April 2, 6 pm
Saigon
God help me, I went back to the backpacker district again for dinner. I wanted some nachos. I got some, in the sense that I got Doritos with cheese melted on them. Serves me right for going back there.
Today we went to something called the Vietnam Women's Union. Our lecturer made it sound like basically they have classes and resources there to educate VN women and improve their status. In the past things were really bad, women had to obey all sorts of rules and had very few rights. Traditionally a woman has to obey her parents when she's young, her husband when she gets married, and her oldest son after her husband dies. Really not a whole lot of fun.
Vietnamese class was a lot of fun today; there were only three people there and we went on for at least 45 minutes, each trying to convince our teacher that she needed to visit only the place where we lived and that she could ignore the places where the other students lived. Never mind that Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New York City are all relatively close to each other. I think I came close to selling her on Vermont by telling her that a few years ago Burlington had a party because there were finally more people than cows in the state. She likes cows.
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
April 1, noon
Saigon
A lot of people are planning to leave the program early because of the restrictions; right now only 2 of us are definitely staying to finish the whole thing through. There is no SARS in Ho Chi Minh City, and even the CDC believes that it is well-controlled in Hanoi. It doesn't help that we're getting mixed signals from Brattleboro - they told us we would be allowed to travel, Stu said we wouldn't. We have a meeting later today to find out.
I was able to sign up for classes at SMC today and it was not that bad.
Today I tried to go read some of the information posted at the American consulate and the guards wouldn't let me near the place. Call me crazy, but I am an American citizen living abroad and I thought the consulate might have been of some help. Maybe it was because I had a backpack. There are between six and eight large men with large guns posted outside the US consulate at all times. I actually didn't know where the consulate was for a long time because there's no American flag and no sign indicating what the building is. There's just a faded metal United States seal over the doorway that's difficult to make out from the street. Thank you president Bush.
9 pm
At the meeting we found out we're still travelling, although only to places in the south - Nha Trang and Dalat and other places. That's making a difference; more people are planning to stick around.
After the meeting I headed downtown, it's just a few blocks away. I've never been to into Catholic traditions; although I was raised in that religion, my actual beliefs are more along the lines of militant agnostic. However, I've found that good things happen when I light a candle in a cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral just happened to be right in my path. The French built it; it looks a lot like Notre Dame in Montreal. So I went in and lit a candle and left. Then I went to the post office, where I discovered that lo and behold my parents mailed me two boxes of Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies. I ate an entire box today. That's got to be at least 30 cookies. It was worth it.
Also the random vendors, motorcyle taxi and cylco drivers were particularly aggressive around Notre Dame today. Usually they ask me if I want their services/ beverages and I say no and for the most part they leave me alone. Today I had several people actually following me around. People often think I'm a lost tourist going to the war museum because that's the only tourist attraction in the my neighborhood. Today I had someone follow me for almost a block trying to take me there in his cyclo. I kept shaking my head no, he followed me, trying to persuade me in EngIish that I needed his services. Finally I started talking to him in German, hoping he would think I didn't speak English. He eventually backed off.
Also I think Saigon must have gotten a new shipment of French tourists today, because a lot of the vendors were talking to me in French. There are an awful lot of French tourists here. They come in tour groups with names like "Voyageurs du Monde".
I went to the backpacker district tonight. I told my Vietnamese teacher that I missed Italian food, and she sent me to an Italian place there. I HAD CHEESE RAVIOLI AND IT WAS WONDERFUL.
I also went to a music store that sold pirated CDs. Most books and music sold here are photocopies; the government doesn't enforce copyright laws. I bought 11 CDs for $10.
Saigon
A lot of people are planning to leave the program early because of the restrictions; right now only 2 of us are definitely staying to finish the whole thing through. There is no SARS in Ho Chi Minh City, and even the CDC believes that it is well-controlled in Hanoi. It doesn't help that we're getting mixed signals from Brattleboro - they told us we would be allowed to travel, Stu said we wouldn't. We have a meeting later today to find out.
I was able to sign up for classes at SMC today and it was not that bad.
Today I tried to go read some of the information posted at the American consulate and the guards wouldn't let me near the place. Call me crazy, but I am an American citizen living abroad and I thought the consulate might have been of some help. Maybe it was because I had a backpack. There are between six and eight large men with large guns posted outside the US consulate at all times. I actually didn't know where the consulate was for a long time because there's no American flag and no sign indicating what the building is. There's just a faded metal United States seal over the doorway that's difficult to make out from the street. Thank you president Bush.
9 pm
At the meeting we found out we're still travelling, although only to places in the south - Nha Trang and Dalat and other places. That's making a difference; more people are planning to stick around.
After the meeting I headed downtown, it's just a few blocks away. I've never been to into Catholic traditions; although I was raised in that religion, my actual beliefs are more along the lines of militant agnostic. However, I've found that good things happen when I light a candle in a cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral just happened to be right in my path. The French built it; it looks a lot like Notre Dame in Montreal. So I went in and lit a candle and left. Then I went to the post office, where I discovered that lo and behold my parents mailed me two boxes of Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies. I ate an entire box today. That's got to be at least 30 cookies. It was worth it.
