Rainy Commute

With Hanoian spring comes your daily morning mist; granted, when you ride through this mist on your motorbike (as I do every morning), you get more than just a little wet... you get soaked. I'm not one to excessively complain about my lifestyle here, even though there are more than enough things that warrant a good complaint or two (i.e. the complete disregard of traffic laws), but when it comes to an early commute in less than desirable circumstances, I can't help but spend the whole 30 minutes cursing the weather. Every morning I trudge down my stairs around 7AM, throw on my huge, ridiculously dirty poncho, and wheel my bike out into my wet alley. Now making sure I remain dry is a bit of hassle, but with all the practice I'm getting as of late, I've gotten pretty good at it. First I have to tuck my poncho under my butt, to keep my backpack and teaching materials dry. Next, I drape the front end of my poncho over the front of my bike, forming a kind of tent for my legs. When driving the streets during rainy season, one can see that there are various methods for driving with a poncho, but given my short stature and the XL size of my poncho, I feel that hanging the front part of my poncho over my motorbike's handlebars is a bit safer; I am continually terrified that my poncho (which is long enough that it drags on the ground) is going to get caught in my wheels and seriously injure me. So, to put everyone's mind at ease (most importantly, my own) I have chosen to embrace the "drape method", even if this results in damp pant-legs. Usually by the time I'm out of class, the foggy mist has cleared up and my only worry is muddy street puddles. But rush hour traffic + rain + early morning... not very enjoyable. I am very much looking forward to the stifling summer heat so I can at least appreciate a good breeze on my face.

I'm working a lot right now, and am taking on an online Physics course (credits necessary to apply for Architecture Grad school) beginning Monday. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to be working like a mad woman for the next half a year, but hopefully I will be able to handle the workload. My books arrived at my house yesterday, and I immediately started to get that dreaded, sinking feeling when flipping through the pages. Math has never been my strong suit, and looking through these physics equations I started to get very worried. Luckily, a friend of mine living in Hanoi has a degree in Physics, so he's offered to tutor me a bit to make sure I stay on track. It's been almost 2 years since I've done any actual school work, so getting back into study mode should be interesting. With this in mind, I'm giving all my faithful readers a heads-up that I will probably be posting less, as I will have a lot on my plate beginning Monday...

Back to work

So I officially started my new job at Vietnam National University. I was supposed to be working three days a week, but the day before I started I was bumped up to 5 days a week. This means I am working 7:30AM-10:30AM every weekday. Waking up at 6AM is definitely no fun, but I get the afternoons off and can relax for the rest of the day. I also picked up 4 other classes at a small English center near my house teaching pronunciation... but both classes are less than 5 people so it's very low stress. I did the math, and I am working half the hours and making 500USD more per month than at my old job at SIS, so I am absolutely a happy camper at this point. My university classes are a great improvement from teaching 7yr olds, as their English is good enough to understand my sense of humor, which makes things a whole lot more interesting. I'm halfway through my first work-week, and am feeling really optimistic about the new job. I was quite nervous to begin, since I am teaching Business English (I have NO idea how I got stuck with these classes considering my total lack of business background) and really don't know a damn thing about it; I was sure that I would get in the classroom and have all these students asking numerous business-related questions I couldn't answer, but their English level is low enough that I still seem completely smart and capable... thank God. Also, the university is a little bit of a drive from my house, about 20 minutes by motorbike, so I'm getting out into the streets a whole lot more. Given my new working hours, I am only driving in Hanoian rush hour in the morning, and have a stress-free ride home (generally speaking). All in all, I'm looking forward to see how my new classes progress.

By the way, I have started photographing street food, so once I get a nice photo collection of Vietnamese dishes together, you can look forward to an entirely food-related post (the best kind of all!).

Motorbike trip to Trang An

Well, Son and I didn't exactly luck out with great weather for our trip, but despite the cold and light, foggy rain, we packed a backpack and hit the road. Son brought along a two-headed poncho, and despite how ridiculous they may look draped over a bike with two little heads poking out, are really useful when trying to stay both warm and dry. The trip out into Ninh Binh province was really beautiful, and the mist added a nice touch as well. Everyone was getting ready for the upcoming growing season, so a lot of people were out in thefields preparing the rice seedlings and tilling the fields. Growing rice is a two-step process; first you have to grow the seedlings (which look like blades of grass), then individually transplant each seedling into a flooded field. Most of the seedlings are almost done growing, so the transplanting part of the deal with likely begin soon. It's amazing that people cangrowtheseseedlings almost anywhere. You see a lot of them in fields, but also people have them directly outside of their houses along the road! Farmers spread a thin layer of mud along the pavement and can literally grow seedlings in the street.

After 2 1/2 hours of cold, wet driving, we arrived at Trang An.

It had a pagoda built into the limestone mountains alongside a freshwater river running through a cave and alongside homes and farms. We sat and had our lunch in the pagoda,

and then met up with an little, old lady and got into her boat,

which she rowed along the river. After our little boat tour, Son and I headed out to get some goat meat, the area's local specialty. We decided to try some goat udder, which was recommended to me a while ago by a Vietnamese friend (note picture below).

The udder well, tasted like udder, and was utterly disappointing. ;) Oh well, at least I had the experience, and an almost-full stomach for the ride home.

Overall, it was a great trip, despite the cold, and we plan on making more motorbike trips once the weather gets a bit warmer, which should be soon! We had one week of perfection and now I'm sitting here with my heater on again... such a tease!

And just to assure people that I am not just sitting around, going to concerts, and taking motorbike trips, I got a job today! I will begin working as an English teacher at Vietnam National University next week, and will let you know how that goes. I have a feeling working with young adults is going to be a lot less stressful than working with 7yr olds, so here's hoping!

