Happenings in Hanoi

My study abroad experience has truly been a whirlwind tour of the world. At this point, I have nearly circumnavigated the globe during my lifetime. I was so happy to have an airplane window seat during the twenty hours of transit from Johannesburg to Hanoi. My nose was pressed to the glass as I watched the white sands of the Mozambican coastline disappear. I watched the ripples of the Indian Ocean extend for miles, until it was broken by the rugged, varied landscape of Madagascar. The sun set as we flew over the enormous island, but even as we continued, I was able to glimpse the lights shining from the small island nation of Mauritius. I now have a long checklist of places I want to visit, and it gets longer and longer the more I travel! I am in love with Southeast Asia. On the way to Vietnam, we had a four hour layover in the airport at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As it turns out, it has been voted 'Best Airport in the World' three times in a row. And it certainly deserves the title. During my layover, I took a jungle nature walk without even leaving the confines of the airport! After a short two hour flight to Hanoi, I finally arrived at my destination.

The first thing I noticed about Hanoi was the architecture of the city. All the buildings are tall and narrow, and somewhat leaning on eachother as if they are sinking into the marshy ground. My host family's home has nine levels (though, I often lose count). I have to walk up six stories to get to the room I share with Akinyi, another girl on my program. We also have our own study room on the seventh floor. My host family is incredible, I am so happy here! First of all, we are very, very well-fed. The first day, we were given noodles, chicken, tofu, beef, fresh lettuce, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and peanuts to put into a broth. This dish is called Pho. Usually we leave the table filled to the max, but it evens out with all those stairs we have to climb! Another unique aspect of the cuisine in Vietnam is the coffee. As an avid coffee drinker, I launched at the opportunity to order a cup to cure my jet lag. But, I was extremely shocked at what I was given! Not only is Vietnamese coffee is known to be highly caffeinated, but instead of creamer or fresh milk, they use condensed milk which I find disgustingly sweet and unpleasant. I am working on figuring out an alternative! The second thing I noticed about Vietnam is the constant smell of fish. It's absolutely everywhere! Fish sauce is used in almost all the foods, even if it is a chicken, tofu, or beef dish. I am working on liking seafood...because I do want to try exotic dishes, even if I am a little squeamish. Hang and Ming suggested I try dog. I'm not sure if this is too far out of my comfort zone though...

Although my host parents speak very little English, thus far, we have gotten by just fine! My host mom has taught me a lot of Vietnamese words so I can get to and from school on the bus everyday. You'd be surprised at how difficult the language is. In fact, each word can potentially have six different meanings just based on intonation! My host dad speaks English well, but he is actually fluent in Portuguese from the time he spent teaching mathematics in Angola. So, often half of his words end up being in Portuguese (and I use my limited knowledge of Spanish to guess what he is trying to tell me!). My host brother studies English in school, but he is too shy to talk to me. He prefers to play World of Warcraft. However, I cornered him today and peppered him with questions. He is so sweet and really reminds me of Alec! Hai, my host brother, also loves soccer. I got him a small gift from South Africa that I think he'll like - it's a rubber bracelet (very manly, don't worry!) that says "FIFA World Cup 2010 - South Africa." Maybe he'll voluntarily talk to me after that! My host sister, Hang, and her husband, Ming, are also incredibly friendly. Both of them spent significant time in the United States and we get along really well. Their baby, Hanh, is turning 1 years old next Sunday. So, I'll get to attend the birthday party! She has the chubbiest cheeks you've ever seen. Tonight, Hang took Akinyi and me to a Thai restaurant where she introduced us to her German friend, Juliane. I'm excited for Juliane to show me around the city this weekend!

Monday was the first day of classes in Vietnam after a long break from schoolwork. Our classes and guest lectures take place at the Hanoi School of Public Health. HSPH is close to the city center, so the honking of cars and rumble of motorbikes is the constant soundtrack to my studies. The biggest culture shock I've experienced is most definitely the roads. In Hanoi, there are no streetlights, no stop signs, no right-of-way, and for that matter, no traffic laws whatsoever. This is especially complicated by the fact that there are often thousands of motorbikes on the road at one time, with a dozen or so cars squeezing through narrow spaces. Usually, there is no sidewalk, but on the occasion that there is one, it is used as a motorbike parking lot rather than a place for pedestrians (or sometimes, it is even seen as an extension of the road). As you might imagine, crossing the street is a nightmare. There is a constant power struggle between the person walking and the cars or motorbikes. You have to be forceful in order to cross the road, because no one will stop for you! It's about the equivalent of trying to walk across the freeway during rush hour in San Diego. It is complete chaos!

Before I met my host family, I spent the first two nights in a hotel with the students on my program. The hotel was located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi near a beautiful lake that is lit up at night. I had a small amount of free time to explore the city. I went to the Temple of Literature, which is basically an ancient university, and to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Unfortunately, I arrived too late in the afternoon to go inside the mausoleum where I could go face-to-face with Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body. I still want to go to a few museums in Hanoi to get a better sense of the country's history. It is hard to imagine that north Vietnam was, until fairly recently, considered enemy territory. Maybe as a result of the war, Vietnam was one of the last countries to be affected by globalization. Coca-Cola only began to import their products ten years ago!

I am learning more and more everyday. I love Vietnam (how could I not love a place that has a karaoke bar on every block?!). But, I still miss San Diego, Boston, and Bushbuckridge - my other three homes. I will send more updates soon!