Fansipan

Let me first start by saying that I've been wanting to complete the hike to Fansipan for awhile now. A couple years ago, a good friend had talked to me about his precarious adventure with some friends without a tour guide, and I remember thinking, "Goodness, I would never want to do that." However, as I became more adventurous and once I found out that I would be in Vietnam for Fulbright, I had this hike in mind. Since I had to transition from Ha Noi to Hue toward the end of August and had a full week break, I thought to myself that that was the best time to do it, and fortunately, I had three great friends from the Fulbright program who are just as crazy as I am who wanted to complete the hike as well.

Day 0: After completing two day tour about Sapa with other folks from the Fulbright program, we got down to preparing for our adventure. We had a big dinner, and our tour guide offered to take us to try dog meat. Heck, I figured since we were adventurous enough to climb the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, why not try something crazy while we're at it?

Looks like beef, right?

While I was mentally fearing the moment of trying it, it wasn't too bad... once you wrap the piece of meat in lettuce and drowned it in shrimp paste and chewed on lemongrass right after. I was able to down two pieces along with some dog sausage/intestine... which I had to immediately follow with another piece of dog meat. My friends, however, had more trouble stomaching the thought of consuming what Americans would consider their best friend. Just to clarify, not ALL Vietnamese people enjoy dog meat. It's an option that is worth trying, but like us, there are plenty of folks who would never want to consume dog; a lot of my relatives and my family would never touch dog meat. Yet, our tour guide was able to finish the rest of the plate no problem. I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't eat it by choice again, but if it was the only thing left to eat, and if you didn't show me the picture of the dog before it became dinner, I'd eat it again.

Day 1: We woke up around 7:30PM to pack, eat breakfast, and head out. We took a van over to the site, which was about 15-20 minute away. After a couple pictures, we were ready to go!

Posing in front of the map of Fansipan.
(left to right): Me, Quan, Kate, Koua

 For us, the hike was split into two days: two 3-4 hours for the first day where we would camp out at the second base, then a round trip to the summit on and the return to Sapa on the second day. We were so pumped during the first leg, as one can tell with how much singing was going on. (Our tour guide loved to sing, "Hello" by Lionel Richie (totally missed you, Kenny and Robert)). However, since we weren't warmed up, we were so tired after 20 minutes of hiking -- and that was supposed to be the easy part! We faced some challenging terrain, and fought with our mental, physical and emotional barriers as we encountered them. There were times I would look at my two 1.75 liter water bottles and wonder if I would be able to make it to the summit and back with just that.

To the right of Kate is a steep downhill slope. One of my favorite challenges -- bring it on, Fansipan!!!

 Yet, at the same time, there was so much beauty to enjoy around us. As soon as we stood tall after taking a moment to catch our breath, it was hard to keep it in with all the beautiful scenery around us.

The view from the top of the first ladder we climbed.

 About nine hours later, we arrived to the second base camp, where we met a German family of 10 and our wonderful camp cooks. After enjoying a traditional Vietnamese dinner and a couple laughs over our toils during the hike, we tried to get cozy in our sleeping situation. We were basically housed in a tent made of sheet metal and slept on top of thin wooden platforms. We also all shared the same side of the family of 10.

Sure, this is our pleasant disposition right before we got to bed. However, I must've woken up at least 5 times due to the uncomfortability of the situation. Whatever. We weren't there for comfort.

Day 2: One restless night later and a bowl of ramen with egg later, we were ready to continue our journey. Although this hike was shorter, it was much more challenging given the steep start and the steepness altogether. I ditched the walking stick I had found the day before and used all limbs to make sure I gripped tightly onto rocks and the terrain around me. But my oh my, the end of the journey was SO worth it... One of the more satisfying things in life: Completing a challenging hike with good friends, and getting to enjoy a spectacular view.

Us and our tour guide, Anh Hung, to the left. 

The view from the top of Fansipan, the tallest mountain peak in Southeast Asia.

Enjoying my view

3,143 meters high. What would the conversion be to miles? (Previous Cassell students, I'm looking for you to answer!)

At the top of the peak, I looked at the greenery below and around me. I had wished I was able to sprout wings to fly down and dance across the treetops. Clouds began to roll over the top of other mountain peaks like ocean waves. Life had never been as beautiful as it was in that moment.

