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Afternoon rain
Downpours in the rainy season only slow the Hanoi traffic temporarily Monday was a rest day for the kids, but Jo logged some design time on the computer. They took it easy in the air conditioned room watching videos and dozing. I, on the other hand, got to go out to the university campus about 6 miles out from where we’re staying to meet the dean of the economics faculty where I’ll be teaching. They were even so kind as to send a car to pick me up. The driver was a friendly man of 54 that spoke no English. We talked a little about family and the traffic, but later I found out he was a veteran of the “American war”. He had no animosity towards Americans and seemed quite pleased that I was here to visit. This seems true for most all of the veterans that I have met here in Hanoi. They seem to be looking forward to the future and not dwelling on the past. The trip out to the Cau Giay district took us through the usual crowded streets, but once we got past Ba Dinh district the roads seemed to be wider and relatively less congested, though still quite busy. The shops on the roadside seemed
Buying Nem
Will helps me buy some fried spring rolls for a snack in the street market along Hang Be St. larger and you could actually identify the sidewalks; in most of Hoan Kiem district the sidewalks serve as motorbike parks and extensions of the shops, really quite difficult to navigate.
The Gau Giay campus of VNU is really a complex with several buildings and is home to the university HQ, faculties of economics, law, education, technology, and business. I had a great meeting with the dean of economics where we discussed the schedule for my classes. He seems a very friendly and genuinely down to earth sort of fellow. He says he hopes to join in on my courses, which I think would be great. After the meeting, I went over to the Univ HQ to meet with the vice director of international relations, whom I had previously only dealt with via email. She too was very kind and speaks English very well, though she insists that her French is much better. She is working on a law degree in France. We made some arrangements to offer courses to VNU HQ staff as well. All of these will start in August when school is out and continue until the end of the year.
On the way back from
10th General Assembly sign1
A sign for the 10th national congress near Hoan Kiem Lake. It reads- "Uniting workers and intellectuals to promote the nation's industrial modernization" the uni I stopped by a real estate office that we had seen on Sunday. I made plans with the agent to see a few places on Tuesday to get a feel for what was available and at what price. It seems that there is no special permission needed for foreigners to rent places, good news. The university people will also help us look for a place live nearby the uni. It might be easier for me to get to work and a lots less noisy than the area nearby Hoan Kiem where we are staying. Apparently it would also be cheaper than the first place we looked at. We were hoping to have the housing situation sorted out before leaving for Malaysia, but from what I can tell doing it in August should not be a problem. We’ll know more this afternoon.
This morning, Tuesday, I woke up and tried to get outside about 5am to go for a run. It was raining, but not terribly hard, so I decided to go anyway. Upon getting downstairs to the lobby, I found that the desk clerks were still asleep and the steel garage door that pulls down in front
Typical Hanoi house
A random shot of a house here in Hanoi. of the glass shop front was shut. I decided to wait for a while and not to wake them up, but after 30 minutes, I finally woke them up and slipped out through the door which they kindly opened. The rain seemed to make things cooler for a while, but after the first few minutes of running, it seemed to be just as humid as usual. I ran 4 laps around the lake (4 miles Kathy!!), running the first lap with a guy named Dat, who’s 42. He was just finishing his laps and invited me over to an area where men of all ages were practicing martial arts moves. I finished my laps and made my way over to him. He introduced me to a much older man sporting a stern face and white hair. Dat said this man was former military and was over 70 plus years old. The man watched as Dat walked me through some basic moves, repeatedly showing uncoordinated me how to step forward, block and strike, then repeat. Dat seemed quite serious in showing me and didn’t laugh when I mucked up the moves; I think I did see the older man smile as
Ms.Hue of VNU
A coordinator at VNU who has been such a great help to us I attempted to follow Dat’s lead though. After about 15 minutes, the rain started to fall more heavily, and I made a move to say goodbye to leave. Dat suggested that I pay my respects to the older man before leaving; it had completely slipped my mind. I turned back to say thank you and shake is hand. He seemed pleased that I had done so and offered a smile. As we left, Dat invited me back tomorrow to have another go. I believe I will come back. Impromptu experiences like this make a visitor feel quite welcome while far from home. Who knows, after a few months maybe I’ll be able to remember a thing or two.
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Pam
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I love reading these blogs, Keith. I do think you should learn the martial arts and have Kathy do them after your runs together when you get back. Hello to Jo and the kids.