Integrating my other half

My experience in Vietnam has been a rollercoaster of emotions, from frustration to amusement, and it has brought me closer to my own family in Vietnam that I only heard stories from my parents.  Whether I like it or not, this study abroad opportunity allowed me to learn about the other side of me that I never knew I existed.  Since I left Vietnam at a very young age, I lost my roots quickly as I grew up in an entirely different culture than my own.  I cannot believe that it is close to the time when I have to depart from my homeland that I had left 16 years ago.  It is like déjà vu.  However, this time is very different from the first time because I am grown up and I came here with many purposes.  When I leave, I feel that I will bring a piece of Vietnam back to the United States whether it is intellectually, physically, emotionally, or mentally. This experience in Vietnam has influenced and changed in me so many aspects of my life.  I am very grateful for everything I have faced and endured here.

Thinking ahead in the less a month I’ll be back in California and everything here will only be a memory… a piece of my history.  It makes me… feel unsettling! It’s hard to part a place where I was starting to feel like home and the amazing people that I have met over on my journey in Vietnam.  It will feel much different when I return back to the States when I cannot use Vietnamese so regularly, get banh mi trung on the corner of the street, get nuoc mia, or drink bia hoi on the street.  A way that I can integrate my experiences in Vietnam into my life in the United States would be trying to influence and persuade other students to study abroad in Vietnam.  From there, I will be able to share my personal experiences and remind myself the great people I have met here.  I think through sharing my experiences, it would help spread the knowledge that I have taken away from Vietnam.  I have no doubt that I will be continuously being reminded of my trip if I keep in touch with UCEAP kids because my memory will always trigger back to our adventures abroad.  Another way I can approach is by maintaining relationship and communication with HANU students here and my relatives in Vietnam. It will somehow make me feel as though they aren’t physically that far from me.

I am going to be as realistic I can about the possibility of me keeping my relation with UCHANU and Vietnam, I am not sure.  Of course, I can come up with plenty of ways that I can try to sustain the same relationship now like trying to fundraise for more funds for the poor like Nghe An and sending them money back here to encourage the future UCHANU kids to continue the work we started.  But I am unsure about how my life will be like once I return back to the States and I return back on the crazy coaster of the busy college kid –work, school, family, friends, relationships, and all! I don’t think this is applicable only me but probably everyone else in this program.  Days will become months and turn into years and we may end up losing touch with each other completely. One definitely way that can be sure to keep Vietnam with me is by speaking Vietnamese. I have always been hesitant or embarrassed about talking and communicating in Vietnamese because the fear of no one can understand my broken Viet-lish.   Since I study abroad for the past 3 months, I feel more confident to talk and communicate with my parents and people on the streets now.  That is how I will be reminded of the growth and my experiences in Vietnam.  Vietnam will be an active part of my life now, through verbal or written. I will try to grasp hold on what I am learned, experienced, relationships, and memories I have collected here.  I will not forget. 

There's no "I" in TEAM

Through the course of the past three months, there is definitely a press for communication and interaction in group settings.  Within a group setting, there are perks in working in a group but there are also downfalls in working with such a large group of people.  I think I have a mixed experience when it comes to group work.   For example, in the academic setting of the University of California there isn’t a lot of push to work in a group to present a collective paper which all participants will receive the same grade as other members in the group.  On the contrary in my International Relation class for IS 08, we had to write a group research paper and as it came out,  work in a group of five people does not means equal work contribution.  As it is, I was working with another EAPer.  Although we finished our part prior to the deadline, we were yet again working on editing, formatting, and managing the quality of the paper as whole.  The distribution of work was a huge deficient in overcoming our task to provide a polished paper… However, upon receiving our grades I was shocked to received low marks because one of our members plagiarized or did not properly cite the source even though our instructor repetitively mentioned it.  Nevertheless, the entire group suffers the consequence as a whole.  As a result, I realized that group work in producing an academic piece is very difficult if your colleagues are not on same level of knowledge.  Language barrier would also be another problem that cannot help and the lack of communication will severely affect the final product.  Of course, that is only one bad experience in an academic setting where it was disastrous.

On a better note when it comes to UCHANU class, working in a group setting is definitely easier whether it is with UC or HANUers in the class.   From the first week when had to do Survival Hanoi to accomplishing Project Kiem An interview, it was a breeze.  I learned that group work is plausible only when there’s good communication and mutual understanding between members.   When it comes to working on Project Kiem An, we delegate task to each members and split the entire group into two groups and one person to edit overall which makes is quite effective.  By limiting confusion in a big group setting, the pair who is doing the two versions must communicate effectively to finish the task.  What I see as the most effective way is a systematic production line of work where it is— interview, transcribed, translate, edit, and submit.  I believe once each member understand their task in a group work, the entire task is that much easier rather than one person having to do all the work. 

