Back to the Old Chopping Block

This summer I have been lucky enough to take not one, but TWO vacations. Check out these albums.



Sầm Sơn beach was the site of my Very Vietnamese Vacation.






Then it was off to the U.S.A. to enjoy some genuine hometown Americana.




Finally, "Optimus Prime goes to America" is the trilingual story of my four-inch friend, the transformer and polyglot Optimus Prime, who tagged along with me.


But the fun is now over, and I have to get back to the old chopping block.

I have been back in Hanoi now for three and a half weeks, and things are pretty much back to normal. By "normal" I mean to say that things are not going as planned. Just to make sure I didn't fall under the erroneous assumption that I really understand how things work in Vietnam, after a week with my new host family I was informed that I had to move out.

According to the police, that particular area--near the train station--is "complicated," and no amount of letters from MCC, from The Gioi Publishers, or even from PACCOM (the governmental branch that deals with NGOs) will convince them to let me stay. And apparently it's not about fishing for bribes, either. Nope. It's just..."complicated."

So I am back at my boss's house, which is not so bad because it means I get to hang out with the new SALTers, Calah, and Alicia, whose blogs, by the way, are also awesome. (Click on their names! Do it!)

This year I will be working half-time with MCC projects and the other half with The Gioi Publishers. For today I'm at The Gioi, and I had forgotten how entertaining it can be sometimes at the old chopping block. At the moment I am hacking away at a French-to-English translation entitled "The Land" (as if there were only one in the world). Here are some delightful tidbits:

• "The Vietnamese traditional town is a vegetal one." (p.2)
• "Resorting to geomancy and the equilibrium of flux, the town does not at all break up with its landscape territory, but rather integrates it in man's dwellings and works in a continual and permanent way." (p.3)
• "Thus, beyond the Western reading of the rupture between town and countryside, here, a first deep identity makes itself found. By doing so, a generating principle of the urban space of the delta gets clear, proceeding through the confined space of the villages." (p.4) [and so on and so forth for 21 pages]

If anyone can tell me what the "equilibrium of flux" is or what exactly it is that supposedly "gets clear," please call me. 0127410128.

In conclusion, as you can see, things are right back to normal. The combined mysteries of Vietnamese police and French academicians have thrust me back into nearly the same state I was in when I first came to Vietnam. Namely, a state made up of equal parts confusion and amusement, combined with a growing awareness that I have a lot to learn. It's not a bad state to be in. It almost feels like home.

Yet another thanks to those who helped me journey back home this July. It was both restful and fun. To those of you whom I was able to see, it was a joy. To those of you whom I wasn't, you are still in my thoughts and prayers.

God bless,
Hannah

Adventures in TV Stardom

Everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, but in Vietnam, if you are a foreigner who speaks Vietnamese, you can have a whole hour of it Tuesday night at 8:05.

Yes, I have now made my debut on Hanoi TV Channel 1's "Tuesday Night Talk Show."

In case the name isn't clear, "Tuesday Night Talk Show" is a talk show that airs on Tuesday night. The general premise is, get 10 young foreigners

together with 5 moderately famous Vietnamese celebrities


and have them discuss different topics. The topics I participated in were:

1. Your most embarrassing moment
2. Your best friend
3. Breaking up
4. Understanding American Culture

Because people from all over the world participate, you get quite a range of views on each subject, generating some pretty interesting conversation. For example, in the "Breaking up" session this young Chinese girl insisted that if your parents don't like your boyfriend/girlfriend, that's a good reason to break up.







When you throw a few comedians into the mix, the dialogue gets even better.











Then of course since this is Vietnam, where karaokes outnumber dance clubs 100:1, we just had to have some singing.




And then they had us tell all of North Vietnam our most embarrassing moments, breakup stories, etc.



And at the end we danced.



All in all, it was great fun. Plus it was a great opportunity to learn words like

"makeup" (trang điểm)


"lighting check" (kiểm tra đèn)


"cute MC" (MC dễ thương)


and most importantly, "totally wonderful friends who came to support me and to whom I am very grateful" (các bạn cực kỳ tốt bụng đến cổ vũ em, và em rất cảm ơn)


A very special thanks to Mr. Long, my boss, who took all these pictures.

