PICTURES ON FACEBOOK!!

Been in the USA for over a month...

Craziness!

No permanent job yet...but some stuff in the works, so we'll see what happens. In the meantime I'm playing professional companion and conversationalist with an 86 year old lady named Grace. She talks about life, I make her sandwiches, we watch the birds. Its all very "Tuesdays with Morrie."

The main point of this post: I finally uploaded a lot of pictures from the year on Facebook!!! Check 'em out!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2206997&id=10902081&l=e4fc2ec3b6

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208479&id=10902081&l=b745aed77b

No place like home.

Checked-in in Hanoi

Surrounded by stewardesses. Considering a new career path. They have the best uniforms. And cutest hats.

(Can you say "stewardess" anymore, or is it only "flight attendant"?)

Update: I'm too short to be a stewardess for Vietnam Airlines. What a punch in the gut...

D-Day

I'm getting my car to the airport in 1 hour! I've been getting all kinds of adorable text messages from my students...here is one of my favorites:

"Good morning Miss Madeline. I am student in 2D. I know that goodafternoon (Ed. note: "this afternoon") you will turn foreign. Have a good flight. I wish you successful and always happy. I will miss you a lot."

I love the idea that I will "turn foreign" again. Its like, "At the stroke of midnight, you will turn foreign once again...or you will turn into a pumpkin. Who the hell knows?!"

Oh, this feels so surreal...

See you in America??

Oh, the Drama.

I’ll spare you the boring details, but back when I applied for the Fulbright I wrote that along with teaching English I wanted to complete a personal project on the use of drama or storytelling as a means of cultural and language exchange. I said this in addition to many other things which duped the selection panel into thinking I was smart, worldly, and not nearly as naive and unprepared as I actually was...but that’s all in the past.

So what did this all boil down to?

THE FIRST ANNUAL ENGLISH DRAMA COMPETITION AT HAI DUONG COLLEGE!

A few months ago, I had my students submit ideas for Vietnamese folk tales or well known fairy tales to craft into short plays. I chose the best 5 ideas and then had a script writing workshop to help put the stories on their feet. We did story maps, broke the stories down into scenes, worked on character development, and had lots and lots of rehearsals.

Let me give you a brief run down of the 5 plays:

Cinderella at the Miss Vietnam Pageant:
I told this group they could adapt Cinderella as long as they set it in Vietnam. Instead of a ball, the sisters and Cindy were invited to the Miss Vietnam Pageant where they vied for the love of the Prime Minister’s son by walking the cat walk and a talent show. Their soundtrack was really impressive; everything from Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” was used.


The Legend of Au Co:
Everybody’s got a creation story, and this is Vietnam’s. Au Co is a mountain fairy, Lac Long Quan is a sea dragon. LLQ rescues AC from a Monstrous bird and they fall in love. Drama ensues when AC realizes that her husband will never be happy in the mountains, and she will never be happy by the sea because she has a moral aversion to fish. So they take their 100 children and split them down the middle, each taking half. The oldest son--half mountain fairy, half sea dragon--goes on to found Viet Nam.
(I can't believe I didn't take a picture of them!! I was so wrapped up in it all...)
The 100 Knot Bamboo Tree:
This is a very old traditional folk tale here; kind of like an Aesops’ Fable. Khoai is a stupid laboror; the landowner is his stingy boss. The Landowner tells Khoai that if he is his slave for 3 years he can marry his daughter, but then he pulls the old bait and switch and gives his daughter to the village chief’s son. Khoai wants what is due him and is forced to go find a “100 Knot Bamboo Tree” which is nearly impossible! Buddha helps him with a little magiv, and hilarity ensues when Khoai makes the landowner and all his friends stick to the bamboo tree until they beg for mercy. The best part of the play? During the Landowner's line, "And now we must kill the pigs and chickens to prepare for the wedding feast," I started to hear a strange squealing sound effect that I couldn't place. My friend Huyen leaned over and said, "That is the sound of pigs being killed..."!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the only sound effect used in the whole play! HA!

Tam Cam:
Its like a legitimate researched thing that every culture has a Cinderella story. I didn’t legitimately research this, but someone did; Tam Cam is Vietnam’s. Its the age old rags to riches tale, with a nasty step-mother and bitchy step-sister. There is also a Karaoke contest to win the Prince’s heart (AGAIN: All Vietnamese people love Karaoke...). The twist? The fairy Godmother is a hip-hopping Buddha.

