May Ba township

After our last night in Hanoi we left early in the morning to reach our destination of Hoa Binh commune. As we left the urban sprawl that is Hanoi we began to see the lush forests that were what I envisioned, when I though of Vietnam. In the midst of the small towns and hills there were infrastructure projects

galore. I’m not sure if it is to mark the 1000^th anniversary of Hanoi or the fact that as a city it is expected to grow the most in terms of GDP of anywhere in the world over the next decade. Either way the hive of activity is very impressive and I’m sure the face of Hanoi will change dramatically in the coming years.

After a two-hour drive we went through Hoa Binh city (population 80,000) and went 5 km further until we arrived at our home for the next three months.

We were let out of our bus in the middle of the road, as any driveway in the community including the one to the community center is designed for bicycles not coaches.  We were warmly greeted by about a few dozen-community members and leaders as well as the families that we will stay with.  After a few formal introductions Cahn (my counterpart) and I were introduced to our host father (Hoa) and escorted back to his home. We were greeted by his Wife (Hue),  Son (Dai), Daughter (Phuong) and brother (Huong) who is also the leader of the communist party for this region.

All Canadians were very worried about the type of accommodations we would have. We have all been very lucky, with most of us having running water and electricity. All of the families have gone to incredible lengths to make us comfortable; some have gone so far as to install western toilets that I am sure are an incredible expense. I have been very lucky; Cahn and myself have a toilet that is flush to the ground, running water, great plumbing, electricity, television and most exciting … A SHOWER! Our family is amazingly kind and has been making a huge effort to make us feel at home.

On our first day, we spent it walking around the village and swimming in the stream that runs through this mountainous Shangri-La. While we swam were greeted by many of the local children. We are instant celebrities/clowns and are a huge source of laughter and smiles.  It is not uncommon to find a group of children starring at us from afar or trying to sneak into our classroom sessions.

Our schedule since we arrived has involved a number of classroom sessions in the morning and the afternoon. Some of the information has been very informative but it’s difficult to tell if our counterparts have taken away as much. With such variances in language skills, talking about abstract concepts can be terribly difficult. We are starting to get a better idea of what our projects are going to look like and how we can make a difference. Following information sessions we have played a great deal of football and swam in the stream everyday at least once. The heat here has been intense each day; even when raining. In addition to being in the mid thirties the humidity is always high. We were told that the mountains would be much cooler than the city but I don’t find this at all. Being in a valley we don’t even have the benefit of a breeze. Cool drinks from the local store are a wonderful treat in such heat. In the evening most of us have gathered there for a very refreshing beer. It is sweet and light and cost only 3000 Vietnamese dong (0.15 CAD). The people that frequent are very kind; this evening we got back from the city with new 3G USB sticks and were checking our email with drinks and had throngs of men watching the videos we showed. Moments like this are really fun.

The food has been one of my greatest sources of pleasure and stress. I love most everything that I’ve eaten so far but feel the obligation to try everything; even when I’m sure I won’t enjoy it. There is a huge amount of attention paid to meals especially when a guest is present. Alcohol is served at every meal breakfast included. It is usually rice wine, which tastes to me like a mix of vodka and Saki. It is also much stronger than any wine that I have ever had. I learned last night that this is a catch all term for alcohol that is not beer. Last night we were served large quantities of Whisky wine. I have twice gone for special meals with my counterpart and different girls from the group, both times there was much more attention payed to myself, with an expectation that I drink large amounts and eat lots of everything. The first night was at a restaurant that seemed to only serve goat. The second was last night at the brother of the host father's house. Last night and for many meals, great amusement comes from the fact that my legs do not cross when I am sitting down the same way as everyone else. My discomfort has everyone gasping for breath with laughter. I actually find it quite funny am am pleased with the attention most times except when food is placed in my bowl. This evening it was a chicken's head other times it has been choice cuts of dog and processed meat "made with pork". I ate the dog which was much better than expected but took a pass on the "Pork". 

Overall, the last few days have been some of the most amazing in my life. I hope to pick up much more of the language in the coming days and weeks but am so satisfied with my surrounding that I am content to just enjoy myself. Many of the misconceptions that I came with are also changing very quickly, I will go into that further as I see and understand more