A little over a week has passed since I arrived in May Ba village and I am starting to feel very comfortable. Some things, like my ability to speak Vietnamese, have not changed. It was brought to my attention by a large group that I was saying rice (con) instead of no (kawm) when being asked if I would like something. So instead of saying no to smoking out of a bamboo pipe I was merely responding “RICE, RICE, RICE”. Some things, like my anxiety at meals has improved greatly. I am able to eat five bowls of rice at some meals but I’ve stopped feeling as though I am disappointing my hosts when I only eat three. On top of that rice, I have enjoyed some interesting meals. Spring rolls are still my favorite but I have also enjoyed many different dishes. The most exotic have included dog and bees, which are surprisingly tasty. We are often invited to different meals and being a visiting man, I usually sit with the men of the house. This means that trying new things is not an option, dark meat and organ meat are always put into my bowl and I am watched until I attempt to choke it down. I avoid organ meat like the plague and retract my earlier statement about not getting anxious at meals, I am less anxious. At one of these meals I was pleasantly surprised by bite sized fried fish which you eat entirely. One of the tastiest things I've tried so far and not something I would have grabbed on my own free will.
One animal that I have not eaten but have been really great to see is the multitude of Gecko’s that inhabits this country. They can be seen on the ceiling or walls at most times and are entertaining to watch as they chase each other or catch bugs. This to me is a sign of the way that Vietnamese live with animals rather than have human life and nature as separate spheres.
As we settle in as a group we are starting to get some projects underway and involve ourselves more in the community. With this being the first CWY group in Vietnam in many years there is still some uncertainty about the way our main project, focusing on various forms of health, will play out. We expect to hear more in the coming week and begin training shortly after, as for now we are trying to be as useful as possible. Most of our activities are based out of a small community center with a field next to it. We have spent the last few days clearing the field and repainting the building. It is now much better for the numerous football and volleyball games that we play with community members and children. Starting last week we also began teaching English classes to the community. The first class happened in the middle of a strong rainstorm. The turnout of 15-20 was less than expected but grew to around 40 on Tuesday night. The class was intended for children between 10 and 16 but has included some very young children and equal numbers of adults.
Our other main task before rice harvesting starts in earnest has been fixing up another larger soccer field that is in front of the regional communist headquarters. Following a day of work we showed up for what we expected to be a small game of pickup. We discovered on arrival that we had been entered into a tournament with organized teams. We stared out with tug of war and rice sac jumping before being humiliated in front of a large group of people. I enjoy playing soccer but have never played very seriously; the other Canadians in the group have similar experience but with less athleticism for the most part. We were a sorry lot. Thankfully our Vietnamese counterparts are good players and we recruited some locals to take up our slack. It ended up being a very fun day followed with, like most things here: beer and food.
I am growing very excited to help out with the rice harvesting, my contribution to my host family has not extended beyond doing dishes and basic food prep so far. I have also heard talk of creating an ecotourism initiative in this community and am very interested in contributing in some way.
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