a brief history

Viet Nam has been etched in the American national conscious as a War. Think "Viet Nam" and "war" immediately comes to mind. Go to a bookstore, look up Vietnam, and you're bound to find a litany of books on the Vietnam War, the American response to the Vietnam War, the mistakes of the war, the changes the war made, etc etc. A frequent response when I told people about going to Viet Nam was a story from their fighting days in Viet Nam or what they were doing during the early '70s. And this makes sense. I don't want to diminish the impact that the war had because it was the living daily reality for so many.

But Viet Nam is much more than a failed attempt to contain communism. Viet Nam is a country with a long history and diverse people. Even though this place is seldom in the news back home, it has changed and developed, grown and prospered. So I want to give you a brief overview of where Viet Nam has been since it left the headlines of the '60s and '70s.

1975 brought the end of the war and reunification under the Communist Party. It wasn't an immediate turn-around, however, into post-war euphoria. America imposed trade embargoes and Viet Nam soon became isolated from the rest of the world. The Communists sent many Southerners to re-education camps to train them in the ways of communism, but many of them fled on small boats to escape the hardships (these are the so-called "boat people"). These were hard times for all the Vietnamese people, north and south. Food and other items were purchased by stamps issued by the government, but those were scarce. Land was redistributed to the peasants on communes, but drought and deceased motivation led to small crops. In those days, it was a seldom-realized dream to own a bike or a television.

In 1986, however, this all changed with the introduction of doi moi--free-market economy. Viet Nam gradually opened up to the West and released its iron-fist on the economy, allowing foreigners to come in and make investments. Food and other commodities slowly became more available, construction began to boom as demand for housing and shops exploded in the cities, poverty took a turn downwards, and the gray colors of old Communism were infused with the bright pinks and bold oranges of a new Viet Nam. Of course this process wasn't overnight, but the '90s were an exciting time in this country.

The late '90s brought some deflation to overly-optimistic investors as they ran into blocks from the government and cross-cultural conflicts. But in general, the country is still growing rapidly and changing every day. The skyline contains numerous construction cranes that keep buildings growing higher and higher. The streets are changing too, or so I've been told. There are more chain restaurants (KFC, anyone?), glassed-in stores, and regular buses. Tourists walk the streets without anyone taking a second glance at them--it's not a big deal to have bazungu/foreigners around. This suites me fine! It's nice not to be stared at a lot, like I was in Uganda and Papua New Guinea.

So that's my brief little history. I should write a disclaimer that I have only been here for a week, so I really have no authority on these matters, but I'm just writing what I've heard and observed. This past week I've been like a sponge, soaking in all this new information, new sights and sounds and smells. Rachel and I have started biking, which is a really great way to become familiar with the twisting streets of Ha Noi. I've gone running several times--sometimes around a little lake nearby, sometimes on the roads, blending into the flow of cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bikes. It all just flows around me as I sweat through every pore of my body! We've been to the Temple of Literature, the History Museum, the Ethnography Museum, National Opera House, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the Old Quarter, and many different restaurants around the city. Tonight we're off to Da Nang in the central provinces with the MCC office staff.

All for now. I'll try to get pictures up soon.

on traffic

Here's a clip of the view from my xe om (motorbike), driving through Ha Noi. Traffic is no problemo as long as you go with the flow and keep the "rules" of the road (like, "only look ahead, not back" and "if there's space, fill it").



ps--I came close to not posting this because it seemed so normal (why would people reading this from the States even care?), but then I remembered that it seemed real crazy when I first arrived. This is the traffic that I now bike and run in (quite the change from the Prairie Path!).

on entering a city of energy

After some 30 hours of travelling, Rachel and I have made it to Ha Noi, a city that could define Energy. I've been in a number of cities, but none compare to this place in terms of active street life, traffic, and general hustle and bustle. The only time there is a lull in activity is from noon to 1:30, when everyone shuts their shops and takes a nap. There is a constant flow of traffic that is easy enough to navigate if you know the rules ("if there's an empty space, take it"); there are many vendors selling their wares on the sidewalk; and lots of people like to walk around the lakes or sit on benches by the water. I still get pretty turned around when we travel places and don't recognize the street to home, but I know that gradually it will become natural to me.

This week is dedicated to in-country orientation, so we're learning all about the history of MCC in Viet Nam, about cross-cultural communication, values and beliefs, etc. Our country directors are also giving us the grand tour of Ha Noi--we've been to Ho Chi Minh's masouleum, the communist buildings (pretty majestic with the old French architecture), the Temple of Literature where the names of students who passed exams are engraved in Chinese on old stone tablets, the Old Quarter (downtown, which was built long before foreigners arrived), the lakes, Craft Link (a fair-trade store that supplies Ten Thousand Villages crafts) and so much more. Next week we're taking a trip with the MCC staff, then after that work and language study begin in ernest and I'll move in with my host family.

So... all is well here. I'm excited to make this place my home. Pictures to come when I can get to it. Thanks for reading. I would love to hear from you too!

Vietnam-bound

Tomorrow (actually, just a little later this morning) my nomadic life takes another turn: I begin orientation with the Mennonite Central Committee (www.mcc.org) for my trip to Vietnam. I'm taking the early morning train from Albany, NY to Akron, Pennsylvania. Next Saturday the 18th, I fly out of Philadelphia, through Los Angeles, on to Taiwan, and finally, 30 some hours later, to Hanoi. I'm not quite sure what my days will look like. My official title is "Communications Officer and Peace Intern," which could include web-site updating, writing journal articles, helping with documentaries, planning MCC interfaith conferences, teaching workshops in communication, and doing PR for a new NGO. I might also be able to get involved in the music scene in Hanoi by taking lessons on a traditional instrument or playing my flute in some ensemble. I thing I know for SURE that I'll be doing is learning Vietnamese!

So... signing out until Hanoi...
Anna

Lake Winnipesaukee

I was flooded with memories from my childhood as I drove down the Merrymount Lake road, came down the steps from the parking area, and walked into "Sunset," the big family house. Everything smelled the same, most things looked the same, my extended family (mom's side) was all there to greet, and a wonderful breeze was coming off the lake. It had been about four years since I was last there, and four years is far too long. Since my last summer there, I have been around the world--to Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Europe, and cross-country USA--and felt like a different person coming back to a very familiar home.

If you looked up "vacation" in a dictionary, I'm pretty sure you would find, tucked somewhere among the boring definitions, something like this: "A state of relaxation, usually involving a lake, many boats, and wonderful family. Days are generally spent sleeping in, listening to loons, sailing many hours, cooking together, running, and reading in rocking chairs on a screened-in porch overlooking the lake."

Some days we sailed for so long that my body kept rocking as I lay in bed, the lapping of waves still echoing in my ears. One of my favorite things is to lie on the decks of Tordzus, our beautiful wooden sailboat, and drag my hand in the cool water. When it gets too hot, I just roll over into the water, grab a line hanging off the stern, and drag behind the boat.

Our last day, we watched a slideshow of some of the pictures we had taken. Here are a few of my favorites...

My family

Mt. Chocorua, first looking up at it, then looking out from the top





On another note, back home in upstate NY, I opened the fridge to find something to eat yesterday. Yogurt sounded good, but when I opened the container, there was a half-frozen road-killed herp (salamander) floating around inside. Ai-ya. Let's just say that I changed my mind about being hungry... Turns out that this little herp is actually quite rare and is now headed for the NY state museum. But wow, I guess I don't have to travel overseas to find weird creatures in the fridge! Only in the Batcheller house...