Where Am I?

I have returned to Ottawa and am sitting at my sister's computer thinking about the last 7 months. Things seem normal here that is almost feels like I didn't leave at all; however at the same time, I feel like a foreigner and the Ottawa I remember seems strangely unfamiliar. Everything pretty much looks the same but feels quite different. I had a friend warn me that when I returned I will realize how much I changed and that has hold true. I feel like Ottawa has been evacuated or something because the streets are eerily quiet. I guess I am showimg symptoms of reverse culture shock, but I really can't believe the sound of soundlessness. I know I complained about the noise and buzz of the Hanoi streets, but here the feeling is so impersonal when you walk by a passerby. I am used to talking to the street vendors, people encouraging me to buy something, and saying hello to my regular xe om drivers. However, I have missed the excuse me's, please's, and may I's, and understand why Canadians have a reputation for being polite.


My farewell in Hanoi is the best farewell I ever had. Chi came over to say goodbye, all the roommates woke up early and took a piece of luggage each and walked me to my cab (since the taxi can't pick me up at my door because of our long, narrow windy alley). I hugged my housekeeper good-bye and shook hands with Lora's xe om / our house handyman.

Just wanted to post that I plan to put an extensive reflection eventually once I get settled. I just returned to Elm Street and started my first day of work and have the lovely task of unpacking all week. So stay tuned!

Last days in Hanoi

My last few days in Vietnam and I am taking it easy. I made a list of things I want to do before I go: visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and talk a walk in Lenin Park, which is suppose to the nicest and largest park in Hanoi. The biggest challenge is going to be packing and deciding what I actually want to bring back and leave behind. I got lots of presents from relatives and friends and love to shop so that means I will have to sweet talk the check-in’s people.

My Aunt 6 (sitting in the middle and who has a scary strong ressemblance to my mom) and I did a day tour of the Mekong Delta

My housekeeper has volunteered to take my leftover stuff and if she can’t use it has promised to find someone that will. That is one observation I have noted – nothing gets wasted, things that I take for granted as garbage gets used in some way or form. Our housekeeper will sort through our garbage bags and take out anything that can be recycled for money or used again. Even the garbage collectors sift through the garbage bags and take out anything that can be reused. When our neighbours take out their garbage they only have one small bag while we usually have at least 2 huge bags.

My grandfather's old house in Binh Thuan province and where my 12 aunts and uncles used to live.

Today was my last ultimate day and HUC (Hanoi Ulimate Club) will be one of my favorite memories. I have met really interesting people through the game and met even more when I went to Saigon and Bangkok. It was such a good way to meet expats and locals and our weekly tradition of going for sugarcane juice is something that will be greatly missed. I knew when I came to Vietnam I should join activities and put myself out there and ultimate was something I started in my first week. I am already on a team when I get back to Ottawa and I think we start the week I get back ...

I just called my mom and was telling her about my trip to Saigon. I was able to tell her that I saw where her and my dad used to live, where my uncle took my sister when she was a baby for ice cream, the market she shopped at, and where my cousin Hien swam across the lake. My Uncle Chien and I really got along well and perhaps I even take after him. Even though my Vietnamese isn’t great we were still able to talk about politics, life in Vietnam, and our family history. He took the day off work and since he owns a car (with a driver) took me to my grandfather’s old home where Aunt 5 lives in Binh Thuan province, which is about 3 and a half hours away. So we left at 4:30am and he wouldn’t even let me sleep in the car because he thought it was important I see the path to the family home. Aunt 5 works in the market and has a stall selling mats. I met her briefly on New Year’s day and she had no idea we were coming to visit. I pretended to be a customer while my other relatives hid and I wanted to see if she remembered me or not. She was a little confused and looked at me strangely and then realized it was me. I was a bit inappropriately dressed for the trip because I didn’t really know where we were going. I was wearing a bright skirt and heals so kind of stuck out in the town since I was notably taller than everyone and not afraid to get a tan by wearing a tank top (everyone covers up with a big conical hat and long sleeved shirts to keep their skin light). Visiting Aunt 5 and seeing how strong she is and her pride of where she is from made me really proud to be part of her family. Being with Aunt 5 made me really see the contrast of my life to what my life in Vietnam could have been. I think my uncle knows these things are important for me to experience and helped me get see it.

Aunt 4 and I on the rooftop picking mangos - my grandfather planted the tree sometime in the 70s.

When I was visiting my mom’s side, I got to see where my grandfather used to live and where Aunt 4 lived before she immigrated to Seattle and it made me start to understand why they decided to leave. I always wondered why my relatives left Vietnam, when life seemed comfortable, and our family seemed so tight knit, but the wealth and social securities in North America is just not attainable for them if they stayed in Saigon. My family who lives abroad regularly sends money to help my relatives in Vietnam. I had no money to give (although they would never accept it anyway) but came up with the idea of printing photos (the magic of digital) of my last visit and of photos of family in Canada like of my sister’s wedding. I promised myself and them I am coming back within 2 years either for work or to visit and hopefully with my sister and mom. I feel if I am going to do development work, it will most definitely be in Vietnam.

Hanoi Ulimate Club at our new grassy field. Thank you UNIS (the UN International School)!

Sweet sugarcane juice - I am still amazed how much juice there is in the canes I always assumed they added water ...

