Work, Work, and Work

I work for my aunts company like I mentioned earlier and I work here at the house, the bottom two floors are offices. I work every week day from eight to five doing multiple things. Right now I'm working on redoing her website, facebook, and all social media. I was also working on designs for five pillows that will be used in her show room. These pillow are now sent to a fabric store near downtown to be made and they turned out really good! It's cool to see a design all the way to the finish product.

I'm also helping with the designs for pillows that will be embroidered by the hill tribe women. That is why I went to Sapa to give them the designs and see how they make these pillows. Hopefully we can get the pillows back soon, but it is in the middle of harvest so hopefully in the future.

 We started organizing and designing her showrooms for when customers come and see all the latest trends we are starting in the years to come. We gave the front entrance of my aunt's place a makeover and we have finished! The front door is now bright red and we will get new plants. I'm realizing that I really love to be outdoors (nothing new) and thinking of doing something with horticulture with whatever my future career will be. But then again I can’t decide anything in my life!

I love the old French shutters that we put outside with plants hanging off of them. It’s funny because Vietnamese people would be like "why are you keeping old wood?" but to us they are rustic! We put in grass, many different plants, and cleaned up the ivy that was over growing.

These past few days I have been photographing all the new samples and artifacts that need to be sent to customers or to be shown on the websites.

We have all been busy because of the multiple customers that are coming to Asia.

I have learned so much about how home good products are made and how much work goes into each piece. My aunt said this is a detailed business and she is very correct! It's interesting to see everything - from the factories where they build and paint the products, to the shipment details. There are so many steps and a lot of people involved. It has been a great experience to be here and to be able to work overseas.

White, blonde, and blue eyed

It's weird being a minority here when so far in my life, I have been in the majority. I have to say that my high school and hometown in Naperville are very diverse, but it's still weird to stand out so much, even a month into my stay.

While I was walking around the old quarters this guy was following me and pointing to my shoes over and over again, I didn't understand him at all. He then reached down and took off my sandal...started to put glue on it. It was the weirdest thing but he just wanted money for his "service". I was like no! and grabbed my shoe back.

People in public are always coming up to me and trying to sell me food or anything! I bet these people would succeed in sales! Maybe I'll recruit a few of them. I do think it's nice that the people are very friendly and that I can try to communicate with them to learn more about the culture here.

One thing that is very different here is that people just openly stare. I'm a foreigner with blonde hair, so I really stick out. Anytime I go in public it's like I'm a runaway, and people stare me down from my head to my toes. It something that I don't think I will get used to, and it has made me be less friendly to strangers. I'm use to saying hello and smiling to every person I come in contact with from my past job experience. And now, I have to hold back since it causes more problems for me!

I was talking to one girl who came to church and she was asking me about America and the culture there. I found one of her questions very interesting.  She asked "how do you know when walking down a street in America if someone is a foreigner?" I didn't know what to say to her because it's something I have never had to think about. Here you really can tell a foreigner from their race or what they wear.  America is full of some many cultures and ethnicities that there is no way to know if someone is a foreigner unless you hear them speaking a foreign language.  My answer to her was you just ask them, then you know!

Praticing English

My aunt and I went to a little shop in downtown Hanoi to get some clothes made. She is getting me a dress for my birthday and it’s going to be gorgeous! I'm very excited to see how it turns out! We also ate at an Italian restaurant that is owned by three men from Italy. Their food was to die for! We had pizza and a calzone -  it’s a must if you come to Hanoi.

The following weekend, I walked around Hanoi for a bit in the old quarters enjoying all the old buildings and the small streets. I was so sad that I forgot my camera but I will get some good pictures next time! I walked around Turtle Lake and I couldn't go ten steps without someone coming up to me. There were a lot of school students asking foreigners questions so they could practice their English. I thought it was fun to talk to them and I was able to ask them some question in return. There was one creepy guy who came up to me that was like trying to be cool by swearing...he was a little weird. We started talking on the sidewalk and I kept on trying to keep distance between us and by the end of the conversation I was in the road. There is going to be a Ted talk here in Hanoi with 20 different speakers. I love Ted Talks so of course I got interviewed!  I found the video that I am in, so check it out on my facebook page! Here is the link, https://www.facebook.com/annemarie.collins.18

A girl named TU came up to me and we ended up talking for two hours, of course she was practicing her English. She was super nice and answered a lot of my questions about the culture here and about the college she attends. Also she bought me ice cream:) She goes to school two hours away and lives in a dorm there because she is from the country. Most of the young people I know who are in school or working still live with their parents. It is mostly because the cost of getting your own place is too expensive. I'm glad that I'm able to go across the country to school to have my freedom.

