Quê mùa 09 collection

me in my grandmother's Nón ^^

my grandmom and her daughter-in-law (i.e. my mommy ^^)

This entry I'd be dedicating to my beloved Quê and the life in this rural area :X

it's a rural area beside the Red River, in old Hatay province (the extended Hanoi now)

the road home...

the main earnings from crops are here!!! Bananas everywhere in the garden hô hô

a hard rain this summer took away a large area of ngói in the roof
view from outside to the kitchen
inside the kitchen

Bếp củi (her old fire wood... use til now... when I was a kid, I loved to come inside the kitchen and sit next to the fire until the body feel the very deep warmth and my face skin got cracked a lil LOL)

many old ladies like this one (around 70s) are on the road back to their home from the rice paddle field
amazingly...

Luckily I come there right at the time of harvesting. All the paddy fields filled with the yellow color ^^


Interestingly, I wrote this entry half month ago but now I'm still finishing it haha
and some days ago Gerard've told us about the trip to experience the VILLAGE life and harvesting! So funny I rooted from a typical village where life mainly depends on corn and rice, and now I'm going to experience the work that my grand grand father, my grand father and my father did years long to earn their living... It would be very hard, I know... but it's worth experiencing! And I believe even I will be living in this city for another 100 years, I'd not have much chance (~0%) of trying doing this once :D I'm so looking forward to it!!! And for UC or any VNese guys who have never know what it may look like when the whole "Village" in the harvesting season, here are some of the pictures I took in the trip back to my QUê half month ago ^^


P.S: This course is getting much much worthy to take!!!!

the week without UC

This week all UC mem go to the central of Vietnam for a great field trip. It's amazing that they'd be visiting the area of Tây Nguyên (Central Highland) where I've never had a chance to experience. The place is among the most special places of the country, in many senses. One day, I'd definitely be there!!! And especially after we've studied about last year about all the coffee growing things, I do have a desire to see the place with my own eyes. Last week we have 3 articles to discuss on. And this is definitely one of the most impressive week so far I think, in aspect of the content of the articles and all the ideas about it. They raised in me so many questions and confusion, and for a moment, I was quite lost. But now I know what I know is right, and everything has two sides, we gotta trade off to get to the goal we expect to be better. And what I learnt in the class seriously is to read more, experience more and be more open to all possible theory/opinion. And to be really objective in viewing things is way too difficult. We always have a tendency towards something that is quite bias.

This week is nice! First of all: No UC class in Thursday hahaha If you know how much studying I had to take every Thursday, you'll understand. Every Thursday I have class from 7am til 7pm huhu no break except for lunch!!!!! How craziiii hichic And this Thursday afternoon I stayed at home and edited photos for the whole afternoon haha how relaxing... no reading and no class. Just wondering what folks are doing in the far Central land... It would be amazing! The land of poor and dust but kinda mysterious to me ^^

The week started with my family's visit to my father's QUÊ (i.e. hometown for closest meaning but still not yet precise). It's amazing trip and for the first time after so many years we were there exactly on the days of rice harvest! The color of yellow spread all over the fields on my way back to my QUÊ. I'd write another entry dedicating only for that trip with amazing pictures of that beloved place, poor but filled with love and most importantly is it's experiencing very much development, which makes it relevant to this blog hahaha

Then, on Thursday, I was caught (again! for god's sake hichic the last time was only 2 weeks ago in Tràng Tiền/ Bờ Hồ for a very stupid mistake huhu) by THE SAME traffic police officer haha It's so ridiculous! And yet very much fun and thankful yes! Since I was so surprised at that coincidence and couldn't help laughing right on the spot, he realized me and let me go hahaha or else I'd be fined with (I guess at least) VND 100,000 or more since I don't have the lisence (I'm so lazy haha). It's Duyên! I believe so! Talking about Duyên, I don't know if there's any English word relevant to that Vietnamese word but it's among my most favorite Vietnamese words. As said in Budism theories, we'd be in this life is a Duyên, and everything in this world doesn't happen for no reasons. There're always some Duyên that causes all those things to be where it be.

Friday, rain and wetness, my motobike broke in the middle of a downtown street. 3 hours I had to stand on the street waiting for it to be fixed. Luckily, I had my girl friend there with me. When it's the very bad situation, having a friend there being by my side would make me much stronger and time flies haha of course! Girl talk b-)

Hanoi streets, I loved them. For me, this week marked the new season, Hanoi is in autumn. Today I realized the first Bàng tree wholy in color bronze brown and reddish... how beautiful!!!! The winter is coming soon. And my Birthday, yeah!!! Next week!!! YoYo!!! so much excited!