However, all good things come to an end. The fruitful journey was meant to be a roundtrip, and we had a 4:30PM deadline to make it to the bottom of the mountain, and we were running behind. Although going down a mountain expends less energy, your knee-joints take a lot of damage. I realized the more tired I got, the more careless I was able travelling downward. I jumped from rock to rock, traversed quickly across what I believed was flat ground, and at one point, I thought I rolled my ankle. I paused and held back cries of pain, with strong hopes that I didn't hurt myself to the point that the rest of the trip down would be a burden for others as well. However, I was okay, and I was a lot more careful. I used bamboo to support my trip down whenever I could, and made sure to squat down and slowly bring my body down from high points.

Here, Koua is rappelling using a bamboo shoot. Never doubt the strength of bamboo and its roots!

Another thing that made the trip down easier was the conversation we had the energy to make on the way down. I've gathered that completing a challenge with people allows you to understand them better given the way they approach it and the people involved, but having the energy to talk about something that you honestly care about it another good way to understand people, too. =) I'm very lucky to have been able to share this experience with three amazing individuals.

Once we got to the bottom, everything was a blur: the rush to our hotel to grab our luggage, the 5-minute shower, the dinner, and the sleeper train back to Ha Noi. Possibly what stood out most at that point was when we wrapped up with our nightly S.U.D.S., which is a way to close up the day by giving one shout-out, an up, a down, and something you're thinking about. (Hence the acronym.) Kate told us that her experience with us reminded her of a Yiddish word: mishpukhe -- which means non-blood family. Not only was I able to conquer so many mental and physical challenges by climbing Fansipan, but I also came away with a new family. =)

Semi-Tây Day

Ms. Ginger Davis, a history professor at Hanoi University, warned us about this: the need for a "Tây Day," otherwise known as a "Western Day." She described the day consisting of the need to indulge in common Western (or American) comforts, since as buying peanut butter, staying in and watching American films, and not feeling up to speaking Vietnamese throughout the day. I haven't necessarily hit this point, but since this was my first free day in Ha Noi (I haven't been able to sleep in once since I've been here), I caught up on sleep and visited a cafe that offered your typical Western beverages (Frappuccino-like drinks) and sandwiches. I can't tell you how excited I was about ordering a blended mocha and a smoked-salmon sandwich.

Back: Caramel iced latte, Mocha Freeze
Front: Bagel with lox. Yum!

However, that was as "Tây" as it got. I actually went to work on Vietnamese homework with Vanlam, so no avoidance of speaking Vietnamese today. Apparently, over half of us Fulbrighters had visited the cafe at some point of the day -- looks like we all needed a taste of home on our day off.

After that, Claire, Vanlam and I went to Hoan Kiem Lake to meet with a young man who told me about a English-speaking club that meets once a week to talk to practice English by starting conversations with foreigners. Again, this is something I wouldn't imagine happening in America, given how pressed for time a lot of people are in American society. We couldn't find him, but we found a group of Vietnamese students crowded around a Westerner, so we approached them about the club and started English conversations with them. Actually, our conversations were a mix of Vietnamese and English since we were so eager to practice our Vietnamese as well. It's so interesting how much university students really value English here. Of course, I'm speaking about the students I've encountered thus far. The young womyn I was speaking told me that English is "on demand," and that she wanted to do her best to learn. I'm sure that with the dedication and commitment these students have to leave their comfort zones and start English conversations with Vietnam visitors, they'll be able to speak English comfortably.

I consider today a semi-Tây Day mostly for the morning events and for my need to take a step back, reflect, and blog here. I often find myself getting caught up in all the events that are happening around Ha Noi / Viet Nam in general, and I think I need to take time for myself  reflect on how I hope to take these experiences back to the States when my term here is over. One takeaway so far is the need to enjoy life, no matter where I am. Since I've been here, I've been open to many different experiences and have had a positive outlook on a lot of things. This may be attributed to the effects of being in a new environment and having a prolonged positive mood swing, but at the same time, I feel it's important to remember how much a positive attitude really affects the way one moves about life. For example, I used to think that people honking while I would walk down the street was loud and obnoxious. "Why would they honk at me for no reason?" However, in the special case of Viet Nam, people usually honk as a, "Hey, be careful, I'm right behind you. Don't move in this direction!" Since I have started thinking that way (cultural knowledge courtesy of Edwina), I've been able to walk down the street with ease and without annoyance. If we believe the best in the people or situations we encounter, that's what we should receive.

