them. There is quite an ultimate network in Asia, they just came back from a tournament in Singapore and are planning to go to Saigon at Xmas. So I went to my first scrimmage on Sunday and well, I definitely was not in good form. I blame it on the humidity ...

In Ottawa, it is so competitive to get a field, so you can just imagine how hard it would be to find a decent field in Hanoi. It was definitely in the outskirts of town and the field was patchy, barely any grass and it is more like playing on a baseball field. But it was great to run around and get some excercise. There are a lot of locals who play ultimate and it's funny to hear them talk Vietnamese on the field using ultimate terminolgy like stacking, the cup, zone, etc.

So my other run-in was that there were 2 guys who came out to play who were out the night before at the same club I was at. They are both American, one is down visiting his friend who is working with the Clinton Foundation and actually just lives down the block from where I am staying. It was nice to meet Benny because he is Vietnamese-American and has worked in Vietnam before. So they took me under their wing and invited me out for dinner afterward and then to a party.

I had a late night, but the best time to motorbike is at night. The streets are so quiet, hardly anyone is on the street and for the first time since I have been here - it wasn't noisy. Everyone goes to bed pretty early and I guess many locals who live with their parents have strict curfews. The bars are suppose to close at 11, but with expats the authorities are a little more lenient.

On another note: Happy Belated Birthday to Andrew and Kalle, I had a Tiger beer for you guys on Saturday!

One Week

So it has been a week and I am trying to decide if it feels like I have been here for a long time or I still feel like I just got here. I think the internship is going to go by really fast, so I am just trying to soak everything in and not to rush it. I think that's one thing I learned about myself - I am always in a rush, trying to get as much stuff done as possible, always trying to be efficient. I am finally learning how to relax and just taking it easy. Things don't have to be done that very next minute.

I like writing the blog because it gives me a chance to reflect about the day and remind myself that I actually did that and I didn't make it up in my head. I like knowing that people are reading my blog, so please comment! I think all you have to do is click on the comment link and then you can post. Comment about anything, it doesn't have to be about the postings, just anything in general or something about yourself.

With the internet I really don't feel that far away. I like being able to read the CBC and know what is happening in Canada. I keep reading about the mayoral race in Ottawa and I am curious to see who will win in November, I have my preference, so we'll see if he wins.

Yesterday was a pretty full day (same day as the snake day). I had a full day at the office, I am beginning to work on my work plan for the next 5 months. I checked out some expat restaurants for apt postings, looked at an apt (it was nice, good price, but way too far away, so the hunt continues), and then went to get some dinner. Getting dinner is sometimes of a challenge because since I am eating alone, I want to go somewhere where I can sit at a small table, look inconspicuous, but also be able to read the menu and order in my minimal vietnamese.

I found this great little restaurant that make noodles with fried pork and vegetables. They make only this dish, so there is no need to struggle with ordering. When I went to pay, they charged me for a beer that I did not order (there happen to be an empty bottle next to where I was sitting) so I am trying to explain that I did not order that beer. My message wasn't getting across, so I thought screw it, I'll just pay for the beer. So I gave the waitress a 50, 000 dong (vietnamese currency) bill and I was given the change. I am talking to an older Aussie man behind me and then the waitress comes to me and tells me that the bill is a fake! I don't have any other change on me and I think the bill is real anyway because I got it from the bank, so I am in a little bit of a bind - customers around me are staring, my vietnamese is horrible, I am accused of giving them fake money, I have no other money ... but I stayed calm. The Aussie offers to pay for my meal, the waitress gives back the 'fake bill' and I try to be the honest Canadian I am and give back the change that was given to me earlier, but I think there was such a confusion, that she forgot that she got me change that she didn't take it. So really I made money from the dinner because, I got the 50 back, with the change, and the Aussie paid for my dinner. I really hope he didn't think I scammed him ...

and after that is the snake experience which can be read in my previous posting!

Two Beating Hearts

Did you know that a snake has 2 hearts? Do you know how I know that snakes have 2 hearts?

I was invited by my colleague, Mr. Hung, to go out for drinks and celebrate the Lunar Festival (I think it is kind of equivalent to our thanksgiving except it is more for the kids, but I'll have to investigate it more) last night. I am thinking he is going to be picking me up by motorbike and we are going to check out a parade and go to a bar or something. So I am waiting outside my hotel with my helment in hand. Instead, I am picked up by his friend who is driving a SUV and their first impression of me is holding my big blue helment - they probably think I am scared for my life to go out on the streets. And to own a car in Vietnam is very expensive because they are really high tariffs for imports, which I just learned that morning. So I was caught off guard being in a vehicle.

