I haven’t said much about Vietnam because I just did not have time to write blogs. I will catch up on it later but right now I am having lots of thoughts about Paris. Obviously, I came very nervous about using my French. But when I stepped off the plane using French was like my survival skill. Many people might think that the most Parisians speak English but in my experience they don’t. If they do speak English, it is very minimal. When I arrived I had a 70 pound duffle bag with no wheels, a purse, and a small carry-on that had wheels. For the sake of getting to my destination for cheap and with as little hassle as possible, I first asked the representatives at the train station if they spoke any English so I would get direction in English and not get lost. To my surprise, they only spoke French. Despite this fact I still made it to my destination with little difficulties. While on the train I was bombarded by Parisians and it was very difficult to move around with all my stuff because I had to change trains a couple times. But it was worth the small hassle, 8 Euros opposed to a 60 euro cab ride. Another stereotypical thought about Parisians is that they are little more laid back. In some sense they are but not the way I thought. The stores and life definitely does not start until about 10 or 11am but in the train station, everyone was walking so fast. If you do not know where you are going, you better move out the way before you get run over because people will bump and push and will not even say excuse me. And do not ever ask for directions….
There is a lot I still need to get used to. One thing that is extremely annoying is the fact that you have to pay for public bathroom. I always have to go so bad and sometime I am on verge on wetting myself and I can never get in. The lack great internet access here is also very frustrating. But I guess the great bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the wonderful food makes up for that. There is also another concept I am very foreign to, “les bisoux,” which are the kisses they give to greet one another. I almost always put my hand out to greet with a handshake because forget the cultural difference. And the other day I was sitting in the hairdresser when a man came in and greeted us all and when I turned to try and give “les bisoux” I kissed him on the mouth! It was disgusting. I thought I was going to die from swine flu from kissing his crusty lips. Ugh! While I was at the hairdresser, I became friend which the lady that was doing my hair and she told me that this man has been trying to talk to her for a long time and he always comes in the shop trying to get her to go out with him. THIS MAN HAS A WIFE AND KIDS! She said the men here are like that….. She also said that it is in style for white men to be dating African woman….BIZARRE! Everything seems to be about style here.
The family I am living with is nice. They speak no English so we have t speak French. They get whatever food I want, clean my room, wash my dished, and do my laundry. Although, have gotten mad at me a couple times. The first night I locked myself out the apartment. I had no cell phone and they have no intercom to call up to the apartment. So I sat outside for hours before someone finally came home and opened the door. But then there is another door after the ground floor that I was still locked out of. After another hour of waiting I started searching my pockets and found my code. The next day I locked myself out again. At this point my host dad was like you are really irresponsible, which was in some ways true They also got mad at me for slamming the front door when I come in and out the apartment. I live with another girl that is Japanese. She speaks no French and it is very frustrating because she doesn’t not understand simple things like, “where are you from,” or “what do you want to eat” So she only speak in English with me and I do not want to do that so I just don’t talk to her. Last think that was super awkward, yesterday my host family walked into my room while I was in my bra and underwear…!>!>!>!! And they proceeded to talk to me after they noticed! Awkward!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Interesting 2 days
Last night a group of us decided to go out to a bar for westerners across from the hotel. As we were walking out the same little kids I usually see outside the hotel were still there. I wonder where there parents are? They are only about 8 years old. They are very smart little kids. One of them speaks to me in french, english, and vietnemese. He usually wants me to buy a postcard from him. When I turned them down this time, they decided to pull a prank on me. I was just trying to ignore the little kids but they are so persistent. As they followed me down the street, they picked up a little lizard and decided it would be funny to place it on my back without me knowing. I started to feel it crawl up my back and I went crazy. I had just walked into the bar and I screamed so loudly, trying to frantically brush it off of me. My friend finally grabbed me and brushed it off and had to restrain me because I was surely going to march out and get those little kids back. The female bartenders came rushing over asking if I was okay. I didnt know what to do after that. One man in the bar told me it could be worse and that in India they put tarantulas on peoples backs.
