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

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!