Dream Heaven:
This was the one “original” drama. I use quotes because Hieu, the student writer, was definitely pulling from some outside sources despite his insistence that it all came from his imagination. Basically, there is a prince named Peter who is of marrying age and falls in love with a poor country girl named Jenny. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has convinced the king that he should find a suitable wife for the prince, ala Aladdin style. The PM wants the prince to marry his wicked daughter Jella, but Peter won’t stop seeing Jenny. Jella sends a poisoned apple to Jenny’s house, ala Snow White. Peter discovers her dead poisoned body and can’t go on, so he kills himself in the tomb, ala Romeo and Juliet. The only thing this play didn’t have was a sleep inducing spindle and lost glass shoe. But really, what is writing but a theft of ideas?

In Shakespeare, the rule of thumb is basically that plays with weddings are comedies and plays with deaths are tragedies (or histories...because dudes named Henry always seem to be either dying or murdering some other dude named Henry..). My students followed this rule to a T. (Except for ‘The Legend of Au Co,’ since that kind of ended in divorce...but there wasn’t a custody battle or anything like that.)

The death and love scenes were not only the most fun to work on, but they also were the most culturally enlightening. I mean, most of any culture revolves around those two things, right? We all are just wanting to fall in love and waiting to die; how we handle both defines our culture.

Here in Vietnam, public displays of affection are not common, but we were talking about royalty, young love, and marriage proposals so I knew we needed some juice. My students agreed to some basic embracing and on-bended-knee hand kissing. They were a little embarrassed, but they sucked it up for their art. The crowd, quite frankly, went wild.

Meanwhile, I had flashbacks to a play I was in during my freshman year at Fordham in which I asked the playwright to please write a make-out scene for me and the guy playing my baby’s daddy. He was a senior and didn’t wear deodorant; I was obviously wildly attracted.

I also had to keep myself from getting upset when all the students laughed uproariously during the death scenes. In Dream Heaven, Prince Peter was killing himself in the tomb beside the poisoned body of his virgin love and everyone found it hysterical--including the actress playing said poisoned body. During rehearsals I kept yelling things like, “CAN DEAD PEOPLE LAUGH?! IS IT FUNNY THAT HIS LIFE IS OVER?! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE KILLED HIMSELF!?! (I think I went a little overboard on this...I’m sensitive).

In the end, “Dream Heaven” took home the chachski, much to “Cinderella’s” chagrin. Everyone just really truly loved that 10 minute death scene...

So now that the Drama Competition is over, its time to freak about leaving, pack like crazy and say a lot of goodbyes...Its about 30 hours til take-off.

Is my stomach supposed to feel like this? Its so weird!

Me and the cast of Cinderella, wearing my Ao Dai (long dress) which the teachers gave me for my birthday...

Last trip to hanoi...

Just got back from my last trip to Hanoi. I got nostalgic on the way home as it all started to set in that I'm leaving...my Ipod was playing some John Denver and a tear may have come to my eye...

But then my bus broke down and I sat in the sun for 1/2 hour before some man I didn't know physically pushed me into a different bus sardined with people, then moved me to stand in the front of the bus beside him and the driver, and they started making fun of me in Vietnamese for not speaking Vietnamese, even though I kind of understood what they were saying, and it wasn't all very nice so I didn't really feel like responding, and I thought, "Ok, I'm ready to go home now." Then I turned on some Jay-Z.

Woohooo! America in 3 days: Where people will still make fun of me, and public transportation will still kind of suck, but where I can swear in English and everyone understands. Also, it's the home of the free and the brave!!!!!!!

In other news, my students had their drama competition on Friday and it was GREAT! Pics and update soon...once I finish some grading. And take a nap...

La-Di-Da-Last-Week

I've been putting off posting because I've been waiting to think of something witty/clever/reflective to say in my last days/SLASH My hard drive is full, and so I have to clean some stuff out before I can upload pics.

I will tell you that Hue was great. What I saw of the city was really quite lovely: a citadel, an old pagoda, some dead guys' tomb.... But to be perfectly honest, my cultural consumption ability isn't what it was in August, and I spent most of the time swimming in the hotel pool with the other Fulbrighters. We were just such a cool crew: Corinne once lived on a commune, Mia worked for Hilary, Mark has tattoos, Tam wants to go into medicine, Uyen likes math, Jen's a teacher (and married!), Emily cares a lot about sex trafficking, Sofia's family is Jewish, Hayley was an All American runner, and I like to write, read, and plan things.