P.S: ahh, I forgot, when UC guys away for the Central trip, I met up with the Volunteers I collected in the school. They'd be working with us in this whole project so please be kind and coordinating, to me haha since I'm the only girl in the group huhu poor me huhu I'd be asking some other girls, but this year is quite a tough year for all of the 4th year students, I can't ask them easily to do voluntary stuffs. I collected 4 boys, two from Computer Science faculty and two from the International Relations. They're quite eager to see you guys and the kids too! Last week 4 of us met Lan, the SJ coordinator of Youth House project for the kids around Long Biên bridge. It's great that she still recognised me though complained on how much weight I have been gaining huhu And she agreed on our ideas for the project! But she needs a formal paper for detailed information of the project and we decided to contact her later for that. She also helped us out with a French name for potential interest to raise fund for this project. We expected this would go well! And our work for next week would be:

1. Meet with the kids for a number of purposes ^^ ( I already schedule to meet them with the guys from Hanu this Tuesday noon, since UC hasn't come back yet, we'll arrange some other day later for us all)
2. Meeting of all members of the project
3. UC mem to be taught to feel more familiar with the soccer thing haha
4. The proposal for the project
5. Contact the possible fund $$ real difficult hichic
6. Meet with Lan again for more specific plan of the start date of project ^^

for today

I've been thinking a lot since yesterday, basically since I took this UC course. I'm kind of in a middle of so much confusion, disbelief and mixture of pessimism and optimism, and kind of a lost feeling, don't know who to trust what to trust, don't know what should I be thinking now and what should I be doing in the next some years or maybe this whole life to fulfill what really means the right! I have poor expression of my thinking in English then please understand whatever I wrote in a broad sense?? no, uhmm.. open sense? :)) haha LOL forget it.

my autobiography week 3 and 4 with U.C

Week 3, we do not have any field trip and just a small reading to prepare. In class, Gerald asked people working for some NGO in Hanoi to come and talk to us about how they involved in the NGO thing in Vietnam and basically what they are doing and give out some suggestions if anyone of us want to starts an NGO. It's a good section though I hardly understand what they were talking and even laughing about in the second half of the talk haha I like the women and how she talked to us, in a very tender and clear English hihi I love it! The other two men, they talked in a low tone and skip so much words I think hichic so basically the UC students understand well, sometimes I had to ask them about what people are discussing about hic By the way, thank you Chau! How great I had you by my side that section haha Then, no field trip.

Week 4, we came to class and talked about our experiences in the Manor. Ly had a very valid idea! She's definitely right when recognized that the place was quite empty because we came there at noon! But thru what we had discussed about, I had some wonder on my minds. The apartment building I've been living in for nearly 15 years is going to be rebuilt since it's too old for the new look of the city. It's so thankful of the Government, all the people around here say that all day. But I'm wondering how my home is going to look like after it was rebuilt? It'd be kinda like another Western apartment complex? It'd be very beautiful but there's something not alright then. I haven't figured out what that is yet, I just know. I'm afraid it would turn out not beautiful as well as human-related and nature-realted. The budget is quite a problem and most significantly the issue of poor-managed construction with a lot of cases of builders pickpocketed money invested for the project. If people can build buildings with trees around and also inside it would be amazing! Now we only have 5 floors each building but in new schedule, the building would be like at least 10 floors! What I'm scared of most is the quality, I'd not want it to collapse like things already happened in VN.

What a blast! We had to come up with our projects right in that class! I love working with Agent Orange Victims and the filming stuffs and I have dreamt about working in such a project since secondary school. But since Phat's group about playground for kids has no Hanu student and my own project is somewhat related to that issue then I joined him. After some discussion, we come up with the idea of joining some org that already has connection with disadvantaged kids and then ask them for organising soccer events or just weekly game for them.

Next week I had 3 tests and hardly would I have time for this, but we need to do something. I'd call some friends from Hanu who play soccer and ready to devote time and effort joining us! And also try to contact SJVietnam where I volunteered for half a year last year.

this picture I took when tutoring the kids at SJ ^^ He's really naughty but very smart!

I'm coming back there, soon, to discuss with the organizers about our project and see the kids again, too!!! So looking forward to it... really miss them :X

the N.G.O

the third week with U.C is about N.G.O in general and its activities in Vietnam in particular. The teacher requires us to read some text ( I'm so happy and my eyes are so thankful to you LOL since the reading is long enough for them hahaha ) and search as much information as possible about one N.G.O in Vietnam to get prepared for a discussion with officers from some N.G.O at class this week.

At first, I know exactly which N.G.O I want. I want SJ Vietnam, Solidaritee J something that I can't remember because it is in French and it's kinda long hoho I was a volunteer there for 6 months last years and I think I know a lot about it, except for how it has been in progress 1 year up to now. But I don't see it in the list at http://www.ngocentre.netnam.vn/cgi/master.asp . How sad :( Then I had to choose one among all the list of some hundreds NGO hichic Which one to choose? I go to several websites and there're some problems. I can't know exactly how what the NGO did benefits the nation. They merely list out their activities and mostly say about stories of disadvantage people in VN that in need of help to attract donors. I hardly find out info else where and the only way to approach is reading their website or going directly there. I wonder how successful are those things posted on the website really are??? If I put my money there, where would they go? Would they end up in someone's private pocket? And most importantly, does what they do really make any difference for Vietnam? so many other questions...

