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RedStormSports.com E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam
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E-Journal...St. John's Student Athletes in Vietnam May 23, 2004 From the first meal served on the plane from New York to Alaska, we knew that this trip would be far different from anything we had ever experienced before. To say the very least, the 24-hour flight was grueling. When we finally arrived in Hanoi, we were very relieved. Hanoi is a city like no other in the world. It is a vibrant city full of color and life; you can almost feel the energy. The interesting thing is there are thousands of motorcycles/mopeds for every car. At a stoplight, the hundreds of mopeds look like the beginning of the New York Marathon, all anticipating the turning of the light to green. Even more interesting is the fact that there is little if any enforcement of traffic laws. If people were bothered by the constant honking of horns in New York, Hanoi would drive New Yorkers nuts. Crossing the street is an adventure only for the brave. It's like stealing a base in baseball. You don't look at oncoming traffic; you just put your head down and walk. No one ever gets hit. If you try and avoid the motorcycles you will get hit, so it is best to just let them avoid you. We went out on our first adventures last night before dinner, destined to find an Internet cafe to e-mail home, and tell everyone that we had made it. Our guide was a student in our class who is studying at St. John's, but he is a native of Vietnam. We entrusted him with the directions to the cafe. Somehow, we forgot that although he is a native of Vietnam, he is not native to the city of Hanoi. Needless to say, we went a little out of the way to get to the nearest Internet cafe. After we sent some quick e-mails home, we rushed back to the hotel so we wouldn't miss the group leaving for dinner. The restaurant that we went to was quaint, very friendly, and the weather was excellent so we had a nice long dinner outside on the streets of Hanoi. I have personally had a very good experience with the food here. Jillian, on the other hand, has gotten by mostly on rice alone. The food is very exotic and relies heavily upon seafood and spices. As a culture, the Vietnamese do not believe in desert after a meal. Instead, fruit is usually served. Jillian, needless to say, is upset because she considers desert a meal all in itself. The fruits however are like none other I have ever had, with names that I cannot even try to say. Breakfast this morning was American, mixed with traditional Vietnamese foods. We had omelets, toast, and soup. Jillian took the opportunity to eat a lot because she figured this was the best meal she would get all day. Dave was more adventurous trying the soup with beef in it, called Pho Bo. Our first trips out today included a trip to a silk market and a pottery market. The prices for these items are unreal. You can purchase a silk scarf for around $3-5 American. The American dollar is worth about 15,700 Dong (the Vietnamese unit,) so for the first time and, probably the last, Jillian and I are millionaires. Hand made and painted pottery can be found for similar prices. Not only buying these things was a positive experience, but also interacting with the people and learning about their culture was even better. At one particular ceramic store in the village while waiting for the bus and trying not to get eaten alive by mosquitoes, a shopkeeper invited us in for tea. We sat at his desk and he talked with us, about our ages, what we did, and tried to persuade us a little into buying some of his items. He was not pushy and was just simply being friendly. Jillian did, however, end up buying two ceramic jewelry boxes just before we left. It was nice to see someone be genuinely friendly, and not just trying to sell a product. Could you imagine a shopkeeper in New York sitting down to have a soda or tea while in the shop, when he originally knew you probably had no intention of buying anything? Tonight promises to be an interesting evening as the main item on the menu will be snake. I will be joining Jillian in eating only rice. But I will go for the experience. We look forward to hearing from our friends and family as we can check out e-mail daily. My e-mail is David.harrow01@stjohns.edu and Jillian's is jillian.sandoval01@stjohns.edu. |