How am I spending my last week in Viet Nam? Grading exams, running the Drama Competition, packing, packing, packing, and getting responsibly excited to go home. I say "responsibly excited" because I'm trying to give myself the OK to be a little overwhelmed and shocked about home. I didn't know what it would be like to move here, and I don't know what it will be like to move home...but I do know that home has good things I'm ready to get back to, like JCrew and Starbucks, and other shamelessly capitalist ventures which I hold dear.

The other thing that's exciting about going home is that I'm going to take some of my extra Fulbright cash to buy a Bicycle! I've loved riding my bike around Hai Duong and other places in Vietnam, and I can't wait to have a mode of transportation in New York!


Oh, and I just made this my facebook pic, but my mom doesn't have facebook so I'm posting it here. This is of me and this little girl named Linh I met at a wedding a few weeks back. She was my buddy.

2 weeks Out

I like to think in terms of weeks. My father likes to think in terms of day. I say, "Dad! I'll be home in 3 weeks!" and he says, "I know. 20 days and a wake-up."

Regardless...we're at 2 weeks, or 13 days and a wake up. I'm heading down to Hue in a few hours (and I really need to pack...), but in the meantime I've just been thinking a lot about everything I'll miss from here, as well as everything I'm looking forward to at home.

Two things stand out.

I will miss the fruit of Vietnam. So sweet and delicious. So cheap and juicy. So fresh. So good.
But I can't wait to see my beautiful dog Lady. She is so silly, and lovely, and sweet, and cuddly.
(However I am slightly concerned that my thoughts about missing food lead me to an excitement about seeing my puppy...hmmm....)

I love Hoi An.

It’s a week later, and I still can’t quite put into words how much I loved Hoi An. If you’re planning on traveling to Vietnam, I’d definitely advise that you make sure not to miss this place.

First of all, it has a beautiful beach. I mean, just a lovely view, luke warm water, nice sand, open space, great sun.

The first night we were there, we stayed late on the beach and had a seafood picnic by oil lamp. People set up mats all over the beach and we ordered all kinds of seafood, which they cooked on little coal fires nearby. Then, as the sun went down, people brought out these little oil lamps made out of 2 broken bottles. The food was great, the beer was cold, and the atmosphere was divine.

In additional to the fantastic beach, the town itself is ADORABLE. It used to be a main trading port for Japanese, Chinese, and European merchants (hence this Japanese covered bridge in the center of town pictured below), and it is the only place in Vietnam that has completely preserved roads and buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries. Its lovely just to walk around, but on top of that its filled with great tailors and shopping. I went into the weekend vowing that I wouldn’t buy anything.... I walked out with a little tan trench coat, 2 beach dresses, and some sandals. All made to order. But only for $60! Ee gads.(Corinne loves Hoi An, too.)

So my friend Corinne and I spent the weekend shopping, lounging on the beach, reading by the hotel pool, and eating amazing food. The last day Corinne had an early flight, so I rented a bike and trolled around town all morning by myself. Then, in the afternoon, I continued riding and found a more secluded beach. For the rest of the day I read a trashy romance novel, ordered clams to be brought to my rented beach chair, wrote bad poetry in my journal, and played peek-a-boo with little sand crabs. As an aside, have you ever noticed how silly crabs are? Seriously. The funniest animals alive. I also spend a lot of time swimming solo in the ocean amidst the most docile jelly fish I’ve ever encountered. Twice one floated into me, and neither time did I get stung! That’s Hoi An...Everyone is happy. Le Sigh....

(The Crabby's hole)

(The Crabby.)

In 2 days I head to Hue, the Ancient Capital down in Central Vietnam, for my Fulbright End of Year Seminar. END OF YEAR! Can you believe it? 16 Days and I’m on my way home. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I’m definitely ready and I can’t wait to touch down at JFK. Still no job...but that’s ok. I’m not looking to start anything until August. I have some summer obligations, like going to Vegas for Scott’s birthday, hanging out with my dad at our cabin, swimming at the pool where my little sister is a lifeguard, and spending a week in Sea Isle, NJ with my fam. Priorities, people. Priorities.

Tonight

Tonight a 70 year old woman climbed 20 feet up a Mango tree to pick me three mangoes. Then, at dinner, her daughter put dog meat into my bowl of rice. ( I didn't eat it...)