Guess what I ate!

This past weekend was filled with a lot of fun with some of the members from the church. On Saturday I had the opportunity to go out with Thang and the bishop of my branch. We went down to the old quarter to eat dog meat. Now I know that a lot of foreigners are like "I will never eat dog meat!" In America dogs are sweet pets and not food. I understand that completely with having my own dog at home. But it was an experience I had to have to experience the culture in Vietnam! I feel like I really need to accept everything the culture has to offer while I’m here. We drove up to the restaurant and there in a case was a dog all grilled up. It was black and just sitting there. I couldn't make myself look at it, it looked very different from the chickens or pigs outside in the streets. I ate so many new foods today...very adventurous! I had dog cooked two ways steamed and grilled. The steamed looked just like chicken and tasted just okay. I really liked the grilled meat the best even though it was a little bit chewy. They taught me that you can eat it by rapping the meat in a leaf to make it taste better.

The Vietnamese eat the meat with the fat attached to the meat which is something that I'm not used to at all. Because it's so fatty they eat pieces of ginger, leaves, and this other type of vegetable to keep yourself from getting full. And you can eat more food!

They gave me one food that was pieces of dog meat, peanuts, and it was rapped like sushi in the stomach lining. I'm writing this and can't believe that I ate that - haha - but I did! It really didn't taste bad. The one thing about dog is that you eat this meat with a special sauce that has shrimp in it. It has a very strong smell to it and is purple. You can’t have this meat without having that sauce especially for dog meat.

I feel like eating dog meat is just like eating a chicken. People have chickens as pets yet we still eat them. I learned so much about the culture and the food that I wish I could remember it all. They both told me so much I just want to record and take as many photos as possible.

Later that night I went out again with a few young adults and the bishop family. He has the cutest little four year old and a wonderful wife! We walked around in the rain down to the night market in the old quarters. It was fun to learn from the people who live here about their insights and places they go. They showed me where people sell and eat many different snails...this will be this week’s adventure! I was shown what eel and little baby ducks that are just cooked are like; I have a picture below. We then ate ligament...seriously I don't know what came over me to try all these new foods! Honestly it was pretty good and is one of my favorites so far. Ligament is very chewy and is served with a type of jerky, noodle, and peanuts.

Good eats

AHHH the food here is amazing! Or at least all the Vietnamese food that I have had so far! Everyday I at least have it for lunch. It seems to me they always have rice noodles, lettuce, pork, and cooked peanuts.

The picture below is a beef, lettuce, and shrimp dish. It's little baby shrimp! This was seriously delicious - especially the shrimp because they are crunchy. The maid makes really good Vietnamese food, I would say better than some of the restaurants I have been to so far.

The pictures below are all from a restaurant my aunt and I went to.  They served us a set course meal. They had a spring roll with a hand carved carrot flower! They serve everything with lettuce which is great because it's one of my favorite vegetables. The second picture is a Vietnamese pancake; it has meat and crispy onions on top. The rice wrap is Hanoi fish, lettuce, carrot strips, and other vegetables. And finally I was able to have Pho, which is the main soup that they serve here in the mornings and it was amazing! But my favorite Vietnamese food is bun cha, which consists of beef patties and rice noodles. When you're eating Vietnamese food, you have to get the vegetable, meat, and rice all together in one bite.

Below is a type of fried egg like an omelet. It has meat on the inside surrounded by egg. This was really good and is the closest to American food that I have found  here. The other picture is of the layout of a typical meal I have for lunch everyday. One thing I do love is that for a lot of meals they have home cooked peanuts that are salted. It's to die for! Lets just say I've been much more adventurous with food now then ever before in my life!     

I haven't really eaten anything weird yet... I guess I'm not that adventurous! But I do see on the streets chicken feet; they eat every part of the animal here. It's also hard because I don't want to get sick from the street food here because they go fishing in the dirty lakes and the water is questionable.  