The past week was another challenge to work with our classmates to raise funds for Nghe An.  Fundraising is definitely not an easy task that one person can achieve but it essential that everyone take part in it whether it is flyering or setting/cleaning up.  Collectively, we self-divide the work amongst ourselves which makes the entire task of fundraising more effective because we were each responsible for certain events.  As for me, I helped manage and prepared for the food sales on Tuesday and Wednesday.  It was quite a task when everyone has their crazy schedule but it comes to it, everyone was willing to lend a hand when we were in need. In my eyes, it was a success even though I barely had any sleep and was physically drained but it was for a good cause and it felt pretty darn good to accomplished it!  It was just fun hanging out and trying to sell food and drinks for a good cause and trying to reach out to other HANUers that I’ve never seen.  The fundraising task itself helps all of us – UC and HANUers to become closer than ever because we were able to hang out outside of the classroom setting.  I wished we started fundraising earlier or have more outside activities with HANUers.  NGHE AN = UC + HANU = SUCCESS! J

On a personal note, I believe that I learn more about myself in a group setting because I can either be the helper or organizer.  This is simply dependent on the situation at hand, if not one steps up to get things organized and prepared then I’ll be more than willing to delegate tasks for people to do in order make sure ever goes smoothly.  At the same time, when there’s too many people trying to lead a group, it would ineffective to have multiple leaders because it’ll be a mess to battle out who does what so I would not mind playing the supporting role.  In the end, the completion of the task is the main focus whether who leads is only a minor factor the larger scheme of things.  Therefore, I think working in groups actually makes it fun only if everyone is on the same page and willingly help one another.   A reliable team is essential in fulfill a goal and in UCHANU –we’re a BIG MEAN TEAM of successors!  

On my own

As time quickly dwindles away to my last month in Vietnam, I start to perceive Hanoi in a different light but please don’t take offense to any Hanoians reading this.  It is, of course, through my personal experience and perception between human interactions with those around me.  

Recently, I’ve noticed myself losing interest in the city of Hanoi… I don’t know when or how it started but perhaps after traveling to the South, I felt tired of the repetitive night scenes of Hanoi.  I do not want to go into specific but within the past weekend I have encounter with the rudest people and d-bags I’ve ever met in my life in Hanoi.   Some people are just unnecessarily mean or maybe it’s the way they answer to questions but I have never felt so offended and confused by their actions and words.  (This is for my own memory of bad experience: Bo Sua Manager, parking person, banh mi lady on Nguyen Quy Duc, taxi drivers!)  Multiple times within the past weekend I receive negative enforcement of how much I am tired of dealing with rude people in Hanoi.  Nevertheless, I am only speaking of the few not majority!  I was losing faith in Hanoi and everything I enjoy a month ago but Monday changed everything for me.

On Monday, I had to go to Vietnam Airline main office near Old Quarter to make some flight changes.  For the first time since I have been in Vietnam, I took the bus by myself to find the main office with a map.   It was quite interesting traveling by myself because I am more aware of the streets I passed by.  Although I got off the bus a bit earlier that my intended spot, but I got to walk around the city that way and do some sightseeing by strolling along the streets with the crazy traffic.  After I finished my flight issues, I had planned to return to HANU but something pulled back me to stay back.  I started to wander around the streets of Hanoi without any endpoint and soon enough, I walked straight to Ho Hoang Kiem.  I found the path to go into the shopping center where there’re only small little streets which I was not very fond with.  It was a completely foreign space that I have never entered by myself but it feels great!  As I walk along the streets, I also encounter with some nice and mean people but it did not bothered me much this time.  I went into an art gallery showing which was pretty neat and found a street fill with art galleries!  I walked aimlessly for 2 hours turning left and right on the small windy street of Hanoi until I was on the other side of Ho Hoang Kiem which I thought was really funny… I didn’t realize how TINY Old Quarter was!    My overall experience was AMAZING! It was great exploring Hanoi by foot and it was fun doing on my own! I love strolling around without an agenda or destination because I feel I always walk or go anywhere only with a purpose.  This experience counters the bad experiences and made me appreciate the CITY itself.  I love how mellow and relax it feels cruising around the lake and through the streets.   

Besides that, this week is extremely stressful with so many events and due dates to meet!  I am under quite some pressure for time to meet deadlines for everything! It is all coming to an end and it is NOT FUN!  The program will soon be over so where did the last 3 months GO?! Very little time with so many things to do on top of wanting to travel around the city!  Of course, the main stress pressure is coming from fundraising for Nghe An.  There’s a lot of planning involve and coordinating with my peers to get it all together because one person cannot do it all.  Even though, I am exhausted by the end of the day because I spent the entire day outside fundraising but it was fun to interact with random HANUers.  It was also a great bonding experience with UCHANU students because we all got to hang out all day! J

Southern trip to where I am from...

Returning to the place where my mother gave birth to me was surreal.  Meeting my relatives and grandmother after 16 years was overwhelming.  Traveling around southern Vietnam was phenomenon.  How do I phrase my entire experience traveling through Saigon, Mekong Delta, Can Tho, and Phu Quoc Island? – Words cannot comprehend my experience.

I woke up sluggish on a Saturday morning at 5:00 to get ready for our flight for Saigon (TPHCM).  Even though, I only had roughly 2 hours of sleep before the flight, I was overly excited for what lied ahead for me – my family in Saigon!  When I first got off the plane in Saigon, I felt nervous and anxious to call my uncle who was going to pick me up from the hotel that we were staying.  My experience with my relatives was nerve-racking since I do not remember much since I left Vietnam when I was 5 years old.  Therefore, my uncle had to introduce me to all my relatives and told me how I was related to them.  Everyone was in awe at how much I have grown and they were extremely welcoming when they saw me.  It was very comforting and it made me felt at ease to slowly have a conversation.  I have never felt so ‘loved’ in Vietnam until I met my relatives in Vietnam.  While I was at my uncle’s place having lunch, my head was wrapped around the idea of seeing my grandmother in the hospital.  The anticipation of seeing her was killing me because she was the only one in Vietnam that I had first initially wanted to see.  Why? Perhaps it was the fact that she is only person I can remember vividly out of all my relatives in Vietnam and she is the only one that I felt close to even though I have not seen her since I was five years old.  She was recently readmitted back into the hospital for the past week because of health complication. 

