Week 2: The House Hunt

Omigod, what a crazy week! I've been so busy this week--running around with Kat, helping her get settled, and looking for my own place. I posted a picture of Kat at work on one of her paintings. Anyways, I finally have a moment to check my email and get this blog up and running.

Been hanging out with my friend MB from Berkeley--good times. We ended up at a bar at the Sheraton called Nutz (as in Deez). It was the only bar in Hanoi that stayed open past midnight after the local police cracked down on bars and clubs in an effort to curb "social ills." Had a terrible run-in with an unpleasant Frenchman there. MB and I were at the bar, minding our own business, when this French guy started elbowing us at the bar, expecting us to obediently make room for at the bar. I told him (in English) that he could have asked us nicely to move, but he rudely answered us in French. When I addressed him in his own language, he gave a startled look (as if he didn't expect a Vietnamese person to speak French), and continued to elbow me. MB and I ignored him....until we felt the splash of cold liquid at our feet. The guy cowardly and furtively spilled beer on our shoes! He didn't even have the courage to do it openly! He turned away, pretending that he didn't do what he just did. Out of reflex, I picked up my vodka tonic (of which I only took 2 sips) and flung it in his leathery face. What a waste.

Reflecting on this episode later, I don't think he would have treated us in that haughty, high-handed way if MB and I weren't Asian women. Its strange to realize that the colonial dynamic has been replaced by a similar developed-underdeveloped dynamic. Granted, I am not trying to make generalizations, but this episode made me wonder how much different is Nhat Linh's time from my own (FYI--Nhat Linh is the colonial-era intellectual I'm researching for my dissertation.) I know, I know, the nasty Frenchman could have been drunk, and I can't necessarily make a blanket statement on the basis of one jerk.

Lost money on the Arsenal-Chelsea game. It was supposed to be the safest bet--after all, Chelsea hasn't won a Premier League game against Arsenal in 10 years. I'm having a bad feeling about my boys; they seem to be losing their confidence so early in the season. (Not to mention Vieira's absence leaves a sparse midfield.) Speaking of gambling, I've put the feelers out for a twice-monthly poker night in Hanoi and received some interest. Hopefully, I can make up my losses there...

Started the house hunt. What an ordeal! I've been systematically attempting to find housing in three different ways, which I have scientifically dubbed "the Lazy Method," "the Not-So-Lazy Method," and "the Proactive Method." "The Lazy Method" involves the use of a broker, who takes you around and shows you all the houses he has--but you have to pay higher rent, because the landlord pays the broker a commission. "The Not-So Lazy Method" requires one to buy the daily classified paper (and make friends with the newspaper lady on one's street corner), scan it for potentially good ads, and call the phone numbers. But the houses in the classifieds represent only a small fraction of the places for rent in the entire city of Hanoi. "The Proactive Method" involves a lot more time-consuming work, but could yield some amazing deals (this is how Kat found her great house on the West Lake.). After finding a neighborhood to one's liking, one has to scope out the local coffee or noodle stalls manned by the local ladies. After having a bowl of noodles or a cup of coffee, make small talk with the vendor (vendoress?) and casually drop that you're looking for a place. Usually, they would know of a few places for rent in the area--most of the time, they're almost condemned housing. But sometimes, you can find some gems.

Anyways, I don't know how much longer I can deal with being homeless. Sure, I can crash at Kat's place for as long as I need, but I'm really aching for some sense of routine. I am annoyed that I have to deal with this real life stuff--banking fees, moving, laundry, cold showers (Kat hasn't installed a water heater in her place yet). I really need my own space. AND I WANT TO WORK. It sounds crazy, but remember that frenzied, whacked-out, neurotic work pace I had studying for orals? I want that back.

Being in Vietnam has made me self-conscious about how impatient Americans are in general, and me in particular. I mean, I expect things to be done in a timely and efficient manner. I gave myself a strict timetable--I was supposed to start on my dissertation on August 24!! It just shows that Vietnam caters to no one's schedule, especially mine. I have a feeling this is going to be a major theme for the upcoming year....

And the search goes on...