I received a beautiful greeting card from TVU today - wishing me a happy new year! The card had an illustration of a cherry blossom tree, which is supposed to bring good luck if it blooms for the New Year. I was just coming back from the market this morning (had the day off - the university is mostly empty anyways, with the students gone for 2 weeks) and couldn`t help comparing Têt holiday with Christmas in Canada. You know I like to make lists, so here is my list of similarities and dissimilarities between Christmas and Têt:
1. FAMILY TIME: At Christmas, most Canadians will travel to spend some time with their family(ies). Têt is also all about spending time with your nearest and dearest. As an example of the travelling thing, tickets to Hanoi from HCMC were completely booked for Têt at least one month in advance (which is why I`m heading to Cambodia instead of Hanoi).
2. "MON BEAU SAPIN!": Even if you`re not Christian, chances are high(if you live in Europe or North America) that you bring out the Christmas tree around December 25 (be it a real tree, a potted tree, or just a plastic one). As I mentioned, Têt in Vietnam would not be the same without an abundance of vegetation: flowers, mini trees, cherry blossoms in particular. I find it quite amusing to see everyone on their motorbikes, trying to balance one or two (or more) plants on their laps. Of course some people are smart and invest in a wagon to carry all that vegetation home.
3. NEW STUFF: Christmas is the most lucrative time of year for most businesses in North America. Gift-giving is common, especially for children. Têt, on the other hand, does not focus as much on giving gifts (although gift baskets are common). Instead the focus is on "new" stuff in general: it`s the time of year to buy new clothes, get your hair cut, get your house painted and cleaned from top to bottom.
4. RELIGION: This is where the similarities end (or maybe not). Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus (or the arrival of Santa Claus hah). On the other hand, I don`t think Têt has any religious significance. Maybe someone can correct me?
5. HOLIDAY FOOD: Turkey, stuffing and Chinese food are common Christmas foods in my family. For Têt, there is also lots of cooking to do if you are hosting your family. I am still pretty ignorant about how Vietnamese food is made but I have heard that special `cakes` and other goodies are prepared for Têt.
Ìf I think of anything else, I`ll edit this post. You won`t hear from me for a week now, as I`m off to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for my holiday! Chuc Mung Nam Moi, tout le monde!
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Une nuit à Saigon
Les préparations pour le Nouvel An vont de bon train! Ho Chi Minh-ville (Saigon) est de plus en plus décorée. Nous commencons l'année du tigre (ce qui s'annonce bien pour la companie qui gère les profits de la bière "Tiger", très populaire ici!).
Tigers made of fruit, in the park near Pha Ngu Lao
We went up to Saigon early on Saturday, planning to do some shopping and general sight-seeing. I definitely was not expecting to spend so much - after Tra Vinh, though, any city is bound to seem expensive. Food and drinks are double, sometimes triple the price in the Big City of Vietnam. Anyways, no matter, compared to London, ANY city is a good bargain.
Upon arrival, Fellow Canadian and I hoped onto the Number 2 City Bus (dodging taxi drivers offering their services) and headed straight to our hotel in the backpacker area (which Mr. America had kindly booked for us - since he was going to Saigon too). We left our bags in our room (which had 3 beds and a private with Western toilet, but no toilet paper or towels unfortunately - gotta remember to bring toilet paper next time!) We decided to head to Ben Tanh market and do some souvenir shopping. I managed to restrain myself for the most part, but ended up buying a gorgeous blue skirt by a Japanese designer...all the while thinking "ok, the price I paid for this could feed a family for 2 or 3 weeks in Tra Vinh!"(this was in one of the boutiques, not in the market).
After the shopping experience (we were getting really good at bargaining by the end of the afternoon), we walked around for a bit & then headed back to our hotel for a nap. For supper, we picked a place just down the street from our hotel, an Indian restaurant called Mumtaz (apparently, the local Indian community really likes this place. So do the tourists). Had a delicious fish masala curry and a glass of mango lassy. The naan was great, too.
Following the Lonely Planet's recommendations, we decided to head to the Acoustic Bar (after debating - I also wanted to check out Apocalypse Now, a well-known bar in the upscale Dong Khoi area) for some live music. We had to stop for directions a few times; when we finally got to the address, we found a nice café down an alley with a jazz singer, keyboard & violin - not quite the Jimmy Hendrix hommage we were expecting, but still kinda nice and relaxing after a long day of walking.
