Week 7: Missing my girls...

Freaked out this week. My mom called and said to me "I just emailed you the information to where my will and legal documents are kept, in case something happens to me and your father." WHAT?!?!?! As is my habit here in Vietnam, sometimes I can go for days without checking my email or even turning on the TV, so I didn't hear about the category-5 hurricane Rita making a beeline for my hometown. My mom told me that in the mass paranoia (perhaps in part due to Katrina a few weeks before) all the neighbors have fled. Traffic heading out of Houston crawled at 20 mph, with cars running out of gas while on the road. My parents decided to take their chances at home, carefully taping up their windows and buying tons of water and unperishable food. Thankfully, the hurricane did not do as much damage as anticipated, and Sugar Land was not even hit. (The only thing doing any damage in Sugar Land these days is Tom DeLay.)

Am really starting to miss my girlfriends (Did you hear that ladies?). I haven't been in Hanoi long enough to make female friends yet--other than my sister. Also, there is no Vietnamese equivalent of the "Girls' Night Out." I have some AMAZING friends back at home--smart, beautiful, strong, successful women. I'm really missing that here in Hanoi. My de facto and self-imposed singledom wouldn't be all that bad had I a support network a fraction like the one I have in the States. I miss you, ladies!!!

Song currently playing on iPod: Genius of Love (Tom Tom Club)

Had another nasty run in--only this time with a Vietnamese man. My sister and I decided to have a "Girls Day" of working out, shopping, hair and nails. While working out at the gym, I asked the man on the next treadmill nicely if I could change the TV in front of him to CNN. He grunted at me, which I took as a yes. I didn't think he was watching the TV behind him, so I turned it off. He reaction was instantaneous--he started banging on the treadmill, and proceeded to call me a whore and a prostitute, mouthing off all sorts of obscenities. Turned to him and said, "You work out at a 5-star hotel, yet you are so uncivilized and uneducated!" "I got here first!" Was his reply. I quipped, "You got here first so you hogged two TVs!!! What, do you need one for each eye?" He screamed at me, "I was watching the TV!!!" I replied, "You could have asked me courteously." "I did," was his lame answer, to which my sister told him, "You call banging on the treadmill and calling my sister a whore courteous? It sounds uneducated and uncivilized to me!!" He then shut up, but all the while scowling at me and my sister.

Reflecting back on this episode, I am amazed at how hot-tempered he was, how quick he was to label a woman (whom he'd never met) a prostitute. The guy knew NOTHING about me. All while his docile wife (who wasn't even exercising--she was just standing there and handing him bottled water and towels!!!) stood there and watched while her husband proceeded to make a fool of himself. Unfortunately, I run into that type of man all the time in Hanoi--newly rich, aspires to be "westernized," self-righteous, quick to judge, hot-tempered...just shows that money doesn't buy culture.

In dissertation news, I'm finished logging in all the newspaper issues I need. Now I start the long and arduous process of digitizing every issue. ARGH. Hope my digital camera is up for the challenge.

As promised, I have posted a picture of my new motorbike. Must run--its 9 PM and I haven't had dinner yet... More next week.

Week 6: My motorbike.....shweet.

Had my first full week of work--it feels amazing to be productive again. I definitely have a weekly routine that I am going to stick to. If I allow myself to goof off, I don't know if I could ever get myself back on track. I hear all these crazy stories about people who go off to do their dissertations and never come back, oftentimes not touching their dissertations for months on end.

I was thinking about this whole blog thing. I've never been any good at keeping a journal. Hell, I don't even know if any of my friends actually read this damn thing, but it sure makes me feel better. Its a good gauge for self-interrogation, to make sure I keep on track and do productive things. When you have to recount what you did in the week, you better make damn sure you do something.

Anyways, I was working in the library, minding my own business, when I was told I was not even allowed to use the outlet to charge my computer. When I asked why, the librarian told me, "we're trying to conserve electricity." What utter nonsense! Researchers cannot use the outlets because they want to conserve electicity, when I saw all the librarians surf the web and do internet chat. I am SO going to take this to the director of the library.

