I'm heading to the night market in a little bit, but figured I would steal some time to jot down a couple things about my week. Saturday afternoon the sun came out, giving me a lovely day to enjoy walking around Ha Noi. Holly and myself went to a famous nem cua place (crab spring rolls) and then headed towards the lake to get some shoes and clothes. Shopping for clothes is a bit troublesome, do to my busty physique and the very strange Ha Noi "style". A majority of the clothes are more befitting of a 13 year old girl, yet are worn by women (and occasionally men) of all ages. Thus, finding myself some clothes that don't look too absurd has proven a bit difficult, so shopping for clothes is usually not too successful. This evening I will go to the night market where they have "everything", and I should be able to find some things that are a little bit more "relatable".
The weather today was lovely as well, so a couple friends and I walked to one of the best bun cha places in town. All the street spots were taken so we headed upstairs into a tiny room with closed windows and slow-moving fans. Needless to say, eating chiles and sitting in a very hot room got a little sweaty... but this is Viet Nam so sweat is always to be expected. We had a huge meal of meat "dumplings", pho noodles, spring rolls, and greens, mixing them all together in a bowl along with Viet Nam's trademark fish sauce... absolutely delicious! Being able to make some quality bun cha is the next Vietnamese dish on my 'to do' list.
We capped the day off by playing cards on my floor for far too long, but cards are a big thing here, and wasting hours away is pretty common. Flip and I taught our Vietnamese friends how to play a favorite college card game, which they enjoyed so much that it resulted in the long stay on my floor.
Rain is supposed to start up tomorrow and continue through the next week, which will be quite the unwelcome change after experiencing such lovely weather. Since I don't have to dress nicely for school because all the students are gone, riding in the rain is not such an awful prospect for tomorrow morning... since trying to keep nice clothes dry is nearly impossible.
Well! Time for the night market!
-sending tons of love out to my family friends
Chi Marchie means Miss Marchie in Vietnamese, has a rather nice ring to it, doesn't it? I'm currently a teacher in Hanoi, and, due to pressure from family and friends, have made the attempt to chronicle my experience living and working in Viet Nam.
Little Things
- Great advice: Don't let the construction workers by your house know that you can communicate in Vietnamese (however limited...). I made that mistake and now have to politely chat every time I see them, which is at least 3 times a day. Sometimes, it's better to play the ignorant foreigner card.
- The city of Ha Noi is officially named, Thang Long Ha Noi, which roughly translates to "The Soaring Dragon City Ha Noi"
- I thought having a rooster start crowing at 5am was the worst it could get, but I have a neighbor with some intense emphysema- waking up to a hacking cough early in the morning (every morning) is definitely worse...
- "Chi la co giao My".... the phrase "I am an American teacher" is my go to if I have no clue what someone is saying... which is a majority of the time
- The way people deal with trash here is truly remarkable. Basically, throw your garbage on the side of the road and wait for the garbage ladies to come by and pick it up. They come once a day, around 5pm, so the streets get pretty messy at night.
- The best way to wake up in the morning is driving in rush hour in 100 degree heat. It's impossible to make it through alive if you are not alert, so it definitely does the trick.
- Always avoid the dried squid sellers, they stink to high heaven
- Apparently, if it has a heartbeat, you can eat it. And if it doesn't, you can still eat it. What I'm trying to say is that in Vietnam, you can eat whatever the hell you want. Ech.
- Green Papaya Salad Recipe: papaya, carrot, lime, sugar, salt, mint, spicy peppers, roasted peanuts, pork, shrimp.... mix. Simple and delicious
- I've learned to only accept ice that is round with a hole in the middle. Anything else has been made in a dirty warehouse, transported on a dirty motorbike, and chopped up on a dirty street side. Obviously, this sort of ice would prove disastrous if ingested.
I think the next time I see you, you will look like a Spring Roll.
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Mechan, when you come home I'll trade you one of my home made pizza for a few of you crab rolls. Dad
ReplyDeleteHmmm...can you order clothing online from American clothing companies that you're more familiar with and/or that accommodate your busty physique? Are there any franchise clothing companies in Vietnam? Do they have malls? I mean I am aware of their poor living conditions and their ability to make a lot out of so little, but are there more modern areas with more fortunate living conditions? Like where a doctor or lawyer or politician would reside?
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