First Impressions!

I arrived last Wednesday evening in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. I will be here until this Thursday morning, then I leave for Da Nang. Hanoi is really beautiful. Most of my days have been spent in orientation sessions learning about Vietnamese culture & customs, the language, and my work assignment. During the weekend, myself and another volunteer had the opportuntity to visit some of the attractions in Hanoi with 2 tourism students from the national university. They were excellent tour guides.

First Impressions.....

Immediately after leaving the airport you are emerged in the beauty and richness of the Vietnamese agriculture. With over 80% of the population living in rural areas and depending on agriculture for their livelihood, there are women working in rice paddies and cattle in fields just off the tarmac! It really is a beautiful site - the lush green paddies with a lone woman working tirelessly in her conical hat and long sleeve shirt to protect her skin.

Then seconds later you are on the middle of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oetF3UTIwbc&feature=related The traffic is incredible......although the streets are packed it doesn’t seem to stop...everyone finds their place and flows through...it is like live Pacman! So there aren't really an traffic jams and doesn't take long to get from point A to B. In addition, there seems it be an unannounced competition on how much stuff/how many people can fit on one scooter!


The Language

I have completed 6 hours of Vietnamese lessons – 9 vowels sounds each with 6 different pitches, most of which I can barely hear the difference. And of course the slightest difference in pitch has a completely different meaning!! For example, I had a history lesson from an old man named Ngoc, his name means ‘precious gem’ but when said at a different tone, it means ‘idiot’!!! On a positive note, the verbs do not have to be conjugated and each word only has one syllable so once I get the pitches down, it will be no problem....right:-)

The Food

I would say a good way to explain the food here so far is....fresh...and delicious! Most dishes come with fresh greens and rice in many forms – paper, noodles, sticky, and of course grains. Many varieties of fruits and the coffee is intense – I love it:-) Small street canteens serve their fare on small child size plastic chairs and tables.

Well, that is it for now....I will post again next week about my first week on the job and life in Da Nang.