Friday, August 28, 2009
The Manor
Seeing the model picture on paper I was impressed by the magnitude of the project, but when I was in front of it I felt nothing. It was just a building....cements and bricks. Once I started exploring, I noticed a couple of things. This place had the most random statues... there was no real purpose or meaning behind these decorations. Then there were the security guards. The security around this place was so tight. It was almost like they thought we were a group of terrorists. No cameras were allowed, no wandering, and no entry into the residence area. They really emphasized GATED community. Funny thing is there was no sign of a community. Part of living in Viet Nam is being able to get to know your neighbors and interact with people. Now if you take that away, then you're really taking away the essence of living here.
Goals for the next 4 months
I've never been a planner type of thinker, so for me to think ahead and think about specific goals is pretty hard. In general, during my stay here I hope to learn more about Vietnam, be able to read and write Vietnamese, and all that good stuff. On another level, after coming here I feel like I have a greater responsibility beyond myself. People here are trying so hard just to make end meets and they are living in such poor conditions. It even makes me feel guilty for living a regular life. Being raised in America, I was used to thinking that people are "entitled" to certain living basics and standards, but that is not true at all. It's just one of those things you don't think about until it's right in front of you. How can you continue to eat your meal when an elderly person or a child is begging for couple of cents? Thinking about these things saddens me, so my goal for the next 4 months is doing something that will make people or even someone's life better in some way. That being said, the hardest part is "how"... and honestly I don't know. I can volunteer for certain projects or spend a day helping someone sell something, but whatever it is I will definitely achieve it before I go back to America.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Friendship Village
8/21
When thay Gerard told the class that we had the chance to go see people who were affected by agent orange I was actually afraid. Not afraid of the people, but scared of the reality that I was going to face. I couldn't help but think that they were victims of their own lives. For most people including myself, our lives and futures contain to some certain extent a handful of possibilities, but what about these people? Being born with diseases and birth defects, what type of future do you think is in stored? How far will they go in their lives? Maybe a better question is, is there even a "real" future, especially for those individuals who are severely affected by agent orange? What about their family? I can't imagine how saddened the parents must be, knowing how hard life will be for their children, but powerless to protect them from such hardships. The more I asked myself these questions, the more depressed I became. I don't mean to pity these individuals' lives, but the predicament is just way too sad. Honestly, what is the point of life if this is the case? Going through all these thought processes, I knew I had to witness this reality for myself because that was the only way to find my answers.
When I arrived at the Friendship village and went into the first classroom, I was a bit shaken. They were just children, maybe around 5-7 years old. I thought for sure I have found my answers and it wasn't what I hoped to find. But, all that changed the more time I spent around these children. They became less shy and even to my surprise embracing. Seeing the smiles on their faces totally stripped all the pessimistic thoughts out of my head. I didn't care about answering my questions anymore, it didn't matter. For the moment, I was a part of their lives, just living it with them. They are no different from ordinary people, they have their own dreams and aspirations. Their lives is and probably will be much harder as one would expect, but for all that they had overcome I believe they will continue to do so and live life to their own fulfillment.
These moments really are the most endearing moments in my life. I want to thank these special kids for touching my life with their strength and smiles. Truly, thanks for the memories.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Hi, my name is Chanh. I was born on October 11, 1988. I have two siblings; an older sister and a younger brother. My home town is Cai Be, Tieng Giang. I grew up there for the first seven years of my life. Then my family moved to America, in search of a better future. My parents understood that better education was the key to that future for their children and they were willing to give up their comfortable life for it. With that by December of 1995 I was freezing my butt off in Daily City, California.
I went to school at Brisbane Elementary School for second grade. It was not really school per se, more like a babysitting. Toward the end of that year I managed to pick up two words, “The End”. I was pretty proud of that accomplishment. After second grade, my family moved to San Francisco. There I attended Sheridan Elementary School. Going to another school so soon was really hard to adapt to. Friends were hard to come by because of the language barriers. Academically I was doing horrible because I had no interest in learning. Fortunately, being young I unconsciously picked up the language as time went on. It was not until around fourth grade that I had picked up enough words to communicate about basic things and a bit of writing. By fifth grade I was doing extremely, so well that I was one of the kids chosen to speak at our graduation. Everything seemed to be going great, but the problem was that I was slowly losing my Vietnamese language and identity. At that age I took those things for granted because I had no purpose for them. I was in America and this was going to be my new home, so why bother? This was my justification to avoid learning Vietnamese, but in my defense at that age I did not want to learn anything period and Vietnamese was no exception.