Vietnamese Hospitality

Something that continually amazes me is Vietnamese hospitality. When my relatives in Da Nang welcome me home, I generally assume that they're nice to me because they are my family -- which is a pretty safe assumption... I would assume. However, a lot of the people I've met and merely encountered are so nice. The hotel staff here, for example, are so friendly; they always ask about our day, offer to run errands for us because they know the best prices around town, and welcome us to eat with them. I can't help but want to give them something in return -- and earlier last week, we had the opportunity to. Here, we had discovered that it was Jenny's birthday that day and went out to buy her a cake down the street. =)

Chi (title we use to refer to someone equivalent to an older sister) Jenny's impromptu birthday celebration

What compels me to write today, however, was our recent visit to a French bakery. Let me start off with where the story begins: 

I decided to join a local gym with some fellow Fulbrighters because I usually like to do what I can to stay in shape. Running around Hoan Kiem Lake is an option, but truth be told, the street traffic, humidity, and pollution-heavy air make it less appealing. That, and my left knee has been acting up since I pushed my pace on a recent 10k race in Long Beach, so running isn't too great of an option for me right now. We try to go twice to three times a week before class, so we wake up around 5AM; jog or walk to the gym; work out for an hour; and then come back, eat, and get ready in time for our 8:30AM class. Just to give you a quick idea of our local gym looks like, it's about three floors (four if you include the pool): the first for heavy weight-lifting, the second of aerobics, and the third for general equipment use and cardio-machines. Interestingly enough, the first floor is always occupied by men, the second by women, and the third by both genders alike. My friends and I haven't really felt comfortable about pushing the social norms, but maybe one day, I'll do some heavy lifting on the first floor to shake it up a bit. =)

Since we're part of a local gym, we Americans / Westerners definitely attract attention -- more so questionable stares that I try not to return as we watch each other partake in our customary exercises. However, during our first week at the gym, a man named Ngọc approached my friend Quan and asked about us and who we were. He proceeded to tell us more about himself -- that he worked in America (Santa Rosa specifically) as a cook for awhile, worked in touristy hotels where he got to speak English, and now he owns a bakery called "Bánh Ngọt Pháp / Jammy, The French Bakery". He then invited us to come by whenever we could so we could hang out and try the pastries. 

Top to bottom: jackfruit, coffee sponge cake, baguettes and condensed milk

Due to after-class errands and activities we had to tend to, we hadn't found the time to stop by. However, after considering the fact that it can be considered rude to not follow through on an invitation, we decided to stop by with other Fulbrighters who were with us. We had no intentions to impose -- we just planned to stop by, buy some pastries, exchange pleasantries, and head home. We came upon a store front no more than 20 feet wide, three-quarters of it blocked by a glass case of delicious-looking cakes. It took a couple milliseconds to pull my eyes away from the case to call for Anh (title given to someone equivalent to older brother) Ngọc, who was in the back with his family closing up a transaction. He immediately welcomed us with a smile, beckoning hand motions, and pulled up multiple stools for us to sit on. He then poured us fruit-flavored water and brought out multiple flavors of cake for us to sample. As if that were not enough, he pulled out some fresh-baked baguettes for us to eat. If you know me and my sister, you know that we LOVE baguettes. But freshly made? Dipped with condensed milk? I felt like I died and had gone to heaven -- French pastry heaven.

Quan, me, and Koua are so happy with our freshly baked bread.

Anh Ngọc and his wife, Chi Hai, continued to bring out the goods: coffee sponge cake, Vietnamese dried plums, fresh jackfruit, more baguettes -- everything was amazing. In the meantime, we Fulbrighters engaged in Vietnamese conversations -- folks were doing so well with only four days of Viet class so far! --  and talked occasionally in English, as they had some understanding of it as well. They also told us that they wanted us to come by everyday after class to hang out, strengthen our Vietnamese, and strengthen their 12-year-old daughter's English-speaking skills. It was so fun getting to develop new friendships over food and language reviewing/learning. 

