SWAT TEAM

(PICTURE: CSCD Police. This picture is a rarity -- they never come out during the day.)

There's a strange occurrence that happens every night in Hanoi around 11PM. As the city begin to quiet, the storefronts close, and the night time garbage crews sweep the streets, a special branch of police start to appear in the shadows. Who they are, I'm not exactly sure. They have CSCD written on their uniforms. I don't know what that stands for so I've just started to call them the Vietnamese SWAT TEAM.

About nine months ago, while riding home late at night, I passed two motorbikes. On each motorbike were two guys wearing all black -- including I think bullet proof vests -- and holding machine guns. I'm no gun expert by any means but they sort of look like this:

This definitely isn't the exact gun but you get the point. There's dudes dressed in black carrying big guns in the shadows at night.

After that first time seeing the SWAT TEAM, it was a couple months before I saw them again. As Ryan can attest, I'm not exactly a frequent bar goer so I'm not on the streets that often late at night. However, from time to time I've seen these guys and my curiosity is always peaked.

About two weeks ago, during the day, I was riding my bike and saw an army truck drive buy with a dozen of these guys sitting in the back. I was shocked that these guys could actually come out in the daylight.

Last week I got an email from a "long time listener, first time caller" named Jacob Gold. Jacob told me he was once pulled over by these police at night. That's an experience I'm hoping I never have in Hanoi.

Mannequins

(PICTURE: A mannequin shop in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Veronica.)

I had an interesting -- but definitely not unusual -- experience last month when I was on my bike trip. As Long, Nicky and I pulled into a small town in the middle of nowhere, I spotted a foreigner up ahead on the sidewalk. I thought to myself, "I can't believe there are other non Vietnamese people in this town." Well, there weren't. The foreigner up ahead was a mannequin.

One thing you will notice in Vietnam is that 99% of the mannequins are white people. The other 1% aren't Asian either, they're black. I've found this to be an odd phenomenon the whole time I've been in Vietnam. A girl friend of mine commented the other day that the strangest things about the mannequins is that Vietnamese people don't have the same shaped bodies. She said that if you look closely at the mannequins you'll notice that the pants are never buttoned or zipped. Apparently Asian hips, and the pants they try to squeeze on the mannequins, are a lot smaller.

While we were on the subject of mannequins someone else brought up a strange mannequin sighting that had just happened to them. They were driving their motorbike when in the corner of their eye they saw a naked torso driving next to them. They turned their head and saw some dude driving with the top half of a mannequin sitting in front of him on his motorbike. The legs were tied to the back.

Now back to my initial story. I personally think the strangest thing about the mannequins here is that they are often on the sidewalk. When you drive by, or even walk up to them, it makes them feel a lot more real when they are out and about in society and not just in storefront windows.

Mr. Rogers

(PICTURE: The neighborhood kids chalked my front steps.)

I've become Mr. Rogers. Last week I was walking home when I heard a little kid on my street yell out, "Hello!!!". I saw one of the neighbor kids and said hi back and waved. Just then I heard another "Hello!!!". I looked to my left and another kid was waving from their door front. Seconds later a "Hello!!!" came from up above. There was another little girl waving from a balcony at me. Then two more "Hellos!!!" came from my next door neighbor's house. The two cute little girls from that house came outside and slapped me five (I taught them that a couple of weeks ago).

All the kids, under 8, on my street now love to try and talk with me. I think when I first moved to my block they were a little scared of me but have now more than warmed up to me. In fact, the 7 year old across the street ran into my house the other day, grabbed my badminton racquets and dragged me outside to play with her.

And then there was the time I came home and my front walk was covered in graffiti. The kids next door had written my name a whole bunch of times. The ironic thing is that they also wrote Huyen's name...and spelled it wrong. I guess my English lessons are paying off for the kids of to 122.

The Boy Is Back In Town

I've got great news to report: Hayden is back to Hanoi!!!!


(PICTURE: Asia can't punch Hayden out!)

If you were late to the Ahoy Hanoi bandwagon, Hayden is my friend/colleague who was lost in the jungle of Laos for 11 days in August:

http://ahoyhanoi.blogspot.com/2008/08/hayden-update_26.html

Hayden told his story to us last night and it was terrifying to say the least. I'm not sure which part was more surreal, his being chased and eaten alive by hundreds of lizards or when he recalled asking his doctor in Bangkok if he was going to live. The doctor replied, "We don't think so but you should be able to hold on long enough to see your mother."

I said it before and I'll say it again, Hayden is one of the good guys I've met over the past year. Hayden has a smile and a good word for everyone he meets. Seeing him alive, healthy and smiling put me in great spirits.

Hollywood, if you haven't bought Hayden's story yet, you better get on it!

(PICTURE: Hayden, Nicky and I at Le Pub.)

Jack Fruit

(PICTURE: Jack Fruit in the foreground, Huyen and I buy pineapple in the background. Photo courtesy of Veronica.)

One of my favorite fruits in Vietnam is called Jack Fruit. Seemingly on every other corner in Hanoi is a vendor (or sometimes seven in a row) selling the flesh of this enormous fruit. 1 kilogram of Jack Fruit generally goes for between 40,000-50,000 Dong. That's just about $3.

According to Wikipedia, "Jack Fruit is the largest tree borne fruit in the world," and, "the fruits can reach 36 kg (80 lbs) in weight and up to 90 cm (36 in) long and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter."