The next day, we decided to have pho for breakfast, then head to the Annan Gourmet Market and then to Cholon (also known as District 5, or Saigon's Chinatown). We met with Mr. America and discovered that he had been to the Acoustic Bar the night before! Turns out we were in the right spot but we should have gone all the way down the alley to get to the right place! Still kicking myself, we headed out for some more sightseeing & shopping. We ended up not having enough time (or energy) to go to District 5, but did manage to get our fix of Western food at the Gourmet Market. After debating (do I REALLY need this?) I got some oatmeal...yummy! Had lunch at a Wrap & Roll (I ordered two main courses - delicious spring rolls and beef wrapped in grape vines) and then it was time to head to the bus station.
Prochaine destination: le Cambodge! Nous partons jeudi soir et y serons jusqu'à mercredi.
Tigers made of fruit, in the park near Pha Ngu LaoWe went up to Saigon early on Saturday, planning to do some shopping and general sight-seeing. I definitely was not expecting to spend so much - after Tra Vinh, though, any city is bound to seem expensive. Food and drinks are double, sometimes triple the price in the Big City of Vietnam. Anyways, no matter, compared to London, ANY city is a good bargain.
Upon arrival, Fellow Canadian and I hoped onto the Number 2 City Bus (dodging taxi drivers offering their services) and headed straight to our hotel in the backpacker area (which Mr. America had kindly booked for us - since he was going to Saigon too). We left our bags in our room (which had 3 beds and a private with Western toilet, but no toilet paper or towels unfortunately - gotta remember to bring toilet paper next time!) We decided to head to Ben Tanh market and do some souvenir shopping. I managed to restrain myself for the most part, but ended up buying a gorgeous blue skirt by a Japanese designer...all the while thinking "ok, the price I paid for this could feed a family for 2 or 3 weeks in Tra Vinh!"(this was in one of the boutiques, not in the market).
After the shopping experience (we were getting really good at bargaining by the end of the afternoon), we walked around for a bit & then headed back to our hotel for a nap. For supper, we picked a place just down the street from our hotel, an Indian restaurant called Mumtaz (apparently, the local Indian community really likes this place. So do the tourists). Had a delicious fish masala curry and a glass of mango lassy. The naan was great, too.
Following the Lonely Planet's recommendations, we decided to head to the Acoustic Bar (after debating - I also wanted to check out Apocalypse Now, a well-known bar in the upscale Dong Khoi area) for some live music. We had to stop for directions a few times; when we finally got to the address, we found a nice café down an alley with a jazz singer, keyboard & violin - not quite the Jimmy Hendrix hommage we were expecting, but still kinda nice and relaxing after a long day of walking.
The next day, we decided to have pho for breakfast, then head to the Annan Gourmet Market and then to Cholon (also known as District 5, or Saigon's Chinatown). We met with Mr. America and discovered that he had been to the Acoustic Bar the night before! Turns out we were in the right spot but we should have gone all the way down the alley to get to the right place! Still kicking myself, we headed out for some more sightseeing & shopping. We ended up not having enough time (or energy) to go to District 5, but did manage to get our fix of Western food at the Gourmet Market. After debating (do I REALLY need this?) I got some oatmeal...yummy! Had lunch at a Wrap & Roll (I ordered two main courses - delicious spring rolls and beef wrapped in grape vines) and then it was time to head to the bus station.
Prochaine destination: le Cambodge! Nous partons jeudi soir et y serons jusqu'à mercredi.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
De tout et de rien
Voici quelques observations sur le Vietnam et les Vietnamiens (un peu pêle-mêle):
- Moi lorsque je sors dehors, j'enlève mon pull pour profiter du soleil (et parce qu'il fait chaud à mon avis). Les Vietnamiennes, par contre, lorsqu'elles sortent au soleil, se couvrent la tête d'un chapeau, se couvrent le corps de gilets, se couvrent les mains de gants et se couvrent même le visage d'un masque...tout pour se protéger du soleil/rester le plus blanches possible. (Le masque est peut-être aussi pour protéger de la pollution, mais à Tra Vinh il y a très peu de pollution!)
- Les Vietnamiens boivent beaucoup (surtout les hommes). Lors des fêtes et des soupers, toutes les excuses sont bonnes pour crier "Tran Phan Tran" = 100%!
- Il n'y a pas beaucoup de conscientisation face aux problèmes environnementaux. Par exemple, les déchets sont jetés par terre et on utilise beaucoup de sacs de plastique. Par contre les gens aiment la nature et la verdure...
- Les Vietnamiens détestent marcher. En conséquence, tout le monde se déplace en moto ou en vélo (ou en voiture pour certains). Si on marche, de toute manière, c'est très désagréable car 1) il fait chaud et 2) les trottoirs sont faits pour stationner les chaises et les vélos/motos, donc il faut marcher dans la rue.