Tourist

A few Saturdays ago I was a tourist for the day in the city where I live! It was so much fun and the highlight of my week! I made a lunch for a picnic by the beautiful lake that is downtown. It reminds me of downtown Naperville or the river walk because of all the restaurants and activities. I then walked over to the Hanoi Hilton (the Prison which was used by the French to imprison the Vietnamese during the French War). I started talking to this girl from England who was backpacking throughout Vietnam and we went through the museum together, which was fun! It was really cool to go through, but the wording in the museum was all hinting toward how bad and awful the French were and nothing bad at all about the Vietnamese. It really was amazing the conditions they kept those people in.

I then went to this old Catholic church in the old quarters of the town. It's called St. Josephs Cathedral, the oldest church in Hanoi. It's beautiful with its stained glass windows and the old stone in the inside and outside. Inside they had old monk like music - haha. I'm not sure what to call it but it was very nice. I started talking to this girl from Bangkok who was also traveling in Hanoi for the day alone, so we went through the church together and started talking. She became my friend for the day! We walked around the old quarters together then to the huge fabric and food market. It was a lot of fun to go around the city with someone and to talk to someone to spoke good English! She was teaching in Thailand for the past year and has traveled all over! I want to do that!

At night time their is a beautiful atmosphere around the Hoan Kiem Lake. They have fun games and street performers singing. One of the two islands in the lake is the home of a famous temple which is beautiful. It's also known for its bright red bridge that connects both land masses. I got some great pictures of it!

Motor Bike Adventures - Part Two

Two days after I drove a motor bike for the first time on the crazy streets of Hanoi (and basically failed), I, of course, got on it again. It was a lot easier the second time because my aunt let me take her bike out for a few runs down our street to practice.  But driving down an empty street is nothing like being put into the insane traffic in Hanoi!

Thang (one of my YSA friends) came and picked me up to take me to the English Class at the church, and guess who drove basically the entire time -- This girl! It was so much fun and nerve-racking at the same time! I can't believe that he would let me drive his bike after the first time and practically crashing it, but I guess he must trust me...hopefully not a mistake. The people here make driving a motor bike look so easy, but the bike is actually very unsteady. It is also heavy, so if you have to stop you have to put your feet down on the road to steady yourself. I did very well - especially because it was mostly going straight the entire time. I even got on the highway -- ahh! It was so much fun! He even let me drive home! The intersections are the worst because everyone just goes for it. It's weird how this system of no organization actually works over here, but it really is their lifestyle. I feel like I'm getting the hang of it -- so I'm much closer to being Vietnamese!

Check out the video of me driving! I was wearing a helmet this time -- don't worry!  You have to watch the entire video to understand how crazy the roads are here and to see me go through an intersection.

Watch it here!

https://www.facebook.com/annemarie.collins.18/videos/1464910963520115/

After teaching English (which was way fun! I got to teach part of the lesson this week!) the YSA's went out to eat. We went to a place by the church. It is basically a Jamba Juice. It was a lot of fun to get to know them better and to hangout with people my own age. If I were to miss one thing, it would be Mexican food and my friends. Oops - that was two! But the YSA's really have been so welcoming! 

Sundays here in Nam

These past three Sundays that I have been here we have gone to church, and then had people over for lunch afterwards. It has been great to get to know more of the church members and other people who are visiting Hanoi. My first Sunday here, we had everyone in our small branch over, which consists of around 20 people. We had delicious hamburgers and great company.  It was nice to meet and be able to learn more about everyone. We have such amazing people and couples here. I really am learning how to become friends with people fast because I'm only here for a short period of time.

We had a family over from Utah, and they are awesome! They have been here for about eight months because of her job as a school administrator. And they are a lot of fun and love Disneyland so we are already friends. They also brought with them a young couple who is traveling around Hanoi.  I guess this couple's hotel fell through, so they are staying with them. They were super nice and it was fun to hear all about their travels. We had a lot of fun with them! I think it would be cool to travel around with a friend for a month to one country to really get to know it as much as possible.

This past week we had over the missionaries and two women for dinner. One girl runs a school here for disabled kids. She is 29, married, has two boys, runs a school and is getting her masters degree. Talk about being busy! Her family doesn't fully support her career decision in running this school. Some think that if she is with these disabled kids then she might pick up their disabilities. She is investigating the church but it is hard for her because of her husband and the culture here. It was really interesting to hear her talk about how much of an influence the government and years of culture has on her. A lot of people don't believe in God and it's looked down upon.  I really like her and the friend she brought. We are going to visit her school this week on Friday and I'm excited to see it!

