Another Busy Week

This week was another busy week, although this time it was work busy. I would say there were 2 things worth mentioning:

1. On Wednesday I went with Co Bay to Thang Thuy in Phu To Province. It is in the provinces that MCC actually does it's projects so it was good to go and see the different things that are happening. I sat in a quite a few meetings, which I have to admit was not the most exciting thing I've ever done being that I can't understand anything being said. But we also visited a couple of schools. Part of MCC's Global Family project is to provide lunches for students which enables a lot more kids to go to school. We are beginning a new round of the project, so we are starting up in new schools. I got to see the schools, the teachers, the kids, etc.

Sometimes I forget that in Hanoi I am surrounded by affluence. Viet Nam seems so modern and developed to me, because my experience of it so far shows it to be so. Granted it is different than home, and you can visibly see signs that the country is in the process of developing, but nonetheless, it is more advanced than I expected. The countryside is an entirely different story. It's interesting because at first glance, it isn't that different, just more rural: people dress the same (read: trendy!), there are still people riding moto's and honking, many of the houses are tall and skinny, etc. But then you look a little closer and there are stark differences. The houses have straw roofs, most people are on bicycles, the kitchen at the school consisted of a fire and a giant pot, the nice bathrooms at the government building were similar to being just holes in the ground, etc. It was a good reminder that the snapshot of Viet Nam that I am experiencing is only true of my experience. I will leave next year knowing a lot about Hanoi, the status of women in Hanoi, how to get around the city, how to speak to a Vietnamese person from Hanoi, etc. But I will not know Viet Nam. That would be like saying that by seeing Seattle I understand the culture of all of the US, when in actuality it wouldn't even represent all of the state of Washington. Hmm...I don't know if that feels limiting to acknowledge or encouraging.

Anyways, here are a couple of pictures:


2. The 2nd note-worthy event was that on Thursday I went to the Women's Union and essentially had an interview to start working there as well (working is a word I use very loosely being that there is no income involved-or needed!-in my time here). I think I will be helping them with editing English articles and various things, starting just one day a week and sometimes from my MCC office. It's exciting though! Opportunities keep presenting themselves that seem like they were created just for me. I owe a lot to my Women's Studies minor, it seems that it gives me a lot of credibility to justify my interest in these different things. I'm getting to learn so much about women in Viet Nam and the social structure, I love it! I'll definitely keep you updated as more happens.