Ben Tre

I had a fantastic weekend. VK and Mr.America, the 2 Americans here, had guests over from Montréal who had contacted them through CouchSurfing. Mr.Quick-Dry and Miss M are travelling here for 2 months and are electrical engineers from Concordia university. My fellow Canadian and I liked them immediately and they invited us to join them on a boat trip up the Mekong River! Of course we said yes (Mr. America and VK declined because this weekend they were coordinating getting clothes for the 40 kids at the orphanage).



So that is how I spent my Saturday, on a cargo boat which does the Tra Vinh- Ben Tre trip every two days. Miss M was able to negotiate a very reasonable price and we were able to enjoy a fantastic view of coconut trees and people busy at their work for the 7-hour trip. Even hiding below decks, away from the scorching sun, we all got a little sunburnt and managed to attract the usual curious stares.



Ben Tre is (or at least seems) bigger and more prosperous than Tra Vinh and it has a gorgeous waterfront/port – it has a feel of a summer retreat for rich people from Saigon (which is only about 60 km away I think). We checked into a hotel (again letting Miss M do the negotiations), met a funny and rather eccentric old guy from Spain and explored the city`s sights and smells for the rest of the day. Those included: great vegetarian food, a lake right in the middle of town, and lots of shopping at the night market.



Getting back to Tra Vinh was a breeze - we decided to splurge and hired two xe oms (motorbike taxis) to take us back home. And a very good decision that was as A) we avoided a cramped and long bus ride home and B) got to enjoy the country scenery, rice paddies, etc. Sometimes, it really pays to splurge!

TVU pic

Picture of TVU campus! I work in this building.

How to spot a foreigner*

People watching has become a favourite past-time of mine. Since I feel constantly observed (as a foreigner in Tra Vinh, you get noticed a lot), I agree with Ms. Valencia who says, "So why shouldn't I stare back?"! And really, it's quite amusing when you are scanning the crowd and see something (or someone) a little unusual.

Yesterday, we went out for supper at a seafood place on Dien Bien Phu (the main shopping street). Scallops, soup, fried chicken and clams - Yummy! Really awesome stuff (but pricy in Tra Vinh terms - it came to about 65,000 dong per person, or 5 dollars canadien!). Towards the end of our meal, we hear someone serenading us on a karaoke-type of machine on the streets. At the table next to us, a guy turns to my American friend and starts talking to him - in English? with a New Orleans accent?! Turns out the stranger is from Louisiana and married to a Vietnamese woman.

Am I the only one who finds it weird to be weirded out by other Westerners? It's like seeing an alien with two heads now - every time I spot a blond or brown head, I turn to my fellow Canadians and poke them in the ribs: "Look! A foreigner!"

*Hint Hint: They're usually either walking or driving in a car. Plus they are generally surrounded by people smiling, pointing and saying: "Hello! Whatsyourname?"

Shopping!

Internet ne marche pas chez nous en ce moment, donc je vous écrit du bureau! Je vous ai parlé des pauses de 2 heures? Eh bien, ce midi, j'en ai profité pour finalement aller au marché! Et laissez moi vous dire que, avec le Nouvel an qui s'en vient, le marché est un endroit super intéressant a parcourir...

J'ai donc flané un peu et acheté 2-3 affaires (a manger, puisqu'il ne me reste pas grand chose a me mettre sous la dent dans ma petite chambre!). Je m'en viens pas pire, je peux comprendre *presque* lorsque les gens me donnent un prix! En autant que c'est entre 10,000 et 90,000 dong, je suis capable de comprendre, hihi.

J'ai également croisé ma voisine VK avec deux Québécois! Elle a, en effet, eu beaucoup de visite dernierement (en fin de semaine, elle avait deux amis de la Californie en ville). Ces deux Québécois (de Montreal, un couple anglophone, elle est Vietnamienne d'origine et lui est non-Vietnamien et mesure une tete de plus que 99% des gens a Tra Vinh!) ont contacté ma voisine a travers CouchSurfing. Ils sont en visite pendant un soir seulement, alors je crois qu'on leur fera gouter aux specialités fruits de mer de Tra Vinh.

Bon, je devrais me mettre au travail!

A Typical Day...

Here's what a normal day in Tra Vinh looks like for me:

Up at 6 am when my 3 alarm clocks ring (my cellphone, watch and travel clock). Obviously I could get up early to go for a walk and enjoy the cool morning air, but so far I've been too lazy. Shower, get dressed and hop onto my trusty, rusty old bicycle. Do the 5-minute bike ride to campus and hope the bike chain does not pop off yet again. Dodge the trucks, other bikes and motorbikes. Pick up breakfast along the way, perhaps a sticky rice bun, or pho at the cantine.