Here are some photos from downtown Hanoi!

Called to serve

I was called, or asked to be the Young Single Adult (YSA) leader over all three branches in our church here in Hanoi.  I think they are very grateful to have me to be an example of how YSA programs are run in the states, and to help organize it since I'm basically starting from scratch with everything.  This one man at church said that this is like my own little mini mission...yeah it really is.

We had our first YSA Family Home Evening (FHE) last week and only two people showed up! It was the two active young men from my branch, and then the elders came later also. But it turned out to be a lot of fun! We started with a prayer, then a short lesson on weaknesses, played the ninja game (they loved it!), and had a treat. Very simple and sweet. I have to admit that I was discouraged by how few people showed up. It's going to get better when friends start coming and more people hear about it. I'm very excited to meet all the young adults here!

Today we had another Family Home Evening (every Monday night is FHE) and we had a lot of people show up -- a total of 20! It was a great turn out and a lot of fun! We had two set of missionaries that brought investigators to meet other young adults. These young adults are amazing and are so driven. I gave a lesson on what and why we have FHE and they were all so engaged and really wanted to learn what I was teaching. The church really is growing here. It really was so great to have so many people show up and help make my calling so worth while. There is something about this program that these people really need.

If you have any ideas for activities please comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Funny story time! I got a ride home from one of the young men who came to FHE and he asked if I wanted to drive his motorcycle. Uhhh yes please! Can check it off my bucket list here?! Okay it's very hard...nothing like I've ever driven before. The guy didn't really explain how to drive it, so I just went for it and ended up on the left side of the road -- hahaha what a mess. Once I got up to speed it was a lot easier and I was doing pretty well. Let me just tell you that it's very easy to go straight but turns are a little bit more difficult...soo I might of almost basically ran over this bicyclist.  Hahaha -- so embarrassing! He was totally fine and the bike is fine too. I can't believe that this guy still wanted me to drive -- I did not. I let him take over for the safety of us both. I will keep you updated on my motor bike skills and how I'm going to become a pro.  (Don't worry Mormor and Mom -- I was wearing a helmet!)

I don't have any pictures from my FHE nights, so here are so random ones I have.  They are actually all from Sapa! Love it there!

Sapa, prettiest place on earth

 The people here are simple. They have their farms, and that's their life. As I was seeing into people homes and seeing the children chasing cows and dogs, I couldn't help but envy them for how simple their life is. You are probably like uhh what, why? They have so much to worry about and so do we in the first world countries, but I'm not sure how to describe what I felt. Is it possible to envy and feel sorry for someone at the same time? I really don't think my mind can comprehend the poverty and lifestyle that I saw today. Most of them can't read or write. The parents mostly work on the farms and the kids help, go to school, or sell goods in Sapa. I wouldn't survive a day in their life because of the living conditions. I like my flushing toliets, clean water, sanitation, and an enclosed home. This trip has made me very humble and grateful for the home that I grew up in. It also made me think how big this world is that there are so many different places all on the same planet.

These people who live on the mountains and live in the valleys are probably never going to leave their home. Here I am, who can travel all over the world and have a glimpse into their lives. I'm very grateful to live in America and to be born into my family.

As we were driving along the rivers or streams, it was sad to see the litter and garbage and to think that they are drinking this water and using it for so much more.  Many kids were playing in the water and drinking it! I can't believe that there was so much litter, and no one bothers to pick it up.  A gutter system is put into place along the side of the road, but it's full of garbage and animal poop. A lot of animals will be in there eating from it. They also have cows, goats, and horses grazing the land and walking on the road. It was pretty cool!

The lifestyle here is so different! Every person in the home works. If its on the farm or selling food or products. I saw very old women who will walk for miles with a basket on their back. One lady had her face down to her chin and it looked like she was walking and sleeping at the same time! The women here will get married so young, 12-15 years old, and will have children within a year of getting married. They will also have seven to eight kids with only a year apart in their ages. They will have no education past primary school. The older children will help with the farm. Some children don't want to go to school because someone has to take care of their younger siblings so they will carry them on their back to school or will sell their handmade products to foreigners. I bought a bracelet from a little girl that had her younger brother strapped to her back. It was heart breaking that these little kids are being used to have people buy their goods from them. They should be playing or in school.

