Ok, it took a few days (and a couple of hours at work this morning), but here is a link to some pictures from my families visit. You may notice that it is in an album with pictures from last Christmas too. I love the contrast from one year to the next. Last December I spent most of Christmas break stuck in my house in Portland because of the giant snowstorm. I read 3 of the 4 Twilight books. I bundled up to trek to Safeway. This Christmas I was on a whirlwind tour of Viet Nam. I spent days lying on a beach. For Christmas Eve I was in the busiest city I've ever seen. Life changes so quickly, doesn't it?!
The Temple's In Vietnam
PS I hope this link works...if it doesn't, just check my facebook :)
It's the best and worst idea I've had
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Back to "Normal" Life
My family has come and gone. Why do good things have to go by so quickly?! It was wonderful. I loved every moment of it: showing them Hanoi, eating dinner with my host family (and all the relatives they invited!), spending days on the beach in Nha Trang, renting motos and driving all over, eating at Pizza Hut in HCM City (twice! Including Christmas Eve, so good), seeing more people than I ever knew possible in one place for a holiday that supposedly isn't celebrated in this country, making Robby take ten million pictures with us and just being with them. Because my Dad is the great man he is, he managed to bring a small fake Christmas tree, our family Christmas stockings and speakers to play Christmas music from just so we could have a Christmas morning that was a teeny bit like if we were home. He was very proud of himself for the idea, and I loved it. The stockings were even filled with the same things as if we were at home, fruit, a toothbrush, chapstick, and new underwear (Santa has always been very practical when filling our stockings!). I can't imagine spending Christmas any other way.
Now I'm back---to Hanoi, to work, to normal life routine. I've decided to cope with having to say goodbye to them by eating the dark chocolate MM's that my mom left behind for breakfast. So far, it's pretty successful :) Although I think it will take a few days for me to accept life being back to normal again. Normal, what even is that?! Does anyone really ever know?!
I'm sure I could tell you lots more about the last 10 days but I think pictures will explain it better. So, if you don't mind waiting a day or two, you will soon get a glimpse of what a Temple family Vietnamese Christmas is really like :)
Now I'm back---to Hanoi, to work, to normal life routine. I've decided to cope with having to say goodbye to them by eating the dark chocolate MM's that my mom left behind for breakfast. So far, it's pretty successful :) Although I think it will take a few days for me to accept life being back to normal again. Normal, what even is that?! Does anyone really ever know?!
I'm sure I could tell you lots more about the last 10 days but I think pictures will explain it better. So, if you don't mind waiting a day or two, you will soon get a glimpse of what a Temple family Vietnamese Christmas is really like :)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Whirlwind Begins
Today!! Today!! Today!! Today!!
My family arrived in Việt Nam last night and will be coming to Hanoi in only 4 hours!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Yay! Yay!
If you can't tell, I'm a wee bit excited :)
I get to spend the weekend showing them around my city, then together we're off on a family vacation, hitting Nha Trang, a southern beach, and Hố Chí Minh City. Christmas is already going to be a drastically different experience, why not head south where it is warm and relaxing?! It's what one may call a whirlwind tour of Việt Nam. Eck, I cannot wait!
I don't come back to Hanoi until the 27th. Nine whole days of family bliss :)
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have time to enjoy your family and friends and to find the peace and hope that exists even in the midst of a sometimes hectic, consumer driven, holiday season.
One last thing, what is Christmas without this special treat?! Merry Christmas dear friends. This is my gift to you:
My family arrived in Việt Nam last night and will be coming to Hanoi in only 4 hours!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Yay! Yay!
If you can't tell, I'm a wee bit excited :)
I get to spend the weekend showing them around my city, then together we're off on a family vacation, hitting Nha Trang, a southern beach, and Hố Chí Minh City. Christmas is already going to be a drastically different experience, why not head south where it is warm and relaxing?! It's what one may call a whirlwind tour of Việt Nam. Eck, I cannot wait!
I don't come back to Hanoi until the 27th. Nine whole days of family bliss :)
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have time to enjoy your family and friends and to find the peace and hope that exists even in the midst of a sometimes hectic, consumer driven, holiday season.
One last thing, what is Christmas without this special treat?! Merry Christmas dear friends. This is my gift to you:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Foreigners: A safety hazard!
This morning something reminded me of a funny event that happened the other day. And while I may have a lot to do here at work, the fact that my family comes in just 2 days (2 days! 2 days! 2 days!) seems to leave me quite incapable of sitting still or doing anything too incredibly productive. So why not update you with yet another blog post this week?