9 1/2 months and you still got it, Vietnam.


(Hoi An was amazing....pictures and update to come.)

Happy Mother's Day!!

What would I do without this woman?

Beach Bound

Just a quick update before I catch my flight to Hoi An! Hoi An is an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Central Vietnam. It has a great shopping and silk district and a beautiful beach! I was on a huge travel kick at the beginning of the year, but since I got back from my Tet Holiday adventures to Laos and Cambodia I've been pretty well settled in Hai Duong and Hanoi.

I am THRILLED to be getting away, and even more happy about the prospect lying on the beach and getting a little color before I head back to America in a few weeks. Its been so damn hot lately, and the sun has been brutal, but every time I go out in a tank top I'm stopped by at least 10 Vietnamese telling me to cover up so my skin doesn't get blacker...thus I am as white as ever.

I'm going to try to keep my shopping/tailoring to a minimum, although that is part of what Hoi An is best known for. I recently had a tailor make me a gold lame/sequined mini dress, which in truth makes me look kind of like a Las Vegas hooker. I took it as a message that just because you get someone to make you anything you want, it doesn't mean you should take them up on it....

I also just have to take a moment and brag about the great hotel I got for my friend Corinne and I for $20/night! That's $10/person! I saved 80%. I am a hotel deal maven. See link.

Ok. Time for take-off. I got a hot pink pedicure and I'm ready to go.

Vietnam Liberation Day

Today is Liberation Day in Vietnam. Liberation Day: also known as Reunification Day, Victory Day, and The Fall of Saigon.

It was 35 Years ago that tanks of the North Vietnamese Army broke through the gates of South Vietnam’s President’s Palace while the last Americans in Saigon caught the final helicopter off the roof of the U.S. Embassy.

I have off work today, and apparently there are parades and fireworks and all other kinds of hoopla happening all over Vietnam. While I don’t plan on celebrating with the rest of the country, I wouldn’t say it’s completely strange to be here. Perhaps it is far stranger for those of my friends and family alive in 1975 to think of me being here.

In 1975, my parents were freshmen in college and I wouldn’t be born for another 11 years. When I told people of an older generation back in America that I would be coming to Vietnam, they always seemed surprised, if not a bit concerned. There was also at times the distinct look of “Are you crazy?” in their eyes. Of course, now I understand that I was in fact crazy, but not for the reasons they thought.

While I didn’t understand their feelings completely--the war ended 35 years ago after all--I can somewhat see where they were coming from. How will I feel if in 35 years my 20 something daughter tells me she is going to move to Iraq to teach English? Maybe, like people of my parents' generation with Vietnam, war images off the newsreel will flash through my mind and I’ll wonder what she is thinking.

But isn’t it something to hope for?

Taken by Dutch photographer Hugh Van Es, this picture is one of the most famous images from the Vietnam War. Although because of a newspaper editor's error it is widely believed to show the last helicopter on the roof of the US Embassy, it is in fact a different American chopper on the roof of a downtown Saigon apartment building.

KARAOKE-OK!

I’m all about breaking down racial stereotypes, but let’s get one thing straight:

ALL VIETNAMESE PEOPLE LOVE KARAOKE.

I just got back from an evening at the karaoke cafe with fifteen belting 15 year olds, some new students I’ve recently acquired from Hai Duong’s gifted secondary school. They’re hoping to go to high school abroad, so for the past month I’ve been helping them prep for their big interviews.

Today after our class they took me to a Karaoke joint which was deceptively disguised as a coffee place. Downstairs, it was all little tables and individual Vietnamese-style french presses. Upstairs, it was all private rooms with group-sized leather couches and wide screens.

Of course, I was all but made to sing by FORCE.

I tried to get out of it by saying that I needed to get home to prepare my dinner since I live alone, unlike my students whose mothers still do that sort of thing for them. (How lucky they are!!)

They would have none of my excuses. The other teacher of the class told me not to worry and promptly left the Karaoke Cove. 20 minutes later she returned carrying a large plastic bag filled with cabbage and a small plastic bag which appeared to be filled with some sort of raw meat mixture. Holding up the bag she proudly exclaimed,

“I have brought you the meat of two fighting cocks!”

It is not laying in my room, watching Sex and the City DVDs and eating tofu with noodles which makes me sometimes wish another American friend was here, nor is it sitting in cafes or bicycling through town which makes me pine for Western company.

