May 19
Saigon
Today is Uncle Ho's birthday. I personally celebrated by going shopping. Everyone's souvenirs are on the way. :)
Friday, May 23, 2003
May 18 11 pm
I picked the wrong show to go to without a translator. So I went to this play whose name translates as something like 'Saving Face' It's based on a Moliere play but I can't imagine which one. It involves men dressed as giant butterflies and a sea captain. There were men in pig suits and an explosion of some kind. I think it involved water somehow. There were a few actors I knew. Oh and it started with the US airforce theme, although I really doubt anyone knew that.
Today I did not get out of bed until 3 pm. This is because I was suffering severely from the effects of my activities last night. It seems that there's an Irish pub in Saigon, and it is like something straight out of Dublin. I went there with Molly, her boyfriend, Nhat, and her brother, who was visiting from America. There were maps of Ireland and pictures of Irish heroes on the wall, and the crowd was decently Irish. One guy, I think he owned the place, would frequently orchestrate the chorus of drunks. "Let's have a famine song!" he'd say. "Let's have a rebel song!" Nothing like singing songs about throwing the Brits out of Ireland while sitting in the middle of Vietnam. Although at the time it didn't seem all that out of context.
The Danish man at the bar next to me said "I think you Irish only leave Ireland so you can sing sad songs about how you miss it."
At a certain point in the evening I was singing right along; later, I busted out a brogue for some reason. I stayed late talking to the bartender and his girlfriend, and I was actually the last person out of the bar. They got me a xe om home. It was good times.
Plus earlier that day I had a very enlightening interview with an actor. I will tell you about it when I get home.
I picked the wrong show to go to without a translator. So I went to this play whose name translates as something like 'Saving Face' It's based on a Moliere play but I can't imagine which one. It involves men dressed as giant butterflies and a sea captain. There were men in pig suits and an explosion of some kind. I think it involved water somehow. There were a few actors I knew. Oh and it started with the US airforce theme, although I really doubt anyone knew that.
Today I did not get out of bed until 3 pm. This is because I was suffering severely from the effects of my activities last night. It seems that there's an Irish pub in Saigon, and it is like something straight out of Dublin. I went there with Molly, her boyfriend, Nhat, and her brother, who was visiting from America. There were maps of Ireland and pictures of Irish heroes on the wall, and the crowd was decently Irish. One guy, I think he owned the place, would frequently orchestrate the chorus of drunks. "Let's have a famine song!" he'd say. "Let's have a rebel song!" Nothing like singing songs about throwing the Brits out of Ireland while sitting in the middle of Vietnam. Although at the time it didn't seem all that out of context.
The Danish man at the bar next to me said "I think you Irish only leave Ireland so you can sing sad songs about how you miss it."
At a certain point in the evening I was singing right along; later, I busted out a brogue for some reason. I stayed late talking to the bartender and his girlfriend, and I was actually the last person out of the bar. They got me a xe om home. It was good times.
Plus earlier that day I had a very enlightening interview with an actor. I will tell you about it when I get home.
May 16 10 pm
Saigon
So when I got to the theater at 9 am today, I discovered that a) No one was there and b) the rehearsal actually started at 2 pm the next day. Also the show that my advisor told me I should see tonight won't be showing anywhere in Ho Chi Minh City for the next few months. I think all that stepping on ants in my room is ruining my karma.
I actually did go to a spoken play tonight, although it was one we found at the lsat minute. The original one we planned to go to was cancelled; it was supposed to be held outside and it rained. So this play was mostly spoken, although there were songs that the actors lip synched. Really really melodramatic for no reason I can see.
Also I was on Vietnamese TV last night. There was a TV show on Co Minh Ngoc, my advisor, and a camera crew came to her class and shot footage on a day that I happened to be there. So I am famous.
Saigon
So when I got to the theater at 9 am today, I discovered that a) No one was there and b) the rehearsal actually started at 2 pm the next day. Also the show that my advisor told me I should see tonight won't be showing anywhere in Ho Chi Minh City for the next few months. I think all that stepping on ants in my room is ruining my karma.
