Mekong Delta

This weekend, our crew headed out to the Mekong River Delta, which was a great little vacation away from the city. I couldn't believe how amazingly beautiful the Mekong was. It's funny. You hear about the Mekong and the river and think of the major battles of the war and how important it was to the South. But now it proves to be a peaceful, serene, and simple place where the vegetation is flourishing and the people depend on the river's resources to live.

On Friday, we crossed the river via ferry in to Can Tho, which is one of the larger cities in the region. We stayed at a hotel (AHHH!!!) where for the first half hour each and every one of us ran around exploring the bathroom with actual shower and bathtub, a blowdryer, and comfortable pillows. We love hotels. And, lucky for us, our ten day trip to the North starting Thursday is TEEMING with hotels. Woo hoo!

Saturday we were up and adam for a packed day. We visited a Biodiversity Restoration center in the middle of farm-country, which provided us with an info session on the impact of agent orange usage by American forces during the war on the environment. I could not believe how much vegetation was originally destroyed by the war, but I was even more impressed by how much of it had grown back, and how much the community was doing to improve the quick and steady recreation of national habitat.

Now, the fun part. We hiked through the woods on Saturday to take a tour of the Research center, but, low and behold, LEECHES! I have never seen anything like this. I guess I should consider it a first and be proud, but I had to yank many a leech off my ankles at the end of the hour hike. Needless to say, my socks and sneakers looked like a B grade horror film.

On Sunday, we spent the majority of our day on a boat! We toured the floating markets in Can Tho, which were a totally awesome sight. The marketplace takes place on the water, where each purveyor actually sails up to your boat in order to barter or sell their goods. The best is that in order to tell what each boat is selling you look to the tall pole on the bow of the boat, which hangs a pineapple or coconut or whatever is being sold. We also did a shot of snake wine at a farm with some locals (and our professor HA). For those of you who aren't familiar with snake wine, its rice wine that is fermented for about a year with a dead cobra inside of it. It was pretty good for 11:00 am on a Sunday.

Oh! And I held a 15 foot python, and it almost broke my arm. But I was the first one to hold it by myself so I think I am brave and pretty awesome. Secretly, it was scary and the snake felt gross, but what an experience.

Thursday we are leaving for our 10 day trek up North, which includes stops in DaLat, Danang, Hue, and many other small villages. Friday I'm riding an elephant. No big deal. But I'll make sure to keep everyone updated!! Much love.

Oh. Quick note... The blog is being a pain about letting me upload photos, so if you have a facebook account make sure you check out the photos on there! Or bug my Mom to send you some. Sorry Mom, I'm in Vietnam, remember? Internet is shady here.

Chao cac ban!

Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai... etc. etc.

Friday, we took a field trip to the Fine Arts Museum in HCMC, followed by a trip to the Tu Do gallery (a private gallery in the city which collects amazing modern and historical art pieces.) The Fine Arts Museum was housed in a beautiful, French-inspired mansion in the city, with three floors of art to view and a statue garden. The second floor of the museum in particular had beautiful war-inspired art from woodcut to sculpture and paintings. The war-era art was beautiful but also distinctly propagandistic, conveying the strength of the Vietnamese soldiers or the brutality of the enemy ones. I loved looking at the media representations of these war times.

Yesterday, our group visited the Cu Chi tunnels and a Cao Dai temple. I had never heard of Cao Diasm before but found it to be so unique. The basic structure of the religion involves influences from most world religions, from Christianity and Daoism to Confucianism and Buddhism (and Victor Hugo is one of their saints.. I love this religion already.) When we arrived at the temple, I was blown away by its construction. The temple was extravagant and simple at the same time, relying on simple architectural structure on the outside to be juxtaposed with gorgeous arches and painted columns on the inside. The ceremony itself was incredible to watch. Each Cao Dai practitioner entered the temple according to rank, although everyone shared a seat on the floor as the meditation began. Once again, this idea of hierarchical rank in the context of social equity came in to play. The music throughout the ceremony was what struck me the most, however. I have always thought that Asian-inspired music was distinctly beautiful, but the sounds of this choir against the instruments and the acoustics of the giant indoor temple created such a feeling that I forgot I was one of a hundred tourist viewers in the top gallery and instead focused on capturing this feeling in my photos.

Our next stop yesterday was the Cu Chi tunnels, an extensive network of underground tunnels in the Cu Chi province that Viet Cong used to infiltrate American base camps during the war. After watching a movie about the formation of the tunnels, we explored the tunnel area, seeing bomb craters left over from the extensive bombing of Cu Chi, and seeing the first-hand brilliance of the guerilla warfare tactics during the war. I could not believe the amount of dedication that it took to create this tunnel network. We were invited to try out the tunnel system, however, the small space was a little too much for me so I opted out. They have even expanded the tunnels for American tourists to fit inside of them, but they are still so small. I could not image having been down there for weeks at a time like some Vietnamese soldiers who were stationed there.