I chose to read about "Children of Vietnam", available at http://www.childrenofvietnam.org/. The website is nice :) and moreover, as I read more, I find out how applicable and meaningful their projects are. They know what really means for the kids, what they really need to facilitate their studies and all. For example in addition to programs like scholarships and tutoring that other NGO have been offering the disadvantaged kids, COV asked for donation to give a bike for the kids. In rural Vietnam and especially in mountainous areas, houses are generally far away from schools. It takes some kids around half day walking on foot, even bare foot in winter... to school. They had love for learning and knowledge, their parents bare a dream of changing life by letting kids to school. But the harsh life drives some away from such dreams. The rate of dropping out of school recently is increasing as the kids grow up and their family needs their help more in earning their lives. They still crave for schooling but the distance is another factor contributing to the drop-out. It's a sad fact and though the government has been trying by many means, even sending teachers to each household to bring the kids back to school and help out with the parents but life isn't that easy. And a bike at that time is such a great motivation for more schooling and of course also very much helpful for the whole family's life.

my autobiography - U.C week 2 - the Manor

Week 2 started with a terrible shame. During that week I was volunteering for the World IT Forum in Hanoi. I had to drop some classes at school but on Thursday afternoon, I could go for U.C class since my friend agreed to help me out on the work for that. However, since my cell was out of battery and I had to run around for a while to borrow a helmet, I was nearly 10 minutes late... And surprisingly enough, I even didn't know how much seriously late I was since the cell was off already. Right the moment I opened the class door, the teacher come out and tell me to go home right away without hearing any of my sayings lol then I was in real confuse and kinda like lost. My friend who took me back to school already left, my fone is off and my only purpose to do all the things and all the way that day was terribly rejected. I felt like all my efforts to come there was meaningless. If I didn't come back school and continued the work with air-conditioned environment and friends around, I wouldn't be that alone and lost. Then my childishness became serious when I didn't know what to do except for going directly to the door again and knock it, more politely than the first time and ask for a phone from my friends there. Then, the teacher became really angry. I never felt that angriness in him. He yelled at me to go away, he told me how much terribly I disturbed the class... I was so so so much ashame at that time and until now I still feel so much embarassing...

That's all for the shame. Now that I learnt a lesson of being on time with American teacher, I always try to come to UC class soon. Ironically when I come to class soon this week, he came late lol of course he has his reason, that is because the N.G.O panelists have some trouble finding the place. But he refused to listen to my reason, which drove me crazy that day and I made my self a fool lol I was too immature after all. I'm trying now to fix it, the lateness in all classes. I hope this would never happen again.

Next was the field trip to The manor.
For those who doesn't know, The Manor is a complex of modern appartments and villas. It has Western achitecture and Western style of management and rent too. I asked a moto-taxi driver working in the region about the price of houses in there. He said the average rent for an appartment of 130m2 in the two highest buidings is around VND 8 BILLIONs OMG ...
And the price for the villas are cheaper, around 5 BILLIONs. And interestingly people who owns the appartment hardly sell them LOL They keep it as the housing price is increasing all the time, except for some tiny decrease. And since few people sell houses there, the price at the Manor is always high. They only rent it. What so funny is that when our class come, intending to go see the development and urbanization that we're studying at class thru this buidings complex. However, the security refused to let us in. Maybe we're too crowed then we started splitting up and try to get in in all entrances. We tried around 4 entrances but kept being chased out by the security and in the final one we get in the middle of the complex without any prevention.
But we can't be happy for long. The security once came out. They said it's their duty to keep the place secured which means ensuring no body wanders around the place or takes photos to protect the residents there. Basically, I think they are so right! hahaha if I lived there, for sure I would hate people wandering around and take photos of my place! It's privacy, right? And basically, only a few of us can't get in, many others go around and even go up to some buildings' top to get best view LOL And finally when the security came out the last time, they stood there talking to some of us about the place comfortably while the others go around without any prevention hahaha

After the trip, I came home and told my parents. We discussed and what so funny was that except for the feeling of luxury living in a Western styled place, we couldn't figure out what more interest people there. Last year the Manor was so famous in all newspapers since the residents there protested the management for many unreasonable fees. Also, there're some problems with quality of the appartment although it was quite newly built. I also noticed that there're merely no Vietnamese shops and traditional markets around. I believe normal Vietnamese can't live without markets. Especially in places that are crowded, markets are essential. Living the life depending totally in supermarket is no good, stuffs sold at supermarket can't compare with things in the normal market about price and also about the freshness.

I have been living in a 40m2 appartment in one of the oldest building in Hanoi for 15 years. If you ever come to my neigborhood, you'll see how different they are! In the Manor, I was very much astonished. I never see such a place in Hanoi.
It was like I was walking in an European street. Hardly sees anyone. I don't know when will we be able to own a house like that haha This government is so poor just like the whole nation. My parents devoted for the government for more than 20 years and all they get back is an old 40m2 appartment... But I love my neigborhood. It's old and overcrowded but there's a market selling all kinds of things from the high quality to the cheapest ones in the center of the neighborhood, several hospitals in just around 1km, 5 schools for kids aged 3-15 and hundreds of household business hohoho What I treasure most is in my neighborhood, basically people know each other's family and being very much helpful and caring. I love it that every morning when I go to school, I could hear people saying Hi! to each other warmingly. I believe that is just what people at new appartment complex can never buy LOL