Tales From A Weary Traveler

On Friday we went on our first field trip of the year with the high school students. I was excited to get out of my office and get some fresh air for a nice change of pace. I was assigned to Group 3 as the photographer, so my basic duties all day consisted of taking pictures of the kids so we could put them on the school website. Sweet. This I can do.

We took a 2 hour bus ride to the Chu Chi District, a town in rural HCM City. The place we were visiting was called the “Heart and Soul of Vietnam”, and was set up to show how Vietnamese people lived in the past throughout the different regions. There were people making authentic Vietnamese crafts, like candles and wood carved figures. Traditional houses had been constructed to show how people lived in the North, South, and Middle region of the country. It was in one of these houses I discovered bats are a native animal here as well. I was trying to take a picture of a beautifully carved piece of wood inside a dark, dank room when bats started zooming past my head and out the door. I wasn’t too far  behind them and I didn’t dare go back in to get the picture either.

Some areas were set up to show how people used to preserve and prepare food. Large jars with pickled fish didn’t look all to appetizing. Luckily this was not the only option they had in the past. Stations showing how to prepare different grains and rice were hands on activities the kids could try their talents at. I’ll be honest though, if I was relying on them to pound some grain, I would most likely starve. A modern adaptation of an old technique was the sugar cane press. This press squeezes sweet juice out of the sugar cane for you to drink. It has a slight grassy taste but other than that it is really good.

Overall the kids in my group were really well behaved, especially considering there were some students in another group who were caught drinking during the lunch break. I guess these kids aren’t too different from the ones in America after all. But the best part was that I got to see a new part of the country and also get some good pictures. Can’t wait to see where the next field trip will take me.

So I was sitting on my patio on the roof earlier waiting for the rain to come in. The dark clouds had surrounded the neighborhood and I could hear thunder rapidly approaching, so it was only a matter of time before the down pour unleashed itself. Regardless of the fact lightning was clearly visible, the construction workers across the street were still working away, electric tools and all. The fact you are standing on an open platform, 3 stories from the ground, with dozens of 30 ft metal poles pointed towards the sky all around you didn’t seem to concerning? Maybe we Americans are overly cautious about many things, but in this particular instance I would much rather take the necessary precautions to not get electrocuted or struck by lightning. I mean you can’t argue the facts. Electricity and water equal a deadly combination every time. Lightning tends to strike tall, solitary objects before solid ground. No to mention that metal combined with the large pools of water beginning to form at their feet make a great conductor for electricity to travel. But at least they are efficient in their work ethic, something the Vietnamese have definitely got over a majority of Americans. That house will be complete in about half the amount of time it would take in America, easily, so there’s something to be said for that. Realistically what are you supposed to do when it rains every other day anyway?

As the rain started to fall more heavily and the lightning moved directly overhead, I know where I personally would be heading. But I as I sat watching, one of the men across the street proceeded to climb one of the metal poles, electric drill in hand. After about 5 more minutes they all retreated to shelter unscathed, this time.

I’ve lived in Vietnam for a little over a month now and there quite a lot I have learned about the culture here. While there are a few things I find similar to my life back in San Diego, nearly everything is completely foreign (no pun intended). Whether I’m in the grocery store, riding in a taxi, or getting something done at work, I am constantly reminded I’m not in California any more.

One of the sayings I’ve caught onto is “same same”. This is used by everyone; young and old. Basically this means 2 things are pretty much the same, but different in some way. Like if I were comparing 2 phones I wanted to buy and they were different brands but both cost the same amount of money and could perform the same functions then they would be “same same”.  It’s a pretty standard response when shopping, people want you to know that of course you can look around in other stores that sell the exact same thing as them but really you aren’t going to be getting anything different. This saying is so popular here there are even shirts made with “Same Same” on the front and “But Different” on the back. Sqy bought one for Mr.Hong which is ironic because if they ever where their shirts on the same day they themselves will be “same same”.

There is also a hand gesture the kids use. It basically looks like you are resting your chin in between your thumb and pointer finger and is often accompanied by saying “Check it out!”. I’ve also seen it done in music videos. From what I gather it means “pretty” or “handsome”.

Then there are the motorbikes. Everyone here drives one, including a majority of the American staff. The streets are utterly jam-packed with swarms of bikes. At this point in my stay here I am opposed to ever operating one myself. There aren’t laws in the sense that we know back in the states so to me it just looks like a traffic free-for-all. There does seem to be some kind of order the Vietnamese drivers are able to make sense of though because they can navigate the streets with ease. I have ridden on the back of a motorbike taxi before and that was fun. It really gives you a different feel for the city when you can hear the traffic and pass just inches away from other drivers. They are also very good at fitting anything on a bike. Got a family of 4? Plenty of room! Need a mattress delivered? No problem! Accidents are common though and theft is unfortunately frequent since someone could ride right up next to you and snatch a phone out of your hand or a bag off the back of your bike. So for now I think I will just stick to taking a taxi.

While in Mui Ne this weekend Sqy and I found ourselves dining in the middle of some crazy monsoon activity. Sqy caught a little of the experience on video. Enjoy.