I actually did go to a spoken play tonight, although it was one we found at the lsat minute. The original one we planned to go to was cancelled; it was supposed to be held outside and it rained. So this play was mostly spoken, although there were songs that the actors lip synched. Really really melodramatic for no reason I can see.
Also I was on Vietnamese TV last night. There was a TV show on Co Minh Ngoc, my advisor, and a camera crew came to her class and shot footage on a day that I happened to be there. So I am famous.
May 15 9 pm
Saigon
So yesterday I had the horrifying experience of calling a famous actor who I'd been told speaks English. Yup. Can we talk about how he doesn't speak a word of it and had no idea what I was saying. Mortifying. I nearly died.
Then that afternoon we three remaining SIT students had lunch with the SIT staff. It was the first time I'd seen them in 2 weeks. It was actually really cool to see them again, and we sort of just sat around talking and laughing for 2 hours.
Then this eveningI went out for coffee with Trang and Thu, two of the people from the cai loung company. They are completely awesome. I finally found out what Thu does - he's a critic. They took me to this place down the street that has a live band (piano/violin/viola) that you can make requests from. It was good.
This morning I actually had breakfast at the Continental. The food was ok, although nothing to write home about. The restaurant was entirely deserted except for us. The Contintental/Caravelle/Rex hotel district is pretty empty. It must be SARS. There were 6 staff members standing around, and as a result we were heavily waited upon. Which is a same, because I wished to steal the toothpick holder that had "Hotel Continental" written on it. Instead I had to settle for a toothpick.
Then at 2 I went to see my advisor with Thu (Translator Thu). She told me to go and see a rehearsal tomorrow and meet the actors, including the guy who most certainly doesn't speak English. I wonder what it will be like. No doubt it will not bear the slightest resemblance to my expectations.
Tonight also I went to see this Hat Boi play. Or rather part of a Hat Boi play, because before the performance they had an announcement saying they would perform excerpts, because some of the actors had been held up in traffic and could not be there.
Basically the story was about a king whose first concubine's father has betrayed the country. She wasn't in on it, but she helped destroy evidence. Like Richard Nixon. The old king's first concumbine, who still has a lot of power, wants the girl executed for the crime. The king is devastated by this, but there really isn't much he can do because a. she's guilty and b. he's a putz. So he does a little dance and signs her death warrant. This means her options are: being torn limb from limb by 5 galloping horses, dispatching herself with a knife, and hanging herself with a scarf. The couple is very sad and still very much in love. They do a sad dance where she entertains all of the neater possibilities (no horses) and eventually it ends when she hangs herself.
The thing about Har Boi is people are dramatic to the nth degree They don't just hang themselves, they do a 10 minute song and dance with scarves, knives, and poison first. They don't just sign their girlfriend's death warrant, they do a 5 minute dance with thei pen, lamenting that the pen must be used for such a purpose.
Also today I wen to Anh Hung's house and saw his son. SO CUTE!!
Saigon
So yesterday I had the horrifying experience of calling a famous actor who I'd been told speaks English. Yup. Can we talk about how he doesn't speak a word of it and had no idea what I was saying. Mortifying. I nearly died.
Then that afternoon we three remaining SIT students had lunch with the SIT staff. It was the first time I'd seen them in 2 weeks. It was actually really cool to see them again, and we sort of just sat around talking and laughing for 2 hours.
Then this eveningI went out for coffee with Trang and Thu, two of the people from the cai loung company. They are completely awesome. I finally found out what Thu does - he's a critic. They took me to this place down the street that has a live band (piano/violin/viola) that you can make requests from. It was good.
This morning I actually had breakfast at the Continental. The food was ok, although nothing to write home about. The restaurant was entirely deserted except for us. The Contintental/Caravelle/Rex hotel district is pretty empty. It must be SARS. There were 6 staff members standing around, and as a result we were heavily waited upon. Which is a same, because I wished to steal the toothpick holder that had "Hotel Continental" written on it. Instead I had to settle for a toothpick.
