Corrections

I must make a few corrections to inaccurate statements that I’ve made to date. First of all, my e-mail connection isn’t so-so. It’s actually quite reliable, it’s just s-l-o-w. But that’s fine – I can handle slow. It allows my Freecell game time to improve. I will absolutely rock at Freecell by the time I leave. And, although I don’t think I’ve ever said that Pakistani traffic is the worst I’ve ever been in in my life, I can see where it would look as though I had implied it many times. Well, let’s take that back. Vietnamese traffic is a whole other animal. I’m glad that I had a chance to practice my “don’t look at the traffic on either side of you” skills in Pakistan; they have served me well here, and are helping to keep my blood pressure nice and low. I’ll have to post some pictures or something – although I have a feeling that a still picture would look as though there was an accident about to happen, because traffic just moves from all directions, and cars and scooters will come at you head-on, only to swerve out of the way at the last minute. If someone has to make a left turn, they’ll just move on over to the right side of the road, into oncoming traffic, to cut off that corner and save a little time. It’s interesting. As in Pakistan, the horn is an essential and constant companion for any driver.

We had some errands to run today, mostly related to setting up the office, since we don’t have one yet. We looked at this loft apartment that we’re likely to take as the office, and it is the most beautiful apartment that I’ve ever seen in my life. It is gorgeous. It’s got beautiful dark hardwood floors, a loft separated by shoji screens, and it’s the corner unit, so it has a wrap-around balcony that overlooks a park. So, even though I’m not likely to ever be able to afford to live somewhere like that (*sigh*), I may get to spend some time there. I’m not sure how quickly the office will be set up, but if I have to come back to work on this project, then I’ll get to work there. All of our errands, including arranging for a car and driver for our field visit that we’re taking on Wednesday, were in District 1, which is the main downtown area, which caters to tourists. After we got everything settled and set up, I decided to walk around and see the city a little. I stayed in District 1, but I got to wander a little and do some shopping, which was fun. Vietnam is known for its silk, and there are rows of stores that sell silks in every possible color and pattern. I bought a couple pieces, and I’ll probably use some of them for clothes and some for pillow covers and stuff.

I’m not going as overboard with shopping as it may sound, but it’s just so nice for me to be able to walk around and do things. It’s still a little disorienting here, but I like it. There are still plenty of remnants of French architecture and French culture, such as things on menus written in Vietnamese that will insert French words like “jambon” and “frommage”. Or the shop sign I saw that said “Nguyen Frères”. There are also a lot of French people who live here. We were in a café today where we stopped for some ice cream, and it was hard to remember that I was in Vietnam, if I didn’t look out the windows. I was in a European-style café, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, and sitting next to a table full of Frenchmen who were smoking and talking animatedly, waving their hands around. But outside, there were little ramps leaning up against the curbs so that people could drive their scooters up onto the sidewalk or into hallways. You don’t really see that much in Paris.

I saw a few souvenir shops with signs announcing their genuine antiques and such. They had some lovely woodcarvings on the shelves and hanging from the walls. Among them I saw a lovely carving depicting the Simpsons. I’m guessing that they’re not all genuine antiques.

I wish I’d bought a Vietnamese phrasebook or something before I got here – although I’m not sure how much good it would really do me. The letters that they use are all English letters, but that has no bearing on whether or not you can pronounce them. There are numerous symbols that they use on top of, or below, the letters that change the way they’re pronounced. Even knowing French does nothing for my ability to pronounce words and phrases, although there is a French influence in pronunciation as well. There was a young kid following us around last night, trying to sell us some books, and his English was better than that of most adults I’ve spoken to here. Or in the States, actually. Interesting.

The place where we’re staying has a pool, but it has been mostly frequented by little kids so far, therefore I’ve been running again, since there’s also a small gym on the premises. I’m glad that my running hasn’t deteriorated as much as I’d thought it might have, since I hadn’t tried it since I left the States. There’s more that I could do here, but I figure that, since I’m in the habit of almost-daily exercise, I should be a good girl and keep it up. It really does make me feel better…plus, I’d like to be able to continue to fit into the clothes I’ve had made.

After my day of wandering around the city, I was fairly well wiped out. I came back to the apartment, made myself some rice and veggies for dinner, and have had a fairly quiet night. Another team member is arriving tomorrow, and Wednesday we head out to the field. I’m excited to see the Mekong Delta and the rural areas. I took some pictures around the city today, and plan to take lots more when we’re out and about. It’s interesting to be in a Communist country where you can pay for things with American dollars and see signs for Coca Cola and Nokia products everywhere. I have a feeling that this isn’t quite what Ho Chi Minh had in mind.