Mekong Delta

Getting out of the city felt so wonderful! It took about 2 hours to get to Oanh's house from Ho Chi Minh by motorbike, since we took a detour to stop in a traditional market to get supplies for dinner. Her town is rarely visited by white people, so we caused quite a stir walking through the market; when I placed orders in Vietnamese the women got the biggest kick out of it, calling friends over and shaking my hand. We picked up some eel, clams, snails, and veggies, then loaded up the bikes and headed further into the countryside. It was dark by the time we arrived, so the trip to her house was on tiny "roads" that were pitch dark. I was definitely a little nervous that we would veer off the path and end up in a rice paddy, but Oanh seemed to know what she was doing. The house was one step up from a hut, and she actually had mattresses in her home which she put there specifically for foreigner use (she had brought a couple Canadian friends to her home earlier), which was a lot nicer than sleeping on a wooden table. Since there was absolutely nothing to do at night, Steve, Oanh, and I took a walk around the rice paddies with a flashlight. Dogs were going crazy as we passed family compounds, I felt slightly guilty that our presence was causing such a disturbance, but the walk was worth it- the sky was littered with stars that were shining so intensely, and as I looked at Orion's belt I felt so strange that I could look at the same stars from the other side of the world. Whenever I watch the sunset I always think of home, because it reminds me that the sun is rising over in Jersey.
The next morning I woke up early and helped prepare green papaya salad. I was rather proud of myself for participating in the Vietnamese cooking, although it is one of the easiest things to make here. Her backyard (if you can call it that) was filled with chickens, ducks, small fishing ponds, and the occasional cat. We left the delta relatively early because I have to teach a class tomorrow and needed to get back to the guesthouse to prepare materials. I feel like I'm in a completely different world sitting here in my air conditioned room on my laptop, and am so glad that I met Oanh and was able to have such a wonderful experience with her family. So speaking of preparing materials, I should really get on that...