I think it was Monday, and I was riding my bike home from work. I am now used to this mode of transportation and used to the looks it provokes from people--a white girl on a bicycle is not something you see everyday here. My route between MCC and home is short and usually pretty uneventful. But for some reason, on this particular day, I noticed this man and his double-take. It was an extreme double take. He passed on his moto, then fully turned his head and stared. Stared to the point that I was beginning to be concerned for his safety because he was not watching the road. But he survived and continued on, in one piece and probably only a bit confused by my presence. I laughed to myself and went on my merry way.
Then, just a few blocks later, what do I see but a foreigner walking down the sidewalk. Foreigner? Walking? In my neighborhood? Now it was my turn to do a double take. I was baffled. Where did this man come from? Why is he here? Is he lost? I only observed him for a moment before remembering that I was on my bike and I should be concerned for my own road safety. I continued on home, a little ashamed of my own lack of tack and that I contributed to the stares this foreigner received that afternoon. I guess I am not immune to unabashed staring when I am surprised by things.
Fast forward to this morning, and again, on my way to work, there was another foreigner. A different one, but still, someone walking. And I realized why it is so strange to me, I don't think I have ever seen another foreigner in my neighborhood. In my small, new residential development full of Vietnamese families and a few small office buildings, I make no sense, just like these strange men. No wonder people stare at me!
I don't know if this foreigner spotting pattern will continue. But in case it does, I need to practice not staring. If not for them and their comfort then for my own safety. Goodness, I never even thought of myself as a safety hazard, but I guess I kind of am!
I think it was Monday, and I was riding my bike home from work. I am now used to this mode of transportation and used to the looks it provokes from people--a white girl on a bicycle is not something you see everyday here. My route between MCC and home is short and usually pretty uneventful. But for some reason, on this particular day, I noticed this man and his double-take. It was an extreme double take. He passed on his moto, then fully turned his head and stared. Stared to the point that I was beginning to be concerned for his safety because he was not watching the road. But he survived and continued on, in one piece and probably only a bit confused by my presence. I laughed to myself and went on my merry way.
Then, just a few blocks later, what do I see but a foreigner walking down the sidewalk. Foreigner? Walking? In my neighborhood? Now it was my turn to do a double take. I was baffled. Where did this man come from? Why is he here? Is he lost? I only observed him for a moment before remembering that I was on my bike and I should be concerned for my own road safety. I continued on home, a little ashamed of my own lack of tack and that I contributed to the stares this foreigner received that afternoon. I guess I am not immune to unabashed staring when I am surprised by things.
Fast forward to this morning, and again, on my way to work, there was another foreigner. A different one, but still, someone walking. And I realized why it is so strange to me, I don't think I have ever seen another foreigner in my neighborhood. In my small, new residential development full of Vietnamese families and a few small office buildings, I make no sense, just like these strange men. No wonder people stare at me!
I don't know if this foreigner spotting pattern will continue. But in case it does, I need to practice not staring. If not for them and their comfort then for my own safety. Goodness, I never even thought of myself as a safety hazard, but I guess I kind of am!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Power Outage
I have a new favorite thing: the power going out.
Its not for the whole city, only on the street with my office (sidenote-that street used to be my least fav in all of Hanoi, it was SO bumpy and muddy and HORRIBLE for bike riding or walking or anything. BUT! Recently it was PAVED. Now when I get to that street in the mornings it is such a joy!). This seems to happen fairly frequently here. It isn't the government regulating electricity use like in so many other countries, or even a lack of power resources, so I haven't quite figured out what it is. It might be constuction related. But somehow the Chi Oanh, administrative woman at the office, can call someone and find out exactly how long it will be off. It's strange. It also is one of those things that reminds me that I'm not in the US. Sometimes that is easy to forget.
But it made today so much more interesting! Instead of working in the office I got to come to a cafe. I was working on a report that had to be finished as soon as possible, so I was encouraged to leave and work somewhere else. The power came back at noon, but I decided I might as well stay out the entire day. I got to go downtown and eat lunch with Calah and Hannah, and then just chill here, with my iced coffee, music and free wireless. And of course my MCC project report. What a lovely afternoon!