Homeward bound

Xin cảm ơn! Mil gracias! Thank you so much to all who responded to my cry for passage. I now have enough money to get home. In fact, I even have a little extra, enough to cover language lessons for three months!

I will be in the US of A from July 12 through August 8. I am really looking forward to rest and to the chance to see my loved ones. I hope to make a trip out to Grand Rapids during the first week of August, so if you will be in the area, give me a shout at ani.forsythe@gmail.com.

Once again, thank you for your help, and may God bless you as you have blessed me.

Hope to see you soon.

And here is another batch of photo albums that have accumulated on facebook. Click on the title to be transfered to the album.

Standard tourist fodder: Everyone is always all "have you been to Ha Long Bay yet?" like if you haven't been there you haven't really lived yet. Well, now I can hold up my head with the rest of them.


Symphony in Green: Sri Lanka is now going through some serious conflict. During a trip there, fellow MCC worker Max Ediger and I visited the national botanical gardens. Even in a country at war, there are places of peace.



Pagoda under construction: Most of the pagodas I visit are small, quaint, and older than I can even imagine. The Bai Dinh Pagoda, however, is different in every respect.




Mr. Long's Wedding: Mr. Long, one of my English students, got married just after Tet this year. I was invited to be part of the party going to pick up the bride.

G-nam

It started with google search.vn, then came gmail, googledocs, and blogger in Vietnamese, and now it's gotten as far as google maps. Vietnam has joined the g-world.

Here is a very pretty picture of G-noi. And for a really surreal experience, check out the satellite view where you can almost see my house on hong mai street. Creepy.

But this is a recent development. A few months ago when I needed to figure out how to get to the central post office, I instinctively sought out google maps, innocently assuming that the g-minions had gone ahead of me photoing, labeling, and uploading every last inch of this city.

I was forced to return to my well-worn analog version.

The only thing google maps had to say about Hanoi included a few major streets and a pink hot air balloon labeled "A" where, presumably, the precise center of Hanoi was located. This caused me a fair bit of anxiety. How was I going to find anything? What if I got lost, would I actually have to talk to someone? If the city of Hanoi didn't exist in virtual form, could I be sure it existed in reality?




= REAL?






And this epistemological concern gave way to another, related question, namely, why do I feel the need for a digital map? Why can't I feel comfortable in a city unless it has already been explored, cataloged, pre-chewed and regurgitated, as it were, for me?

I think that the anxiety stems from my fear of making mistakes, of making a wrong turn, of looking like a fool. But that's what the Bible calls us to be. Fools. Not people who know what we are doing or even where we are going every step of the way. Christians are not called to be impeccable; we're called to love our neighbors as ourselves.

No one likes to make mistakes, but the simple fact is that mistakes are one of the most effective learning tools. And what did I come here for, anyways? To be perfect? No way! I came here to learn about a new culture, a new language, and about myself and God, too. So let's get out there and start making some mistakes!

I began this post with my discovery of the brand-new g-version of Hanoi now available, but what I discovered soon after is that I don't actually need it. Within the first month of being here, I already knew how to get to work, to school, to the MCC office, and home, and more importantly, I knew that if I got lost it was actually not the end of the world. Are you listening, google? Because if you are, you can take this as my declaration of independence. I don't need you. I can find it on my own.

And to prove it, here is a list of several places that I discovered before you did.

1. My workplace, Thế Giới Publishers (the building with the v-shaped roof)
2. My place of study
   
3. My favorite coffee shop, Puku (letter B)
4. My favorite bookstore, the Bookworm (actually, google, you got it wrong. It's been moved to Yến Thế street.)
5. My favorite museum, the National Arts Museum
6. My favorite pagoda, Trân Quốc
   

The list goes on, and on, and on...

And this goes for you, too, friend. If you find yourself depending on Google to do your living for you, take it from me: you don't need it. Google and all its functions are a nice tool for getting some work done fast. But it's just a tool. You still have the right to exercise your free will while you are using that tool. And if you happen to make a mistake with your free will...well, that's what grace is all about.