Then at 2 I went to see my advisor with Thu (Translator Thu). She told me to go and see a rehearsal tomorrow and meet the actors, including the guy who most certainly doesn't speak English. I wonder what it will be like. No doubt it will not bear the slightest resemblance to my expectations.
Tonight also I went to see this Hat Boi play. Or rather part of a Hat Boi play, because before the performance they had an announcement saying they would perform excerpts, because some of the actors had been held up in traffic and could not be there.
Basically the story was about a king whose first concubine's father has betrayed the country. She wasn't in on it, but she helped destroy evidence. Like Richard Nixon. The old king's first concumbine, who still has a lot of power, wants the girl executed for the crime. The king is devastated by this, but there really isn't much he can do because a. she's guilty and b. he's a putz. So he does a little dance and signs her death warrant. This means her options are: being torn limb from limb by 5 galloping horses, dispatching herself with a knife, and hanging herself with a scarf. The couple is very sad and still very much in love. They do a sad dance where she entertains all of the neater possibilities (no horses) and eventually it ends when she hangs herself.
The thing about Har Boi is people are dramatic to the nth degree They don't just hang themselves, they do a 10 minute song and dance with scarves, knives, and poison first. They don't just sign their girlfriend's death warrant, they do a 5 minute dance with thei pen, lamenting that the pen must be used for such a purpose.
Also today I wen to Anh Hung's house and saw his son. SO CUTE!!
May 13 10pm
Saigon
So yesterday, my afternoon interview was cancelled. I puttered around all day, going to visit Thu, going to the backpacker district with Sarah. I got souvenirs for Bozz which I will not list here. Well, all right, it was snake wine.
Yesterday, I called Co Minh Hanh, the person at the Cai Loung offices that I'd interviewed. She was very happy to hear from me and invited me to go somewhere with her that afternoon, but our collective Vietglish wasn't good enough for her to tell me where. No matter. So Thu, (not my translator, he's a guy from Cu Chi who works for the cai loung company in some capacity I haven't been able to determine), picked me up.
So we went to this building, which I later determined was the Communist Youth League building. There was a big auditorium with some policemen sitting in it. They took me backstage, where we saw Co Minh Hanh for a few seconds while she was busily powdering someone's face. I think the performers were theater students. She said to me, "The police, they have a little drama to stop fires" And then she sent us into the auditorium to watch.
And indeed they were little dramas to pervent fires. The actors acted out some unfortunate scenarios that might cause fires. Fire was usually represented by flashing red lights and panicked "Psycho" (the movie) music, although once they got a real flame onstage. In my favorite scene, fire was represented by a guy in a neon red suit who danced around and waved his arms like a fire. For some reason, he had on blue shoes. He signified the fire's destructive power by waving his hands up into the house where the fire started; destroying the roof by knocking off the roof's tiles. It was most excellent. Later, he got what was coming to him when the people who lived in the house appeared with a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, and some water.
May 11 11 pm
Saigon
Wow I haven't been writing lately. To recap the past few days: yesterday I interviewed this Cai loung producer/director who is Thu's mom's friend. I actually did part of the interview in French, but then we switched to having Thu do Vietnamese-English translations because Thu's English could beat up my friend any day of the week.
I guess she's a good source of info - she's worked in the theater for many years and is a good source of info on various forms of theater, but ug. She just went on and on for 10 minutes when I hadn't even asked her a question, and...bah. I know it's ungrateful but blah.
Then at night Thu and I went to a Hat Boi performance called "The Human Fox" Well, it was kind of Hat Boi. Traditional Hat Boi comes from the old days; it contains a lot of Chinese and the actors sometimes communicate by gestures you're supposed to just understand (because, I suppose, if you were a classical Vietnamese person you would have learned them as a child). This particular play was done in modern language with modern costumes, but it was in the traditional style. It was about a Hat Boi actress who ran away and got involved in heroin and a bad man and that short of thing. Her Hat Boi friends try to bring her back, and they eventually succeed. Sorry that recap was utterly dreadful; it was actually a really well done play. Interestingly enough they used long stretches of ribbon to symbolize all sorts of thing - a lake, a doorway, etc. It was really innovative, and if I ever design a set I want to include it.
