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.