From sixth to eighth grade, I would say my middle school experience was the typical American experience. Although during this time, I was exposed to prejudice and stereotype to some extent. I was matured enough to tell that I was not being judged by my characteristics anymore, but more based on how I look and my racial background. I remembered the label for me back then was a “chinaman”. Guess kids back then were not too good at geography. I wasn’t either. Then when it came to sports like basketball and football I was being overlooked because I was not Black, Latino, or Filipino. I was especially annoyed at being tossed around like a burden when it came to picking teams for those sports. I know I was not that good, but sure was better than the chubby Filipino kid! It was not until 8th grade that the stereotypes broke down, because by then all the kids knew each other pretty well.
High school was a different experience, it was fun actually. School was easy as pie, which was a good thing because school was nowhere near the top of my priority list. Those years were all about finding what “herd” you belong to, superficial relationships, and learning what’s “cool” and what’s not. I definitely did not want to miss out on these vital life lessons. On a serious note, I did find my fellow sheep-mates. They are an awesome group of friends, practically my second family. By having such a good external supporting network, I matured pretty well and preserved much of my sanity.
After those good years of high school, shitty college came around and I went through another “phase”. Almost all of my friends were split up to different schools and so I lost that daily companionship. I ended up at UC Davis. The first year of college I felt really lonely and depressed. On top of that I was feeling overwhelmed by the future, school, and life in general. I had no passion, motivation, or purpose. I was pretty much just a loser waiting for each day to ends. It was not until the mid of my sophomore year that a very special person to me revitalized and renew my spirit. She gave me something that I had always been lacking; a purpose. She told me the type of person she thought I was and was going to be. Regardless if it is true or not I made it my goal to become this person. With a sense of purpose I saw life though a tunnel vision view, and at the end of that tunnel was everything that I wanted to be. In order to accomplish my goal, I knew I had to change my life. I took school more seriously and almost instantaneously my academics got back on track, it was actually way better than it was ever was before. This was such a boost to my sense of self and confidence that it affected every aspect of my life. I took better care of myself and gain a new self-worth, learned to appreciate the important things in life, especially things that I took for granted before, and simply just knowing how much control I have over my life. With the same mentally, I made it through junior year pretty well. The best academic year of my college experience so far. Some time during this time, I came to the realization that college life sucks and I want something that really was worth my time. I came across the study abroad program and decided that Viet Nam was the best choice. Being my birthplace it holds the most meaning to me and so if I was going to experience anything, then it would have the most, if not strongest, effects on me. Plus, as an economic major I know I will be getting the most bang for by buck!
I went to school at Brisbane Elementary School for second grade. It was not really school per se, more like a babysitting. Toward the end of that year I managed to pick up two words, “The End”. I was pretty proud of that accomplishment. After second grade, my family moved to San Francisco. There I attended Sheridan Elementary School. Going to another school so soon was really hard to adapt to. Friends were hard to come by because of the language barriers. Academically I was doing horrible because I had no interest in learning. Fortunately, being young I unconsciously picked up the language as time went on. It was not until around fourth grade that I had picked up enough words to communicate about basic things and a bit of writing. By fifth grade I was doing extremely, so well that I was one of the kids chosen to speak at our graduation. Everything seemed to be going great, but the problem was that I was slowly losing my Vietnamese language and identity. At that age I took those things for granted because I had no purpose for them. I was in America and this was going to be my new home, so why bother? This was my justification to avoid learning Vietnamese, but in my defense at that age I did not want to learn anything period and Vietnamese was no exception.