Went straight to the head honcho. He not only allowed me to plug my computer in, he also gave me my own space to work in. Ha! Take that! I was told that the mean librarian that revoked my electrical privileges just got promoted last week, and wanted to find some way to exert his minuscule power. Seriously, people get off on the smallest, most petty things. Isn't it just easier to look the other way, and ignore the researcher plugging in her computer? Anyways, I'm just venting here: I am not about to pick a fight with the people who work in the library. They can make my research a living hell.


So remember when I said how Kat wanted her new kitten's name to emerge naturally? Well, it seems that the kitty now has a name--One Dollar. No, not Fifty Cent, but even classier--One Dollar! Kat bought the kitty for a dollar from her landlady, and then proceeded to buy about 10 dollars worth of cat stuff!!! Have posted pics of the baby kitty, sleeping on top of my papers and preventing me from doing my work.

On a non-work related note, I got a new motorbike!!! I had this fantasy about getting a vintage Vespa, zipping through the city in a floaty white dress and big sunglasses, with my hair and scarf flying behind me, La Dolce Vita in French colonial Hanoi. Sigh... But the dreams were dashed when a friend of mine (who sells and buys motorbikes for a living) told me that the price of the La Dolce Vita fantasy is the constant breaking down of the motor, expensive repairs, and 90% value depreciation. Instead, I opted for a dependable, yet stylish, Yamaha Nuovo. Its painted the colors of a deck of cards--red, white and black. It seems that I have traded one fantasy for another--that of hopping off my badass motorbike, take my helmet off, and fluffing my long hair. That's HOT. Will post pictures of my new motorbike next week.

Congratulations to my high-school friend Arun, who just landed a job with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg!!!!! Wasn't it just yesterday we were going to raves and getting kicked out of Michael's house by his homicidal mother? Congrats Arun, I'm so proud of you!!!

Week 5: On Gore, Ghosts, and Dissertations...

On the way down to Nghe An, I took a bus with the Hanoi delegation. Among them were some of the biggest names in Vietnam Studies. I was easily the youngest person on the bus by at least 30 years--as well as the only female. And I was definitely treated as such. At lunch, I sat surrounded by elderly men with white hair. One of the men scruffily said to me, "Girls have to pass out the chopsticks." And so I was put in my place. It did not matter that I was also a part of the Hanoi delegation (in fact, I was part of the American delegation); nor did it matter that I was a fellow researcher. I was a girl, so that meant that I had to pass out the chopsticks and scoop out the rice. With a smile on my face (taking care not to show my teeth as to be uncouth), I did as he asked. After all, there's really no point in deflating another's ego to save your own, is there? But as a subtle form of resistance, I gave him a pair of mismatched and crooked chopsticks.

Saw a horrific sight on the trip down to Nghe An. After travelling at a breakneck speed for a couple of hours, our tour bus got caught in traffic. Police cars, driving on the curb, raced past us. Curious, I looked out the window to see what the commotion was about. I will never forget the sight--a mangled dead body lay on the side of the street, the victim of a high-sped motorbike accident. The force of the crash ripped the head clean off the body--its contents spilled all over the road. A colorful coffin lay open next to the body, while policemen scooped body parts into it. I know factually that traffic accidents are the #1 cause of death in Vietnam, but its another thing to view it firsthand. I've seen accidents in the city before, but this was far worse. In the rural areas, the careening trucks combined with the higher speeds pose a higher risk for fatal traffic accidents. When driving my own motorbike, I sometimes find myself taking needless risks--passing in front of oncoming traffic, running yellow lights, driving way too fast. After seeing this sight, I quietly vowed to myself that I will buy myself a helmet when I return to Hanoi.