Walking down the hallway of the hospital towards her room, I doubted my memory image of my grandma and feared that I would not recognize or vice versa.  However, the moment of truth came when I walked a room filled with beds and initially, I recognized my youngest uncle, cau Ut.  As I walk closer, I saw his eyes glance down to my grandma and there she lies on a hospital bed… thin and fragile yet she still looks the same way that I remembered her.  Up to this point in Vietnam, I was not very emotional to my experience but when I saw my grandma – everything change instantly. She was overjoyed and overwhelmed with emotions when she saw me that she started crying.  She recognized me. She knows who I am. She is my grandmother and I am her granddaughter. After seeing her, I realize how connected I felt to my grandma although I have not talked to her at all since I left because I always felt I cannot communicate with her in Vietnamese when I was in America.  I somehow felt emotionally connected to even though I only have a brief memory of her when I was very young. I visited her every day when I was in Saigon, not because I was obligated but I was drawn to this old feeble woman whom I addressed as “ngoai”.  My entire stay in Saigon was memorable because I was able to connect with my relatives and hang around them… It made me really appreciate the family I never knew existed in Vietnam.  It was heart-warming to know they are so welcoming and generous to help me. I love it Saigon for this very reason.  Family = Saigon.

After Saigon, our next stop was Can Tho, which was a very small simply and quiet city. I was not very impressed with the simplicity of the city or anything about it… it was not like Quy Nhon or any other places I’ve gone to.  Although the floating market was definitely interesting and fun to explore in the morning because we just floated along the river and all these boats go by our boat to sell us bun rieu or café sua da. It was pretty neat!  After that we travel to Vinh Hanh village where we stayed for two nights with a friendly family. I can honestly say that I got really biten up in the village and it was difficult to sleep at night.  However it was really interesting watching how they grilled the fish with dried grass/hay and fire.  Then the following day, we were able to learn and catch a traditional way of fishing, which was looks pretty fun.  In general, my home-stay experience in the village was living the basic life where humans are mosquito’s free meal and they don’t like it if your blood is filled with alcohol!! They were vicious in the village and it gets pretty darn cold at night!

Our next stop would be the beautiful island of Phu Quoc! The beach is crystal clear, the sand is super clear, the road unpaved, and the streets uncluttered! It was a mini paradise away from the crazy city life, where rich seafood can be found in almost every place!  I cannot imagine how development will change Phu Quoc in a couple years since there are rumors that people in certain location will have to move because big investor are planning to change this rural undeveloped island into a tourist attraction –similar to Hawaii!?  What will happen to the Mekong Delta villages in the next 10, 20 years?  Will huge hotel and factories take over the simple basic life of fisherman? I really don’t know but all I know is that Phu Quoc and other undeveloped places will not look the same the next time I visit them again. 

Field Research in Hanosimex & Yamaha

Before walking into the factories, I had no idea what I would but the only images I have to refer back to is the ones I have read in textbooks and documentary videos of the industrial revolutions. Needless to say, I was filled with mixed emotions at what I experienced during our tour in Hanosimex and Yamaha factories.  We enter into the conference filled with chairs and tables with red table covers which makes everything so elegant at our first visit, Hanosimex. After a rather informative overview session about the company, the tour began with us walking through the textile area where we saw the procedures of raw materials processed into threads by machineries.  I notice there were not much workers and everyone weren’t in any specific uniform making it seem as though, the company does not enforce very strict dress code in the work place. People were dispersed all around the machines collecting and pushing giant bins of threads and roll of cottons.  There were a good amount of men working in the factory as well as women, all of which had a face mask to cover their nose and mouth. The environment in the factory was quite dusty and I felt small particles of cotton and thread dispenses in mid-air causing some difficulty for me to breathe normally.  It was stuffy although the ceilings were high and it was not crowded with people, but only with machines from left to right. My initial thoughts were “Wow… machines may just as well replace human labor!”  In my head I can imagine the new world order of machine replacing people at work and everything computerized! However as we move onto the next building where people sits in rows with sewing machines in front of them sewing pieces of shirts together. I was stunned… why? Perhaps in my head, this image is what I fear because it reminds me of sweat shops I’ve seen in documentary videos and truth be told, it did not hit me so hard until I witnessed it with my own eyes. It was as though, sweat shops becomes a legal in some weird twisted dimension.  Of course, the conditions with better lighting, music playing in the background, air condition, and other benefits; nevertheless, it is what it is… a legally upgraded textile sweatshop in Vietnam.  Excuse me, if I perceive the situation way too negatively than it really is but environments causes me to retrieve everything I have learned and read into perspective.  I felt a bit intrusive to be exact when we all just walked in the workers’ working area observing them as though we were of higher position looking down upon them. If not, it may be a feeling of pity or discomfort as a few of us were taking snapshots of the worker sewing away on their table… my emotions were definitely mixed of discomfort as though I am intruding into their space where I am not in their positions and staying objective to my surroundings. 

It was mostly women workers who were sewing pieces of clothing and men where ironing and airing out threads left on the shirts.  Interesting enough, the shirts that these workers were working on are export products for EXPRESS and MANGO. It was a mind game staring at the same shirts I would have picked up in the EXPRESS store in the United States but it is manufactured in Vietnam.  It really makes me hesitate to purchase any more clothes from EXPRESS after seeing a black polo shirt for men in the factory.  This is not concern about the quality of the clothes but it is the principle behind selling a shirt that only cost a couple dollars to make and pricing it at a ridiculous high price, where it does not go towards paying the people who made it but goes to the business profit.  It is rather a shameful act of exploiting cheap labor abroad to make profitable goods.  On a brighter note, workers at Hanosimex receive a paycheck of 200USD per month (which is better than the pay in Yamaha factories, 100 USD/month) and receive healthcare benefits (cosmetic and optometry excluded). 