If you do the math, a vendor could potentially sell all of the flesh of a Jack Fruit for nearly $100. How great of a job is that?! You can make a good living while enjoying delicious fruit.

One other thing, Jack Fruit is very high in fiber. Yeah, it makes you fart a lot. A mental note I should have given myself a long time ago: "Don't eat Jack Fruit before teaching."

Huyen's Visa Story Part 4

First off, thanks for your emails and comments. I've received dozens of letters from people about Huyen's visa rejection. The most common reaction in the letters was surprise. Some people were shocked that it was the United States that rejected Huyen and not Vietnam. A lot of people think that Vietnam is like East Germany back in the day and that nobody is allowed out without special permission. The fact is, Vietnam doesn't blink an eye if its citizens want to travel abroad. The whole rejection is on the USA's shoulders.

I've received dozens of suggestions on what step to take next. Many people have suggested that my father, the mayor, should call his congressman. Others have suggested that my sister should make a call to some of her senator contacts. For the record, I have told both my father and sister that I don't want their help. That said, as much as they would love to help me, ethically they wouldn't anyway. I remember when I was a child and my father was on the Board of Education, he never requested that his children get a specific teacher. My dad doesn't believe in abusing power and he's passed down those ethics to his children. I want to treat this frustrating situation like one of the probably 1,000s of average citizens who deals with this all the time.

I've also received lots of emails from people suggesting -- how should I word this -- slightly shady ways to pursue the visa. The thing to keep in mind is that Huyen is just trying to get a visitor's visa. She only wants to come for a quick visit. That said, it is a very real possibility that down the line Huyen and I will want to move to America. As angry as I am at America right now, its still where I want to raise my children. Huyen and I don't want to do anything that isn't completely honest that could prohibit her from getting a permanent visa a few years from now.

My initial reaction to Huyen's rejection was to write letters to newspapers and magazines. I've written a letter for Newsweek's "MY TURN" but haven't submitted it yet. I'm also drafting an op-ed about the ludicruous interview fee in developing countries. i.e. The equivelent of a Vietnamese person paying $131 just for an interview is equal to an American paying $4,800 to possibly get permission to go on vacation.

I haven't sent the letters yet because a few politically savvy friends of mine insisted that I contact my congressman before I did anything else. Last night (Vietnam time) I called my Santa Monica congressman's office. I'm still registered to vote in Santa Monica and plan on moving back there upon returning to the states. The cool thing about being repped in Santa Monica is that we have one of the most influential congressman in the House of Representatives -- Congressman Henry Waxman. If you've watched CSPAN for more than an hour in your life, chances are you've seen his face a few times. But in case you haven't, here's a good picture of him tussling with Bush:



I talked with a friendly staffer at the Congressman's LA office who emailed me a form to fill out and told me to email him Huyen's documents. He said that Congressman Waxman will send a letter the the Hanoi embassy but that a) Huyen would have to apply again b) Yes, applying again means paying another $131 c) A letter from the congressman is no guarantee that Huyen will be granted a visa.

I've literally been angry since last Wednesday. Those who know me know that I'm pretty easy going and rarely get pissed off. I mean when I was robbed by ninjas last year and lost all of my stuff, I just made a joke out of it. However, this past week I've been pissed. I mean really pissed. I haven't had a good night's sleep in five days because I wake up at three AM with ideas for the op-ed. I've literally had angry dreams about applying for the visa.

It seems that Huyen's visa is the only thing I can talk/email about. A lot of expats in Hanoi keep asking me if Huyen got her visa and upon telling them about her being rejected they start to share their own pissed off stories. Jim, the director of studies at my school and one of the most chill people I've ever met, turned red with anger recanting a few visa rejection stories:

A) A former student of his lost a full scholarship to the University of Montana because the embassy thought the kid was going to skip college to work at his uncle's restaurant in California.

B) A charity, in conjunction with a San Diego hospital, was going to fly a little girl to San Diego to get skin graphs for her severly burnt body. The embassy rejected her visa. In the end, after the charity caused an uproar, the embassy reversed its decision. But the fact that they had to think twice about it is sickening.

The fact of the matter is, I've been embarrassed about America since the moment the interviewer told Huyen she, "Is too young and not rich enough to go to America." That's not the America that I boast about to my students and Vietnamese friends when they ask me questions about life in America. That said, it makes me proud that I can still pick up a phone (or skype) and dial my congressman's number and gets someone on the phone who wants to help me. I don't know how much Congressman Waxman can really do but at least he's going to try to do something. Knowing that, last night I slept through the night for the first time since last Thursday.

The Economy

Newsflash: The world's economy ain't doing so good.

I've gotten emails from people asking how the world financial crisis has effected Vietnam, so here's my response:

Originally there were no signs of change here. In fact, oddly enough, the US dollar got stronger for a couple of weeks. However, that's recently changed. The US dollar is about where it was the whole time I was here. However, property values in Hanoi have started to lower. The government also just announced that there will be no income tax for the next five months to try and help stimulate the economy.

On a personal note, the economy has hit my bank account directly. About five months ago I opened an account with ANZ - Australia New Zealand Bank. I was wowed with my new online savings account because it had a very high interest rate of 10%. It was so high that I thought of even transferring some of my money from the states into my Vietnamese account. However, the good times have ended. The other day I went to the bank and found out that the interest rate on my account has dropped to 4%!! That's right, it's dropped 6% in just a few months. So much for transferring my US dollars over here...