This post is long past due, and I apologize for the delay. It's been a whirlwind two weeks. Some of it was amazin, and some not so much.
I'm settled into my volunteer placement now, although a strong language barrier still exists. I wish my knowledge of marketing and design was stronger so that I could help more, but I'm still enjoying my time there.
Shortly after my first post, I made a trip to the ER for stomach issues, and then spent a few days bed ridden. Fortunately, it's mostly resolved now. It turns out I have another parasite, because my stomach is apparently a magnet for them when I travel.
This past weekend, I was able to get my mind of my health problems when I made a trip up to Sapa. Me, Gabriela, and one other volunteer signed up for a tour with VPV (our host organization). There was a lack of communication, however, on when we were supposed to leave, so they left without us. A few angry phone calls and rants later, we decided we were better off traveling on our own. Luckily for us, there was another train leaving in 30 minutes. We got a hard bed cabin with a sweet Vietnamese family. I was grateful for the bed, but it was difficult to sleep because the trains here aren't in the greatest shape. There was a lot of rattling, swaying, and random stopping. The train did stay on the rails though, and we arrived in one piece the next morning.
When we stepped off the train we noticed that the air was dramatically cleaner (and much colder!) than here in Hanoi. Sapa is at a much higher altitude and just a few miles south of the Chinese border. It was a refreshing shock to have a temperature of about 20 degrees. The mountains are absolutely beautiful, even with the copious amounts of fog surrounding them. The main town is filled with people from local villages selling their wares, and plenty of tourists. The local dress is very colorful, and th attitude is very friendly. After suckering me out of most of my spending money, the young girls walked away happy to be rid of some excess weight. We spent most of the day shopping and admiring the unique town which feels just as much like a ski resort as it does an ancient Asian town.
The next day was much less relaxing, however. We picked a moderate hike with a local tour guide that included a hike to a local village and then another trek to a waterfall. It wasn't the length that made the hike tough (though I quickly realized I am in VERY bad shape!), but the mud that had accumulated from a previous rain. Most of the trek was downhill, so there was a lot of sliding involved. Thankfully, no one was injured, just got a little more dirty. The village we arrived at after about an hour is called Cat Cat. It is hardly what we would call a village in the western world, but instead a sparse collection of rickety homes. We were able to see inside one of the homes and meet the resident children. They live very modest lives, but no one complains, and the family units are very tight. Next, we moved onto a waterfall that had a hydro plant built in during the French occupation. It was definitely worth the difficult walk to see, the natural beauty was a much needed contrast to th bustl of Hanoi.
The next day we made a trip to the silver waterfall, but this time by motorbike. Because I don't like passing up an opportunity to ride a motorbike over here, I was really excited. The silver waterfall was even more beautiful than the one we saw the previous day.
On the way back we hit a bit of a snag when we learned that most of the train tickets were sold out. We ended up getting stuck on hard seats. Unfortunately, they're exactly as they sound, HARD. On top of the uncomfortable seats, they overbooked the train. At one point in the ride we had seven people in a four person area (two of whom were laying on the floor). Needless to say, we were quite exhausted when we got back to peace house.
In my free time that wasn't spent traveling or in the hospital, I made a lot of trips to the Old Quarter, where I bought a few souvenirs and six seasons of Dr. Who (for $10!). I also went to se the new James Bond, which I loved! I was glad I didn't have to go long without my beloved Daniel Craig.
Sorry for the lengthy post, and long absence. Hopefully, this won't be the last one, but I leave in 9 days already! I'm pretty excited to experience some winter weather (and hopefully see a little snow) before I leave to go abroad again for the spring! This weekend I'll be off to Halong Bay to sit on the beach and catch some sun! I'll try to post pictures as soon as I find a strong enough Internet connection.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Week One: Jet Lag and Motorbikes
Xin Chao from Hanoi, Vietnam!
