*Crossing the street. Crossing the street was quite possibly the
scariest set of experiences on this voyage so far. Street lights don't
really exist in Vietnam. In fact, pedestrians having the right of way
when crossing doesn't exist either. Though there are few cars in
Vietnam, there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of motorized
bikes that I am not sure what to call since I just don't remember the
actual name. Basically, these cars/bikes drive super fast, take turns
widely, and don't stop for pedestrians. Since there are no stoplights,
there isn't a change to cross freely and we were literally told in
preport just to start walking. The most important thing, we were told,
was to keep a common pace and just keep going. A lot easier said than
done, right? Petrified, I noticed I was completely horrible at just
going and ended up just grabbing the person closest to me at any time
and closing my eyes while trusting them not to make me killed. My heart
raced still with each time I crossed, and I have never been more
thankful for Boston, or even New York City, traffic. At least I won't be
expected to just walk and hope that the cars decide to go around me
rather than into me. If anyone reading this is ever in Vietnam, just
cross the street as little as possible. I realize its inevitable not to
cross at all, but try your best, or at least find less crowded streets
to cross even if it requires a bit more walking. 20 people die crossing
the street every day in Vietnam. Holy shit.
*Dangerous. Vietnam was the most dangerous port that we went were
traveling to. During pre-port, we were of course told this, but since
we've been to "take care of ourselves and each other" in every pre-port
except for Singapore (where we were told to drink all the tap water we
get our hands on), so I think a lot of people neglected to believe the
severity they tried to instil. I'll admit that I didn't take it much
more seriously than any other port, but thankfully I tend to be more
cautious that a lot of other people just by nature. Anyway, long story
short, more people had run ins with guns, robbery and violence than in
all of the previous ports combined. More students than I can count got
locked in taxis until they gave up their possessions, a few others got
held up at gunpoint, more were drugged, and 2 others had very serious
accidents that for one ended, and for one greatly affected, their roles
with Semester at Sea. I won't tell any of these stories in detail since
they aren't my own, but this is the primary reason my friends and I
decided not to go out to any popular bars or clubs at night and even
stayed on the ship for the last night in port. It really wasn't worth
the risk.
*Gluten Free. And now, for a happy note on Vietnam. My tour guide had it
right when he told me Vietnam doesn't have wheat. This is the first port
where I didn't have to eat nothing but protein bars for days on end. I
got to eat almost all the same food as everyone else! I got to
experience the national dish, I didn't have to question ingredients or
cross-contamination anywhere. In fact, the only place that I even saw
wheat was at Subway. Everything is rice based and it was literally a
gluten free heaven. It felt so nice to not have to worry about hidden
gluten, like malt in my smoothies or cross-contamination. It felt even
nicer to be eating the same meals as all of my friends. Delicious is
quite an understatement. Vietnam may not even know what gluten is, but
as it doesn't even exist, that doesn't really make a difference. Though
Disney might be a gluten free heaven in America, I think Vietnam has it
beat as an international destination.
*Ho Chi Minh. His picture is literally everywhere. I expected to see
this in regards to Mao in China, but it was a bit more unusual (though
not entirely surprising) in Vietnam. When we went to the school for the
disabled, Ho's picture was plastered above the degrees of the teachers.
His face is on tees everywhere and his portrait is somewhere in ever
government entity. It is very strange how communism often sees to be
such a cult.
*Weddings. The United States doesn't recognize marriages performed in
Vietnam (or at least that's the MV community has been taught to know),
so therefore it should be no surprise that SAS students desired to make
a complete mockery of the Vietnamese institution of marriage and just
"marry" random people. There are quite a few couples now married in
Vietnam on this ship, and more than once we were invited to a "wedding."
Though I think it would have been fun, my negative attitudes towards it
definitely outweigh the fun value. Random people were getting married to
people they have known for 2 months, just because they think it would be
fun. For the Vietnamese, marriage ceremonies aren't just a joke, and it
made me pretty resentful to see students, who are supposed to be
learning about other people, having a wedding simply for satiric comedy
and entertainment. After we left Vietnam, I was proud to answer no when
people asked Dain and I if we were "one of the couples to be married in
Vietnam." This real couple has actually learned something from the SAS
experience.
*Prices. Vietnam is SO cheap. DVDs were 50cents, shirts were like $3-5,
full meals were less than $2 and magnets were about 10cents. So I got to
eat and buy everything, and spend less than any port before it. Works
for me.
Overall, Vietnam was a lot more than I expected. Ho Chi Minh was a
modern city and the consumerist in me definitely had a field week. It
was a really nice experience, and the food was just amazing, though I
can't pretend it also wasn't the scariest. I was happy with my time in
Vietnam, but ready to head to China.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
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