Welcome Spring!

The Hanoian winter seems to finally be coming to a close; this past week has been sunny, at a steady 75 degrees. Everyone seems to be kicking off their winter boots, taking off their gloves and hats, and embracing the wonderful weather. I've welcomed the spring by lazing about on my roof, reading a great book, and loving the sunshine. A couple days ago, a group of friends and myself headed over to Lenin Park, where we sat alongside the lake, played some cards, and took in the beautiful day. The park was flooded with Hanoians, out doing the exact same thing; it was really wonderful to walk around and see so many people enjoying the sunshine. Given my background with cold weather (and I almost feel guilty writing such a welcome to spring when those back on the East Coast are still dealing with snow...) I have been okay with sitting outside, going to the park, or enjoying street food during the cold months in Hanoi. Locals, however, tend to disappear during the winter; street food stalls are less populated, the parks seem empty, and even the traffic is a bit less intense. With the coming of spring, and the return of the sunshine, the city finally seems to be getting back into full swing (albeit slowly, since the New Year celebrations officially ended a day ago). According to Son, this perfect weather is not the average phenomenon, and that the Hanoian spring can be compared to London's rainy season: fog, moisture, and rain. I definitely remember how it was a year ago, with moisture literally seeping from the walls; I guess I have to prepare myself to resume the battle with mold in my house.

Yesterday, Son and I decided to leave our motorbikes home and get out and walk around, enjoying the city and it's people on such a lovely day. We walked from my house down 2 blocks to the mausoleum, passing the restored French mansions, the old Citadel tower, and relishing the shade from the 100+ year old trees lining the street. We took a right after the mausoleum and passed some more government buildings, all decorated with perky daffodils and golden chrysanthemums. We continued walking by the old Citadel entry gate and some personal mansions of high-up government officials, until we circled back to my alley. I was already so grateful for the location of my apartment in the historic, government district in Hanoi, but walking along on this beautiful day made me feel all the more thankful for where I have made my life happen over this past year. Honestly, I live in the most beautiful, well-kept, and safe neighborhood in this city. Anyone that can appreciate architecture, landscaping, and history can see how lucky I am to live on such a famous street. Dien Bien Phu Street looked almost exactly the same 100 years ago, lined with the same French buildings, expansive sidewalks, and looming trees. The only difference is Ho Chi Minh's final resting place capping the end of the street. I will make an effort to take a video of a drive down my street so you can see how beautiful this area is for yourself!

Son and I are hoping that the nice weather will hold out until tomorrow (even though my computer forecast is telling me rain for the next 4 days) as we are planning a 3 hour motorbike trip into the countryside to do some sight-seeing. Driving around the city with the lovely weather is one thing, but doing the countryside drive would be a whole 'nother level of enjoying spring! So, keep your fingers crossed for me that the rain will hold out at least one more day... and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the snow back home will melt quickly. ;)

Celebrating Tet!

On the Lunar New Year's eve, I decided to have a bunch of people over for a little Tet party, given that my roof balcony has an amazing view of Hoan Kiem Lake, and therefore offering a great view of the fireworks. The past 2 Lunar New Year celebrations I've been in Hanoi, I spent them in the thick of the crowds alongside the lake, getting squished and pushed around in an effort to catch a glimpse of the fireworks through the trees. I figured hosting a party on my roof would be a vast improvement from the claustrophobic experience by the lake, so I set up some speakers, got the music pumpin', and had some good friends over to enjoy the holiday together. The party ended up being a huge success (even though the fireworks were somewhat lame), and I was glad that I got to welcome the New Year with some of my closest friends in Hanoi.

On the first day of the New Year, every store and shop was closed, and the streets were mostly abandoned. I had it in mind that I would spend the day/evening alone, since all my Vietnamese friends do the "family thing". Given that Tet is a holiday that celebrates the coming together of family and friends, Son's family invited me to their house, as they didn't want me to spend it alone... a very sweet gesture if I do say so myself. So off we went to his grandparents house around 7pm. It was really cute to drive along the streets at this time, as you could see so many families sitting together in their "living rooms" (which are usually open to the street), and enjoying the holiday together.

When I got to Son's grandmother's house (who happens to be one of the cutest, oldest women I have ever seen) I was greeted by a whole slew of Nguyen's. Obviously I was the only white person, and only a few of them spoke English. We all sat around eating pistachio nuts and sunflower seeds before dinner was ready; I was attempting to communicate with my limited Vietnamese, and everyone else was doing the same thing with English. We sat down to a traditional Tet dinner, with Son next to me functioning as translator. I tried a little bit of everything, including the coagulated meat shaped into a thick pancake, that was made from pig's tongue and ears (I had a very small bite of this, and did my best not to spit it out). I also enjoyed some papaya salad with peanuts, spring rolls, chicken, pickled spring onions, dried bamboo soup (my favorite), and some other vegetable dishes. I felt really thankful to have been given the opportunity to experience Tet as part of a Vietnamese family. Apparently, most of the dinner conversation centered around Son's uncle's excess of fish; he owns a big lake and recently caught a whole bunch of big fish, and they were trying to decide what to make with it, fish noodles, fish hotpot, fish sauce, etc. I was also given instructions on how to make some of the dishes I enjoyed the most, but unfortunately they use vegetables that are specific to Southeast Asia so I don't think I'll be able to make them for anyone at home. :(

Today, everything is still closed, but the sun is shining brightly... which is a very welcome change. The sun completely disappears during Hanoi winter, so it's always so great to see it out again. I think I will take to this opportunity to go read a book on my roof, or find some friends to go out around the lakes, or walk in the park. Either way, I'm getting outside! So, happy lunar new year to everyone and "Mung Xuan", or cheers to spring!