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.