Top row: Justin, Amelia, Quan, Chi Hai, Anh Ngoc, Kate
Bottom row: Me, Koua, Amanda

Returning to the subject of Vietnamese hospitality, let me start off by saying I would never imagine this happening in an American setting. Maybe if Anh Ngọc were a friend of a friend at least, but he was just a man who was excited to meet people who spoke English and understood Vietnamese. He loved talking to us about his baking business and wanted to know so much about us. Also, I wouldn't imagine this happening in America for myself due to safety issues and the general feeling of guilt for taking up a person's time and resources without a prior relationship. However, we were at an open store front with lots of company, and generally, when people invite you over, it's not the half-hearted "oh yeah, let's go get dinner someday--"  they actually mean it. 

And this is also not me saying that every single Vietnamese person is like this. However, in general, people I have had the time to get to know here have been so warm and always wanting to give without expecting anything but company in return -- even though we all will return to his shop to give his family a gift for feeding us without letting us pay. (He did let us pay for baked goods that we planned to give to our friends.) Also in return, we will be sure to buy all our goodbye cakes from them before we leave for our respective provinces and bring our friends by to buy more pastries.

Hello Hanoi!

Chao cac ban (Hello friends) -- friends, family, previous colleagues and students! It's been a week since I settled into Hanoi, and I am having a blast! Although I am placed in Hue (Central Vietnam), all the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) are completing their teaching and Vietnamese training here for four weeks. There's 15 of us ETAs, along with our teacher Andrew, and we've been hanging out everyday, exploring the town, eating, etc. Here we are eating together on our boat going through Halong Bay (next entry):

(front left to back) Quan, Andrew, Koua, Tyler, Claire, Amanda
(front right to back) Trevor, Amelia, me, Jefferson, Jess, Vanlam, Kate
missing: Justin (back in Hanoi), Lindsay, Michelle

Even though this is my fifth Vietnam visit, this is my first time in Hanoi. Once upon a time, I was too intimidated to come to this side of the country. My parents are Vietnamese refugees who fled after the Fall of Saigon, which occurred after American troops left the country. Since my parents saw Hanoi as the capitol of the country that was responsible for the loss of their family and land, we had never made the effort to come up here. I remember the thought of that kept me from studying abroad in Hanoi while I was in college. However, it's been over 35 years since the Fall, and as my parents are still healing emotionally and psychologically from their loss, I have had an insatiable appetite to learn more about myself through my Vietnamese roots. Therefore, I applied to be a Fulbright ETA during my third year of teaching. It was difficult, thinking about leaving the wonderful community I had become a part of at my school (I miss you all!), but I knew that this was something I had to do to empower my personal growth and to professionally develop as an English Language Learner teacher. I hope to return to the Bay Area with my newfound knowledge next year!

Fried spring roll, pickled veggies, bun cha

What's Hanoi like? In comparison to my visits to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the traffic's just as busy. You have to watch your hands, feet, and the road at all times -- it helps to have eyes on each side of your head. Also, the food is just as amazing. I cannot recall a time that I didn't crave Vietnamese food. Hanoi's speciality is bun cha, which is rice vermicelli with ground up pork cakes and broth. Here it is with a side of fried spring rolls. (Yes, drool away.) The only thing that I've noticed that's different so far is the accent. I have a Southern Vietnamese (and American) accent, where a lot of words with the "d" and "gi" beginning sound like a "y," and here, those consonants are pronounced with a "z." That, and the language here sounds a lot more formal. I find myself getting corrected a lot here, which is perfectly fine because I'm here to learn. =)

Koua and Amelia singing their hearts out in our private karaoke room

Basically, the best two things about Hanoi so far are friends and food. The other ETAs here are absolutely wonderful. We've all been bitten by the travel bug and come from all different walks of life -- and yet we all came here with the passion to learn and teach. Also, we all love food and enjoy it together -- among other things. We've been dancing, singing at a karaoke lounge -- did I mention eating? -- traveling to Halong Bay... it's just been amazing.


On a side (and superficial) note: I'm growing out my hair. The uniqueness of the style that I once treasured is too hard to take care of; the humidity is not friendly to hair styling products. If you notice my hair looking a little disheveled, just know that it looks like way purposefully -- because there's nothing else to do with it. 

Claire, me, and Vanlam enjoying our street food.

I'll update you again soon, my friends! I hope to blog at least once a week, and I would appreciate any of your comments and questions! Thanks for reading! =)