Work starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. normally, with a two-hour lunch break between 11 am and 1 pm. I get to my office and greet my three lovely colleagues, Dr.A, Ms.Condom and Ms.Stylish. This week, they have been preparing a gender workshop for the teachers, so it's been very busy.

A word on my colleagues: Dr.A is also a WUSC volunteer, but has been in Vietnam for a few years now. She is a former Grade 8-9 schoolteacher and has a Master's degree from the University of Sussex in England (a coincidence, that's where I would like to do my Master's as well, perhaps). She is a sunny, blond Vancouverite, married to a tall German and they have 2 little girls, K1 and K2. We've had a few chats and I feel pretty lucky to have her to explain things to me!

Ms. Condom is my supervisor. She is Kinh (of Vietnamese origin) and very lady-like. Her English is quite good, so we've talked a little but so far I don't know much about her personal life. She has been working at TVU for a year or so and studied English here, I think. The nickname, by the way, comes from the fact that she was in charge of getting the box of condoms for World Aids Day (I wasn't here but heard about it).

Ms.Stylish is half-Kinh and half-Khmer. She is very small and cute, likes to sing to herself and laughs at me a lot. We have a lot of difficulty communicating, since my Vietnamese and Khmer is non-existent and her English is at the beginner level. She has also chauffered me around a bit on her motorbike and has offered to give one hour of Khmer culture per week to the foreign volunteers.

We generally spend the morning working on different files or meeting people (for example, yesterday I did a few interviews with the Heads of Department on gender and hiring practices). Someone will go out for ca phe sue da (iced coffee with sweet condensed milk) or we'll all go to the cantine at some point. People drop by to say hi, or check their hair in the mirror on our door (without realizing that we can see them checking their appearance).

Then we generally all go home or go out for lunch. I like to nap a little, read or chat with my neighbours at Khu II (Campus 2, where I live). Yesterday, my neighbour from Valencia invited some monks over for lunch, so I dropped by and also schmoozed some lunch. The monks from the Buddhist Pagoda are very nice, although I still find it strange to talk to them and see them walking around talking on their cell phone or checking their emails.

After lunch, back to the office for meetings or workshops. We've been staying late this week, not leaving work until 5:30 or 6 p.m., and by that time the sun is setting. I've been going for supper with the other volunteers around 6-6:30pm, for seafood, pho, num num, and other things that I don't know how to pronounce or spell. The food is always delicious, of course. Then I'll go home, watch American Idol if it's a Wednesday night, read or check emails. I'm usually asleep by 9 p.m., unless the noise from the evening classes keeps me awake (Campus 2 is where English classes are taught, among other things).

This week has gone by so fast, it seems that time moves differently here, or maybe it's just because I'm not used to my new schedule. Next week should be less strange, I'm slowly adjusting. Frankly, I thought that I, with my black hair and medium height, would blend in more than my tall blond fellow Canadians and Americans, but I was wrong on that point. It's still a novelty, but I'm sure I will get tired of people calling out "Hello! What's your name? Hello!" after a while. But the people are so nice and friendly, and so far I like being the centre of attention.

I am excited about upcoming travel plans: we are planning a weekend in Saigon soon, plus a whole week up North for Tet (Lunar New Year) and possibly a weekend in Bangkok!

TVU

Il est temps d'écrire en français maintenant!

À vrai dire, il y a très peu de français au Vietnam. J'ai rencontré quelques touristes francophones, mais les Vietnamiens que j'ai rencontré ici à Tra Vinh veulent tous apprendre l'anglais. Soit, je vais devoir dialoguer avec moi-même si je ne veux pas que mon français s'érode! Fin de la parenthèse.

J'ai eu une journée magnifique hier. Nous avons eu une visite guidée du campus de Tra Vinh University (TVU) ainsi qu'une visite à moto de la ville de Tra Vinh. C'est vraiment incroyable comme université: Tra Vinh est une des provinces les plus pauvres du Mékong, et pourtant c'est le seul endroit (à part Can Tho, la plus grosse ville de la région) à être doté d'une université. Basé sur le modèle des "community colleges" canadien, TVU offre des formations techniques (construction, techniques de couture), générales et professionelles. L'accent est mis sur la formation pour le marché du travail. D'ailleurs, mon rôle à TVU est en partie lié à cette fonction de facilier l'accès au marché du travail pour les étudiants khmers.

Mes tâches seront les suivantes:

1. Organiser un groupe de conversation en anglais pour les étudiants khmer (deux fois par mois)

2. Faire de la recherche sur les rapports de sexe et d'ethnicité dans le marché du travail (les étudiants khmers sont-ils désavantagés par rapport à leurs camarades Kinh - Vietnamiens - et si oui, que peut-on faire pour y remédier?).