Tonight was a free afternoon on our first day in Hanoi. Hanoi reminds me a lot of Saigon. We decided to explore the city a little. Me and my roommate Adrianna went walking around the hostel area in search for some lunch and some junk food. Finding somewhere to eat in Vietnam tends to be a struggle. But later on for dinner, we picked out one of nicer restaruants in town. We traveled in a large group to the restaurant. This always makes ths more difficults. Deciding whether we were going ride or walk was a task in itself. Finally we decided to walk. As we were walking a young vietnemese women in red who was obviously not right in some way started to follow us to the restaurant. She followed our every move. At first we thought she was trying to steal our purses but she was just ginuinely interested in us I think. She never said a word, she only stared. We thought this was a little creepy so we then got into a taxi.
On our way back home we decided to take a taxi from the start. But we accidently got into a "fake" cab. He had one of those meters that kept that moved faster than normal. He also drove like a lunatic. He acted as if he didnt understand me when I confronted him about the meter. Than I asked if he spoke french an he did. When I confronted him in french he still tried to ignore me. In the end we got jipped and almost ran over som bikers in the process because of his reckless driving.
Tonight was a free afternoon on our first day in Hanoi. Hanoi reminds me a lot of Saigon. We decided to explore the city a little. Me and my roommate Adrianna went walking around the hostel area in search for some lunch and some junk food. Finding somewhere to eat in Vietnam tends to be a struggle. But later on for dinner, we picked out one of nicer restaruants in town. We traveled in a large group to the restaurant. This always makes ths more difficults. Deciding whether we were going ride or walk was a task in itself. Finally we decided to walk. As we were walking a young vietnemese women in red who was obviously not right in some way started to follow us to the restaurant. She followed our every move. At first we thought she was trying to steal our purses but she was just ginuinely interested in us I think. She never said a word, she only stared. We thought this was a little creepy so we then got into a taxi.
On our way back home we decided to take a taxi from the start. But we accidently got into a "fake" cab. He had one of those meters that kept that moved faster than normal. He also drove like a lunatic. He acted as if he didnt understand me when I confronted him about the meter. Than I asked if he spoke french an he did. When I confronted him in french he still tried to ignore me. In the end we got jipped and almost ran over som bikers in the process because of his reckless driving.
September 3, 2009
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, the southern part of Viet Nam on August 30th. I am traveling with 12 students from my university from all different backgrounds. We have students majoring in biology, mechanical engineering, international relations, and political science. My seminar is on American in Viet Nam: After Three Decades. After being here for five days I have had so many thoughts and reactions to the places I have visited and the people I have seen. I cannot help but continually compare my experience in South Africa to my experience here.
Ironically, it is rainy season here, like it was in South Africa, except it is actually really really warm outside. The heat here is the kind of weather that makes you feel like taking a shower every hour. One of the dress requirements of the trip is that we cannot wear shorts or spaghetti straps because the dress culture in Viet Nam is more conservative. Besides the weather the food has also been really great. Most of the dishes are composed of seafood, noodles, rice, and many exotic fruits. My favorite has been the catfish, spring rolls, and fried rice. I love all the fruits. We have not had any sushi. The breakfast is very Americanized so most of the time I feel like I am in America for this meal. I have my scrambled eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and coffee. All of our meal are family style because we our traveling on a tourist package so we do not have much freedom when it comes to choosing different types of dishes.
Vietnam is not so tourist friendly. Most people speak very little English or no English at all. Luckily we have to people in our group that are Vietnamese. Our group package also have been providing accommodations in hotels and restaurants that our very westernized and what our tourist guide refers to as “tourist sites.” I do not know whether to be frustrated that we are only getting a tourist prospective or whether to be thankful. Part of me likes to be pampered of course but it is like being a sheltered kid in some ways. Although, my professors continually warns that we have to be careful here. While Vietnam is by no mean dangerous, we are not to consume the water or eat fruits without thick skins, and stay away from street foods.