I've almost reached the end of my first week here in Vietnam, and it's been quite the whirlwind adventure. It's hard to layout my first impressions because so many were thrown at me at once. As soon as I got off the plane, I felt the warm, humid air of Vietnamese "winter." Fortunately, I (and my skin) love the tropical weather. After a short car ride, I arrived at Peace House 2, located on the edge of Hanoi. The place is small (only housing about 15 volunteers) and cozy. The first volunteers I met represented a large array of countries, mostly in Europe. All were friendly and inviting. The only downside I've discovered sleeping here at night is the fact that I have no window, and the mosquitoes. I awoke the first day not having any clue what time it was and with a leg covered in large bites. The dark mornings did not help much with the jet lag, and adjusting took a little while (especially with the 11 hour time difference!), but I've since overcome that obstacle. The mosquitoes, on the other hand, are something I may never conquer, unfortunately.
When my roommate, Gabriela, arrived I spent some time exploring the area around the house. The thing that hit me the hardest was the large amount of motorbikes, and the task of crossing the road. Although Jordan gave me some experience with crossing without pedestrian walkways, nothing could prepare me for maneuvering around the masses of motorbikes. I learned that it is illegal to run across the street which, of course, was my first instinct. I did eventually learn that if you walk confidently the motorbikes will just move around you. After adjusting to that first challenge, I then had to move onto the dreaded buses.
On Friday, I learned how to travel to my volunteer organization by public transportation. Before then, I had already heard horror stories from the other volunteers, and so was quite frightened of what I would encounter. Fortunately, I did not have an awful experience my first time. The worst part, it seems, is the crowding and the fact that the bus never fully stops at the bus stop. As long as I'm alert, I don't think I'll run into many issues.
When I arrived at my volunteer organization, I was very pleased with what I saw. The group is called To He after a traditional children's toy. They set up a store in Hanoi to raise funds for disabled Vietnamese children. Everything in the store features pictures made by the children, and made in shop. The schools that this organization works with teach kids with a wide range of disabilities, including (but not exclusive to) autism, down syndrome, physical deformities, and those suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. I've been given the task of filming these schools in order to make a short documentary, helping write a new text book, and proof-reading proposals. It's a lot of work to take on in 4 weeks, especially with my low level of experience in these subjects. I hope that I can make some sort of impact, however, over these next few weeks.
I've almost reached the end of my first week here in Vietnam, and it's been quite the whirlwind adventure. It's hard to layout my first impressions because so many were thrown at me at once. As soon as I got off the plane, I felt the warm, humid air of Vietnamese "winter." Fortunately, I (and my skin) love the tropical weather. After a short car ride, I arrived at Peace House 2, located on the edge of Hanoi. The place is small (only housing about 15 volunteers) and cozy. The first volunteers I met represented a large array of countries, mostly in Europe. All were friendly and inviting. The only downside I've discovered sleeping here at night is the fact that I have no window, and the mosquitoes. I awoke the first day not having any clue what time it was and with a leg covered in large bites. The dark mornings did not help much with the jet lag, and adjusting took a little while (especially with the 11 hour time difference!), but I've since overcome that obstacle. The mosquitoes, on the other hand, are something I may never conquer, unfortunately.
When my roommate, Gabriela, arrived I spent some time exploring the area around the house. The thing that hit me the hardest was the large amount of motorbikes, and the task of crossing the road. Although Jordan gave me some experience with crossing without pedestrian walkways, nothing could prepare me for maneuvering around the masses of motorbikes. I learned that it is illegal to run across the street which, of course, was my first instinct. I did eventually learn that if you walk confidently the motorbikes will just move around you. After adjusting to that first challenge, I then had to move onto the dreaded buses.
On Friday, I learned how to travel to my volunteer organization by public transportation. Before then, I had already heard horror stories from the other volunteers, and so was quite frightened of what I would encounter. Fortunately, I did not have an awful experience my first time. The worst part, it seems, is the crowding and the fact that the bus never fully stops at the bus stop. As long as I'm alert, I don't think I'll run into many issues.
When I arrived at my volunteer organization, I was very pleased with what I saw. The group is called To He after a traditional children's toy. They set up a store in Hanoi to raise funds for disabled Vietnamese children. Everything in the store features pictures made by the children, and made in shop. The schools that this organization works with teach kids with a wide range of disabilities, including (but not exclusive to) autism, down syndrome, physical deformities, and those suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. I've been given the task of filming these schools in order to make a short documentary, helping write a new text book, and proof-reading proposals. It's a lot of work to take on in 4 weeks, especially with my low level of experience in these subjects. I hope that I can make some sort of impact, however, over these next few weeks.
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