I am heading back to Canada in 3 days and can’t believe it has been nearly 7 months. This has been a good experience for me and I really have to thank Kate and Diem for encouraging me to do this and making it easier for me to go. I did have some reservations in going, but now have no regrets – I would have regretted not going.

The Golden Turtle Himself

I saw the Hoan Kiem Turtle ... I been either blessed or cursed

Easter is not a widely celebrated holiday in Hanoi and I actually almost forgot about it. Not a chocolate bunny in sight! I been waiting for some emails from Canada and was wondering what was taking so long and finally realized that everything is closed for the long weekend. Happy Easter to everyone.

Yesterday one of our Canadian delegates arrived and it's Felix's first time in Vietnam. I like seeing people's initial reactions to the city and it reminds me of when I first came. Except Felix just came from Delhi so he actually found Hanoi quite tame after his full on cultural immersion in India. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and it is a famous Vietnamese landmark, for lodging a very old turtle according to legend (read below, I am too lazy to paraphrase).

In 1418, a farmer whose name was Le Loi (future Le Thai To) grouped an insurrection army in Lam Son District in Thanh Hoa Province. He proclaimed himself as Binh Dinh Vuong (King of Pacification) and led the resistance against the aggressors for 10 years and regained national independence. The name of this lake is derived from a legend that a fisherman named Le Than caught a sword blade when drawing in his fishnet. Than decided to offer it to his commanding general Le Loi. Afterwards, King Le Loi found a hilt that fit the blade very well. This sword was kept at his side during the 10 years of resistance against Ming aggressors. After winning over the foreign aggression, King Le Thai To returned to Thang Long Citadel. One day, aboard a royal boat, he took a cruise on Luc Thuy Lake when a giant turtle emerged and came towards him. The king withdrew his sword, and pointed the sword in the direction of the coming turtle for his soldiers' attention. Suddenly, the turtle caught the sword in its teeth and submerged. The king thought that during the resistance against Ming aggressors, the genius had offered him this sword to help him defeat the enemy. At that time, peace was returning, and the genius appeared to take back the sword. Consequently, King Le Thai To decided to name the lake ‘Hoan Kiem’ (Lake of Restored Sword). In the middle of the lake is Thap Rua (Turtle Tower).

I hosted an ultimate vietnamese dinner and here some of the willing helpers rolling springrolls. I wanted to learn how to make a vietnamese meal from scratch and we even went to the market and bought all the ingredients. But, I mostly ended up being an observer and taste-tester.

I have never really tried to look for the turtle and was skeptical when Melissa said she saw the turtle one morning. We noticed a gathering around the lake and I knew it could only mean one thing, the turtle had surfaced! I will have proof once I get the photos from Felix, but the excitment in the air was almost more interesting for me to watch. Vietnamese people tend to be a bit superstitous and when there is a turtle sighting it means something big is going to happen either good fortune or bad luck. I been going about my day to see if anything will happen. So far I can blame the turtle for getting caught in the rain on my way to work and sitting in wet clothes in the office.

Tu and Son in the front yard doing the veggies. Note our fish pond! Lora says there is a little turtle in there somewhere but it has never surfaced for me.

I went to Cuc Phuong last week which is the first national park in Vietnam. I been meaning to go for a while, but just didn't really have any time. Mai and I went to an industry night for Buffalo Tours and Mai ended up winning the grand prize which was an overnight trip for two in the surrounding area. Mai works for a tour agency and had done all the tours many times that she graciously gave the trip to me! So I decided to go to Cuc Phuong and just needed someone to come with me. Dan, fellow Canadian whose (embarrassingly) vietnamese is way better than mine, came with. We had a private car, our own guide, and beautiful weather. It was nice to get out of the city and do some trekking.

Foreigners tend to get asked to have their picture taken, and fair-skinned Dan was asked to pose several times ... I think I was only asked because I was Dan's friend. This is taken in the Cave of Prehistoric Man, bones from 12,000 years ago were found here.

My favorite was visiting the primate rescue centre and seeing all the different type of monkeys swinging around, where some have been rescued from poachers. We even got to see a 3-day old monkey. Many are endangered species and continually sold on the black market. Why would someone want to eat monkey brain? Why does ancient medicine believe that eating parts of monkey will make men more viril? The biggest problem, our guide told us, is that monkeys and other endangered animals are usually taken to China and sold to make Chinese medicines.

The 1000-year old tree, we were skeptical of its true age ...

Auditions for Vietnam Idol have just began and coming to Hanoi on the 15th. I will unfortunately be in Saigon and won't be able to put my karaoke experience into use. I am visiting my relatives one more time before I head back. I think I am going to fast for a few days before I go because I know they are going to spoil me with so much homemade cooking! I am making a list of things I need to do before I go. I actually haven't done a lot of the touristy stuff because I just thought I have my whole internship to do it and oh course, I never did. Next week I am going to go to Ho Chi Minh's mausaleum. I have seen Chairman Mao's and then I will have to go visit Lenin's and Castro's, when the time comes, to complete my communist leaders tour.

Not my house, but the houses across the alley from me. I really enjoy our neighbourhood except for all the reconstruction they do at 6 in the morning. Houses tend to be built narrow and tall because houses are taxed based on ground floor area and not by land property size.