Our tour guides name is Cong; he is a character. He really gets on my nerves on so many levels. However, I feel that I should be more understanding towards his attitudes because he represents a generation whose thought are identified by old traditions and a lifetime of struggle caused by the Vietnam War or as they call it, the American War. He is about 60 years old, and I feel once you hit a certain age, it is difficult to change the attitudes and opinions of a person because at some point their thoughts and opinions are so ingrained. There is also a sense of seniority that they often feel entitled to.
I have been tired for most of the time I have been here. It is difficult to enjoy, the tours we have been going on because I am so jetlagged. We have very long days. We start as early at 8am and we are going until about 5 or 6pm. My group spends most of our time together. There is not much independence on this trip. I got a message for an hour that only costs $7. The services here are so cheap. Nails cost would cost me $1-2.
As I write this blog I am in Hoi An, Vietnam right now. This is considered central Viet Nam. It was an hour plane ride from Ho Chi Minh City. Flew into Danang, Vietnam and then drove to Hoi An. We are staying in a beautiful resort called Hoi An Trails. This town is very small and intimate and very relaxing. It is also shopping city. It is the town where you can get anything made: jackets, shoes, dresses, you name it, they have it. It has been raining a lot here though. The water is sometimes one to two feet deep. One night we went out to dinner and trekked for the water to look for a restaurant. We had very bad luck. However, we did eventually stumble into a hole in the wall that we decided to settle on because the rain was just unbearable. I could feel the chunks of dirt and trash run across my feel as we walk through the water. That was my queue to sit down and eat at the first place we found. It ended up not being too bad. We had good conversation and when I look back on it, it was sort of like an adventure getting to the restaurant.
Ironically, it is rainy season here, like it was in South Africa, except it is actually really really warm outside. The heat here is the kind of weather that makes you feel like taking a shower every hour. One of the dress requirements of the trip is that we cannot wear shorts or spaghetti straps because the dress culture in Viet Nam is more conservative. Besides the weather the food has also been really great. Most of the dishes are composed of seafood, noodles, rice, and many exotic fruits. My favorite has been the catfish, spring rolls, and fried rice. I love all the fruits. We have not had any sushi. The breakfast is very Americanized so most of the time I feel like I am in America for this meal. I have my scrambled eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and coffee. All of our meal are family style because we our traveling on a tourist package so we do not have much freedom when it comes to choosing different types of dishes.
Vietnam is not so tourist friendly. Most people speak very little English or no English at all. Luckily we have to people in our group that are Vietnamese. Our group package also have been providing accommodations in hotels and restaurants that our very westernized and what our tourist guide refers to as “tourist sites.” I do not know whether to be frustrated that we are only getting a tourist prospective or whether to be thankful. Part of me likes to be pampered of course but it is like being a sheltered kid in some ways. Although, my professors continually warns that we have to be careful here. While Vietnam is by no mean dangerous, we are not to consume the water or eat fruits without thick skins, and stay away from street foods.
Our tour guides name is Cong; he is a character. He really gets on my nerves on so many levels. However, I feel that I should be more understanding towards his attitudes because he represents a generation whose thought are identified by old traditions and a lifetime of struggle caused by the Vietnam War or as they call it, the American War. He is about 60 years old, and I feel once you hit a certain age, it is difficult to change the attitudes and opinions of a person because at some point their thoughts and opinions are so ingrained. There is also a sense of seniority that they often feel entitled to.
I have been tired for most of the time I have been here. It is difficult to enjoy, the tours we have been going on because I am so jetlagged. We have very long days. We start as early at 8am and we are going until about 5 or 6pm. My group spends most of our time together. There is not much independence on this trip. I got a message for an hour that only costs $7. The services here are so cheap. Nails cost would cost me $1-2.
