Sapa- 54 Ethnic Minorities

Okay, wow I feel like I have so much to tell all of you! I left for Sapa early on Wednesday morning from Hanoi. Sapa is the most popular place to travel in the northern, rural part of Vietnam. This is where 54 ethnic minorities live. The first map below is where Sapa is compared to Hanoi. The second is the area of Sapa and all the areas where you can trek.

The ride out to Sapa was beautiful and didn't feel like five hours long. We had a big van that took us with big comfortable seats. I traveled with my coworker Chi, and a couple from Canada who had come to church last Sunday, and who also came over for dinner. They are a lot of fun to travel with, and are video recording their travels in Vietnam. Check out their youtube channel at Halls channel .

The reason we were traveling to Sapa is because we are having some Sapa women embroider five pillows for us. Chi has told me that they are hard to work with because they are such simple minded people that if we try to get them to do anything that is different then what they have been doing for generations, then it's hard for them. Now seeing the way they live I can see why. These women are amazing, they hand embroider all of the fabric by hand and do it by counting each thread. It's mind blowing to me that they can do this.

Our five hour drive was a mix of rice fields and more rice fields. I was trying not to fall asleep to not miss seeing anything. I feel like I can't even describe how beautiful and amazing it is here. The rural part of Vietnam is very different from downtown Hanoi. It was really cool to see all of the bright green rice fields where the women and men wear the same pointed hats that you see in the movies. They rice fields are divided by mud and has stakes in them to keep it in place. When it started to get more hilly the rice fields were on terraces. They carve these out of the mountains with very limited tools. It's amazing. The homes are narrower here and consist of only one room houses. I have a lot of videos of this drive and lots of pictures!

We had a pit stop two hours into our drive and this place was like an outdoor store. I found it funny that you had to pay for toilet paper and to use the bathrooms. America has great public bathrooms! But there was one bathroom where there were just toilets with four feet tall cement dividers no stalls. Just go in front of everyone! All four of us then went on an adventure around back, and stopped fin front of someone's farm and home. We watched a women who was chopping down sugar cane, then up the hill alittle further, was a cow just staring at us. As we walked down the path, we came to this family's small home where a man was building a structure and a grandma was watching a small little boy. My coworker, Chi speaks Vietnamese which is such a blessing because she can fully communicate with anyone. She asked if we could take pictures and come to see the boy. He was adorable! He got his hands on a soccer ball, which of course, we played catch with. It was very cute and fun to see him smiling. What broke my heart is how these people treat a lot of the dogs here. There was a puppy a few weeks old that was so cute but they didn't treat it right at all. Just watch the video below...it broke my heart.

When we finally got to Sapa, it wasn't what I was expecting. But I'm not even sure what I was imagining. It has tall four-story buildings in the town with tons of restaurants. It has a beautiful lake that reflects all the multi colored lights from the hotels' lit up signs. When foreigners get off of the buses, the tribal women are picking who they want to sell to. They have on their traditional outfits and head dresses. They will be like "You buy from me, you pinky promise!" and if you do promise, they will remember you and will find you.

Chi and I then found two men to take us on motor bikes two hours down to the valley. IT WAS AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, AND BREATHTAKING. The amount of times I said wow and its beautiful is ridiculous! But the pictures I will show you, don't even do this place justice. I was just trying to take it all in. It was perfect weather, bright blue skies, and the sun was shining. I was in heaven being surrounded by all the greenery. It really is like a tropical rainforest here! Riding on the back of a motor bike is the way to see this place, not by taxi. You can see so much around you and smell all the smells this place has to offer. The roads were far from flat, so my butt is going to be sore for sure. The driver would get right up against the edge of the cliff and would drive fast around corners, it was a blast! I love riding motor bikes a little bit too much I think.  It was exhilarating to go through these windey roads going up to 50 miles per hour!

   

Opera house

I have the great opportunity to go to the opera house here in Hanoi. It's a replica of one of the two opera houses in Paris. This building is beautiful and huge! The theater it's self was three stories high with all the original dark wood and the old chairs. There was a huge chandelier in the dome like celling. I went with my aunt and some couples from the church. We had seat in one of the booths to the right side of the stage.

 The first part of the performance was an orchestra and a choir. It was a great show, I had forgotten what an actual symphony sounded like, its been so many years! The opera singers, if girls all wore exquisite gowns of all different colors and the choir in the back wore a traditional Vietnamese dresses or suit like attire. They played a lot of well known music. This night was special because they had bamboo instruments! I have a video and pictures of what they look like. The second part was a ballet, the performer  had talent but the story line was a little weird I thought. They had a guy wearing eight inch heels and dresses, just a little funky.

On the streets

I saw my first Vietnam rat! It was huge and disgusting! I tried to get a video of the things but it was moving way too fast. They really are huge, I couldn't believe it. I go on a walk or a bike ride every night to see more of Hanoi. This is a favorite part of the day to see the daily lifestyle here and to get to know strangers. It is a little weird how they will just stare at you and size you up because you're a foreigner. I don't understand this around where I live because there are plenty of foreigners in northern Hanoi. It just doesn't make sense to me. But it sucks in a way because I try to take sneaky pictures but you can't blend in at all. I stand out a little bit more with my light hair and eyes.  I just end of taking pictures of them and into their homes with them watching me.