From sixth to eighth grade, I would say my middle school experience was the typical American experience. Although during this time, I was exposed to prejudice and stereotype to some extent. I was matured enough to tell that I was not being judged by my characteristics anymore, but more based on how I look and my racial background. I remembered the label for me back then was a “chinaman”. Guess kids back then were not too good at geography. I wasn’t either. Then when it came to sports like basketball and football I was being overlooked because I was not Black, Latino, or Filipino. I was especially annoyed at being tossed around like a burden when it came to picking teams for those sports. I know I was not that good, but sure was better than the chubby Filipino kid! It was not until 8th grade that the stereotypes broke down, because by then all the kids knew each other pretty well.
High school was a different experience, it was fun actually. School was easy as pie, which was a good thing because school was nowhere near the top of my priority list. Those years were all about finding what “herd” you belong to, superficial relationships, and learning what’s “cool” and what’s not. I definitely did not want to miss out on these vital life lessons. On a serious note, I did find my fellow sheep-mates. They are an awesome group of friends, practically my second family. By having such a good external supporting network, I matured pretty well and preserved much of my sanity.
After those good years of high school, shitty college came around and I went through another “phase”. Almost all of my friends were split up to different schools and so I lost that daily companionship. I ended up at UC Davis. The first year of college I felt really lonely and depressed. On top of that I was feeling overwhelmed by the future, school, and life in general. I had no passion, motivation, or purpose. I was pretty much just a loser waiting for each day to ends. It was not until the mid of my sophomore year that a very special person to me revitalized and renew my spirit. She gave me something that I had always been lacking; a purpose. She told me the type of person she thought I was and was going to be. Regardless if it is true or not I made it my goal to become this person. With a sense of purpose I saw life though a tunnel vision view, and at the end of that tunnel was everything that I wanted to be. In order to accomplish my goal, I knew I had to change my life. I took school more seriously and almost instantaneously my academics got back on track, it was actually way better than it was ever was before. This was such a boost to my sense of self and confidence that it affected every aspect of my life. I took better care of myself and gain a new self-worth, learned to appreciate the important things in life, especially things that I took for granted before, and simply just knowing how much control I have over my life. With the same mentally, I made it through junior year pretty well. The best academic year of my college experience so far. Some time during this time, I came to the realization that college life sucks and I want something that really was worth my time. I came across the study abroad program and decided that Viet Nam was the best choice. Being my birthplace it holds the most meaning to me and so if I was going to experience anything, then it would have the most, if not strongest, effects on me. Plus, as an economic major I know I will be getting the most bang for by buck!
Obituary
Hans Holzer
I chose this obituary at random, but the life of a ghost hunter does sound interesting enough for a quick read. As I am reading mister Holzer’s obituary, I wonder how someone could ever live the life he had lived. Choosing to build his life’s legacy on something as wild as ghosts, some would say it is pure idiotic. That being said, I do admire him for being so successful at it. To be able to not only live life the way he believed in it, but also attracting others to his passion. I don't think there is any standard higher than that to measure success. Well, maybe except having enough self-confidence to to give yourself your own doctorate title.
I chose this obituary at random, but the life of a ghost hunter does sound interesting enough for a quick read. As I am reading mister Holzer’s obituary, I wonder how someone could ever live the life he had lived. Choosing to build his life’s legacy on something as wild as ghosts, some would say it is pure idiotic. That being said, I do admire him for being so successful at it. To be able to not only live life the way he believed in it, but also attracting others to his passion. I don't think there is any standard higher than that to measure success. Well, maybe except having enough self-confidence to to give yourself your own doctorate title.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Scavenger Hunt and Girl Talk Live
Yesterday (8/15)was so fun! eap and hanu students had a team scavenger hunt all over Hanoi. We had to complete a list of quite humorous and ridiculous tasks in 3 hours. We were all given 150,000 vn dollars, a camera (for proof of completion of certain task), and a map. There were 7-8 teams I think..and we were all racing against each other. It was like that show survival race or something! haha. I wish I can upload it all to you guys to see, but I'll probably pick a few for now. Anyway, nearing the end we BARELY made it in time. It was 5:54, and my team just finished our last task. The finish line was a restaurant on 10 something street and we were on 80 something street...... Considering the humidity and the heat, IT WAS ONE CRAZY WORKOUT! I was DRIPPING from head to toe with sweat. But adrenaline was in high mode, so powered through it! The restaurant first floor was BOMBARDED by all the students, trying to get their place in. It was very exciting!In the end we didn't win, but we did save the most money and got to keep it. =]. Although this is a competition and everything, it wasn't about winning and losing. It was about going out there and acquiring/practicing certain life skills that are fun and extremely helpful. I met two Australian guys and an England English teacher. Had a wonderful time chatting with all of them, especially the English teacher.