No no.

But it is times like this, when I am surrounding by a group of Vietnamese teenagers singing their hearts out and someone uses a term like “the meat of two fighting cocks” to describe my dinner, that I wish there someone else who could, as I do, see the sweet hilarity.

Watch this Video. It makes me very happy.

Under 40 Days

If Jesus did it in a desert, then I can do it in a developing country, right??

Part Two: Things I've Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos)

This is Part Two of the Two Part Series Creatively entitled: Things I've Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos)!!

I pick up where we left off and move on to Cambodia...

All over the temples of Angkor Wat are bas reliefs of dancing Asparas--the muse-like figures of Cambodia. I love their movement and sensuality. I was looking for a small stone relief that I could hang on a wall, but found this ceramic one instead. It was $5 in a little shop in Phnom Penh. Thank you to Corinne and Emily for being patient with me as a I searched for it.

In Cambodia I also bought this little lotus flower puzzle. Lotus flowers are very symbolic here, and this puzzle reminded me of little things my grandparents had around their house when I was growing up. My grandfather was in the Air Force, and they always had the neatest things from Germany, Holland, Korea, Japan, etc. that they’ve passed onto all of their kids and grandkids. I love thinking that I’ll have things like that to pass along, too.

Laos is very famous for its paper crafts, and I found this collapsible paper star in the same little village as the scarf. There was a lady standing outside drying the big sheets of paper, and she gave me a little demo. I’m not sure what I’ll do with this...but I couldn’t not buy something:).

Also in Laos, at the night market, I bought these two little pillow pins. They cost maybe 50 cents, and they just made me smile.:) I mean, they say "I love you well" and "kiss you!"

Although I am giving so much of my clothing away, believe me when I say I won’t go naked. I’ve done a good bit of shopping since I’ve been here. In Hanoi you can find some clothes that are really well made (or made to order!!) for a fraction of the cost you would pay in the States. The boutiques are really cute and unique, and often the designer is working in the store, too. The tailor that I found is also really fantastic. She’s copying a J Crew Linen blazer and pencil skirt for me as we speak...

For my birthday, the lady teachers got me this Ao Dai. This is the traditional dress in Vietnam, and me getting one was quite the to-do. I picked out the fabric----well, I picked out a lot of other fabrics first that the other teachers didn’t like, so we settled on this. When I went for my final fitting, the shop was filled with other Vietnamese women I had never met. They all laughed when I came out wearing the Ao Dai, and then one woman proceeded to feel me upl. I was a little taken aback, but no one else seemed to think it was weird. Curves are hard to come by in these parts, so maybe she was curious what they felt like?

I like jewelry, and I’ve been able to find some really unique pieces here and there. One of the things I was on the lookout for from the beginning was a jade bracelet, and I found this one in the lower left corner at a place called “Nagas Creations” in Laos. I had not seen such a dark, rich color anywhere else. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really come through in this picture, but trust me it’s beautiful! The store was owned by a French ex-pat and his CRAZY mother who had been raised in Zimbabwe during the colonial era. I bought these 3 wooden bangles there, too. The chunky large bracelet with the purple flower design is from Nha Trang, a beach town in South Vietnam. The coral beads are from a shop in Hanoi, and my mother bought me the little silver earrings shaped like the Non La--the Vietnamese hat--when she was in Sapa with me. Sapa is known for their silver, and these are kind of quirky and very cute.

For my birthday, I was given this great rice wine carafe shaped like 2 ducks, made by Chu Dau Pottery in Hai Duong. It was another gift from the teachers I work with. They told me it is customarily a wedding present, so I should think of it as a birthday/wedding present since they won’t see me again before my someday-wedding. They like to talk about me getting married a lot....

When my parent’s visited, the school gave them a large Chu Dau vase, and they told us that Chu Dau pottery was “world famous in Vietnam.” Everyone in Vietnam is always saying things are “world famous”--world famous green bean cake, world famous bakery, world famous tailor--so we didn’t really take the claim too seriously. Then we googled Chu Dau, and it turns out that it is actually World Famous! Chu Dau pottery is recognized by UNESCO as an ancient craft.

I also bought these two smaller vases. I was only planning on buying one, but the one on the left is the “female” vase, and the one on the right is the “male” vase. The idea of buying one and not the other was not going to fly with the sales team...Together they cost about $7.00. The pieces are cast in molds and then hand painted. The detail is really beautiful up close.