This city never sleep, people are always on the streets getting ready for the next day. The streets are crazy then I think anywhere else in the world, from what I've heard from a lot of traveled people. Their are no traffic laws, no lanes for bicycles or motor bikes, street lights are sometimes turned off because no one follows them anyway. When you are trying to cross the street traffic doesn't stop for you they just move around you. So you just have to start walking in a slow and steady pace, it's kind of dangerous. I love riding motor bikes here because it's so exciting and such a fun way to see the city! I hope is to drive a motor bike at least once before I leave, we will see if it happens!

No speak Vietnamese

"Uhhhh, what did you say?" I feel like I've said this a million times this week!

Ever since the first day I arrived in Hanoi I have been dreadfully sick which has not been fun! Imagine jet lag, being sick, and placed in a whole new world. It was all very over whelming but from today I have started to feel much better! A few days ago I went out to get some medicine, so I walked down the street to the local "pharmacy" and the women didn't speak one word of English.  I have no idea what drugs I have been taking. I was in that store for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out a way to get the proper medicine, so I ended up using google translator with the lady.

I really wish I could speak to the people that I meet on the streets because I want to learn more about the culture and how these people live. The language barrier is a hard problem and I've only been here a week! I have been trying to pick up some of the language but understanding other people speak is the biggest issue. I guess google translator will be a very close friend for the next few weeks or months.

Here is a picture of West Lake that is a miles from my aunts home. There are bats all over the lake around dusk time, just flying all around you! Here is a video! Sorry that the format is weird! Also that is one of the many shrines they have all over the city, most places have one in the store or home. They really are beautiful!

Mormon Church in Vietnam

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint and the church is just getting established in Vietnam.  It was officially recognized by the Vietnam goverment last year.  I'm part of a branch of 14 people and it's only a two hour service instead of three. Last week I had the opportunity to go a baptism of a young adult women in Hanoi. They pulled out this portable tub that looked like a bag on wheels. It was such a great experience to see how happy she was and for everyone in the branch. They have a lot of missionaries in Hanoi compared to how many people are members here but they are all so great! I really like this one sister missionary who is from Idaho and she always has a smile on her face. It's also very nice to have Americans to talk to or people that you can fully understand! Hahaha it's kind of exhausting trying to understand Vietnamese's English all day.

Every Wednesday I help the missionaries teach English to anyone that wants to come. It was a lot of fun! We had different stations where they would practice writing, singing, and speaking in English. It was amazing to see how much they really wanted to learn English; no one was forcing them to participate. It was a very humbling experience to help them try to improve their English speaking abilities. I was at a station where we made valentine/thank you cards and its very hard because you have little kids to 30 year old adults. I found that sometimes the children are better at speaking English then the adults. I found out that English education is very hard because they will teach the kids somewhat how to write in English but don't practice speaking it here in public schools. This little boy who I had helped throughout the evening asked me to be his valentine, it was super cute! Below are some of the cards two girls wrote to me!

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.

Made it!

I made it to Hanoi safely! Japan Airlines is the sweetest airlines to travel on, seriously the ladies are amazing and their accent is the coolest. I sat next to this women from London, Canada and we spent the entire 22 hours traveling from Chicago to Hanoi together! It was a blast to get to know her and to have someone to travel with. I had the awesome opportunity to see my brothers sister, my aunt, at the Tokyo airport during my four hour layover. It was a great surprise! There is so much to tell you guys from my first three days here!

 My first impressions of Hanoi:  

1.French influence in the architecture: There is nothing quite like it, it's beautiful! All the buildings are built up here because land is scarce. They are mostly four to five story's tall and all in different colors.
2. It's beautiful, its so green here and the city life is very busy. Downtown they have planted trees everywhere and there are a lot of old trees here that go over the streets. Out in the rural the rice fields are gorgeous and very exotic looking. Also living close to downtown there it's pretty loud with all the bikes even very early in the morning.
3. Masks, everyone wears face masks when riding their motor bike. You always see people from Asian countries wearing masks to be healthier and now I understand why they wear them. All of the bikes and cars that are on the road produce a lot of gasses or the random fires on the side of the roads. The mask is there to help but instead of wearing an entire motorcycle helmet that covers the mouth they wear bicycle helmets.


Friday I rode on a motor bike for fours hours (there and back) to get to the lacquer factory outside of Hanoi. It's a small factory building that is connected to the family's house. This was such a cool experience to see the rural part of the country that a lot of people don't get to see when they visit. The drive out there took me through the downtown all the way through many different villages. The village is basically one big family and there were maybe 15 workers yesterday. The women who owns the factory was very nice even though I couldn't communicate with any of them. I'm seriously regretting that I didn't learn more then "hello" and "my name is" in Vietnamese. But I will continue to practice and learn more everyday! I did work in the factory for a little bit they taught me how to put gold and silver flakes onto paper that would be samples for our customer.