In comparison to Yamaha factory, Hanosimex appear to be a bit more flexible with its workers because Hanosimex actually have dormitories where workers can rent a place to live next to work and less restrictions on its employees.  Yamaha factory’s appearance was impressive because it is a newer building with super clean and white floors and walls.  It was more spacious and air conditioned the entire work building.  The structure of Yamaha was rather strict and very systematic with huge assembly line of motorbike parts.  We were not allowed to take pictures within the factory which says a lot and had to wear their Yamaha hats while we were on the tour.  All employees were wearing uniforms in the Yamaha factory on the contrary to Hanosimex.  In the factory, there were boards which tells people who messed up on their parts along with a picture of the worker on the board.  I thought it was a bit demeaning and unnecessary for its employer to do so.  Another thing is that they have a digital board where it tells employees their target goal and what they actually produced, which I supposed is for motivational purposes.  What I don’t understand is that Yamaha makes so much money from manufacturing motorbikes in Vietnam yet it pays its employee so poorly in comparison to the textile factory.  It appeared to be a very toxic and dangerous working environment with large machinery and chemical fumes from the motorbikes.  There was definitely a gender difference in the workplace because there were definitely more men working on the assembly line than women.  Set aside the more critical part of analyzing the factory environment, it was pretty neat to see the motorbike parts put together and the perfection of each shiny piece goes into making a wholesome bike.  The end product is amazing and beautiful!  I really enjoy the overall experience of how motorbikes are put together in a giant assembly line.  What differentiate hugely in Yamaha’s work environment is it has a feeling of being ONE all together because it is an assembly line.  If one part of the line slow down, then the entire line slows down because of it, therefore it produces a more collaborative unit as a whole rather than individual work.  

SAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After traveling roughly 8 hours on the train, we reached our destination – Lao Cai, where it rain all day.  I couldn’t believe how cold Vietnam can get and how cold the rain was in Sapa in comparison to Ha Noi.  The winding roads up and around the mountains in the rain was not very pleasant because every turn the driver makes, I can only imagine one wrong turn and off the cliff we go… but we made it to Sapatown in an hour! We quickly settled in our cozy Pinocchio hotel and we off to eat brunch then head to the “Dragon’s Claw”!  The view and scenery during our hike up the cliff was magnificent! The air was cold and with a light sprinkling rain, nature has never been so beautiful!  As we climb stone staircase higher and higher, the views from above looking down to the town was pretty cool!  Plants and flowers filled the surroundings with natural rocks surrounding them.  It made me feel peaceful and calm walking around the Dragon’s Claw.  The fog that lingers around us made it feel mystical and surreal to witness such beauty.  However, these views were nothing in comparison to the trekking experience to Ban Ho the following day. 

Mud. No pave road.  Grassy. Slippery. Rocks. Bamboos.  SCENIC!  We left for our trekking excursion at 8am with our two Hmong tour guides. Trekking through the mountainous path was a scary and heart-pounding experience that I have never experience in my life.  There were no path on which we can follow except small dirt trails created by Hmong people and other travelers who trek through the mountains.  It was a battle climbing uphill and a bigger challenging going downhill because it was very muddy and the dirt were extremely moist which creates unstable grounds for us to walk by.  I’m pretty sure I killed a good amount of plants while I was trekking because I was holding on to the nearby plants for some support just in case I may slip and plunder down to my death. Of course, I survive but in those moments, I felt as though one wrong step I make will result in severe consequences. Hence, my follow EAPers and I were quite alert walking along the trail.  One thing I notice while we were trekking was the friendly Hmong girls and women from the villages follow us and helped us walk through the difficult trail.  A young girl named Muoi –if I spelled it right, helped me walk through some really dangerous path and she made trekking seem so easy!  I was quite impressed by her graceful balance walking between narrow space and her eagerness to help us like the rest of Hmong girls.

Although trekking was quite scary for all of us and many of us ATE it hard with the ground, it was so scenic and beautiful! I think it was the most beautiful and untouched place in Vietnam I’ve visited yet! It’s definitely breathtaking! There are many small water streams running down and around the mountains that we encounter with to rinse our dirty feet. After 6 or so hours of trekking we arrived at our home stay at the Chu Xin.  It was a pretty nice place where giant mattress and mosquitoes nets laid ready for us… I was expecting to stay similarly to our visit to the Bahnar village but it was more modern and spacious.  Our host was very kind and generous to us.  The food his wife and he prepared for us was tasty and we quickly devour it!  The night in the village was very peaceful without much light lit in the village or motorbike noises. It made me think about how Ha Noi has changed from a village into such a huge city filled with cars and lights.  I wonder if Ha Noi was as pleasant and peaceful as the night in Ban Ho village years ago.  Does development contaminate the beauty of a simple life and peace?   I thoroughly enjoy our stay in the village where we aren’t distracted with finding a “night life” in bar or club.  We got to get out of normal city life routine and just enjoy each other company.  