The last thing I have to make room for are some of the little gifts from my students. The glass jar is filled with hundreds of little paper stars they made me for my birthday. They also gave me the mug with my picture on it. One of them had asked me to email them pictures of me to show their mom; when I opened this mug a few days later I almost died. The shoes were a gift on teachers day, and the scarf and hat were gifts on women’s day.

Now about that weight limit....

Couples' Massage

I think that everyone who comes through Vietnam has some sort of massage story--good, bad, or indifferent. Sometimes the massages here are great, sometimes they are awkward, sometimes they take place under shady and sad female exploitive circumstances which as an upstanding world citizen you must avoid like the plague. Dan, Scott’s good friend who came to Vietnam last September, wrote about his harrowingly awkward massage experience on his blog here.

I personally am not a big massage person. I never had one until I was 22 years old, and then I cried throughout the whole thing. I’m not kidding; I wept like a baby and freaked out the masseuse. Something about the pressure points in my shoulders and the knots of tension housed there.... However, the recent stress of getting cornered by motorbikes and surviving meals of chicken innards lovingly prepared by my students in a power outage (i.e. I couldn’t see what I was eating) forced me to NQ spa in Hanoi this weekend to see if I could release some of my deep rooted, though somewhat understandable, tension.

The spa came recommended by my fave hotel, Rising Dragon 2. This made me feel more comfortable and assured that the spa was not simply a brothel in disguise; while our “ending” would hopefully be joyful, I trusted that it would not be “happy.” I went with Sofia, a fellow Fulbrighter. The spa was down a little dark alley, which was also home to some lovely stray chickens. When we went in they looked thrilled to see us and gave us tea; I always appreciate such gestures. They asked Sofia and I what treatments we wanted (Body Massage and manicure/pedicure, please) and then led us upstairs. They took us into a room where there were two beds very close together, and then told us in broken English, “Get all naked but underwear and lie down.”

No robes. No screens. No privacy. Turns out we had booked a couples’ massage, without the romance. It’s times like this that my maturity fails me, and I let out an awkward giggle as I did as I told, with Sofia doing the same beside me and the two young Vietnamese women standing about 3 feet away watching.

I don’t have a problem with being naked or naked people. I actually really like to draw naked people. (See exhibit A. Sorry most don’t have heads. It's not a statement; I just need to work on drawing faces...).

But really I’m a private person, and I found it a little uncomfortable.

Luckily, my self consciousness lessened once the massage started because it was indeed really great. Of course, sometimes it was still a little strange. We were two naked white girls lying beside each other with two small Vietnamese girls in pajamas sitting on our backs, whacking us with their hands in such a way that it sounded like simultaneous whoopee cushions letting out. The masseuses would also talk to each other in Vietnamese from time to time. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I’m 99% sure my masseuse said I had fat thighs.

Despite the distractions, I came out of the massage pretty relaxed. It ended when the cell phone of a third Vietnamese woman who had a slipped in the room (to watch?) went off to the tune of some R&B song I had never heard. That’s Vietnam for you...

In other news, my manicure was good. I went with a light pink color, which Sofia nicknamed “Pretty Pretty Princess.” It sparkles. :)

Part One: Things I've Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos)

My time in Vietnam is drawing to a close. Well, not really: I’ve still got 7 weeks here, but time is relative. Compared to the 9 1/2 months already spent, trust me that 7 weeks is close to the closing. I have a lot to get done before I go. A portfolio of my work is due to Fulbright, my students are putting on a Drama Competition, Final Exam period is around the corner, I have a bit of traveling left, and the job search continues to be ignored. But the truly most difficult task in the coming weeks?

PACKING!!!!!!

The other day, while lying on my bed reading home decorating blogs and dreaming of New York apartments I'm light years away from affording, I glanced around my tiny flat and started seizing up. I have so much STUFF! Where did it all come from and how the hell will I ever get it all home?

Now, to begin with I came to Vietnam with a lot of stuff. 130 lbs of stuff to be exact--that’s 30 lbs. over my Delta-imposed weight limit....30 lbs that cost me $300....

Add the many souvenirs, art, gifts, clothes, memorabilia, etc. bought in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to the original stuff I brought, and we’re looking at some wide-load luggage for the return.