I realize that if this happened all the time it would definitely make life more difficult and I do not envy those who deal with this issue on a regular basis. Structurally it probably isn't a very good thing for a society.. But selfishly, I appreciate a little excitment in life every once in a while :)
Its not for the whole city, only on the street with my office (sidenote-that street used to be my least fav in all of Hanoi, it was SO bumpy and muddy and HORRIBLE for bike riding or walking or anything. BUT! Recently it was PAVED. Now when I get to that street in the mornings it is such a joy!). This seems to happen fairly frequently here. It isn't the government regulating electricity use like in so many other countries, or even a lack of power resources, so I haven't quite figured out what it is. It might be constuction related. But somehow the Chi Oanh, administrative woman at the office, can call someone and find out exactly how long it will be off. It's strange. It also is one of those things that reminds me that I'm not in the US. Sometimes that is easy to forget.
But it made today so much more interesting! Instead of working in the office I got to come to a cafe. I was working on a report that had to be finished as soon as possible, so I was encouraged to leave and work somewhere else. The power came back at noon, but I decided I might as well stay out the entire day. I got to go downtown and eat lunch with Calah and Hannah, and then just chill here, with my iced coffee, music and free wireless. And of course my MCC project report. What a lovely afternoon!
I realize that if this happened all the time it would definitely make life more difficult and I do not envy those who deal with this issue on a regular basis. Structurally it probably isn't a very good thing for a society.. But selfishly, I appreciate a little excitment in life every once in a while :)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
School of Peace
There is nothing much to report from my weekend, it was really low key. Which was nice. Last week I think I saw my host family for a total of something like 2 hours, so it was a good thing that I spent time with them this weekend. I also read the book Blink. It was really interesting, a pretty quick read with lots of fun facts and studies. Blink is pretty psychology based, about how we make decisions and first impressions and such, but I've heard his others (well, maybe just Tipping Point) might be more sociology. I'll have to look into that. When I first got here I started a list to keep track of the books I read--Blink is the 9th book on the list. I have a feeling that list will end up pretty long by the time I leave here...
Enough rambling. What I started out with the intent of writing is that since I have nothing new to report, maybe I'll fill in some holes about my job.
Recently, one of the big things I've been working on is the School of Peace (SOP). This is a program started from ICF (Interfaith Cooperation Forum), one of the organizations Max has started here in Asia. The goal is to bring together people from all different cultures, backgrounds, and regions to break the barriers that often exist between different religions and to cultivate the ideas of reconciliation and peace through addressing root causes of inequality and violence. Gosh, just writing that sounds exhausting! It's only a 3 month school, so it doesn't intend to change everything overnight. But Max is a strong believer in grassroots movements and change coming from the people who directly experience conflict as opposed to being brought in from the outside (like foreign NGO's you might say). All participants in SOP have to be already working for an organization that is active in the community they come from so that they have both a support network and a place to implement the changes they are learning about. One of the objectives is give people the resources to stop supporting a culture of reaction but instead to create paths towards a culture of transformation.
I love that language. Culture of transformation. It just sounds inspiring, doesn't it?!
SOP takes place in India, from February to mid-May. There is only the budget for 20 students and this year we had 30 applicants! I've gotten to do most of the correspondence with the applicants and, now, with the people who will be attending. We have people from Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, all very different regions within the countries and different religions. It is interesting being on this side of a process like this. Them asking me questions about their Visa and passports and various things. Many people haven't travelled out of their country before. But who am I to know!? Most of the time I pass on the question to Max, who then responds to me so that I can respond to them. I feel very "official" sending these emails, except that a lot of times I can't figure out which part of people's names to use. Each language does names so differently! Is this the family name, the first name, the gender identifier? I don't know! I try to copy what they've done, but sometimes it's tricky. Hopefully I haven't horribly offended anyone yet. I have definitely identified those who are the over-eager question askers. I just chuckle when I get another email from them.
I guess that's all really. Just a bit more about what I spend some of my time thinking about.
Enough rambling. What I started out with the intent of writing is that since I have nothing new to report, maybe I'll fill in some holes about my job.
Recently, one of the big things I've been working on is the School of Peace (SOP). This is a program started from ICF (Interfaith Cooperation Forum), one of the organizations Max has started here in Asia. The goal is to bring together people from all different cultures, backgrounds, and regions to break the barriers that often exist between different religions and to cultivate the ideas of reconciliation and peace through addressing root causes of inequality and violence. Gosh, just writing that sounds exhausting! It's only a 3 month school, so it doesn't intend to change everything overnight. But Max is a strong believer in grassroots movements and change coming from the people who directly experience conflict as opposed to being brought in from the outside (like foreign NGO's you might say). All participants in SOP have to be already working for an organization that is active in the community they come from so that they have both a support network and a place to implement the changes they are learning about. One of the objectives is give people the resources to stop supporting a culture of reaction but instead to create paths towards a culture of transformation.
