Dearest readers,
If you are reading this blog post, you probably already know that I've up and moved to Vietnam. I wouldn't be surprised if, because I've talked so incessantly about the upcoming move the last few months, you have wished me away much sooner. But alas, I've only just arrived, and while you might be free of my hallway conversations, I will now blast you with social media notifications....get ready.
I traveled to Saigon in a rather roundabout way, stopping first in Edinburgh, where I stayed for 1 week trying to fix a particularly troublesome piece of equipment. I (mostly) fixed it, and here are some obligatory Scotland pictures to prove I was there.
Above: Countryside adventures feat. Mr. Phil the Slug
Above: Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh
I then traveled on to Saigon - also known as Ho Chi Minh City, but that takes too long to write - and arrived at my long-term hotel sweaty and exhausted, which I'm sure raised some internal eyebrows among the staff. My apartment for the next 6 months is far too fancy for the likes of me, but I am determined to learn the ways of the 1% and fit in by the time I leave.
Above: My very fancy Saigon apartment
My first day consisted of sleeping off my jetlag and trying desperately to figure out the washing machine. Thankfully it was idiot-proof enough even for me, and even includes a built-in dryer (a luxury in this country of window-hanging washing). I also ventured out to the local market and bought lots of necessities, like toilet paper and soap, and promptly discovered that my hotel cleans my room and restocks these items every day. I'm anticipating these next 6 months to be the laziest of my life.
After a few days of work came the weekend - and what a weekend! I overscheduled myself per usual, but the early mornings were worth it. First came a local market tour and cooking class. We made fresh spring rolls - mine were a bit lumpy, but very tasty - and bun cha, which is one of the countless delicious Vietnamese noodle dishes. This particular variety features pork meatballs and tons of fresh herbs. My classmates included a lovely British couple - one of whom loved Boston so much he got a tattoo of the city after just one visit! I think I found my spirit animal - and massive group of Koreans. The Koreans filmed an episode for Korean TV during our class which featured, among other things, my terrible hair day. Hopefully they edit me out, but after my experience in Japan that's unlikely.
Above: Vietnamese cooking class feat. Boston-loving Brit, Korean filming crew, and a master chef [obviously me]
I left the class and immediately returned to the market, buying the Vietnamese necessities (fish sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar, oil, rice) and putting together the requirements for my first at-home attempt: grilled lemongrass chicken. Although I lack a grill, it turned out surprisingly tasty. My kitchen, however, did not fare so well: it still smells strongly of oil, which I am currently trying to mask by boiling the extra lemongrass. No word yet on its success.
Above: My Vietnamese cooking attempts at home
After hitting the gym (I habit I promised myself I'd restart during my time here), I headed to a local expat meet-and-greet. Small talk has never been my strong suit, but I've already made dinner plans with one of the attendees - my first local friend! I'll try not to overwhelm her :)
Today's adventure consisted of a tour through the Mekong Delta, or as it's known locally, the Nine Dragons Delta, as the river splits into 9 major waterways. I rode on the back of a vintage-style Vespa; I'm fairly sure I leaned the wrong way into all the turns, but my driver didn't kick me off, so I'm counting it a win.
Above: Mekong Delta
Our first stop was at a local market, where we toured through, saw tons of wriggling fish, vegetables, and would-be escapee frogs, and stopped for Vietnamese "junk food." This consisted of steamed shrimp, clams, scallops, and fruit - a far cry from the American Doritos, candy, and soda! No wonder obesity has not yet struck Vietnam.
Above: Local food market and Vietnamese "junk food"
We also stopped in a local sticky rice wine maker and saw the distilling process. We tasted two varieties: traditional sticky rice wine (think rubbing alcohol), and red rice wine (think delicious fruit juice).
Above: Distillation process, burning sticky rice wine (clear), and delicious sticky rice wine (purple), feat. kitty cat duo
We continued past countless rice paddies, dusty roads, and enthusiastic children to visit a Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai is a new religion unique to Vietnam, started in 1926, and is intended to blend 6 major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Islam, Daoism, and Confucianism. The founders included a woman, and so this is one of the only religions to allow women to be "professors" (priests).