As I write this blog I am in Hoi An, Vietnam right now. This is considered central Viet Nam. It was an hour plane ride from Ho Chi Minh City. Flew into Danang, Vietnam and then drove to Hoi An. We are staying in a beautiful resort called Hoi An Trails. This town is very small and intimate and very relaxing. It is also shopping city. It is the town where you can get anything made: jackets, shoes, dresses, you name it, they have it. It has been raining a lot here though. The water is sometimes one to two feet deep. One night we went out to dinner and trekked for the water to look for a restaurant. We had very bad luck. However, we did eventually stumble into a hole in the wall that we decided to settle on because the rain was just unbearable. I could feel the chunks of dirt and trash run across my feel as we walk through the water. That was my queue to sit down and eat at the first place we found. It ended up not being too bad. We had good conversation and when I look back on it, it was sort of like an adventure getting to the restaurant.
FINAL CAPE TOWN BLOG ENTRY
Things have been going down since I last wrote on my blog. This will probably be my last entry for South Africa. I feel like I have been hanging by a thread during my last two weeks here. As my departure time comes closer and closer I feel more anxious to go home and escape South Africa without any serious incidents. But I guess I could not escape.
A group of friends and I went to our favorite bar in Observatory one last time last Friday. The night was going smoothly. We had an amazing meal at a restaurant called Five Flies and then we met up with some girlfriends to go dancing. We had only been in Observatory for 15 minutes before things started going down. It was a regular routine. We would fine a park, clear the car of any item so the car would not be broke into, and then tip our car guard. Car guards are “supposed” to protect your cars from theft or vandalism but sometimes that does not always happen. Jess is a generous tipper so she tipped our guard well as usually and we headed into the bar. My friends were dancing on the dance floor while I was sitting at the bar. Groove did not have its usually vibe. It was Friday and no one was really in there and the music was not typical so my place at the bar was my camp out until the music changed. But it did not change, so I left the club looking for other places that we could all go. But it seemed that all of Observatory was dead. Meanwhile, my friends got nervous and thought something had happened to me because I was no longer in Groove. In somewhat of a panic, they went into the street looking for me. Our car guard told Jessica that he knew where I went and pointed her in the direction. Jessica followed his direction and began yelling my name. As she headed down the street, our car guard grabbed her purse out of her hands and ran off. Our car keys were in the purse which was the only thing that really mattered. There was only about $5 in the purse and a cell phone. He really hit the jackpot. As I walked back, I saw Sarah in the street and the first thing she says to me is “Things have gone doen since you left.” Then I see Liese rushing around saying we need the police with that regular determined look on her face. Our next courses of action were very carefully planned out. We ended up being stranded in Observatory for brief period while 2 of us went back to Jessica’s house to get the spare keys while the other three of us stood outside guarding the car. The next day Jessica saw her mugger in the grocery store. She confronted him and he acted like he didn’t know what she was talking about. She then went and got a police to intimidate him, but he still never fessed up. We call her mugger the man with the uni-brow. The next day Jessica spotted him in the grocery store and she confronted him but still no keys. Cape Town is such a small place, what are the odds of her running into him again?
More stuff continued to do down the following week. I had not noticed how many strikes had been going on in South Africa until it directly affected my life here. The doctors were striking during my first couple weeks and later the workers building the FIFA World Cup stadium were striking. But this week the mini bus taxis decided to strike. The minibus taxi is basically what all the people from the townships use to get to work. We ended up not going out to the township to work this day because the drivers of the minibus taxis were attacking people with rocks and other objects so it was way too dangerous. After this strike the bus and train systems also followed suit. I have heard that the most strike occur in Cape Town because it is the only place in South Africa not ruled by the African National Congress (ANC).