Help Hannah visit the motherland!

Dear friends and family,

Before starting my second year with MCC Vietnam, I was greatly looking forward to visiting home in August, seeing family, and getting some much needed rest. Unfortunately, I have recently been told that MCC will be unable to pay for this visit.

My choices are to either forgo this trip or to pay for it myself. Since my finances are limited, I am appealing to you for help. Below are instructions on how to make a donation in my behalf.

Rount-trip tickets usually cost around $1,300. That's a hefty sum for one person, but if 13 people donate $100 each, or if 26 people donate $50, then I would be set!

Once again, thanks to all of you who have been praying for me and responding to my e-mails with encouragement.

Online donations (must use credit card):

Go to http://www.mcc.org/donate/donate.html and fill in all the necessary information.
When you get to the section "Designation," choose "Other." It should look like this:

Amount

Designation

$ *

Where needed most Palestine Emergency Assistance Iraq Relief Kits Coming home: Sudan International Hurricanes Food for all Sudan Congo emergency assistance Giving Projects Peace Care for Creation Central States New Orleans Program Generations at Risk - HIV/AIDS Projects Generations at Risk - Bikes AIDS. Care Now. Global Family Program Kits and Material Resources Meat Canning Penny Power Resource Catalog postage Other

$ *

Where needed most Palestine Emergency Assistance Iraq Relief Kits Coming home: Sudan International Hurricanes Food for all Sudan Congo emergency assistance Giving Projects Peace Care for Creation Central States New Orleans Program Generations at Risk - HIV/AIDS Projects Generations at Risk - Bikes AIDS. Care Now. Global Family Program Kits and Material Resources Meat Canning Penny Power Resource Catalog postage Other

$ *

Where needed most Palestine Emergency Assistance Iraq Relief Kits Coming home: Sudan International Hurricanes Food for all Sudan Congo emergency assistance Giving Projects Peace Care for Creation Central States New Orleans Program Generations at Risk - HIV/AIDS Projects Generations at Risk - Bikes AIDS. Care Now. Global Family Program Kits and Material Resources Meat Canning Penny Power Resource Catalog postage Other

$ *

Where needed most Palestine Emergency Assistance Iraq Relief Kits Coming home: Sudan International Hurricanes Food for all Sudan Congo emergency assistance Giving Projects Peace Care for Creation Central States New Orleans Program Generations at Risk - HIV/AIDS Projects Generations at Risk - Bikes AIDS. Care Now. Global Family Program Kits and Material Resources Meat Canning Penny Power Resource Catalog postage Other

$ *

Where needed most Palestine Emergency Assistance Iraq Relief Kits Coming home: Sudan International Hurricanes Food for all Sudan Congo emergency assistance Giving Projects Peace Care for Creation Central States New Orleans Program Generations at Risk - HIV/AIDS Projects Generations at Risk - Bikes AIDS. Care Now. Global Family Program Kits and Material Resources Meat Canning Penny Power Resource Catalog postage Other

Add/Remove
designation (max. 5)

When you get to the comments section, please put "donation to PDA of Hannah Forsythe, MCC#613428." It should look like this:

Comments regarding your donation

Donations by check:

On the check memo line, please write "For PDA of Hannah Forsythe, MCC#613428"

Make your check payable to MCC and send to:

Mennonite Central Committee
PO Box 500
Akron, PA 17501-0500

Disclaimers:

1. Since this is my personal request to you, and not an official donation to MCC, it is not tax deductible.
2. If I happen to receive more money than I need for a plane ticket, the remaining amount will be used towards language study.

Just for fun:

A few weeks ago my host sister invited Rosie and me to go to Hải Phòng for her friend's birthday. There was a flower festival in full swing, as well as a carnaval.

My lovely host sister Thanh enjoying the flowers:


She and her friend (also named Thanh) on a carnaval ride. Their expressions are fairly representative of my own feelings when I realize yet again that I am living halfway across the world. What a ride!

Top ten things I like about Vietnam.