1000 Years Hanoi Anniversary week

Last week was the 1000 years anniversary of Hanoi, it was always the week seems like the whole city is outside celebrating whether it is sitting outside drinking tea or walking around the streets to admire the decorative surroundings. Somehow everyone in the city was participating in some fashion to ensure this occasion to be memorable.  With the crowd, the city appeared livelier than ever and it was joyous event for the entire city experience.  However, the elaborate expenses on the city and ridiculous amount of money that the government spent on this occasion may be a bit excessive to say the minimum.  Although I recent heard the news about the flooding in central Vietnam due to the high level of rain fall, I also noticed that the government neglect to release press in the newspaper for the country to know.  This may wrong but perhaps they did not want people to lose the focus on this 1000 years anniversary celebration?  I find it outrageous that the people do not receive fast news about what’s going on around the country.  I question how effective any governing body works to help its own people. 

In a different light of things, while everyone was out and about the past weekend, I was not too fond with the idea of overcrowded places and being squish in between strangers. Thus, I did not eager participated much near Ho Hoang Kiem and enjoy the view from a distance.  Don’t get me wrong, Old Quarter was beautifully decorated and the lights make me quite attractive with so much buzz everywhere.  Is this potential the peak of development? One joyous lavish celebration? Who knows how much will change within the next couple years?  

Memorable experience harvesting RICE

Harvesting rice was definitely a new experience during my journey in Vietnam.  Treading through mud filled with little critters and other things I don’t even know, it was intimidated at first.  I did not realize how incredibly hard it was to walk through the muddy rice fields to harvest the rice until now.  Every step I took, it required an immense amount of effort to remove my foot from the knee deep mud.  I easily lose my balance when I try to shift directions.  Through this experience, I can’t imagine how difficult for farmers to harvest their crops in this traditional way and the amount of time it would take.  Luckily for us, we had a lot of man power to finish the job in an orderly and timely fashion.  Most of us were busy harvesting rice with a small machete like knife while others were transferring the piled up rice onto drier land to be transported to a designated area where all the rice stocks are stacked up and ready to be put through machine to take the rice from the stock.   It was very systematic which speed up the process; nevertheless it took us 2-3 hours to finish a small field of rice. 

The experience on the field harvesting rice was very challenging in the mud but I think our spirits were high and we were focus on the task at hand –harvesting the rice!  We conquered! The mud were very difficult to get off and we had to rinse ourselves in a river/lake which I was surprise.  I suppose it would waste too much water if 25+ people washed themselves in our host’s home.  I did not realize how scratched up I got from harvesting the rice until I return home and the next day I found innumerous cuts and tiny infected bug bites  all around my legs! How disgusting it looks but I have to take in perspective that farmers had to endure similar experience all the time.  I only wish I had thicker skin or less sensitive skin so my legs aren’t so inflamed with bites and cuts all over it. 

Set aside the post experience with harvesting rice, I would probably do it all over again because it was pretty awesome treading through the rice fields with my friends.  It was a memorable experience overall, especially talking with some village people about their lives and experience with ‘development’.   We talked with two women who are from Tuyen Quang, a mountainous village, but they moved into farming village to work.  They are perfect examples how ‘development’ forces or encourages people to migrate into area where they can find wage labor.  Through this process, it creates an ethnically mixed society filled with numerous cultural practices in one area.  Wage labor becomes more vital in these areas more than before because very few people actually work on their own fields.  They are more apt to hire cheap labor by other people.  An example would be the woman who lives next to A. Khoi’s home (our host) because she is the very few people in the village who actually still work on her land.  Her husband is a carpenter rather than simply a farmer.  More people are shifting away from farming and seek well-paid jobs in the city rather than the fields.   Therefore, there is tremendous change to non-farming activities in the village.  The woman has children who work as an engineer, hotel clerk, and government participant.    This is a good indicator that the farm life is no longer desire in the rural area and people quickly look into office type career path.   Based on people’s response in this area, it seemed as though there are a lot of people who are categorized as “poor” although there are few but not many. The farmers that I’ve encounter with appear very well-off with very nice polished home and have motorbikes.  I also see a good amount of automobiles driving in and out of the village.  Although it may seem rural, it is definitely changing into a more urban area or mini city waiting to more high building and construction to take over… In short, due to this idea of “bettering” one’s life and progressive, rural areas will soon or later become a city.

Oh, the beauty of simplicity

Spending 10 days in central Vietnam was blissful and definitely put many things in perspective for me. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling and sightseeing the beauty of nature in the countryside that I have never encounter in my life.  Born into the city life, I did not experience the farm life with the miles long rice fields and leafy green trees that stretches across to the ends of the sky.  I always ponder on what my life would be like if my family never left Vietnam and stayed in the countryside with my grandparents.  Would I be able to receive the same education that I am lucky enough to acquire right now?  Or will I be working in a field or shop to barely make it through the week with no bright future?  It makes me ponder and wonder all the possibilities that my fate may have been if and only if… 

Our first stop was Quy Nhon, a little lovely city with less commercialized beach and heavy tourism.  A peaceful town that I adore its infinite ‘sinh to’ street vendors and ‘com ga’ that are out of this world delicious! Although the night life is much quieter than the craziness of Hanoi’s nights, I still enjoy the beach and its giant wide streets where people can walk or sit to have a drink with friends. There were less automobile and less motorbikes in the streets. MELLOW is the word I would describe the city of Quy Nhon. The hotel was the most elegant hotel I have stayed in which is position on the beach with swimming pool, which all of us swam happily in the humid weather. 