Despite these weighty additions, I refuse to be held at the mercy of a sour looking baggage checker again. My luggage will be underweight if I have to wear 3 pairs of shoes to board that plane. I have begun a cleaning-out spree unparalleled in my 24 years of pack-ratting existence.

Some of the cleaning-out has been made easy. For example, my lights and whites have turned an ugly shade of gray by the washing machine’s water (thank you, Vietnam water system), and my pants don’t quite fit anymore(thank you, strange Vietnamese diet changes). Furthermore, when faced with $300 in overcharge fees, a lot of stuff just isn’t worth it. I’m giving most of the clothes I brought to fellow teachers--especially those in between sizes due to recently giving birth or recently becoming pregnant. The life cycle is alive and well at Hai Duong College.

I also brought a ton of books to ‘Nam--teaching materials and otherwise--which I just can't slug back. I've donated them to the English Department, and their library has tripled.

Being a lifetime hoarder, I’m actually pretty impressed with the way I’ve let go of my belongings. The biggest reason that our parting has been more sweet than sorrow is the fact that I have so much great new stuff to take home in their place.

Oh, what is that you say? You want to see what I’ve bought since I’ve been abroad? OK!

This is Part One of a Two-Part Series creatively entitled,

“Things I’ve Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos)”

This Chess Set is perhaps my favorite thing I’ve bought here. No, I am not an avid chess player....YET! I have visions of taking this set to the mountains and playing by the fire while drinking a hot toddy...le sigh....Just look how beautiful the hand carved stone pieces are. This set was made by a non-profit that helps persons with disabilities hone artistic skills.

Out of all the places I’ve visited in Vietnam, the Northern Mountains around Sapa remain my favorite. There are ethnic tribal women everywhere, selling their wares and carrying their babies strapped across their chests or backs. Most women also carry a basket like this one. Its the hot new back-pack alternative! My mom--who has been known to host a Longaberger Basket party or two-- saw these baskets and immediately fell in love. She and I each bought one right there in the market for less than $10.00. They are extremely well-made of very durable fresh bamboo. I actually saw one lady carrying a pig in one, so you know they’re all purpose! I guess theoretically I could use this as my “market basket” back in the states, but I’m really thinking it’ll be a great place to keep extra rolled up towels or blankets in plain view.

I also bought this painting at a little gallery in Sapa. The artist, who I was able to meet, used black ink and watercolor. I like the simple lines, bold colors, and the expressions on the mother and child’s faces.

While on another hike in Sapa, I bought this hand embroidered tapestry piece from my tour guide Su May’s mother. Originally, this would have been attached to a cloth belt and worn by a Red Dao woman. I’m thinking of eventually framing it or putting it under glass on my sewing table desk at home.

(image from Vietnam-quilts.com)

Vietnam has a few really great non-profit organizations that benefit female craftsmen in the poorest regions of the country. I bought a quilt similar to this one at Vietnam-Quilts. The money from each purchase goes back to help the community of the same quilters who completed it. My quilt has a pineapple pattern!! One side is red and the other is white, but all stitching is red. I chose the design, color, stitching, etc. It took about 2 months to complete, and now it’s en route to America with an ETA of June.

Craftlink is another great non-profit organization. You can be sure that the products you buy there are well made and that the money goes back to the actual artisans and their communities. I’ve bought wallets, scarves, a purse, these small set of ink paintings, etc, etc. They sell great gifts at very reasonable prices for the high level of craftsmanship.

Yeah...I’ve bought a lot of scarves... The black and green wool scarf is from Sapa. Women in certain ethnic groups rock scarves like this around their heads, but usually in much more colorful plaids. I liked that this one was more simple and versatile, but still unique with the green stripe and dark dye. I’ll wear it with my pea coat next December.

The purple and black silk scarf is from Laos. Laos had the most beautiful woven designs, and these are my favorite colors. While trekking around Luang Prabang, my friend Anne and I left the main tourist drag by way of a rickety bamboo bridge, only to find ourselves in a quiet village with a teeny tiny old Laotian lady at a loom.

The Rickety Bridge

The teeny tiny old Laotian Lady

The last scarf on the right is from Cambodia. Everyone in Cambodia wears one of these cotton gingham scarves..little old ladies wrap them around their heads, young girls tie them as sarongs, middle aged men wear them as belts...I just like to wear it around my neck:).

That's all for Part One: Things I've Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos). Stay tuned in the next few days for Part Two: Things I've Bought in Vietnam (and Cambodia and Laos).