As mentioned previously, I have been considering staying in Vietnam for another year. Now it looks quite certain that I will. I have had my fair share of culture shock and loneliness while here, but it can't shake the certainty that I love this country! Thank you to all of you who have prayed for me and responded to my e-mails, letters and posts; you have been a great support.

When you really like a place, it's a good idea to write down the reasons why. Then later on, when culture shock comes back in full force and you question how you got yourself into this place where nothing makes sense...well it can be a helpful reminder that even if you don't understand anything, there are still some things you like.

So here is my top-ten list of things I like about Vietnam.

10. Naptime is a must.
9. In the Old Quarter, there is a coffee shop about every ten meters.
8. Disney channel is NOT just for kids, and vegetables are NOT just for grownups.
7. Escargo can be had for pennies.
6. On the side of the road on a typical day you can buy the following: bunnies, goldfish, jackfruit, lottery tickets, cell phone stickers, roses, and haircuts.
5. It's totally okay to burp. And pick your nose. Seriously, everyone does it!
4. Purple jeans are normal.
3. It's okay for people of the same sex to hold hands in public.
2. Bún bò, phở cuốn, avocado shakes, pork rolls, yogurt coffee (or is it coffee yogurt?), and bún chả, i.e., the reasons I gained five pounds my first week here.
1. In the city of Hanoi, you can go just about anywhere that's worth going to by bike.

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Tết, the Vietnamese lunar new year, and the country's most important holiday by far, was celebrated this year on January 26. Click here to see how I rang in 2009, year of the buffalo.

Being born a buffalo (or ox) myself I was very much looking forward to this particular year. I was, perhaps, even a little inordinately proud of my achievement of having been born in the year 1985--until, of course, a friend informed me that the buffalo, being a slow, hardworking animal, is generally seen as an augury of hard economic times--and my bubble was duly burst.

Like Christmas in the good ol' US of A, Tết is accompanied by its fair share of consumer-driven frenzy. Nevertheless, the pitch never rises to quite the level of, say, 5:30am at Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving. Fear not, Americans, you are still the unquestioned champions of world capitalism.

For example, rather than giving individual gifts, Vietnamese families often buy something for the whole family, such as a better (i.e., bigger) refrigerator (see exhibit 1) in the case of my host family.

For friends of the family, common gifts include cookies, giò (Vietnamese sausage) and the traditional bánh trưng (ingredients: pounded sticky rice, mung bean paste, pork fat, banana leaf wrapping; exhibits 2 and 3 show the cake wrapped and unwrapped, respectively). Right solid peasant fare that, designed to put extra flesh on the body with the highest degree of efficiency possible.



One exception to the general non-individual-gift-giving rule is the practice of giving lucky money to children and, occasionally, to elders. These gifts are usually handed over in the presence of the whole family with or without a pretty envelope to conceal the total amount given.

Upon learning of this, my delicate North American sensibilities were a bit jarred at first. What, you mean you just fork out cold cash? You mean no wish lists? No secrecy? No midnight wrapping whirlwinds or breathless trips to the third mall of the day to find that perfect gift that will let her know this year you really truly do understand her deepest wants-needs?

But then common sense made her blessed entrance and I came to the following four realizations:

1. Giving straight-up cash saves a lot of wasted presents, not to mention relational stress and forced thanks-for-the-socks-grandma smiles.
2. A related point: since gifts range from vnđ10,000 ($0.57) to vnđ200,000 ($11), in the end, less money is spent.
3. Even if you can count exactly how much lucky money you're worth to uncle Tien as he hands it to you, by the end of the day the envelopes and loose cash are so mixed up it's hard to remember who gave you how much.
4. With an exchange rate of 17,000 VN đồng = $1 U.S., I realized that by the end of the first day of Tết I had become a millionaire.
   

Perhaps my new found wealth has gotten to my head; nevertheless, despite the direful predictions of economic experts world over, I have a good feeling about this year. If Valentine's day and the February blues have got you down, why not consider hopping on a plane to sunny Vietnam, snagging a job as an English teacher, and becoming a millionaire in a matter of weeks? It would certainly change your perspective--by about 195 degrees Longitude to be exact.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới - Happy New Year