(PICTURE: Behind these guys were 1,000 more people on bikes. Better pictures next week when my camera battery isn't dead)After six weeks of backpacking, and twenty years of having an unexplainable obsession with the country, I've finally stepped foot in Vietnam--and I already love it! I have a countless amount of first impressions which I'll try and quickly rattle off since I've got to go catch a bus to Cambodia (Yes, I'm already leaving the country). So, here's my quick list:
1. #1 isn't about the country but about my Vietnamese best friend Hien. She's amazing. She was waiting at the arrival exit with a 8x10 welcome sign for me. She choose a strong font with a nice backdrop shading which really showed she put some thought into it. We gave each other a big hug and I quickly realized that I was going to feel quite tall in this country--she came up to about the start of my totally awesome, perfectly crafted pectoral muscles. Hien told me that for now on she was going to walk on the sidewalk and I was going to walk on the street to give her a few more inches. However, there's no freaking way I'm walking on the street! Thus point #2...
2. Every person I told that I was going to Vietnam warned me that crossing the street was absolute madness. Jeff Aidekman, hearts player extraordinare, was the first person to give me the tip: "Don't hesitate." Well, the warnings about the traffic were not exaggerated. In fact, you can't exaggerate what it is like to cross the street. There are literally hundreds of motorbikes flying down the street at you at any given time. They form what appears to be an impenetrable wall. But they aren't just on the street, sometimes they are flying at you on the sidewalk. And they aren't necessarily going in the right direction. I was on a one way street and was nearly run over by a family of four zooming against traffic. It's crazy! I mean IT IS CRAZY! I can't stop giggling every time I need to get from one side of the street to another. It must be some weird psychological defense that has come loose inside of me. Ryan, the other student taking the TEFL course, said it best, "You have to throw away everything you were taught as a kid when crossing the street in order to make it here." He also added, "Just don't look when you cross the street and you'll be fine."
3. The food is amazing. Hien has promised to look out for my demanding stomach and has taken the responsibility of making sure I'm well fed. We had lunch and dinner with Languagecorps students and alumni and each time the table was covered with produce that could not have been plucked from the ground more than twelve hours earlier, fish that must have been reeled in that day, and pork that...well, I can't vouch for the pork.
4. I'm going to become a coffee drinker. Yup, you read that right. I'm into coffee now. I'm survived twenty four years without the brewed bean but times are changing. Hien introduced me to Vietnamese coffee and it is awesome. Basically they take condensed milk and combine it with pure coffee that was poured out of what appeared to be an old coke bottle. They put the whole thing over ice and then charge you a whopping thirty cents. It's the sweetest drink I've ever had and definitely packs a punch. After barely sleeping for a few days it gave me the energy I needed to make it through the afternoon. So in conclusion for #4, an addict has been born.
5. Ryan and I visited the War Remnants Museum formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. The images and exhibition were extremely disturbing. I opened up a sign in book that had people's impressions in it. Most people complained that the museum was one-sided. I mean, what did they expect from a place formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. Even if it is one-sided that doesn't take away from the fact that our country did a lot of bad things in a war that shouldn't have been fought. Walking along the halls one couldn't help think how history was repeating itself in Iraq--how thousands upon thousand upon millions and millions of innocent civilians are affected by war; and specifically wars that should not have been fought.
6. On a more light hearted note, after not seeing any bugs in China, I'm sitting here with at least three aunts crawling on me.
7. It's hot as hell here. This means my Gold Bond rations may have to be increased.
8. Hien is amazing. Did I mention that? She insisted on doing my laundry!
9. There are lots of creepy old white guys, usually sporting mustaches, walking around this city with young Vietnamese girlfriends.
10. Despite the American dollar taking a nose dive, this place is cheap! I only had about $20 coming in and told Hien I needed an ATM. She said, "oh, that should last you about two weeks." Even if it lasts me a week I figure I can now live here for four years without ever taking a job. Sorry, Mom and Dad.
Finally, a very special thanks to my editor, Hannah. Thanks for posting all my blogs the last couple of weeks. Rest assured that there will be plenty of other times I'm gonna need you to post again. i.e. the next ten days.
Okay, I have to run to get the bus. We're headed to Cambodia to meet up with the new students from Languagecorps Thailand and Cambodia. We're doing two weeks of teacher training and taking a three day field trip to Angkor Wat. It should all be amazing.