Above: Cao Dai temple. The "stone" tiles are a fun touch.
We ended with lunch and rather sore bottoms, but I'm so glad I left the big city to see how the average Vietnamese person lives.
If you are reading this blog post, you probably already know that I've up and moved to Vietnam. I wouldn't be surprised if, because I've talked so incessantly about the upcoming move the last few months, you have wished me away much sooner. But alas, I've only just arrived, and while you might be free of my hallway conversations, I will now blast you with social media notifications....get ready.
I traveled to Saigon in a rather roundabout way, stopping first in Edinburgh, where I stayed for 1 week trying to fix a particularly troublesome piece of equipment. I (mostly) fixed it, and here are some obligatory Scotland pictures to prove I was there.
Above: Edinburgh city center adventures
Above: Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh
Above: My very fancy Saigon apartment
My first day consisted of sleeping off my jetlag and trying desperately to figure out the washing machine. Thankfully it was idiot-proof enough even for me, and even includes a built-in dryer (a luxury in this country of window-hanging washing). I also ventured out to the local market and bought lots of necessities, like toilet paper and soap, and promptly discovered that my hotel cleans my room and restocks these items every day. I'm anticipating these next 6 months to be the laziest of my life.
After a few days of work came the weekend - and what a weekend! I overscheduled myself per usual, but the early mornings were worth it. First came a local market tour and cooking class. We made fresh spring rolls - mine were a bit lumpy, but very tasty - and bun cha, which is one of the countless delicious Vietnamese noodle dishes. This particular variety features pork meatballs and tons of fresh herbs. My classmates included a lovely British couple - one of whom loved Boston so much he got a tattoo of the city after just one visit! I think I found my spirit animal - and massive group of Koreans. The Koreans filmed an episode for Korean TV during our class which featured, among other things, my terrible hair day. Hopefully they edit me out, but after my experience in Japan that's unlikely.
Above: Vietnamese cooking class feat. Boston-loving Brit, Korean filming crew, and a master chef [obviously me]
I left the class and immediately returned to the market, buying the Vietnamese necessities (fish sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar, oil, rice) and putting together the requirements for my first at-home attempt: grilled lemongrass chicken. Although I lack a grill, it turned out surprisingly tasty. My kitchen, however, did not fare so well: it still smells strongly of oil, which I am currently trying to mask by boiling the extra lemongrass. No word yet on its success.
Above: My Vietnamese cooking attempts at home
After hitting the gym (I habit I promised myself I'd restart during my time here), I headed to a local expat meet-and-greet. Small talk has never been my strong suit, but I've already made dinner plans with one of the attendees - my first local friend! I'll try not to overwhelm her :)
Today's adventure consisted of a tour through the Mekong Delta, or as it's known locally, the Nine Dragons Delta, as the river splits into 9 major waterways. I rode on the back of a vintage-style Vespa; I'm fairly sure I leaned the wrong way into all the turns, but my driver didn't kick me off, so I'm counting it a win.
Above: Mekong Delta
Our first stop was at a local market, where we toured through, saw tons of wriggling fish, vegetables, and would-be escapee frogs, and stopped for Vietnamese "junk food." This consisted of steamed shrimp, clams, scallops, and fruit - a far cry from the American Doritos, candy, and soda! No wonder obesity has not yet struck Vietnam.
Above: Local food market and Vietnamese "junk food"
We also stopped in a local sticky rice wine maker and saw the distilling process. We tasted two varieties: traditional sticky rice wine (think rubbing alcohol), and red rice wine (think delicious fruit juice).
Above: Distillation process, burning sticky rice wine (clear), and delicious sticky rice wine (purple), feat. kitty cat duo
We continued past countless rice paddies, dusty roads, and enthusiastic children to visit a Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai is a new religion unique to Vietnam, started in 1926, and is intended to blend 6 major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Islam, Daoism, and Confucianism. The founders included a woman, and so this is one of the only religions to allow women to be "professors" (priests).
Above: Cao Dai temple. The "stone" tiles are a fun touch.
We ended with lunch and rather sore bottoms, but I'm so glad I left the big city to see how the average Vietnamese person lives.
