Tomorrow I will leave Vietnam, the place I've called home for he last eleven months. I feel like I should write a blog post before I leave, but truthfully I'm not quite sure what to talk about. I guess in these sorts of circumstances, it is easiest just to make a list of what I will and won't miss.
What I Won't Miss:
Cockroaches in My Room.
Although honestly, by the end of my stay here I had become cool with the roaches. One night I woke up to see a roach chilling by my bed. I was about to kill it, and then shrugged it off. It's just a bug. Besides, by this point I've eaten grasshoppers so hanging out with another type of bug is no big deal. So I guess scratch out "cockroaches" and put in "rats". Because, I'm not cool with rats yet.
Cool Young Moto Dudes.
These are the young motorbike drivers who never wear helmets, speed through traffic lights, and hold down their horns. Suffice to say, they irk me quite a bit. That being said, one time a cool young moto dude rode past me super fast. I automatically started getting angry until I realized that the guy was actually a good friend of mine. Life is different on the road.
Not Understanding Anything.
This is a double-edged sword. Sometimes it's cool not to understand anything because then you don't have to listen to other nearby people's conversation. But other times, it is of course very frustrating.
Riding Motorbikes:
Sometimes. Riding motorbikes can be great but sometimes when it's raining or cold, I wish I could take another mode of transportation. (OK, I could. But I'd rather not take the #3 bus to work)
Things I Will Miss:
The Food.
There is a great variety of awesome food in Vietnam. From pho to bun, nem to nem chua, thit cho to thit ran. I hope to try and make some Vietnamese food back in the states but I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to eat dog for awhile.
The Places:
Hanoi is great for a while. But there are tons of other great areas around Vietnam. Probably my favorite place to visit is still Cao Bang.
Riding Motorbikes:
Can be great fun a lot of the time.
Karaoke/Bia Hoi/Street Stalls/Cafes
Lots of Other Things I Can't Think of Right Now
And of course...
The People:
I can not even begin to touch on all the great experiences I've had with all the wonderful people I've met here in Vietnam. So I'll just leave you with a short video. Thank you to everyone who has supported me this last year. I hope to see you back in the states. And to everyone in Vietnam, thank you and I hope to see you in the future. Hen gap lai.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Hosting My Family
It's only about a week until I leave Vietnam and it's really starting to hit home that this great past year is coming to an end. But I'll save the introspective ending blog for another time because I still have to talk about this past month when my parents and aunt came to visit me here in Vietnam. I won't be delving too deep in all the emotions and observational aspects that occurred, mainly because I have a lot to cover and I'm also currently sick. Therefore, for the time being, I will just cover all the main things that happened.
The first weekend we visited Ha Long Bay, which is Northwest of Hanoi. The trip included a boat tour through amazing rock formations jutting out of the water. In the bay, there are many small floating houses where fishermen (and women) live. We also visited a cave which was pretty spectacular. The only downside was that there were tons of people walking through the cave so there was really no time to stop and look around. We stayed at Cat Ba City on Cat Ba Island. While the island itself was lush and green and pretty, the city was somewhat crowded and noisy. Note to future travelers: if you like peace and quiet, when coming to Ha Long Bay be sure to stay in one of the many little bungalows on the smaller islands.
The next week we flew to Cambodia to visit the Angkor ruins around Siem Reap. It was interesting to see the differences between Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia seemed much more small and quite. Of course, we were only at Siem Reap and just came from the second largest city in Vietnam. The ruins were--surprise!--also very spectacular.
However, while the ruins were very cool, after seeing them for a couple days I got kind of ruined out. I was glad when on the last day we did a change of pace and visited a floating village. All the village houses were on stilts because every year the lake nearby floods and the villages become like the houses we saw in Ha Long Bay. Also, the day before we had visited a museum that showed the deadly affects of the landmines used during the era when the Khmer Rouge were in power.
But the best part of the trip was going out for dinner with my family and my friends and host family. I let my aunt take all the pictures for those occasions, so once I get them from her I will have them posted.
All in all, it was a great time and I enjoyed being the tour guide for my family in Hanoi.
The first weekend we visited Ha Long Bay, which is Northwest of Hanoi. The trip included a boat tour through amazing rock formations jutting out of the water. In the bay, there are many small floating houses where fishermen (and women) live. We also visited a cave which was pretty spectacular. The only downside was that there were tons of people walking through the cave so there was really no time to stop and look around. We stayed at Cat Ba City on Cat Ba Island. While the island itself was lush and green and pretty, the city was somewhat crowded and noisy. Note to future travelers: if you like peace and quiet, when coming to Ha Long Bay be sure to stay in one of the many little bungalows on the smaller islands.
The next week we flew to Cambodia to visit the Angkor ruins around Siem Reap. It was interesting to see the differences between Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia seemed much more small and quite. Of course, we were only at Siem Reap and just came from the second largest city in Vietnam. The ruins were--surprise!--also very spectacular.
However, while the ruins were very cool, after seeing them for a couple days I got kind of ruined out. I was glad when on the last day we did a change of pace and visited a floating village. All the village houses were on stilts because every year the lake nearby floods and the villages become like the houses we saw in Ha Long Bay. Also, the day before we had visited a museum that showed the deadly affects of the landmines used during the era when the Khmer Rouge were in power.
But the best part of the trip was going out for dinner with my family and my friends and host family. I let my aunt take all the pictures for those occasions, so once I get them from her I will have them posted.
All in all, it was a great time and I enjoyed being the tour guide for my family in Hanoi.
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