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January 30, 2009
Tet
What is the first thing that you think of when you see the title of this entry? For me, it was the same as the title of the webpage at the top of the Google search that I just did on the word - "The Tet Offensive" from Wikipedia. If (like me) you are interested but don't want to spend the time to look up the event in a real history book, this webpage offers a good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive
In an email to a friend of mine who was about my age in the late 1960s, I mentioned that it was Tet in Vietnam and that I was happy that I had the week off of work. He replied that "my generation does not have fond memories of Tet, but it is a brave new world."
Here goes a novice and uninformed attempt of explaining Tet and the Tet Offensive. As many of you know, Tet is the Vietnamese version of Lunar New Year, which we recognize in the US as Chinese New Year. Vietnamese civilization has been influenced culturally and linguistically by its big neighbor to the north, including intermittent rule by the Chinese, who were eventually kicked out. Like 31 December and 1 January for the West, Tet is the time in Vietnam for letting go of everything that happened in the past year and preparing for the twelve months ahead.
I spent Tet with a friend in the northern city of Haiphong, and here are some images of how we spent our time...
This altar is similar to the ones that can be found in most Vietnamese homes and businesses, and they are especially decorous during Tet. One of the purposes is to worship ancestors, and this one includes a photo of my friend's father, who, interestingly enough, fought against the peers of my father during what we call the Vietnam War. I think that Vietnam's label for the conflict translates to something like "The War of American Invasion." Definitely a different perspective on that period in history...
We spent the first day of the new lunar year visiting friends and family, and older people are expected to give younger people small monetary gifts in these red envelopes.
This year is the Year of the Buffalo, which means...Well, let's consult Wikipedia again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox_(zodiac)
And now back to the Tet Offensive. In my experience here in Vietnam, the entire country shuts down, and people spend the days eating and drinking (too much for me!) with their families. In 1968, Ho Chi Minh's forces launched a surprise attack against the Americans and Southern Vietnamese on the first day of the Lunar New Year. While not a huge military success, it caught the South off guard and helped to turn American public opinion against the war.
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January 24, 2009
"Going to My Hometown"
Saigon feels deserted. Yesterday, when I left the office for lunch, there was no sign of the lady who parks her fruit card on the side of the street and tempts me with cut pineapple and fresh sugar cane on ice. Later in the evening at my apartment building, I witnessed people strapping down heavy suitcases on the seats of motorbikes and families with more money loading their bags into Mai Linh taxis. Even on the perpetually busy streets, the raging river of motorbikes has been reduced to a manageable stream.
So, why is everyone leaving Saigon? To go home for Tet! The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in Vietnam, and this is the time to spend with friends and family. HCMC is Vietnam's economic capital, and I get the sense that a significant percentage of its residents have come here to work, study, or make a better life for themselves in some other way. That is certainly why I am here...It feels like the heart of the Vietnamese people is in the countryside, and this is the week where people head out of the city.
Following the crowd, I am headed north to explore Hanoi and its environs while Saigon sleeps for the next week. Life in this city is busy and loud, and I am looking forward to some time in the countryside...
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January 18, 2009
The Dollar and the Dong
Coming soon...The saga of the relationship between the Vietnamese and American currencies. It is too late on Sunday night to think about that one...
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January 12, 2009
Winter in Vietnam
The air was actually cold enough to make me shiver a few times as I rode my motobike to work this morning. While Saigon is usually balmy and humid, yesterday's low was a cool 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit). Today, plenty of locals are wearing parkas and jackets that are suitable for snowy weather...
To me, this street scene looks more like the European Alps than Indochina. Believe it or not, these pine trees and chalet-style buildings are a mere 300km from perpetually muggy Saigon, in the mountain town of Dalat. I had a few days off during the New Year Holiday, and took the bus up to this mountain town. In short, the local red wine is surprisingly tasty, and the terrain and temperature are perfect for mountain biking.
And an interesting fact from the Lonely Planet - Supposedly, Dalat was one of the few places untouched by the "American War." Apparently, officers from the South and North both liked vacationing in their Dalat villas too much to bring the fighting to the area...
And I forgot how much I do not like the cold...I signed up for a canyoning adventure tour for one of my days in Dalat. I repelled down the first few (dry) cliff faces. However, after swimming in the cold river and shivering in the air outside, I could not bring myself to get back in and repel down the waterfalls. Here is a female college student from Singapore being much tougher than I am...Not that there is any reason that she shouldn't be...
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January 11, 2009
PiA Connection
One of the best things about PiA is the network of fellows across Asia. There are over 150 of us, and while we might not all know each other, the unspoken agreement seems to be that as a PiA fellow, your couch is always open for other fellows to crash on when they are passing through your area. That means that I have friends in seventeen countries in Asia, everywhere from major cities like Shanghai and Tokyo to less traveled areas including East Timor and Mongolia.
So far, I have had the pleasure of spending time with about ten fellows who have passed through Saigon. Here is a photo of me with Taylor and Bea who are teaching on PiA in Singapore. I have not yet taken the opportunity to crash on PiA couches - been having so much fun here that I have not felt motivated to travel. Looking ahead, I am planning to make visits to China and Thailand soon...
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January 6, 2009
What Are You Looking At?
Sometimes I feel like everyone is watching me here in Vietnam. It probably sounds pretentious to think that I am so interesting that people would actually care about what I am doing, but given how I stick out here, I think it is a safe bet that most people do a doubletake when I pass them walking down the street - especially outside the main streets like Dong Khoi and the backapcker area around Pham Ngu Lao.
I just returned from my lunch break, and spent the first half hour eating my grilled pork, rice, and veggie soup in front of my office. It felt like every person who walked by was checking me and my lunch out. One guy even came up to me and asked how much it cost. As a sort of scientific experiment, I tried to keep my face down in my food and then quickly look up at people around me. When I did this to a group of schoolgirls, they giggled and scurried away as soon as I made eye contact with them.
If I were in their position, I would probably be interested in the foreigner and his habits, at least for a little while. To be fair, I spend plenty of time watching the people around me here in Saigon, trying to better understand Vietnam's culture and national psyche. In many parts of the US, a Vietnamese person would probably be just as interesting to the average American - and might feel as out of place as I sometimes do here.
It is strange how I feel anger and frustration arise when people are looking at me. However, I try to let it go because I know that the best response is to make eye contact and smile at people. I know that it will be tough to go back to the US where I will more or less fit in. Being normal is no fun...
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