7-29-09: Simplicities

I don’t have much time to write a long blog today, only because I feel as it would be contrived. I am so tired. I think the jet lag is finally kicking in. Although I do want to stay up with my normal routine of 10am to 2am like I do in the states, but in Vietnam it seems as though waking up at 5am and sleeping at 10pm is what my body is telling me is right.

Anyway, I wanted to paint a picture for you guys about the prices of things in Vietnam. $1 is equivalent to about 18,000 Vietnamese dong. A couple of things worth considering:

- Renting a moped to get around town: $5 for the day

- Some of the best food (including Pho) I’ve ever had: about $1.20 a meal

- Domestic beer: $.80...that’s right…EIGHTY CENTS!

- A bottle of domestic vodka/tequila: $1.10…again…I must reiterate…ONE DOLLAR and TEN CENTS!!! Utterly remarkable.

- Knock-off Polo shirts: $6

- Full-body massage (one hour): $8 dollars without tip

- Manicure/Pedicure: About $3 dollars

Remarkable, right? Never in my life did I think I would be able to pay a dollar for a bottle of vodka. Also, I talked to a Vietnamese student and she told me that renting a room nearby the University costs her $16 a month. I know the quality of things aren’t as good as things in the States, but come on, these people are surviving off of what we would consider laughable. Just to put things in perspective, next time you complain about not being able to afford a new car, these people are living off of pennies a day at times. And they do it very happily, for the most part. Hence the title of this blog; simplicities. Again, I have to mention, I still wake up every morning so shaking my head in disbelief. I still can’t believe the opportunity that was granted to me. I am so fortunate. Tomorrow we leave for Hoi An, My Son, and Da Nang for a weekend relaxing like tourists. Essentially they are UNESCO World Heritage sites, war-time battlegrounds, and beach communities. Hopefully I meet some surfers!

-Live from Vietnam, Sonny Hassan

7/28/2009- Orphanage Experience

This is a girl from the orphanage. She didn't speak much, but she knew her alphabets!

The sleep deprivation and jet lag have made me miss a post, but in actuallity it is a day later here than in the United States, so I think I am still on track.

Today I wanted to talk about my first experience at the orphanage I will be working on for the remainder of the time in Hue, Vietnam and some of the stuff that went on during my first time there. We arrived at the orphanage around mid-day, to welcoming nuns. The thing that struck me as very surprising is how the orphanage works so much differently than those in the United States. First, kids who are taken into this particular orphanage are able to stay in the orphanage until they are ready to leave. In short, the kids who are taken in, are able to stay until however old as possible until they are able to leave and stand on their own feet. Some kids turn into adults and never leave. They stay, take care of new kids, and the cycle continues. Which in my mind brings about a more caring environment. Second, the orphanage pays for the students education and necessities. If a student grows older and decides to pursue a collegiate life, the orphanage will pay for that student and even provide transportation. Again, this proves for a more loving environment.

The kids sang us songs, read us books, and also shared their stories with us. Most of them were shy, but a lot were very excited to see us. The nuns told us that men usually don't come in to help the orphanage, so whenever some do, the boys get really excited. They need positive male influences in their lives. This is where I hope I can help most.

We left soon after. I wish I would write more, but it has been a long day. I know this experience will change me forever, and I'm so excited to help these kids.

-live from Vietnam, Sonny Hassan

7/27/2009- First Day in Vietnam

The Mai Lai Massacre, the Tet Offensive, Agent Orange; these are all things that came to my mind whenever I thought of Vietnam. As violent, mobid, and sad as that sounds, it is the sobering truth behind Vietnams past. Soon, though, as I landed in Vietnam, my pre-conceived notions that I had of Vietnam was surely put to rest.

Vietnam, in my first day, was drastically different than I expected. First, the lush vegetation/greenary mixed with the humid air blasted any other thoughts I had about Vietnam prior to landing. The air sticks to you like bubble gum to your face. The thing that surprised me was although Vietnam is a socialist country, capitalistic ways are everywhere. Saigon airport proudly wore Coca-Cola, Toyota and Disney advertisements on their walls. The ads were even largely American influenced. One ad in particular stuck to my mind. It was a poster of a Vietnamese man being washed by 2 gorgeous Vietnamese women (washing him with over-sized lemons) and proclaiming "Refresh yourself with Tropicana Twist!" Yes, the American media fundamentals of advertising have hit the Vietnamese people (perhaps years before my time), but to see the utter blatant advertising tactics from American corporations in the exotic country of Vietnam really stuck in my head.

The people are also very different than I expected. Honestly, I truly believed there would be remnants of resentment (or even hatred) from the people of Vietnam to any American because of the Vietnam War. This could not be further from the truth. The Vietnamese people, from what I have experienced thus far, are very welcoming and nice. I was not more impressed by anything else than how the Vietnamese people have a genuine appreciation for the simplicities and beauty of life.

The last thing I wanted to mention in this post was the American and French influence I have seen in Vietnam, and have been told to about by some Vietnamese people. In Hue, there are 2 major bridges. One was designed and built by the French in the early colonial times, and one built by the Americans during the war. There are 4-5 Star hotels in Hue that are catered to Western tastes. One hotel is a lavishly elegant, sometimes eccentric, French-designed hotel that is rarely visited by the Vietnamese that is called "La Resistance" (named after the French resistance fighters that fought in Vietnam). But the thing I wanted to mention happened during dinner. The student group and I had a University set-up dinner at one of the fancier places in Hue. The thing that stood out to me was how westernized the meals, waiters, and restaraunt were. The way the waiters dress reminded my of my local Applebee's.

All-in-all, the first day in Vietnam was very exciting. I look around and I stil can't believe where I am. To see the Perfume River in one moment, and endless trees in the other, makes me realize that life is beautiful. Maybe after I leave here I could have that same simple, genuine appreciation for the beautifulness of life that I saw in the Vietnamese people I met today.

(Posts of pics along with my blogs are going to soon come up, but I just need to find an adapter for my Sony duo memory stick.)

Live from Vietnam,

Sonny Hassan