However, I think the biggest impact for me during the trip would be the home stay in the Bahnar village up in the mountainside.  The 1.5 hour hike through the mud and narrow paths were intense because I never hike that far in my life! However, it was not that bad after we finally arrived to our destination.  The view was breathtaking and shocking because the greenness of nature was like waves in the ocean, swallowing us up without a hesitation.  We were like ants climbing the mound of dirt in some respect.  It was rigorous but it was worth it in the end! We enjoyed the feast prepared for us with 2 liter of green rice wine! After devouring bamboo shoots, wild boar, chicken, and rice wrapped in bamboo along with other the delicious dishes, we saw and participated in a gong ceremony. Life in the village was very simple and everything was on the basic needs.  No demands for new technology. No ipods, fancy clothes, lavish furniture, and any other excessive material goods.  It got me thinking about what do we really need NEED in our lives to make us happy?  Why do people rely on material goods to make them happy? How long does that last?  Is being progressive and being advance to simply means acquiring more technology and expensive things?  People in the village seem more than content with their lives and the children are outside playing until pitch darkness creep into the night.  On the contrary, the children in the city are sucked into playing videogames and sitting in front of the computer and TV like zombies.  Sadly, I cannot lie that I was happy to be back in a more comfortable space – a hotel with a shower and mattress bed.  Nevertheless, I think living in excessive of good really spoil people to neglect to appreciate all the basic needs that people really just need. 

Our next stop after the Bahnar village in Kum Tom was Da Nang. It was a pretty city but I was not too fond of the city itself. I actually enjoyed the spaces around it such as Hoi An – tailor village – and Cham Islands along with Cham museum and old structures on the outskirt of the city.   I was in Hoi An for the mid autumn festival and it was very lively with many lion dances and people walking the streets.  Cham Island among of the most memorable moment in Central trip! It was like living on a paradise with no one around but us! Snorkeling around the islands and swimming the transparent crystal clear water! It was a great day fill with fun and delicious seafood for lunch! To top it off, a nap on a hammock with a slight breeze was the icing on the top of the trip to the Cham Island. 

Hue is the center of food GALORE! The best thing about the trip over all must be the food because they were all so tasty in comparison to the blandness of Ha Noi’s food. I love the spices and flavorful of every bite in the dishes.  The first night in the city, we went food hopping and end up trying around 10 dishes on the streets of Hue and they were AMAZING!  It ended with food coma on my behalf because I was stuffed with yummy delicates. How can I NOT?

Touring around Hue was an interesting experience because we went to see many tombs of the old kings of the Nguyen dynasty as well as pagodas.  The most peaceful pagoda that I’ve seen is probably the one where we had lunch prepared by the nuns.  I had a hands-on experience with the daily chore of washing the dishes for over 30 people and it was rigorous and tiring! It is a peaceful place for me to reflect on everything in my life and how nice it is to just take a step back from the hectic city life that I am costumed to.  It really puts me in perspective of time and how the western culture place so much emphasis in scheduling every hour of their day accordingly. “Time is money,” is the most common quote that we use in the western hemisphere but then again, I question is money everything?  From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed, do we take the time to appreciate our surrounding and what is present in front of us or do we only seek for the future benefits?  We keep seeking for this farfetched future benefits that we missed out on enjoying the journey to reach it.  On the contrary to this idea, the eastern culture and what not do not place as much importance with time—seeing it as flexible mechanism that can be alter in correspondence to the value of time being spent by one.  Hence, people’s lives are not strenuously bound to time rather time is the boss over their lives.  

Live, Learn, Love.

Live outside the boundaries, Learn to understand & appreciate, and Love life for its simplicity.

What's 'poor' and 'not poor' in VN?

Packed with hungry customers, a few of us enters a local Com Binh Dan (the common people's rice) place to have a grab some lunch.  We sat near an middle aged man who appeared to eating briskly through his rice and soup. After recognizing that he finished his meal, we quickly turn to him to ask him a few questions about what is consider poor and 'not poor' in Vietnamese society.  

He told us that he looked at the question in term of economic prosperity more or less than possession.  He also accounts that development is a huge factor into determining who's poor and 'not poor'.  It was quite interesting to hear him deliberate his answer in terms of the well-off people are those who actually save the money they earn.  Whereas the poor are those who does not learn to save the money they earn but spend them reckless.  He describe some feature of the the poor as those has to work very hard and has difficulty finding a meal.  I was bit a taken back by his replies in the first part because he said it as though the poor cannot save for some apparent reason.  What about those who are born into harsh poverty and work so much to help support their family?  Maybe there was some miscommunication or misunderstanding from his answer but I initially think that possession/material goods help distinguish this fine line of people.

When he answers the second question, he mentions that the gap has drastically increase between the poor and 'not poor' over the past 10 years due to development.  He believes that improving economy causes this widen gap between the poor and 'not rich'.  These two group slowly but surely are living separately from each other not like before when they used to live in the same neighborhood.  He predicts in the next ten years, Vietnam will become a capitalist state and a free market where people will have more freedom in the government.  The consequences of this change in the future will be the poor will stay poor and the rich will become richer.  I was not surprise at his answer about how Vietnam will changed into a capitalist state. I think some people has this grand image of the U.S. as prosperous nation which makes them want to get to that point of  "development".  

Can you catch a rat?

I have never interview with any profession that has not been  a common career that can easily be searched online.  However, this weekend our project KA group allow me to interview with odd jobs that is primarily for survival purposes or a profession that was passed on from their parents.   What make this interview session even more special is that we were able to travel outside Hanoi to enjoy the city of Hai Phong but also get some work done with fun!