So I am hanging out with 4 other people about my age and all they tell me is that we are going to a traditional village outside Hanoi to celebrate the festival. We go to a restaurant that is off a lake and I finally understand that we are going out for dinner to celebrate the festival. All of a sudden the restaurant owner is holding a live snake in front of our table. I read in my guidebook how animal blood is quite popular to drink and I remember thinking to myself that I will try almost anything, but only if it's cooked.

So guess what we had for dinner? ... the snake was gutted and that's when I saw the 2 hearts which were still pumping in a shot glass. We all had a shot of snakes blood that is mixed with Vodca. I figured it wouldn't kill me and since I was being treated, I really didn't want to refuse - even though a girl who was sitting next to me didn't have it. We had snake in probably 10 different dishes: fried snake meat, snake soup, snake bone, snake mixed with pork, snake with vegetables, etc. I really think I could handle the eating part of Fear Factor.

So many of you are probably quite grossed out by this, but I have always thought who are we to judge other cultures' cuisines? I am here to be immersed in the country so I am going to be as open minded as possible. If you have a chance to try snake, go for it!

Rainy day at the office

I am getting set-up at my desk. I have my laptop and fast internet (horray!). I can actually view my blog now and I have to say it looks pretty nice :)

There are 6 people who work at the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN) office and they officially welcomed me this morning at their monthly meeting. I was a little worried about their impressions of me, but they have been nothing but nice and very accommodating. I think they are worried that I don't have an apt yet that they said they don't expect me to do work until I am settled in (no complaints there), plus they are going to check some of their own contacts. I am looking forward to working with them and they seem excited to help improve my vietnamese and show me the vietnamese customs. They think of me as a vietnamese first rather than a foreigner, which I do appreciate.

So the apt hunt goes on and I have viewed 2. One was quite small and a bit deteriorated, but the girl who is looking for a roommate was super nice, however it is not exactly what I am looking for ... hopefully we can still become friends. The second I saw was beautiful, but a bit extravagent (and pricey) having 4 floors, spacious bedrooms, a housekeeper and a private courtyard. I was tempted but it is out of my price range. Tomorrow I am looking at another, so hopefully the third will be just right ...

My big purchase today was a bright metallic blue bike helment. My size only came in one colour, because yes, Yvonne, my head is abnormally large. Only foreigners wear them and the odd local. I wear it proudly as I would rather have a little peace of mind as I am on a bike that heads straight towards buses and oncoming traffic. I look quite attractive because part of the standard attire is sunglasses (for the flying debris and bugs) and a cloth facial mask (for the fumes and smog). Most only wear the sunglasses and mask and a bonnet rather than the helment. I need to invest in a mask as I am started to feel it in my lungs. I hope I do not develop aesthma!

My Motorcycle Diary

Today was my first day on a motorbike and oh course, I went big and did it in the motorbike capital of the world! It is the main mode of transportation for the Vietnamese and it is just plain wild.

I thought I was taking the bus to work this morning, but my colleague, Ms. Thuy, picked me up in her white Honda - I guess it was a miscommunication. There are more motorbikes than cars and just picture weaving between cars and buses and motorbikes going every which way even if it's a one way street. I was holding my breath, but then just learned to let go and take it all in. There are litterally hundreds maybe thousands of motorbikes on the roads. Plus, they park on the sidewalks so you can just imagine what is it like for a pedestrian. I am trying to determine which is safer - walking or riding a motorbike?

First 2 days in Hanoi

Well, I made it. I am officially in Hanoi. My flight over was actually pleasent (and it was with Air Canada!). It was about 23 hours total with the stopovers in Toronto and Hong Kong and the time difference is now 12 hours since Vietnam does not observe day light savings time.

I was greeted at the airport by one of my future colleagues with a bouquet of flowers and was taken out to dinner. The hotel I am staying is pretty comfy, but now I am looking for an apartment. I was hoping it would just happen, but not so ... turns out it is all about timing and talking to the right people, in other words I need to schmooze ...

My initial thoughts? I naively thought that if I was going to fit in anywhere and not seem like a foreigner, it would be here. But it is far from the truth, I feel like the biggest foreigner and just plain ackward. The little vietnamese I know isn't taking me very far since the south and north dialects are actually quite different. Once I find a room, I will be enlisting myself in some vietnamese classes right away!