After announcing the scavenger hunt winners and everything, went to a hotpot. Had to walk there, but it was raining cats and dogs. The streets were flooded past my ankles! Disgusting...yes..but fun!! Pics are up on facebook already. After dinner, some of us went to the girl talk concert. The concert was literally in the middle of a jungle, so the mosquitoes came out to feast. It was my first concert, so didn't really know what to expect. It was about 8 dollars to get in, so I was definitely getting the deal on this one. First, it was slow because we had to wait for the Girl Talk guy to get there, but it was a good time to talk and get to know couple of people better. Had an interesting talk with Kim Anh and Chi Chi about relationship. haha. always a hot topic. Then the concert started.. our group made their way onto the stage and danced there the whole night. The music was quite good, couple hip-hop songs. Still not used to the whole dancing situation thing. My poor space bubble..=[. haha. But I figure this is part of the reason why I'm here. Even if I feel uncomfortable or self conscious about it, as long as I can put myself out there and try then I'll be happy with whatever the outcome is. My dancing was horrible..but i did end up having a good time with my friends anyway.
Got home around 2 ish..tried to take a shower but no hot water...This was my 2nd consecutive cold water shower. For some reason this place turns off their water supply late at night. The other night my roommate scott didn't even have water to shower with.
Woke up today, skyped with my parents for a bit. Then went to grab breakfast.
A bit more than 2 dollars..only in Vietnam. haha. Well, I'm sleepy, so maybe an afternoon nap? =]
After announcing the scavenger hunt winners and everything, went to a hotpot. Had to walk there, but it was raining cats and dogs. The streets were flooded past my ankles! Disgusting...yes..but fun!! Pics are up on facebook already. After dinner, some of us went to the girl talk concert. The concert was literally in the middle of a jungle, so the mosquitoes came out to feast. It was my first concert, so didn't really know what to expect. It was about 8 dollars to get in, so I was definitely getting the deal on this one. First, it was slow because we had to wait for the Girl Talk guy to get there, but it was a good time to talk and get to know couple of people better. Had an interesting talk with Kim Anh and Chi Chi about relationship. haha. always a hot topic. Then the concert started.. our group made their way onto the stage and danced there the whole night. The music was quite good, couple hip-hop songs. Still not used to the whole dancing situation thing. My poor space bubble..=[. haha. But I figure this is part of the reason why I'm here. Even if I feel uncomfortable or self conscious about it, as long as I can put myself out there and try then I'll be happy with whatever the outcome is. My dancing was horrible..but i did end up having a good time with my friends anyway.
Got home around 2 ish..tried to take a shower but no hot water...This was my 2nd consecutive cold water shower. For some reason this place turns off their water supply late at night. The other night my roommate scott didn't even have water to shower with.
Woke up today, skyped with my parents for a bit. Then went to grab breakfast.
A bit more than 2 dollars..only in Vietnam. haha. Well, I'm sleepy, so maybe an afternoon nap? =]
Friday, August 14, 2009
First Week.
Orientation week is almost over. Next week class begins. I'm actually excited about school. A lot of classes on finance and business related stuff. Recap on this week.
On Tuesday(11), took a tour around the Hanoi area. It took about 1.5- 2 hours. It was really the hardest walk ever in my life so far, but saw a lot of interesting things (like in the pictures i took). My flip flop SUCKS ASS! how can people stand it? The middle strap shit hurts like hell. So I gotta go do some shopping. Eating here is awesome! food is ever so good and ever so cheap! Although the portion is small, but that's because people here don't eat that much. Dinner had some "bo biftek", which i thought was "beef steak", but it wasn't. Still beef though. Went on a night outing with the group after dinner. Drank some beer and this one ended up being the type i'm allergic to. F-UCKED! This was by far the worst allergic reaction I've experienced. I think the humidity and heat aggravated it. My skin got all rashy, itchy,and lumpy. Not the prettiest of sight..
