Getting Settled

Let's get to the basics! I have been here six days and at first, it was a culture shock!  This was especially true for the first two days, but now I feel like I have been here a long time. I just want to get to know all the people and what their life is like. I'm living with my aunt in her house that is located north of downtown or near West Lake. I also work in her house on the second floor. Last week I was introduced to the other employees that I will be working with for three months. They are all very nice and very good at their job.

Here are some pictures of my bedroom and the balcony that I have. I love having the balcony especially in the mornings when it's so busy. The maid, Sue, is very funny and speaks very little English so it's so hard to communicate.  I'm going to come back very spoiled because she makes my bed every morning, cleans my clothes, puts them away, and cooks. Can't get better service anywhere else!

Last Saturday a young man and his girlfriend from the church took me around downtown Hanoi to show me all the main sights. It was a blast! We first ate at what he thinks is the best Bun Chao, which consists of pork, rice noodles, lettuce, and a type of sweet broth. When you eat this you have to make sure to get the ingredients all in one bite. It's amazing! I do wish that I knew how to use chop sticks properly because I stink at it, and they all laugh at me. Hopefully by the end of April, I will be a pro! The restaurants, or even homes, don't have enough room inside to have tables so they have these little plastic tables and chairs. The Vietnamese have an affinity about being as close to the ground as possible.

Down town is breathtaking especially the Old Town with all of its old trees and French style homes. Some of the streets still follow their historical roots by what was sold there many years ago -- Silk Street, Steel Street and Wood Street. The roads are a lot narrower with the electric lines hanging in the open.

They also took me to this really cool, old yellow house which now consists of shops and homes. This place looks amazing and stands out from its surroundings because it is wider than most homes and they haven't remodeled the building. I also found this narrow ally way which led me into some people's living quarters.  There I found families that live in one small room, with 7-9 people living there all together. I find it all very interesting and sad that so many of the people here live like this.

We also went to a popular lake called Hoan Kiem Lake. It has shopping and activities that everyone can participate in mostly at night. It was a lot of fun to hear all the old tales of the trees, temples, and architecture around this part of the city. We mostly walked around the lake and enjoyed the games and fun atmosphere they had.

The New Year celebrations just ended, but the 2017 Year of the Rooster has just begun.  My newfriends were telling me of a Tet tradition where the Vietnamese will gather peach blossoms, a type of little pink flowers on a branch to put in their home where they let the petals fall off till the end of Tet. It's a symbol of prosperity and good fortune in the vividness of their colors, and the older generation believes in the power of peach blossoms to repel evil.