In the factory:
~They like to squat. This means when they work, go to the bathroom, or prepare meals they do it all in squatting position. They all worked on the floor sitting on little blocks that were a few inches from the floor. I sat in that position for 30 minutes while I was helping and it was painful.

~From what I have seen so far women play a bigger role in the business world here then men. Most of the time I would see women selling items on the side of the road, in the rice fields working, or doing any hard labor. The men play a different role in society here then in the United States. From what I could see from driving around they would come together on the streets to socialize, smoke, or drink together.

~Sanitation is not a thing here. The factory was in the same place as the kitchen and bathroom. I have been fully introduced to a squatty potty! All the fumes from the lacquer or the sanding process shared the same space as their maid was making lunch. I walked into the factory and the first thing this women does is dangle this live chicken in my face that has it's legs tied together for like a minute and she just has the hugest smile on her face. I saw that turkey go from alive to dead right in the middle of the factory. Let's just say I didn't eat that part of the meal.

~Something weird that stood out to me was that this younger girl who had a child was feeding him tea and some type of formula. She was feeding him tea to a month year old! In people's homes here they will go to a studio to have a picture taken but will pick out a background because there are no nice places to take picture here. One of the pictures in this home was their grandchild but in the background was a typical suburban home with bright green grass.

 

Internship with Mondoro

I leave for Hanoi , Vietnam today to work as an intern for my aunt, Anita Hummel. She has lived in Hanoi for about ten years and is the founder of Mondoro Company Ltd.  Mondoro designs and manufactures home furnishings for their customers. Check out her website to see more about what I will be working on these next three months. http://www.mondoro.com/about-us.html

Anita's apartment and office is located in northern Hanoi, near West Lake. I will be an intern until the end of April working with their website, showrooms, and a dinnerware set. Throughout this blog I will explain and take pictures of the projects I will be working on and the places I will be visiting. I will be traveling to the factories where they manufacture their products.

Anita also has a charity she runs called Project Sprouts.  Project Sprouts helps raise money for the poor village people in the mountains.  I plan on getting involved in this charity by helping organize and run a fundraiser where we will create the largest spring roll and break the Guiness World Record.  Keep posted for more details!   www.project-sprouts.com

I'm not very excited for my 13 hour flight to Tokyo, three hour delay, and a six hour flight to Hanoi. It's going to be a long next two days!  

Prep Work

No one tells you all that you have to prepare to go over seas for three months. No one tells you how many times you have to get poked with a needle. The million shots and medical papers that you will have to go through. I had to go through all this in the past three days and still going through it now. I'm four vaccines down, had my blood drawn, and one oral surgery. It might not look as bad written down but talking to someone who can't stand being in hospitals or doctor offices; this was a tough case to get over.

In Vietnam the major health concern is the diseases transmitted through bugs. The climate there doesn't get cold enough to kill off the mosquitos or other biting bugs. Malaria is a problem in more rural areas of the country.  The government there doesn't inforce health codes like the United States does, the street vendors don't always use fresh water or healthy food precautions. Hepatitis A and Typhoid is given through contaminated food or water no matter where you are traveling in Vietnam. Traveling diarrhea is a problem for travelers especially to third world countries. You have to be careful about food that has been sitting or that is not boiling and the water quality.

Here are a few fun facts about Vietnam:

1. Lizard fishing is one of the most popular pass-times in Vietnam.

2. Vietnam has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Third World

3. In Vietnamese schools, instead of bells, gongs are used to call children.

4. Although Vietnam is a developing country, it has a literacy rate of 94%.

5. An estimated ten million motor bikes travel on the roads of Vietnam every day.

6. Ruou ran (snake wine), a Vietnamese specialty of rice wine with a pickled snake inside, allegedly can cure any sickness.

7. The Vietnamese keep potbelly pigs as pets.

8. The Vietnamese language has six different tones. A change in tone changes the meaning of the word. This makes their language somewhat difficult to learn.

9. Vietnamese food is a blend of Chinese and Thai styles and is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world with its combination of fresh ingredients like fresh herbs, seafoods, fruits and vegetables along with fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce and rice.

10. The Vietnam war is the longest war in history.

Something New

Here's to trying something new this year. Instead of following the norm to get through college as fast as possible to work for the rest of my life, this year I will be traveling to many different and new places. I'm starting this blog so I can remember all that I will be doing this year and to share with you what it's like to visit and/or live in these places. The year 2017 has already been rewarding in my travels and its only the end of January. I came across this quote and fell in love with it! It describes my feelings so well, I want to be part of it and see it all!

A little background on myself.  I grew up in Naperville, Illinois and am currently enrolled in my sophomore year of college at Brigham Young University- Idaho. I don't know what my major is yet or my plans after this internship. I love anything that brings me to the outdoors especially hiking or the beach. My passion is for art and the joy it brings to organize and create many different things. Photography is a great way for me to share with you all that I love and will encounter these next few months. My goal is to capture exactly what it is like in the villages and in the city of Hanoi. I can't wait to start!