Also the random vendors, motorcyle taxi and cylco drivers were particularly aggressive around Notre Dame today. Usually they ask me if I want their services/ beverages and I say no and for the most part they leave me alone. Today I had several people actually following me around. People often think I'm a lost tourist going to the war museum because that's the only tourist attraction in the my neighborhood. Today I had someone follow me for almost a block trying to take me there in his cyclo. I kept shaking my head no, he followed me, trying to persuade me in EngIish that I needed his services. Finally I started talking to him in German, hoping he would think I didn't speak English. He eventually backed off.
Also I think Saigon must have gotten a new shipment of French tourists today, because a lot of the vendors were talking to me in French. There are an awful lot of French tourists here. They come in tour groups with names like "Voyageurs du Monde".
I went to the backpacker district tonight. I told my Vietnamese teacher that I missed Italian food, and she sent me to an Italian place there. I HAD CHEESE RAVIOLI AND IT WAS WONDERFUL.
I also went to a music store that sold pirated CDs. Most books and music sold here are photocopies; the government doesn't enforce copyright laws. I bought 11 CDs for $10.
March 31, 9 pm
Saigon
Ug, today was our first day back to class after the break. But back to that in a second. After I wrote yesterday, Molly, Michelle and I went to an amazing restaurant-type place outside the city center with Michelle's uncle and his family. I have literally never eaten so much food in my life. Basically we went to an expansive manicured country club-like place that was made to look like the Vietnamese countryside, if the Vietnamese countryside were located in an expansive manicured country club. People go there to get away from the city and get back to their countryside roots, neglecting the fact that the countryside generally does not include huge buffet tables, hanging electric lights, and a live singer who stands on a small platform and sings nice songs about nature. It's like people who go camping in RVs. But I shouldn't be too critical of the place because the food was delicious. I had all kinds of vegetables, chicken, and coconut in about 17 different forms.
Saigon
Ug, today was our first day back to class after the break. But back to that in a second. After I wrote yesterday, Molly, Michelle and I went to an amazing restaurant-type place outside the city center with Michelle's uncle and his family. I have literally never eaten so much food in my life. Basically we went to an expansive manicured country club-like place that was made to look like the Vietnamese countryside, if the Vietnamese countryside were located in an expansive manicured country club. People go there to get away from the city and get back to their countryside roots, neglecting the fact that the countryside generally does not include huge buffet tables, hanging electric lights, and a live singer who stands on a small platform and sings nice songs about nature. It's like people who go camping in RVs. But I shouldn't be too critical of the place because the food was delicious. I had all kinds of vegetables, chicken, and coconut in about 17 different forms.
March 30 3 pm
Saigon
You cannot get pizza delivered at 11 pm here. Everything is already closed, as I discovered last night when Crystal and I were hungry. This is a city of seven million people, the largest in the country. Alas.
It seems the program will continue, but the field trips to the North are cancelled and we have to do our independent study projects within Ho Chi Minh City. A lot of people are looking into dropping the program altogether, about half the group. I don't know how many will actually go, but people are pretty serious about it. Loosing the field trips puts a huge dent in our program.
I've done very little in these past few days at the guesthouse. It's almost like I'm deliberately trying to keep quiet for some reason. It's not hard, since there's not a lot for me to do. I've written out all of my postcards and written Niki a letter, gone to VNN Internet too many times, and sort of just sat around and talked to people.
Also tonight Sarah and I went out for a walk with Co Hai, our translator. She took us through District 1 and gave us sort of a tour, taking us to places and into little shops where she explained what things were. District 1 is like the Manhattan of Ho Chi Minh City; it's where most of the attractions are. She's so funny, she keeps teaching even when she's not teaching. District 1 used to be the city of Saigon before Saigon and other districts were blended into Ho Chi Minh City. Although you can refer to all of Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon. If that makes sense.
Saigon
You cannot get pizza delivered at 11 pm here. Everything is already closed, as I discovered last night when Crystal and I were hungry. This is a city of seven million people, the largest in the country. Alas.
It seems the program will continue, but the field trips to the North are cancelled and we have to do our independent study projects within Ho Chi Minh City. A lot of people are looking into dropping the program altogether, about half the group. I don't know how many will actually go, but people are pretty serious about it. Loosing the field trips puts a huge dent in our program.
I've done very little in these past few days at the guesthouse. It's almost like I'm deliberately trying to keep quiet for some reason. It's not hard, since there's not a lot for me to do. I've written out all of my postcards and written Niki a letter, gone to VNN Internet too many times, and sort of just sat around and talked to people.
Also tonight Sarah and I went out for a walk with Co Hai, our translator. She took us through District 1 and gave us sort of a tour, taking us to places and into little shops where she explained what things were. District 1 is like the Manhattan of Ho Chi Minh City; it's where most of the attractions are. She's so funny, she keeps teaching even when she's not teaching. District 1 used to be the city of Saigon before Saigon and other districts were blended into Ho Chi Minh City. Although you can refer to all of Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon. If that makes sense.
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