We traveled on Thursday afternoon to reach our destination --Hai Phong, Khuong's home.  We were welcome with open arms and great hospitality by his family.  We got a taste of dog meat with special drinks for Khuong's birthday.  On Saturday, we spent the entire day at the  beach of Do Son which is about an hour away from Hai Phong by motorbikes.  In the evening, we had to take care of business and proceed to start our interview process with our first interviewee -- a rat catcher.   The woman who we interview was very energetic and friendly when we asked to interview her.  The interview took place in her own home where she seem very comfortable and at ease talking about her work.  Her job is significant for it's regional and location purpose since her job is seasonal.   What I find interesting is that she seems to really enjoy doing this low-paid job because it is also benefiting for herself because she gets rid of rats on her own farm field.  The description of her job is to catch rats living on the fields that destroys farmer's crops.   The job is in high demands around harvest season which is around October and November.  The job is specialized but it is a common labor work for farmers to take on at the same time get extra money for it.   It does not pay very well-- only 3,000 VND for every rat's tail.  These rat catchers will collect the tail of rats to get paid by a united farm worker coalition which all farmers help contribute money to get rid of rats that destroy their crops during harvest season.   As she mentions the process es of catching the rats, the way she interact with was filled with amusement and joy.  She did not really considered it much as a career rather than an odd job to get extra money to help support her family.  She even mentions her kids joining her to do the work which is fun for everyone who participated in it.  


The interview went on very much like a casual conversation and it was fascinating to her about a job that I have never heard of in the city life of  Hanoi.  She was very open to discuss the work which made the interview went smoothly. I would love to see her in action and maybe participate in the work itself just to see how it is like.  It is a work that most people would not mention as a career and would not like to be their primary job.  Although it is her seasonal job which has been passed on from generations, she also work along her husband on their farm land.  

Bắc Linh Đàm

            We travelled by motorbike to our mapping destination and the view was surprisingly strange in comparison to the city life.  Bắc Linh Đàm lies on the outskirt of the city life so for quite some time we passed through rice fields then into an area with heavy construction.  Dirt, dust, and debris cloud up the vision from a distance ahead and then appear from the pollution were new tall buildings, gated park area fill with green trees, visible sidewalk, and empty streets.  There are no street vendors selling their goods along the walkway, no running children, no tourists group browsing the area, no traffic problems, no xe om waiting in every corner of the street, no dog meat stand, and no people period.  The area was very spacious, clean, and really nice in comparison to our visit to a traditional area.  There were few if any trash around the streets and everything looks newly built.  

            Although its appearance seems clean and neat; however, I feel disconnected to the entire area because there was a lack of human interactions between people that I witness and participate everyday walking down Đường Nguyễn Trãi.   The major difference that I notice from being in the space is the big distance from residential area to the market place.  Everything was pretty much spread out and a motorbike is essential to travel around the area.   There wasn’t anyone walking the street like the traditional area where there weren’t much space to drive around.  For this very reason, our team experience is purely through driving around in the province rather than walking around.  We found most of the places we needed to map within the same area which is away from residential housing and the village within Bac Linh Dam provide the fresh vegetables and pork meat.  Funny enough, I felt more normal riding the motorbike into the village area which is a more traditional space.  Another observation I notice is the river surrounding the area creates a fortress and separation from the modern space from traditional area.  One can distinctively note the lower class space across the heavily polluted river and the nicely built homes with a clean gated lake area with benches.   The gate and river symbolizes the separation between the class struggle and contrast the quality of living condition depending on which streets one lives on. 

I find it really interesting that the path going to the Bắc Linh Đàm reveals the change from rice patties to construction zone and into a modern suburb.  The change is drastic and unimaginable how Vietnam would transform itself in the next 10 years.  Would all the rice fields become giant residential area with man-made nature surrounded by gates?  Will ‘development’ cause more deterioration nature’s beauty and the traditional lifestyle? I guess we will have to see in our near future…

Now the question comes down to whether I would want to live in this area and the answer would probably be yes. Why?  As much as I think the space allows more privatization of public space and limits the communal space for everyone, it attracts me to a place where it is away from the city life madness and pollution.  I would want to live in this area because it seem safe, secure, peaceful, and clean.  I would prefer to live here only in my late-20's when I have a stable career because after a long day of work, i would enjoy going home to place of quietness and away from the loud atmosphere.  It is close enough to the city and convenient store if I travel by motorbike. I also like its location around a clean lake and park area so I would probably enjoy exercising/jogging after work or on the weekend. Life would be pretty neat! :) 

Stepping into a different space: Ho Linh Quang

            Narrow. Enclosed walls.  Shady.  Small.  Unfamiliar. Strange.  Intimidated. Confused. These are among the few words to describe my initial experience and feelings walking in the neighborhood of Ho Linh Quang.  Prior to entering the village around Ho Linh Quang, we were warned by locals that it is windy path and to guard our belonging carefully.  I suppose there are a lot of robbery and crime in the area so they just warned out which heighten my alertness about my surroundings.  Luckily, we encounter with an elderly woman who was nice enough to lead us to the market area where we would start our mapping project.  As we approach closer into the market place, the streets becomes smaller and smaller until no cars can pass and only motorbikes, bicycles, and pedestrians can go through.   There were no longer streets but it became narrow alleys.  I felt as though I was walking through a maze with many turns and no exit!  I was very nervous walking around this unfamiliar strange place where no street vendors are visible.  However these feeling subsides when we actually entire the market place around the lake. 

