- Thursday
- Visited some more with the students at the college. Received more gifts and free candy. I seriously will not need to purchase any souvenirs will here because of those students.
- Ended up eating lunch with the Drexlers again because everyone left me while I was using the bathroom. They ordered me an egg sand which and regaled me with tales of Asia terms past.
- For our afternoon field trip we visited one of the most famous pottery villages around Hanoi. We all tried to make something using a potter's wheel. Some of us succeeded. I was one of those people. For once I knew what it was like to be acceptable at art. While the creations were kilned (I really do not remember the proper word at the moment) our guides took us around the village (to a market, a 'gallery' and to the edge of the Red River. Slightly disappointed it was not actually red).
- Then came the painting of the pottery. For those who had something to paint. I was again allowed into this elite group once again. Turns out I created one of the most interesting works there. I was originally going to make it all black but then I added a red stripe. Then some lime green. A line of purple around the bottom of the pot. Then it was perfect. Too bad it will probably fall apart before we get back to Thailand.
- Barbara's leaving for home next week when we leave for Cambodia so we ate at the Indian restaurant one last time for a good-bye party. Found out they have lamb korma on the menu. It was a good meal, very sad to see her go since Drexler will have no adults to be with.
- Realized at dinner that I needed a host gift for the next day. The Winos were off on a hunt for flowers. Thanks to my excellent directions we found this random shop. We all bought the same bouquet and then he let three of them tie their own ribbons on. Dissatisfied with their work, he redid them. The whole time he was taking pictures of us and even took one as we were walking away
- Friday
- Tried to wake up bright and early so I could finish packing for our host stay. Instead, I woke up twenty minutes before we were supposed to be downstairs. And the guides were early. Insert potty mouth word here.
- Our field trip today was to see Ho Chi Minh's (Thanks American education for not teaching me about this guy) mausoleum, houses, and museum. The body is there but people are only allowed to see it on the weekend and they need permission to do so. The entire area around his houses were covered in trees because he wanted his people to breath cleaner air. Whenever he visited somewhere he would plant a tree there.
- There is an entire museum dedicated to him and trust me when I say it blew most American museums away. It was a mix of modern art and history and visually stunning. My pictures barely begin to capture it. One of the hard moments was when there was a plaque talking about the destruction to the North caused by the invading Americans. A new experience being put in the bad-guy position.
- We were taken to a 'restaurant' by our guides. We went down a long, dark, creepy corridor, up some steps and into this family's living room which was filled with mini tables and chairs for customers to eat at. It was a new experience all around but not a very comfy one. The food they served looked like a crispy omelet (the folded in half ones, not the log looking ones) with bean spouts and some meat stuffed in between. Then we were given bowls full of greens and finally rice paper. Turns out you mixed all of these ingredients and made them into a spring roll. The bad thing was that the meat was actually prawns. Stopped my appetite (which was rather large since missing breakfast and walking around all morning) right in it's tracks. Then they brought out some brown hot dog looking things on sticks which replaced the crispy omelet. This was fishy (literally) so one bite and done.
- Had extra time before class so Deanna, Karen, and I went back to the strange dessert place from a few days ago. Tried something else, still delicious. Had to take it to go instead because the place was so hopping.
- A stressful lesson today. I really don't know how to explain what I learned but I ended up asking more questions than normal (which is a lot) and eventually Drexler had to explain multiple Vietnamese grammar points that make zero sense.
- Went home with our host students today for our home stay. But first, my student and I had to pick up groceries for Sunday's meal. She took me to their version of Costco, but it wasn't as big. Picked up everything for Mac and Cheese and Smores. Hopefully we won't run out of ingredients.
- First time riding on a moped. In the crazy traffic that is Hanoi. With a super heavy back pack on and groceries. Never been more scared in my life.
- My family seems very nice. They are going to make me gain 50 pounds before I leave here between the giant feasts at every meal and the massive amounts of sugar they keep around the house (I will never miss ice cream while I am here). They have a dog who hates girls between 19-25 and strangers. Not going to try with that one. Then there's a cat who seems scared of everything but has a love affair with shoes. They served me calf meat (I don't remember the correct name for it) for dinner.
Picture Count: 38
No comments:
Post a Comment