- Les gens sont très curieux et aimables (dans le Mékong, en tout cas). Par contre ils n'ont pas peur de rire de toi! Et ils n'aiment pas s'embrasser ou se donner des câlins. Par contre, se promener main dans la main est tout à fait acceptable.
- Les gens ADORENT: le karaoke, être bien habillés, leur famille (en général), les couleurs et les "gogosses" colorés, les fleurs, les photos officielles, l'Oncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh), les jeux Internet et les motocyclettes.
Bon, ça fait juste à peine 3 semaines que je suis ici, et mon Vietnamien est vraiment mauvais à date, donc je suis sure que cette liste sera différente dans quelques mois.
- Moi lorsque je sors dehors, j'enlève mon pull pour profiter du soleil (et parce qu'il fait chaud à mon avis). Les Vietnamiennes, par contre, lorsqu'elles sortent au soleil, se couvrent la tête d'un chapeau, se couvrent le corps de gilets, se couvrent les mains de gants et se couvrent même le visage d'un masque...tout pour se protéger du soleil/rester le plus blanches possible. (Le masque est peut-être aussi pour protéger de la pollution, mais à Tra Vinh il y a très peu de pollution!)
- Les Vietnamiens boivent beaucoup (surtout les hommes). Lors des fêtes et des soupers, toutes les excuses sont bonnes pour crier "Tran Phan Tran" = 100%!
- Il n'y a pas beaucoup de conscientisation face aux problèmes environnementaux. Par exemple, les déchets sont jetés par terre et on utilise beaucoup de sacs de plastique. Par contre les gens aiment la nature et la verdure...
- Les Vietnamiens détestent marcher. En conséquence, tout le monde se déplace en moto ou en vélo (ou en voiture pour certains). Si on marche, de toute manière, c'est très désagréable car 1) il fait chaud et 2) les trottoirs sont faits pour stationner les chaises et les vélos/motos, donc il faut marcher dans la rue.
- Les gens sont très curieux et aimables (dans le Mékong, en tout cas). Par contre ils n'ont pas peur de rire de toi! Et ils n'aiment pas s'embrasser ou se donner des câlins. Par contre, se promener main dans la main est tout à fait acceptable.
- Les gens ADORENT: le karaoke, être bien habillés, leur famille (en général), les couleurs et les "gogosses" colorés, les fleurs, les photos officielles, l'Oncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh), les jeux Internet et les motocyclettes.
Bon, ça fait juste à peine 3 semaines que je suis ici, et mon Vietnamien est vraiment mauvais à date, donc je suis sure que cette liste sera différente dans quelques mois.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Santé maternelle
Le premier ministre du Canada, Stephen Harper, a annoncé récemment que la santé maternelle serait une priorité au prochain sommet du G8 au mois de juin (oui, je continue de lire les nouvelles canadiennes !). Mais dans un article du Globe and Mail, on se pose des questions a savoir pourquoi cela a pris aussi longtemps.
Les statistiques sont effrayantes: 10 million de femmes sont mortes des séquelles de la grossesse et de l'accouchement depuis 1990. Le trois quart de ces morts auraient pu être évitées. Mais c'est un sujet pas très "sexy" et donc on en parle peu.
Au Vietnam, heureusement, la situation semble s'améliorer: selon un article du Ministere des Affaires étrangères, le Vietnam serait capable d'atteindre son objectif de développement du millénaire de réduction du taux de mortalité maternelle de 3/4 d'ici 2015. Pourtant, il reste des obstacles avant d'atteindre cet objectif, notamment l'accès aux soins de santé pour les minorités ethniques vivant dans les régions montagneuses éloignées des grandes villes.
Les statistiques sont effrayantes: 10 million de femmes sont mortes des séquelles de la grossesse et de l'accouchement depuis 1990. Le trois quart de ces morts auraient pu être évitées. Mais c'est un sujet pas très "sexy" et donc on en parle peu.
Au Vietnam, heureusement, la situation semble s'améliorer: selon un article du Ministere des Affaires étrangères, le Vietnam serait capable d'atteindre son objectif de développement du millénaire de réduction du taux de mortalité maternelle de 3/4 d'ici 2015. Pourtant, il reste des obstacles avant d'atteindre cet objectif, notamment l'accès aux soins de santé pour les minorités ethniques vivant dans les régions montagneuses éloignées des grandes villes.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
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!
Thursday, 28 January 2010
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?"
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?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)