I love that language. Culture of transformation. It just sounds inspiring, doesn't it?!
SOP takes place in India, from February to mid-May. There is only the budget for 20 students and this year we had 30 applicants! I've gotten to do most of the correspondence with the applicants and, now, with the people who will be attending. We have people from Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, all very different regions within the countries and different religions. It is interesting being on this side of a process like this. Them asking me questions about their Visa and passports and various things. Many people haven't travelled out of their country before. But who am I to know!? Most of the time I pass on the question to Max, who then responds to me so that I can respond to them. I feel very "official" sending these emails, except that a lot of times I can't figure out which part of people's names to use. Each language does names so differently! Is this the family name, the first name, the gender identifier? I don't know! I try to copy what they've done, but sometimes it's tricky. Hopefully I haven't horribly offended anyone yet. I have definitely identified those who are the over-eager question askers. I just chuckle when I get another email from them.
I guess that's all really. Just a bit more about what I spend some of my time thinking about.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Bursting.
I feel like I am bursting at the seams with excitement and joy and thoughts and things to be passionate about and all sorts of good things. Somehow this last week has just been one that keeps building. Nothing extraordinary has happened, I just feel right, you know?! Which is interesting because part of it comes from the harsh reminder last week in Quang Ngai that the world can be a ugly and painful place for so many of the people that live in it. It was a vital reminder, one that breaks my heart but also points to the things that I want to be about: hope and passion and the belief that things can be different, the world can change, hope exists in the midst of even the harshest realties. Young and idealist? Without a doubt. But you know what, I kind of love it about myself.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Weekend Update
The weekend turned out to be lovely. Sunday the rain stopped and I got the chance to spend most of the day at the beach. I walked there (a decent walk) then spent the morning walking along in the sand and waves. By the afternoon the sun had even come out!
Probably my favorite thing that I did was gather sea shells. I think Viet Nam is turning me into a small child, but I guess I'm just fine with that. It reminded me of being at the beach by my grandparent's house. I LOVED the shells. But at Oregon beaches it's harder to find in tact, pretty, shells. Here there were millions!! They were small, but still great.
Here are a few photos:
I've been trying to play with my camera more recently. Here I was just playing with the shutter:
During my rainy Saturday I went to a museum about the ethnic group that used to live in the area. It was interesting. Lots of sculptures!
Those are the only pictures I have from saturday. Saturday night I ordered pizza and had it delivered to my room and watched movies on tv. I'm such a lazy American! I have to admit though, it was pretty much fantastic :)
Here is my day at the beach. I think this boy was a life guard, or something along those lines. I also think he was really bored. He spent a while making shell shapes with me. He insisted we make a heart. He also had very specific ideas of how pictures should be taken of the shell heart, which was essentially just straight on, and very boring. That picture is not here for your viewing.
So that's it. My first weekend adventure alone. I'm going to go ahead and predict that it probably won't be my last...
Probably my favorite thing that I did was gather sea shells. I think Viet Nam is turning me into a small child, but I guess I'm just fine with that. It reminded me of being at the beach by my grandparent's house. I LOVED the shells. But at Oregon beaches it's harder to find in tact, pretty, shells. Here there were millions!! They were small, but still great.
Here are a few photos:
Could there be any more of one pattern in a room? I think not...
I've been trying to play with my camera more recently. Here I was just playing with the shutter:
During my rainy Saturday I went to a museum about the ethnic group that used to live in the area. It was interesting. Lots of sculptures!
Those are the only pictures I have from saturday. Saturday night I ordered pizza and had it delivered to my room and watched movies on tv. I'm such a lazy American! I have to admit though, it was pretty much fantastic :)
Here is my day at the beach. I think this boy was a life guard, or something along those lines. I also think he was really bored. He spent a while making shell shapes with me. He insisted we make a heart. He also had very specific ideas of how pictures should be taken of the shell heart, which was essentially just straight on, and very boring. That picture is not here for your viewing.
So that's it. My first weekend adventure alone. I'm going to go ahead and predict that it probably won't be my last...
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Rain, Rain, Go Away....