I feel like in America you have as many kids as you are able to provide for and can handle. But these people have so many that alot times they are only able to give their kids rice for dinner without chicken. They haven't progressed into thinking like a lot of people in the world.  

The women who we brought the fabric for the pillows to, live at the very bottom of the valley. That is her house below. Her house was a little bit smaller then a two car garage. It was a shack. It really was amazing that the home had dusty floors and it wasn't all closed up with walls. They had a curtain that closed off their bed, but the house had many chickens running around. They would just be going all over the house. It amazed me on how little these people live with and the amenities they lived under. Time really has stopped here. They have kept doing the same things over the past hundred years while most of the world has evolved. The Saps women were very nice and was really beautiful.

The night life in Sapa was a lot of fun! It was perfect weather to walk around the town. There is a big lake in the center of town which reflects all the electric signs on the hotels. There is an old church that is quite beautiful. There were many Hmoung women in Sapa that I got good pictures of! There was a foreign couple who was very distressed about a little Hmoung boy, who was not even two years old, was left on the side of the street. We went up to him where he was sitting on a cloth with bracelets on it. We then gave him some crackers (which I guess is one of the rules to not to feed them) and played with him. He was super cute!

On the second day we started our morning early and called the same guys who drove us the day before. We did that two hour drive again but it was even more beautiful in the morning. The colors of the trees and rice fields were very vibrant. It really looked like a painting. As we made our way down, one of the bikes got a flat tire so a third of the way we had three people on one bike!

We then met the four Sapa women who are creating our pillows. We then went over each design with them to make sure they understood what exactly we wanted. They were all super nice and very friendly. We were hoping to get the pillows done pretty fast but each women brings a pattern home to work on. It's farming time there so the women don't have that much time on their hands and they have to be a mother too. The women in charge also had just gotten in a bike accident the day before we got there.

The children here are so cute! Some wear the traditional clothes while others wear just regular kid clothes. Whenever we passed them they would wave and say hello. There was one child who waved and said "hellooo, whats up!". It was funny because most of the kids were very timid, but respectful. I also found my way into one of the kindergarden schools down in the valley. They were singing a song when I walked up. All of the kids stood up, said hello and smiled. I don't think the teachers were happy, since I disrupted their class. Most foreigners do not wander that far into the valley, and stay no more than an hour out of Sapa. They were all getting out of school while we were riding and it was the cutest thing to see the kids with their backpacks, little buckets, or just holding their school papers. Two boys had their arms around each other while walking, it was adorable. These girls were holding hands while running home! The children there are just precious.

As we were driving,  I saw these boys picking out a snake like fish out of the water into these big water bottles. It was pretty gross!  The women here have wraps where they hold their child. I feel like I couldn't go anywhere in this place without seeing a child, they have a lot of them here! There was a little boy that was just running down the street with no pants on! Along the side of the street they would sell meat that would be sitting in the sun and have a ton of flies around it.

I envy the people who live there because they get to see the spectacular views every day of their life. It's simply stunning! I wish I could just stay up there and just explore every part of this place.

There is a food market here and that was an experience! I have never seen so much raw meat in one place. They had full chickens just with no feathers. They eat every part of this animal here except the feathers. There were snails, caterpillars, all types of fish, and so much more. It was cool but disgusting  at the same time.

When we got back from our drive we walked around the lake and a Hmoung women joined us. Her name is Mama something, I wish I could remember! But she was so sweet! She is 48 years old and has seven children, her oldest is age 27 now. She has been walking up the mountain ever since she was a little girl to sell the handmade and silver bracelets she makes her self. Homesteads here are where foreigners can go into of a Mhoung person's home and even sometimes stay the night. All of the people who had stayed with this woman had written down in a book their memories with her. It was cool to read all of the passages from people from all over the world.

Some tips I would give to people who are visiting Sapa would be:

1. Ride a motor bike at least part of the way down the mountain.
2. Go into the schools
3. Talk to the women there, some speak good English
4. Take a smaller bus or van up to Sapa, big busses tend to slid off the roads