One of the most striking moments of the Cu Chi tunnels actually had to do with the firing range that they have there. Tourists are invited to buy rounds of ammunition and try out some of the period weaponry, such as AK-47s and M60s. Everyone in the group was really excited to try it out and we bought bullets and headed down to the range. Before we began, Professor Jones wanted to show us what a small-scale firefight would have sounded like during the war. He and another student each quickly fired off 5 rounds of ammunition at the targets, and the sound was absolutely deafening. I could not believe that even with only two guns what the cacophony of a firefight sounded like. Hearing this continued to remind me of how confusing and detached war must be for a soldier. If we could barely hear ourselves think over two guns firing, I can’t imagine what a full-scale battle would sound or feel like to a soldier trying to receive orders, stay alert, and stay alive.

I am still loving Vietnam... This place is one of the most incredible places I have ever been. The people are friendly, the landscape is beautiful, and I feel as if I'm a part of something that is so distinctly special. I also LOVE the group that I am with. It is such an interesting mix of people who are not afraid to try anything new... including the food. No one has gotten too sick yet, (knock on wood...) I will upload pictures later on from this trip! Much love to everyone!

War Remnants Museum and Long Hai

Yesterday, our Vietnamese buddies took us for a walk around to find cell phones. We also met Michelle, a woman whose family had just moved to Vietnam during the summer time and was desperately looking for someone to speak English with and offer any guidance or help she could to us. After another day of exploring and getting used to the area, we were challenged to find our way to the War Remnants Museum in a different area of District 1, where our guest house apartments are. Once again, I was reminded just how difficult it is to find your way around (i.e. ask for directions and read maps) when you don’t speak the language! Language classes start tomorrow and I can’t wait to ease my way in to a little more competency than asking “Do you speak English?”

Finally, after paying a man 200,000 dong (kind of an accident,) for showing us the way to the museum, we arrived for our first “class” session with the entire group. At the museum, we were reminded that the purpose of the museum as a form of conceptualization of the war was still to portray a certain idea or viewpoint to the “audience”. The focus on American atrocities presented at the war museum were just like the other forms of media that we had to critically think about throughout the summer- each with an agenda of presenting a certain perspective. Here, I felt that the focus of the museum focused mostly on American brutality during the war, which was helpful in directing my focus towards understanding the violence of war that stemmed from the American side. However, being an American at this site I also felt embarrassed, guilty and defensive at the same time. Professor Jones explained to us that the Vietnamese lore attests that old ghosts reside in large trees, and the War Remnants museum (surrounded by aged and immense trees) definitely provided apt feeling that the ghosts of war still remain in a country where war has been over for fifty years.

Today, we ventured out to the beach at Long Hai, where we traveled on Highway 1 (one of the most crowded highways running out of Saigon) in to the countryside. What still strikes me the most as we continue to travel is the duality of the landscape of this country. As the bus windows passed by suburbs of Saigon in to smaller villages, we passed xe om’s (motor bikes) and cars sharing streets with ox-drawn carts, rice paddies with power lines covering their horizons, and small, shirtless little boys walking by leather-cased business men on the sidewalks. However, there was no mistaking the beauty of the shore countryside, where houses became scarcer and large rocks protruded from the beach-side mountain ranges. As we explored the beach and swam in the South China Sea, we experienced a totally different Vietnam from the hustle and bustle of the city. Once again, the different layers of Vietnam slowly unfolded for us.

P.S. The pictures below are from the first week! Be sure to check for others coming up, and also on facebook!

I'm here!

We have been in Vietnam for two days and already the adventure is unbelievable. I think that I am still pretty shocked that we are actually here. The bus ride in from the airport felt like if I closed my eyes I could pretend I was in New York City. But, if I opened them, all I saw was a combination of miles of traffic, buildings packed in to small lots, and beautiful ethnic structures. I have never seen anything quite like it.

I have already learned that the key to this trip is going to be openmindedness. Last night, despite massive amounts of jetlag, we went out with Oliver (HWS ’09) to a dessert place after our group dinner. Amidst exhausted laughter and tentative reaches, we braved desserts that we had never seen and giggled our way through getting to know each other and our surroundings.

Orientation this morning clued us in on a lot of cultural know-hows and advice on getting around. We took a walking tour of the city and learned how to exchange money and cross the street. These may sound like the simplest things ever, but even getting to know these little aspects of day-to-day life make me feel that much more competent in a new country where my competence level has begun at -100. Not knowing or understanding the language has turned out to be so much more overwhelming than I had originally thought. I never thought I’d say this… but I can’t wait for language classes (and classes in general) to start.

A few times already I have had the distinct experience of being the minority, which is something I have never felt or been subjected to in my life. For the most part, Vietnamese folks are extremely friendly and welcoming, but until I master the language and prove myself as someone who has earned their stripes, I am simply a foreigner with a lot of money and not a lot of knowledge about where or how to use it. Ben Tanh market is just an example of one of these places. Completely packed to the gills with purchases, this market in the backpacker district is a tourist trap where personal space is nonexistent and many purveyors sell their wares to tourists for too much money. But, what I have to remember is that what may seem like too much money to me is actually nothing compared to the exchange rate around here. One U.S. dollar is worth about 18,000 Vietnamese Dong… So far, I have spent $.75 cents on breakfast, about $3.00 on lunch (at a more expensive venue,) and bought a 24-pack of bottled water for about $1.00. I have never been to a place before where things are so inexpensive. But that is also telling of the poverty that this country is struggling to overcome.

