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Something to Look At
Since I don't have any Vietnam pictures yet to post with my entry, I figured I would put a random picture of me and my family up. That's my sister, me, my dad, and my husband (l-r) in Washington DC. I have returned to Vietnam this July to work on the same community-based tourism project as last summer. The project is located in Quang Binh province in the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. I am now working primarily on marketing and promotional material for the project. Last summer I was an intern, but this summer I am all grown up with a Masters degree in Anthropology, so I have been commissioned as a professional consultant. I guess this is the start of my real career. (Good-bye waiting tables! I hope.)
I arrived in the early hours of July 5th after a hellish flight involving screaming babies, bad movies that I couldn't even see from my seat, restless kids kicking my back, and 4 1/2 hours stranded in my grounded plane on the Beijing tarmac as a monsoon blew through. I arrived haggard and relieved my ordeal was over in Hanoi only to discover that my laundry detergent had exploded in my bag. Half a bottle of super concentrated soap equals almost two hours of rinsing my bag and affected items, half a foot deep suds blanketing the bathroom floor, and a lot of unladylike cursing. But I am pleased to report that my much abused and never before cleaned backpack now looks brand new!
Everything since that first night has been great. I slept as late as I could that morning and was awoken by my Dong Hoi boss from last summer Chi Sen exclaiming over the phone "Melissa! It's your Mama!" I love my adopted Vietnamese mama/boss. I only spent half a day in Hanoi (meeting up with Counterpart people and taking a needed nap) before getting on the overnight bus to Dong Hoi with Chi Sen. I arrived in Dong Hoi the morning of the 6th to learn that my favorite Vietnam ex-pats, Greg and Evi, were in town and staying at my hotel. They used to work in the office above me last summer, but have since moved about 6 hours south to Hoi An. They are in Dong Hoi for the next week or two while Greg is working on designing and building an eco-trail in the park with another NGO. So I've fallen right back into last summer's life working with many of the same people and eating most of my meals and drinking most of my beers with Greg and Evi.
I've noticed a few changes in Vietnam since last year. For one, inflation has driven up prices a bit. Nothing too drastic for me as a visitor with cash to spend, but I wonder how the rural villages I work in have been affected. Another big change is the almost ubiquitous use of helmets now. Motorbike safety in Vietnam was not an issue of concern last year among most locals despite the high incidence of fatal accidents, but newly enforced helmet laws have changed that. What is interesting are the new helmet fashions sported by the kids in Hanoi. Helmets come in a multitude of colors and designs and there are even those made to look like big plastic baseball caps and bowler hats. The floppy hat wearing women are now wearing helmets with floppy hat brim attachments. Unfortunately, wearing a helmet does not always mean securing the helmet to the head for most Vietnamese that I have seen, leaving chin straps flapping in the wind and potential for head injuries just as likely.
Another change is the presence of shorts. Young Vietnamese women, especially in Hanoi, have made the jump from never wearing anything shorter than capris to wearing hot pants in one year. You have to love progress.
This trip out to Vietnam will probably not produce nearly as many blog entries or pictures as last summer. I have a very limited time to do a lot of work, so my nose will be to the grindstone and much more of my time will be in the office rather than in the park or the villages. I will however make every effort to share anything interesting. I would love to hear your responses as well as any advice or information that would be helpful in marketing and promoting a community-based tourism venture in Vietnam.
Cheers!
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Patrick
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I have taken the time to edit your blog for accuracy's sake, specifically paragraph 3: "Everything since that first night has been great. I slept as late as I could that morning and was awoken by my dong, exclaiming, "Melissa! It's your dong!" I love my adopted Vietnamese dong. I only spent half a day in Hanoi before getting on an overnight dong to dong. Dong!" Thank me later.