Ended up chatting with an elderly man who claimed to have spoken to Phan Boi Chau beyond the grace. "Grandfather Phan (the term is used out of respect similar to how Ho Chi Minh is referred to as Uncle) has spoken to me," he whispers quietly. "We had a private conversation. He is truly an enlightened human being."
"Did you see him?" I asked.
"I spoke with him through a medium."
Curious, I asked him, "What did he say?"
" I cannot say. But he said a lot."
"Does he know what happened in Vietnam?"
"He does, and he had a lot to say."
Intrigued, I pressed him further, "Like what?"
"Let's just say that his viewpoint is not Communist."
I left it there. I have no way of proving the validity of his claims, but even if they were complete false, it reflects much about the man's own views. He went on about the medium: "She's helped a lot of people. There was this woman, already 25 years old, and still not married (Editor's note: !!!!!). She tried for years, but just couldn't find a husband. Finally, in a last ditch effort to get her hitched, her mother brought her to the medium. As it turned out, the girl could not marry because someone in the netherlife secretly loved her. A ghost wanted to marry her, and thus prevented her from marrying a living person! The medium had to persuade the ghost to marry another ghost--a young girl who died at 15. They even staged a wedding for the happy deceased couple, complete with paper clothes, food, money, and offerings. Soon after her deceased admirer married, the girl married a rich, handsome, and (most importantly) LIVING young man. (Makes me wonder If I have a ghost admirer!)

Am currently in search for the perfect gym. Been trying out all the hotel gyms nearby: the Sofitel Plaza, the Metropole, the Nikko, the Guoman, the Sheraton, and the Hanoi Hilton Opera. Need a space where I can go and zone out, shut out stress. While all of them are decent in terms of equipment, I have a feeling I'm not going to like the gym culture here in Hanoi. The practice of gym-going is still really new in Vietnam, so only really wealthy Hanoians have gym memberships. I usually like the in-and-out gym trip--short and efficient. I've found that Vietnamese tend to hang out at gyms for hours at a time chatting, wearing the latest fashion athletic wear, and doing a minimal amount of exercising. Now, I don't mind people chitchatting, but do people have to do it while on the lat pulldown machine?

Finally started on my dissertation this week! Had my first full day of work on Wednesday. Because the newspapers I work with are so old that the brittle paper will instantly pulverize at the slightest touch, I had to read them off of microfilm. After an hour of squinting in the poor light at the half-broken film-reading machine, the librarian took mercy on me and let me see the actual documents. It was so COOL--I could imagine living in 1932, reading those newspapers for the first time. The issues they dealt with were no different than today--women's rights, politics, fashion, poverty, war... (I'm getting all excited about yellowed pieces of musty paper--does that make me a dork?)

About the dissertation itself--to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to do first! So I just sat there and input newspaper issues into Endnote (how researchers did work before computers, I don't know). I figured the first step is to figure out whether I have the entire run of both newspapers. Next step: Acquiring the missing issues. I should actually sit down and devise a plan of action before proceeding further.

Kat is throwing a combined housewarming and mid-autumn festival hot pot party tonight, so I have to go help set up. Will write more next week...

Week 4: Movin' In

Moved into the new house on Monday. Schlepping all that stuff in was a pain, but getting settled was an even bigger one! I blew a load of cash buying house stuff--kitchenware, linen, food, house knick-knacks. I spent so much money at the supermarket that they gave me a "V.I.P. Customer" card--good for a discount on future purchases. Its taking forever to get set up, and I'm still not really finished. There's always this one box full of stuff that isn't used often, but shouldn't be thrown out because you will use it at some point. Stuff like extra staples, ribbon, extension cords, and packaging tape. Where to put this stuff?!?!?

Anyways, all this has made me realize that the older I get, the harder and harder it is for me to move. I liken moving to pulling out teeth sans anesthesia. I actually daydream about staying in a place longer than 2 years, even more than I fantasize about Vincent Perez. I suppose its one of the sacrifices one makes for grad school--financial insolvency, enduring existential ennui, intellectual alienation, arrested personal development, Sartrean nausea, perpetual singledom...

Was my mom's birthday on Thursday. Remembered to call her, and reminded Kat to do the same. Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

First work-related news--I found out through contacts that someone in Saigon owns 200 original copies of the newspaper I'm working on for my dissertation--supposedly in mint condition. They want 30 million Vietnamese dong for it (before you have a heart attack, that's a little less than 2000 USD). I'm sure I can get them down, but the question is...should I buy?