Currently I'm sitting in the lobby of my hotel in Da Nang, a beach city in central Viet Nam. I came south for work and, at the suggestion of my boss, decided to stay for the weekend. Brillant being that MCC paid for my flight down and changing tickets is free. I got a relatively cheap hotel (about $14) that is actually nicer than many I've seen in Viet Nam on the main street in town. Yesterday I was stoked to have the weekend to myself to read and wander and go to the beach and do whatever I pleased :)
Then this morning I woke up to rain. Lame. How can I go appreciate the beach in the rain? How can I aimlessly wander through town in the rain? I found a few things to do (read in a cafe, lunch at a great Western Bakery, go to a musuem) but now I'm running out of ideas...there is only so much you can do by yourself.
I hope tomorrow the rain stops so I can head to the beach. I think at this point I'll probably do it anyways even if it's raining!
Then this morning I woke up to rain. Lame. How can I go appreciate the beach in the rain? How can I aimlessly wander through town in the rain? I found a few things to do (read in a cafe, lunch at a great Western Bakery, go to a musuem) but now I'm running out of ideas...there is only so much you can do by yourself.
I hope tomorrow the rain stops so I can head to the beach. I think at this point I'll probably do it anyways even if it's raining!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It's Gonna Be Great!
Today is December! Crazy Crazy Crazy. Don't worry, I'm listening to Christmas music here at work. I'll work hard this month to spread the Nô-en (Christmas in Vietnamese) Joy.
Actually, I have a really good feeling about this month. I think it's going to be great. Maybe I'm creating too many expectations and am going to be sorely disappointed, but I don't know, there is something about December...I just feel good about it! Here are some things that contribute to the positive December vibes:
1. Recently, I've felt a lot like a grown up. Earlier I realized that in even saying that, it probably negates the statement itself, but eh, oh well. I think there is something about being busy at work that makes me feel, I don't know, like I'm working; this isn't school any more. Recently I've had tasks to do and I feel useful here. At this point, the month looks like it is going to continue this way, although I guess you never know. Here's a couple of the things I've been working in the past few weeks:
3. I guess this one could be a not so good thing too, but today Calah and I completed 100 hours of Vietnamese language learning! This means we now have to take a break for a month and then start financing lessons on our own come January but for now I feel quite accomplished!
4. Christmas happens in December. Even if I'm not at home, I still love the atmosphere of Christmas. I'll just have to create it here.
5. Last, but certainly not least, my family is coming in only 17 days!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!
All that to say, December is going to be great :)
PS I added a couple pictures to my last post so you could better visualize the ugliest cake ever.
Actually, I have a really good feeling about this month. I think it's going to be great. Maybe I'm creating too many expectations and am going to be sorely disappointed, but I don't know, there is something about December...I just feel good about it! Here are some things that contribute to the positive December vibes:
1. Recently, I've felt a lot like a grown up. Earlier I realized that in even saying that, it probably negates the statement itself, but eh, oh well. I think there is something about being busy at work that makes me feel, I don't know, like I'm working; this isn't school any more. Recently I've had tasks to do and I feel useful here. At this point, the month looks like it is going to continue this way, although I guess you never know. Here's a couple of the things I've been working in the past few weeks:
- I helped to prepare for the MCC Workshop that took place last week
- Working with Max to sort through applications for the School of Peace that he runs in India February-May. I gathered everyone's applications, organized them, helped him choose participants, emailed them to congratulate them (I let him send the not so congratulating emails) and am now fielding questions about passports and visas and religious dietary requirements and other various things
- Tomorrow I leave for Quảng Ngãy, in the central part of Viet Nam with Derek and Cô Bảy. MCC does some relief work there (it is where the storms were the last couple of months) and I'm going to help document it and write stories about what MCC is doing. Yay for new places!!
- Continuing to edit the mastheads (website header) for Max's Websites
- Organizing articles to send out as a monthly newsletter for CJPA (Center for JustPeace in Asia) and ICF (Interfaith Cooperation Forum)
3. I guess this one could be a not so good thing too, but today Calah and I completed 100 hours of Vietnamese language learning! This means we now have to take a break for a month and then start financing lessons on our own come January but for now I feel quite accomplished!
4. Christmas happens in December. Even if I'm not at home, I still love the atmosphere of Christmas. I'll just have to create it here.
5. Last, but certainly not least, my family is coming in only 17 days!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!
All that to say, December is going to be great :)
PS I added a couple pictures to my last post so you could better visualize the ugliest cake ever.
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