3. Aider à la planification d'ateliers sur la santé sexuelle et de reproduction; peut-être aider à partir un concours de sketches sur l'égalité des sexes; planifier des événements pour la journée internationale des femmes.

J'ai bien hâte de commencer lundi! Cette fin de semaine, c'est tout simplement le ménage, le magasinage et l'apprivoisement du quartier.

Traffic and Green Spaces

Saigon, seen from the Presidential Palace

Tra Vinh

Tra Vinh is a lovely little town in the Mekong delta. We arrived this afternoon after a wonderful drive down from Saigon. The distance is about Hull-Montréal (200 km) but it took us about 4 hours to do the drive. It went by really fast, though, since I had so many things to look at! We crossed at least 4 bridges, hundreds of motorbikes (it goes without saying now), a few cows and quite a bit of vegetation.

We were greeted at the University by one of the long-term WUSC volunteers and taken to meet Mr.Z who formally welcomed us to Tra Vinh University (TVU as they call it). We also met most of our colleagues at the International Collaboration Office and of the Gender and Community Development section. I also got to ride a motorbike for the first time! Much smoother than I expected, although I did feel quite dashing and reckless. :D We were shown our sleeping quarters for the next 3 months - quite nice rooms with our own private bathroom and mini kitchen, and very well stocked with irons, pots, bowls, plates, washing machine and even a rice cooker!

We were also treated to supper at the hotel. We ate lovely fat prawns, hot pot, fish and lots of things that I could not pronounce. We also learned the Vietnamese toast - "Cham po Cham" or "One Hundred Percent!". Now I am listening to karaoke and just thinking, "This is the life. How lucky am I!"

Welcome to Saigon

Well I made it to Vietnam in one piece! The flight was long but uneventful, thank goodness. We arrived at the airport and were greeted by a cheerful driver with a big WUSC sign. Our first sight of the city was quite something – we gaped at the traffic as our van weaved in and out of lanes, sometimes sharing one lane with another vehicle, all the while as motorbikes and regular bikes attempted suicidal darts between cars, lanes and sometimes sidewalks.

Saigon is a HUGE city. At night it looks a little like Times Square with billboards and lights everywhere. And the noise is amazing – honking non stop. After the first night at the Dong Do Hotel, we got the chance to walk around District 1, also known as the tourist district (I probably saw equal numbers of Western tourists and native Saigoners). There are some lovely buildings, such as the Opera House, and some very imposing ones, like the Presidential Palace. And despite the noise and traffic, all the Vietnamese seem quite laid-back and friendly.

The first challenge of the day (after ordering breakfast) was learning how to cross the street. As the Vietnamese don’t really seem to believe in traffic lights, they keep up a constant “flow”. So you really need to learn how to go with the flow! Cross the street if there is a little gap in the incoming traffic. Walk slowly but surely. Do NOT run or stop abruptly and you will make it safely to the other side!

I'll try to post some pictures of the city later. Tomorrow we are walking around some more. I may have a bargaining story to tell if I manage to complete a purchase in Vietnamese!

Encore 4 dodos!

AAAAAH!

Ça, c'est moi qui crie! oui oui car je pars dans moins de 5 jours! C'est trop incroyable!!!

D'accord, j'ai utilisé mon quota de points d'exclamation pour ce petit billet. Voici ce qui me reste à faire avant le grand départ pour le Vietnam:

1. Faire mes valises
2. Refaire mes valises, cette fois-ci pour y enlever des trucs
3. Nettoyer ma chambre pour le frérot qui prendra ma place pendant que la chambre est vide
4. Finir ma réflexion personnelle sur "le privilège" et le remettre à mon prof
5. Dire au revoir à mes amis et ma famille
6. Profiter de la neige

Le point #6, c'est fait, je suis allée faire du ski alpin aujourd'hui (et par le même, j'ai rempli #5, dire au revoir à mes tantes qui y sont allées avec moi). Et je compte faire un peu de ski de fond demain ou vendredi. Voyez vous, c'est mon premier hiver sans neige - je ne sais pas si je vais survivre sans pelletage, slush et autres intempéries! *Roulement des yeux svp*

Pour le reste, je crois que j'y arriverai. Je commence à avoir SUPER HÂTE ! (ah non, encore un point d'exclamation?) Je communique depuis peu par courriel avec deux filles qui sont déjà à Tra Vinh et l'une d'elles viendra nous rencontrer à l'aéroport, donc niveau de stress = 0 et niveau d'excitation = 110% !

Soon it will be: Tam biet (goodbye) Canada, Xin chao (hello) Vietnam!