Since I have been here, I have been told horror stories, from mugging to stabbing in broad day light. Never have I thought, it is not going to happen to me. I walk down the street always cautious of my surroundings, looking over my shoulders constantly and often intensely grasping the handle of my maze. I came so close to an incident during my final days. A homeless man was upset by something my cab driver was saying to him in Afrikaans so he picked up a brick a proceeded to throw a brick at the car but I was able t stop him as I screeched for him to not hit the car because it was my last day in Cape Town. Despite my increasing concern for my safety, I have fallen in love with South Africa. It is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever traveled. I have only been here for 2 months but over the course of my stay, I have developed my own little family and community. Some people I was not so close to but I was able to learn something from them but others I know I will be friends with life.
A group of friends and I went to our favorite bar in Observatory one last time last Friday. The night was going smoothly. We had an amazing meal at a restaurant called Five Flies and then we met up with some girlfriends to go dancing. We had only been in Observatory for 15 minutes before things started going down. It was a regular routine. We would fine a park, clear the car of any item so the car would not be broke into, and then tip our car guard. Car guards are “supposed” to protect your cars from theft or vandalism but sometimes that does not always happen. Jess is a generous tipper so she tipped our guard well as usually and we headed into the bar. My friends were dancing on the dance floor while I was sitting at the bar. Groove did not have its usually vibe. It was Friday and no one was really in there and the music was not typical so my place at the bar was my camp out until the music changed. But it did not change, so I left the club looking for other places that we could all go. But it seemed that all of Observatory was dead. Meanwhile, my friends got nervous and thought something had happened to me because I was no longer in Groove. In somewhat of a panic, they went into the street looking for me. Our car guard told Jessica that he knew where I went and pointed her in the direction. Jessica followed his direction and began yelling my name. As she headed down the street, our car guard grabbed her purse out of her hands and ran off. Our car keys were in the purse which was the only thing that really mattered. There was only about $5 in the purse and a cell phone. He really hit the jackpot. As I walked back, I saw Sarah in the street and the first thing she says to me is “Things have gone doen since you left.” Then I see Liese rushing around saying we need the police with that regular determined look on her face. Our next courses of action were very carefully planned out. We ended up being stranded in Observatory for brief period while 2 of us went back to Jessica’s house to get the spare keys while the other three of us stood outside guarding the car. The next day Jessica saw her mugger in the grocery store. She confronted him and he acted like he didn’t know what she was talking about. She then went and got a police to intimidate him, but he still never fessed up. We call her mugger the man with the uni-brow. The next day Jessica spotted him in the grocery store and she confronted him but still no keys. Cape Town is such a small place, what are the odds of her running into him again?
More stuff continued to do down the following week. I had not noticed how many strikes had been going on in South Africa until it directly affected my life here. The doctors were striking during my first couple weeks and later the workers building the FIFA World Cup stadium were striking. But this week the mini bus taxis decided to strike. The minibus taxi is basically what all the people from the townships use to get to work. We ended up not going out to the township to work this day because the drivers of the minibus taxis were attacking people with rocks and other objects so it was way too dangerous. After this strike the bus and train systems also followed suit. I have heard that the most strike occur in Cape Town because it is the only place in South Africa not ruled by the African National Congress (ANC).
Since I have been here, I have been told horror stories, from mugging to stabbing in broad day light. Never have I thought, it is not going to happen to me. I walk down the street always cautious of my surroundings, looking over my shoulders constantly and often intensely grasping the handle of my maze. I came so close to an incident during my final days. A homeless man was upset by something my cab driver was saying to him in Afrikaans so he picked up a brick a proceeded to throw a brick at the car but I was able t stop him as I screeched for him to not hit the car because it was my last day in Cape Town. Despite my increasing concern for my safety, I have fallen in love with South Africa. It is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever traveled. I have only been here for 2 months but over the course of my stay, I have developed my own little family and community. Some people I was not so close to but I was able to learn something from them but others I know I will be friends with life.
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