I was proud of myself today for adventuring out in to the city with Cathy, Kelsey, Alaina and Brittany. We took a map and some money and braved the extreme humidity and temperature to explore. We saw the statue of Ho Chi Minh himself and had fun trying to talk to Saigon locals and figure out which way was home. My goal is to get to know my district of the city in the three weeks that we are here. Starting out small and then moving outwards seems to be the way to do this. We have mastered our street and a few surrounding alleys, and I think we’re ready to use the crosswalks.

Airports

So, I'm sitting in the airport in Hong Kong, alive and well! The 20 hour flight was not as bad as I had originally thought.. We flew out of JFK at 11 pm on September 8th, and after a 20 hour and 20 minute flight, are currently sitting in the airport terminal awaiting our flight to Saigon. I slept for a bit on the flight, watched many movies (MARJORIE AND SAM, I GOT TO WATCH STAR TREK!!!) and played Trivia. Among other movement about the cabin in which we bothered various other passengers and played with beautiful little Asian children as we were waiting in line for the bathroom. The weird thing is, the time difference in Hong Kong is exactly 12 hours ahead of the time zone at home.. So right now it is about 8 am. But, Saigon is an hour behind that (or 11 hours ahead of home) and is just beginning its day at around 7 am. My jet lag is going to be killer. Thank god for Ambien, right?

Flying over the small islands off the coast of Japan and China was incredible though! And watching a sunrise like the one I saw as we were flying over Taipai and the coast of China was like nothing I had ever seen. At one point, during our descent, we even saw the tips of mountains on the Chinese coast peaking through the clouds. It was like there was a heaven.

Speaking of heaven, had an interesting spiritual experience in the bathroom at JFK (hold your laughter please...) Kelsey, Brittany and I were headed in to the bathroom and just gushing about how excited we were, when I commented on a woman's over the shoulder bag who was unloading her life on the counter by the sink. We all began chatting, and we learned that her name was JoAnne, and that she was heading on safari, by herself, to about 5 different countries in Africa for 3 weeks. She asked where we were going, and was so excited to hear that we were traveling to Vietnam together, and gushed about what an experience it was going to be. She left us with a very interesting quote... She told the three of us girls to "Leave vanity behind and just go." Thought it was a really interesting way to start out the trip. Leave vanity behind.. Thanks JoAnne. That we will do.

Mom, Dad, Grandma, etc. I'm safe. Don't fret!!

Some light reading!

Forgot to mention all of the books and movies that I have been reading to prepare me for the trip.. For my actual classes at HWS, I was assigned to read four different books covering the span of media influence on American understanding and conceptualization of the Vietnam War. These books were (in order): Vietnam and Other American Fantasies, The Things They Carried, How the War Was Remembered: Hollywood and Vietnam, and Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam. Each book touched on major issues surrounding the media's involvement in the war in Vietnam, and the final book created a very interesting juxtaposition of lessons from the war in Vietnam and their influence on our current conflict in Iraq. To give you the reader's digest version of how I felt about these books... ALKSDJFLAKJSDLKFJALSKDJ! I could not believe how much I didn't know about the war, how much a lot of us do not know about the war. The distortion of reality and truth still continues, even today, which is something we must all be aware of as we are currently involving ourselves in another imperialistic vendetta, teeming with similarities to our involvement in Vietnam.

The movies were great too. Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter, John Wayne's The Green Berets, and Oliver Stone's Platoon all portrayed the war in very different facets. I had seen The Deer Hunter before, but setting it against Wayne's overly jingoistic and patriotic Green Berets definitely made me think of both movies as they would affect their audiences, not just as they portrayed the war. Jeeze John Wayne, propaganda piece much?? I thought Platoon above the other two represented the war in the most honest fashion. It was a plotless piece, which highlighted how disoriented and disconnected a soldier must have felt during the war. Charlie Sheen was great in it.

In terms of other reading, Mom bought me two non-fiction accounts of American women traveling in Vietnam in the early 90s. Good reads. Grandma- thanks for the DVDs of travel! And Paul, the book of photos is gorgeous. Now I have some ideas for photos of my own! Three days and counting...

Packing (and other shenanigans...)

I'm saying goodbye to friends and packing up for the trip of a lifetime! I will miss Lisa, Brit and Marjorie, my friends and family, and everyone back here in the states! But I can't wait to meet new friends and acquaintances in my travels.

And who knew you would have to bring so much weird stuff with you to Vietnam? I don't think I have ever purchased bug spray with a Deet percentage of 30% before.. but I guess I won't get Malaria now. Phew. Other essentials: Lotion (the Vietnamese revere light skin so they put bleach in their lotions in order to make their skin lighter,) Imodium (Upset stomach, indigestion.. how does that jingle go?) and the ever-effective hand sanitizer! Among many other ridiculous packing must-haves. Make sure to check back in as I load photos from my photography class abroad! The pictures are bound to be something.. Ciao!