From One City to the Next…

Sin Chao to all! I just wanted to write a quick update because tomorrow we leave for an excursion to Dalat in central Vietnam for about a week, and I'm not going to have my computer let alone internet access while I am away, so I figured I would write a quick update now! I have so much to say since I last posted, but for the sake of time, I'm going to be super brief.

Yesterday was a very rainy day here. I honestly think that the expression, "it's raining cats and dogs" was invented in this country. When it rains, it really rains. And keeps raining. And even when you think it is breaking, it isn't, it's just your optimism getting in the way! It was really nice actually to run yesterday morning in the rain because it was significantly cooler and as strange as it is given the rain levels here, no Vietnamese people run in the rain. The track was completely empty minus us American runners, so it was quite a treat. My Ipod somehow managed to be on the "R" songs, so by chance I listened to the Counting Crows song, "Rain King" and the Akon song, "The Rain." I love coincidences like those.

Classes have kind of gotten into full swing here, as the last week we have had our 3 hour intensive Vietnamese language class in the mornings, with a break and then a Culture and Development seminar in the afternoon. The Vietnamese professor is good, but the language is literally next to impossible, so by hour 3, EVERYONE is ready to get out of class. The benches made for people about 4 feet tall don't help either! I've never felt as tall as I do in this country in my entire life. Despite making my Vietnamese lessons uncomfortable because of the small benches, I sort of like this feeling! The afternoon seminars are quite interesting - we have visiting professors from different departments and areas of research. The first day our lecture was about Vietnamese culture. We had one about more historical issues in VN, and then one on the economic issues here, which I found the most interesting. We learned a bit about the inflation problems resurfacing here and were exposed to many statistics that make you just want to take out your wallet and just give everything you have to people here (not that my wallet could be of much assistance, but you get the idea). One statistic for example: it would take 50 years for one Vietnamese person in to make what the average American makes in one year (keep in mind that this is the AVERAGE American salary, which IS only $35,000 a year. An average Vietnamese person makes $800 a year). 50 years! And that is assuming that the US average income remains the same during these 50 years, which is just not realistic at all. Getting that perspective was truly shocking to me.

In terms of nightlife here, we've started to get a taste of it as well. We went to the backpacking district a few times, where we have found many foreigners and "couch hoppers" as they are called. The scene was interesting and fun, but I am glad we are not living in that area. Last night we also went to this Czech beer garden a few blocks from here, which was fun as well.

Tomorrow we are headed to Dalat, where we will have our first home stay, have a seminar on Higher Education in Vietnam, visit the Thuyen Vien Truc Lam Pagoda, discuss Zen mediation with a monk there, visit a coffee and tea producing factory, have a seminar about Tea Culture and writing calligraphy in Dalat, visit to a job-training center for the disabled, and much, much more. We will also trek to the peak of the Langbian mountains with members of the Lat ethnic group, and have dinner and a cultural exchange with the Lat ethnic community. It looks like a full itinerary as usual, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm sorry this post is so short and more informative than reflective, but I promise to have lots to say (and may pictures) when I return on the 15^th.

I had my first street food consumption today and it was delicious! I feel fine too, so all is well!