Weds(12), Gerard took eap anD hanU students to bia hoi, which pretty much means more beer. I wasn't gonna drink any so Gerard got me some "ruou de", which is the fermented alcohol with weird stuff in there. Thanks Gerard.....Since it was for the experience took me couple of shots. Then we took the bottle and went around pressuring all the other kids to drink too. Things got a bit crazy when people took the fermented stuff out, in this case mainly worms and took shots/ eat them. I had enough of the alcohol and i was still recovering from the allergic reaction, so i called it quit when the worms came out. Afterward, went to a karaoke bar. The place was quite extravagant. The hallway was like a light show and the room was nicely decorated. Goes to show vietnamese people's passion for one of their favorite hobby.
Thurs(13) went to the Vietcom tower and watched UP. Fell asleep during most of the movie, but the beginning was good (the cloud and stork part). Afterward, since i had my nap already went out with couple people for sinh to (smoothie). Had a nice talk until the curfew. Then went back to the dorms for some poker. Surprisingly, I was doing pretty well, but I lost patience and went back to all in. lol. So ended up being 2nd place with a winning of 40,000!....vn dollar that is(about 2 U.S dollar) haha.
Friday (14) Went to KFC for lunch. Chicken was a bit better than in the states since they used less oil here. The ketchup though..i think it had bourbon in it. Haven't gone out for the night yet, so update later. Guess I should start on homework. Night!
..didn't really do hw. went out to eat at an "expensive" restaurant. 80,000!(4 something..) portion was small so you have to order at least two plates. that's why it's expensive. Then went to a club. drank a little..danced a little. pretty much the typical club..except this one played trance. but whatever..it's all part of the experience. tired..............!
On Tuesday(11), took a tour around the Hanoi area. It took about 1.5- 2 hours. It was really the hardest walk ever in my life so far, but saw a lot of interesting things (like in the pictures i took). My flip flop SUCKS ASS! how can people stand it? The middle strap shit hurts like hell. So I gotta go do some shopping. Eating here is awesome! food is ever so good and ever so cheap! Although the portion is small, but that's because people here don't eat that much. Dinner had some "bo biftek", which i thought was "beef steak", but it wasn't. Still beef though. Went on a night outing with the group after dinner. Drank some beer and this one ended up being the type i'm allergic to. F-UCKED! This was by far the worst allergic reaction I've experienced. I think the humidity and heat aggravated it. My skin got all rashy, itchy,and lumpy. Not the prettiest of sight..
Weds(12), Gerard took eap anD hanU students to bia hoi, which pretty much means more beer. I wasn't gonna drink any so Gerard got me some "ruou de", which is the fermented alcohol with weird stuff in there. Thanks Gerard.....Since it was for the experience took me couple of shots. Then we took the bottle and went around pressuring all the other kids to drink too. Things got a bit crazy when people took the fermented stuff out, in this case mainly worms and took shots/ eat them. I had enough of the alcohol and i was still recovering from the allergic reaction, so i called it quit when the worms came out. Afterward, went to a karaoke bar. The place was quite extravagant. The hallway was like a light show and the room was nicely decorated. Goes to show vietnamese people's passion for one of their favorite hobby.
Thurs(13) went to the Vietcom tower and watched UP. Fell asleep during most of the movie, but the beginning was good (the cloud and stork part). Afterward, since i had my nap already went out with couple people for sinh to (smoothie). Had a nice talk until the curfew. Then went back to the dorms for some poker. Surprisingly, I was doing pretty well, but I lost patience and went back to all in. lol. So ended up being 2nd place with a winning of 40,000!....vn dollar that is(about 2 U.S dollar) haha.
Friday (14) Went to KFC for lunch. Chicken was a bit better than in the states since they used less oil here. The ketchup though..i think it had bourbon in it. Haven't gone out for the night yet, so update later. Guess I should start on homework. Night!
..didn't really do hw. went out to eat at an "expensive" restaurant. 80,000!(4 something..) portion was small so you have to order at least two plates. that's why it's expensive. Then went to a club. drank a little..danced a little. pretty much the typical club..except this one played trance. but whatever..it's all part of the experience. tired..............!
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