I set up this blog the other day on one of the MCC office's computers. The office is located in a tight alleyway, squished on either side by thin 5 to 7 story houses and buildings. Each is painted and structured a bit different. The buildings are so close together that in some places it is possible to jump from one balcony to a neighbouring one. Thick tangled vines of power cables loom overhead. Some cables droop to the ground. Hanoi has probably hundreds of such alleyways. Some stretch back into ridiculously narrow labyrinths. A steady stream of mopeds whiz by constantly in many of these passages.
I've never been to a place where traffic has been dominated by mopeds. Riding on the back of mopeds in Hanoi has probably been one of my most enjoyable experiences so far. Every time I pull into traffic on a large street I join a congestion of mopeds. I feel as if I'm returning to a slow, ongoing moped race.
Bryn (the other SALTer) and I arrived Friday night. We spent Saturday resting and attended the international church on Sunday. The church is located in a hotel conference room. There were people there from North America, Hong Kong, Europe, and other places.
So far I've seen the Temple of Literature, the mummified body of Ho Chi Minh, and a museum featuring the different ethnic groups of Vietnam. The days have been a little slow and sometimes I'm restless for my experience to really take off. However, I remind myself that I have an entire year to have experiences.
I can't wait to meet my host family. I was supposed to meet them yesterday but the rain cancelled our plans. I will probably meet them sometime later this week.