Today Phoung came to see me, early. I spent the whole day with her, going around her district. We went shopping at this place that was actually like an American shopping mall. It was so weird to be in a place like that again. I wonder what driving a car will be like.
Tonight I went to the Co-op mart (supermarket). I bought a big bag of groceries, so big I was having trouble carrying it. It was unimportant things - glue and scissors I needed for my project, fruit, some crackers. On the walk home, I passed this woman who was sleeping on the street. Not that that's an uncommon occurance. Lots of people do that in Saigon. They come in from the countryside, and they sell lottery tickets or beg or whatever they do, and they sleep outside because they are in the city illegally. Saigon is a significantly safer place to do that than, say New York. AsI was passing her and our eyes met. She looked longingly, she didn't actually ask me for anything. It was one of those moments when you randomly connect with someone. I had more in that bag than she had in the world. She had a sheet of some kind and a conical hat and her closes, as well as a small pack.
I wish I could say I stopped and gave her the whole bag, but I didn't know what to do and kept walking. When I got back to my room, I put all the food I had bought in my backpack to give to her. I also put $50 in an envelope. I don't know what I was thinking with that; it's about 2 months salary in the countryside. I only wanted to give her the money if I could do it in a way that she couldn't identify me, because I really can't do that for everyone. So I headed down the street to look for her. I ran into Molly on the way, and she came to. I walked all the way to the Co-op mart, but she was gone.
Saigon
Wow I haven't been writing lately. To recap the past few days: yesterday I interviewed this Cai loung producer/director who is Thu's mom's friend. I actually did part of the interview in French, but then we switched to having Thu do Vietnamese-English translations because Thu's English could beat up my friend any day of the week.
I guess she's a good source of info - she's worked in the theater for many years and is a good source of info on various forms of theater, but ug. She just went on and on for 10 minutes when I hadn't even asked her a question, and...bah. I know it's ungrateful but blah.
Then at night Thu and I went to a Hat Boi performance called "The Human Fox" Well, it was kind of Hat Boi. Traditional Hat Boi comes from the old days; it contains a lot of Chinese and the actors sometimes communicate by gestures you're supposed to just understand (because, I suppose, if you were a classical Vietnamese person you would have learned them as a child). This particular play was done in modern language with modern costumes, but it was in the traditional style. It was about a Hat Boi actress who ran away and got involved in heroin and a bad man and that short of thing. Her Hat Boi friends try to bring her back, and they eventually succeed. Sorry that recap was utterly dreadful; it was actually a really well done play. Interestingly enough they used long stretches of ribbon to symbolize all sorts of thing - a lake, a doorway, etc. It was really innovative, and if I ever design a set I want to include it.
Today Phoung came to see me, early. I spent the whole day with her, going around her district. We went shopping at this place that was actually like an American shopping mall. It was so weird to be in a place like that again. I wonder what driving a car will be like.
Tonight I went to the Co-op mart (supermarket). I bought a big bag of groceries, so big I was having trouble carrying it. It was unimportant things - glue and scissors I needed for my project, fruit, some crackers. On the walk home, I passed this woman who was sleeping on the street. Not that that's an uncommon occurance. Lots of people do that in Saigon. They come in from the countryside, and they sell lottery tickets or beg or whatever they do, and they sleep outside because they are in the city illegally. Saigon is a significantly safer place to do that than, say New York. AsI was passing her and our eyes met. She looked longingly, she didn't actually ask me for anything. It was one of those moments when you randomly connect with someone. I had more in that bag than she had in the world. She had a sheet of some kind and a conical hat and her closes, as well as a small pack.
I wish I could say I stopped and gave her the whole bag, but I didn't know what to do and kept walking. When I got back to my room, I put all the food I had bought in my backpack to give to her. I also put $50 in an envelope. I don't know what I was thinking with that; it's about 2 months salary in the countryside. I only wanted to give her the money if I could do it in a way that she couldn't identify me, because I really can't do that for everyone. So I headed down the street to look for her. I ran into Molly on the way, and she came to. I walked all the way to the Co-op mart, but she was gone.
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