Got invited to a conference in Nghe An this weekend, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Phan Boi Chau and the Dong Du Movement. FYI, Phan Boi Chau was a renowned anticolonialist, often seen as a predecessor to Ho Chi Minh. In 1905, inspired by the Russo-Japanese War (the first in which a European power was defeated by an Asian country), Phan Boi Chau set up the Dong Du (Travel East) Movement, which sent Vietnamese students to Japan to study abroad. The purpose was for these bright students to learn about Japanese modernization and military tactics to help the Vietnamese in their own struggle against the French. Although the Japanese (with French urging) shut down the Dong Du movement after only 4 years, a number of these students went on to become famous anticolonialists and revolutionaries in their own right. The conference should be interesting--I have never been to Nghe An, which is the homeland not only of Phan Boi Chau, but of Ho Chi Minh himself. All the academic fat cats should be there, which is a great opportunity for networking (must remember to bring my spiffy new business cards.) More on the conference next week.

Excited about prospect of finally starting work. The official starting date for Martina's dissertation: Monday, September 12. The date that will forever change Vietnam studies and the world at-large.

Week 3: Home Sweet Home

I have a new love of my life...I got a cat!!! Well, actually, my sister got a cat. Living on the West Lake, Kat's hoping that it will deter cockroaches and mice. It doesn't have a name yet--Kat wants the name to emerge over time. Currently, its name seems to be Stupid Cat. I think that she should name the cat Chairman Mao (which actually means cat in Mandarin), and refer to it as "the Chairman." I also kinda like the name Sashimi (Get it? Cats like fish...) Anyways, Kat says that she hates it when people go abroad, get a pet, and then dump it when they leave. So according to her, the most humane thing is to eat it before you leave. She's talking about having a cat-eating ritual and feast. As for me, I don't know if I can ingest an animal that I have so much affection for. Maybe I can talk Kat into taking the kitty back to the states...


Went to the Fulbright Orientation this week, and met all the new Fulbright grantees and the director of the Fulbright program in Vietnam. The first day of the orientation was an informational session (stuff I already know, but it was good to schmooze), while the second day was a day trip to Hoa Binh. I thought I hadn't been to Hoa Binh before, but I realized differently when the boat pulled up next to a Muong stilt house I had visited back in 2000 (on my very first trip to Vietnam)!!!! I guess that's what happens when you've seen so much of a country--you forget the places you've already been to. Anyways, part of the trip entailed a visit to a Soviet-built hydroelectric dam. The Vietnamese are so proud of this accomplishment, that this dam that they printed it on the money! Have posted pictures of the countryside and of the dam.



Much to my relief, I found a home. Its a one bedroom apartment, fully furnished, centrally located in Hoan Kiem District (downtown Hanoi, on Tran Hung Dao St). My new place is situated right across the street from the Cultural Palace of Friendship (No joke--the building itself is the worst kind of Soviet-style cinderblock architecture), where the government holds art exhibitions and cultural activities. It takes me 3 minutes by motorbike to get to the National Library and Archives, a 5 minute drive to the Old Quarter, and 15 minute drive to Kat's house on the West Lake. I really like the apartment itself--its on the fourth floor of a Japanese-style house, with a great kitchen (I don't know how much I'll cook--especially since my street is famous for its food stalls.), It also has a washer and a (gasp) DRYER (the latter is very rare in Vietnam, as everyone line dries their clothes.) I have a Zen garden on the roof with a wading pool, and a fish pond in the house (!!!!!!). I move in on Monday--finally!!!

Really anxious to get started on work. I can't believe that I've been in Vietnam almost a month already! Will give myself next week to move and get settled, and will start work the following Monday.

September 2 is the 60th anniversary of Vietnamese Independence and the August Revolution (it actually occured in Sept in the lunar calendar. Kinda like how the Bolshevik October Revolution happened in November.) Watched the fireworks with my sister and Javier (whose Vietnamized version of his name name, Ha Viet, means Vietnamese river). At one point during the fireworks, I looked around me and noticed that I was the only single person in the middle of a sea of couples--which made me miss my fabulous single girlfriends. I'm also a little self-conscious of my "old-maid" status here in Vietnam. Believe it or not, 26 is considered by some to be a little old to be single--women tend to marry and have kids in their early twenties. I can't even imagine having a kid at 21 or 22, when I'm barely a kid myself!!! I can barely take care of myself at the age of 26!!

Ooooh, must run. Its almost 10:30 PM and I still haven't had dinner. Will write more later.