            Entering the new space where street vendors sell their goods has never felt so comforting to me when I finally got to the market place.  The transition space between the isolation from people while we walk through the village into a more populated area made me felt at ease.  It was definitely a relief to see a lively and busy place where one can find anything along the street.  By mapping out the locations designated on our assignment, I realize how close and convenient everything is around the village.  Those who live around the area do not have to walk or travel very far to get all their daily necessity.  Life is sustainable in a nutshell within this small urban village.  The area was more traditional than modern because all the vendors are small and it is within their private home as well.  The people around the village were very friendly and nice when we asked for help and directions.   I really enjoyed exploring new areas around the village and finding the essential needs all within walking distance.  The area was very compact and crowded with young kids playing the park and elders playing badmintons. To sum it up in a few words after walking around Ho Long Quang:  lively, friendly, and compact.  Would I live there? I think I would enjoy growing up or retiring in a small neighborhood similar to Linh Quang village because everything is so convenient and easy to travel around.   However I would not want to live there when I’m in my adult years because it is way too narrow and I would love more space as well as quietness.

Gig: Occupation -- Porn Star

The title says it all: Occupation -- Porn Star.
      After reading numerous accounts of occupation experiences, the one that stands out most to me is the porn star Brad Armstrong interview. It was so interesting to read his experience because I would never think to record a porn star as a occupation or would talk to one. In the constructed community, a porn star is not often mention as an ideal career path that children growing up tell their parents. Therefore, anyone doing this type of job are often ashame of it and would not openly discuss their job to the public.  Brad Armstrong or Rod Hopkins, his real name, provides a different light to the industry and how intense and serious he takes his job as a adult performer.  He described how rigorous it was to be a porn star and the amount of body control one needs to become real good porn star.  I did not realize the amount of time dedication and focus adult performers had to endure! It fathoms me so much and the seriousness of acting in the midst of just "doing it" with someone.  Rod is very proud of his career choice and he saw it as helping other feel good about themselves which surprises me because I honestly never looked at it that way.  I just really brings a new view into perspective on how people perceive their career can help others and not be ashame of being an adult performer.  I enjoy reading his experience and will definitely see porn stars in a different light.
        I feel that we often condemns particular jobs as meaningless and absurd because we are told by our family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and society as a whole.  The general society has great influence on our career path and choices.  It places the validity of jobs in terms of our paycheck and the power we obtain from it.  In this scenario, I think we forget it's not only the job that makes us happy but the meaning we find in our everyday job.  From Rod's experience, I learned a lot jobs that we think are petty and insignificant can make a huge impact in the structure of society.  Furthermore, I gain a new respect to professional adult performers. 

From the beginning...

            My name is Katie. Born in Saigon, Vietnam on December 3, 1988. I lived in Vietnam for the first 6 years of my life and remember a lot of things before I went to the States. I have four older siblings -- 2 older brothers follow with my 2 older sisters; thus, I am the baby in the family.  I am an active kid at a young age and I kept that energy up until now but probably not to the same intensity.  I loved being out and running around the neighborhood with my friends.  I only come home when the sun sets or when my parents told me to go home. When I went to high school, I played basketball, volleyball, and softball.  I love team sports and enjoy the competition that it brings out of me. From playing competitive sports, I learn about dedication, passion, and heart which I find it essential in my everyday life as well as for higher education. The interesting thing about going to high school for me was that I had to go to an entire different school from the rest of my friends that I know from elementary as well as junior high.  I was faced with new faces and new environment.  However, I believe that from experiencing being the newcomer into a new space without knowing anyone helped me establish a sense of independence.  At the age of 16, when I can legally work, I started working at a local movie theater and learned the value of a dollar from labor. Working part-time does not allow me to spend frantically on my wants but simply on my essential needs and I felt myself growing as a young adult.  Senior year of high school came rather quickly and I had to decide which college best suits for me, I wanted to be on my own and get away from the small bubble of predominantly asian community that I have lived around all my life. I wanted a new perspective and experience being an independent adult in college. In the end, I selected UC Santa Barbara. I love it there and enjoy the beautiful beach, weather, and lively student life. My college experience by far has been amazing; however, I wanted more from just being a college students and wanted to see changes not from small community of students but on a larger scale.  It felt like I was living in another bubble, a student community bubble, a bubble that does not seem to see father down the road than a year or two from now.
             From ambitious friends to classmates who has challenge themselves to study abroad, I was drawn to the idea of putting myself into a foreign place where I can grow and learn extensively from the local and other students.  I signed up to study abroad in Vietnam from many reasons:
1)  I'm studying global studies and my focus is southeast asia. I need some require classes from the region.  2)  I have not gone back to Vietnam since I left it.
3)  I feel the need to learn and lived in the culture and lifestyle that I was born into. I need to learn my roots.
4)  I want to help the people in Vietnam and leave a impact in Vietnam whether it is small or large.
5) I love traveling but never had the chance to do so for some reasons.
6) I enjoying being a foreign new place that forces me to adapt and learn about myself as an adult and scholar.
There are many more reasons why but these are the primary reasons for my desire to study abroad. What I hope from studying abroad is to absorb, record, learn, and share my experience with those students in the States to encourage them to study abroad in Vietnam.  Another reason is to enjoy and witness the changes in Vietnam in front my eyes. I think the method of higher education is very relevant to the growth and development of the Vietnamese rich culture.  I hope to take on a different view on their political, social, and global perspective on the ideas of Westernization and globalization that's spreading  like wild fire.  It fascinates me that in such a short amount of time, the changes that takes place in the city and how modernization reconstruct a sense of community.   I have a open mind to what I can do and what I can learn from the locals; therefore, I think my expectation is fluid and easily change from day to day. I definitely want to an impact and share my knowledge with others.