Ho Chi Minh City for Christmas

About two months ago, I went to Ho Chi Minh City for Christmas. I'd heard that although most people are not Christian, it's still a lot of fun to be there for this day. I arrived early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve (December 24) and walked around the city to see what was going on. I had arrived in the city prepared for the holiday. Earlier I had a tailor make my Santa Claus non la, the traditional Vietnamese conical hat but covered in red and white like the cap of Santa Claus. At first I was disappointed since no one said anything as I walked down the streets in District 1. In fact, I felt a little foolish. Here I was, a grown man walking around a city with a silly hat on. I'd thought people would smile or greet me, but no.

However, as evening approached and as people started to leave work to prepare for the holiday, their reactions began to change. People smiled at me or said "hello" or "Merry Christmas", and this made me feel better. When it became dark, the traffic on the streets started to get increasingly heavy, and many of those on motorbikes had children who were also dressed up. Some, like me, just had on Santa headgear (though none had a Santa non la like I did), but others were wearing whole Santa outfits: cap, jacket, pants, and boots. The kids, of course, looked adorable, and I took a lot of photos.

As the evening went on, about 20 people asked to have their photo taken with me, and maybe another 100 simply took my photo without asking for permission. And that, of course, was fine by me. Anyone who dresses up in a silly Santa hat on Christmas Eve is asking to have his photo taken, and I was certainly pleased that people wanted to include me in their photographic memories of this night. I took maybe a hundred photos of people, stores, costumes. Some didn't turn out very well because of the poor light, but others came out pretty good.

What did I learn on this example of "Going Places"? Well, I learned that sometimes it pays to be patient. What seemed like a silly idea at 4 PM (namely, walking around with my Santa non la) turned out to be, at 9 PM, a pretty fun thing to do. I also learned that sometimes it's a good idea to take a bit of a risk. I wasn't sure if my hat would work and was a little reluctant to try it, but I'm glad that I did. Finally, I learned the importance of planning ahead and of testing. It took several days to get my hat made, and if I'd waited till the last minute, I wouldn't have had any hat to show off in. Also, I got a chance to test my Santa non la the night before at the annual English Department Get-Together at Tra Vinh University. The reaction there was positive, and that gave me more courage to go ahead with my idea of parading around a major city dressed in a somewhat crazy manner.

Snow in Chicago

Although Chicago is not my hometown, I have lived there since 1988. Chicago's a big, exciting city with people from many countries. In a few ways, it is similar to Tra Vinh. Both are cites that are on flat ground, and both are, therefore, very good for biking. Water is important to both. Chicago is on a huge lake of fresh water (about 500 km by 200 km), and Tra Vinh is in the delta of the Mekong, a huge river. And both cities historically have had close connections with agriculture.

But there are some differences. "Like what?" you might ask. Well, as it's February now, one of the most obvious differences in the weather. January is the coldest month in both Chicago and Tra Vinh but that little word "coldest" means two very different things. Here in Tra Vinh, "coldest" means temperatures of about 22º at night. In Chicago in January or February, "coldest" means temperatures of -22º at night. Please pay attention to that little minus sign ("-"). Usually it is not that cold, but the average night temperature in Chicago at this time of year is about -10º. That is colder than the freezer in your refrigerator.

When the snow falls, winter is beautiful, sometimes almost painfully beautiful. The snow looks like magic when it falls, and it also looks just as beautiful when it is sitting on top of trees, cars, and houses. However, people who have never lived with snow often don't realize that it can cause real problems. It makes driving and walking very difficult. The good news is that the snow usually melts (turns to water) in a few days or hours, but until that happens, it causes real problems. Another difficulty is that having so much snow makes it hard to take cars from their parking spots. People have to work hard to dig their cars out of the snow, and after doing all this work, they don't want other people to come along on use this snow-free spot. There is a custom that after people dig out their cars, they put a chair or some other object in the place on the street where their car was. Other people are NOT supposed to park there.

This practice is not legal. The roads are public property and everyone has an equal right to park there. But people also understand that it is hard work to dig out the snow, and people often respect others who have done this work.

Here's a photograph that a friend back in Chicago took and sent me. It shows a man who's very happy that finally--after an hour or more of hard work removing heavy, wet snow--he

Valentine's Day

OK, I'm writing this one day late, but please forgive me. Yesterday, when I rode my bike to Dien Bien Phu Street for dinner, I noticed some vendors on the streets that hadn't been there before. I noticed they were selling packages of fruit and flowers and found this strange. After all, Tet finished more than a week ago. But then I saw lots of red color and some heart-shaped boxes, and I realized that, of course, these vendors were selling things for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is a day of love and friendship. Sweethearts buy gifts--sometimes large, sometimes small--for each other. In the US, chocolate, sweets, and flowers are probably the most popular. Sometimes dinner in a nice restaurant can also make a good Valentine's Day gift. In schools in America, Valentine's Day is for both love and friendship. Some students will give cards to their classmates, friends, or teachers. It's also common for family members to send each other greetings on this day.

I'm not sure what is common in Vietnam. I'd like my readers to post some comments about how they celebrate (or have celebrated) Valentine's Day. Do you give things to a sweetheart, a spouse (husband or wife), a secret love? Is it just for romantic love or is it also a day for friends and family? Is there a generational difference on the celebration? I assume that celebrating Valentine's is a rather new phenomenon, so I wonder what parents or grandparents think about it. Do they find it sweet? Do they think it's silly and a distraction from more important things?

Please share your ideas. If you have photographs that you've taken that you'd like me to post, please send them to me.

The New Administration Building at Tra Vinh University

This morning I did go somewhere, but it was just a few minutes from where I live. Although the distance was short, it still involved a bit of discovery. I went to the new Administration Building, which opened just a few weeks ago here at Tra Vinh University. This is an impressive structure. It's maybe five or six stories tall and bright yellow. The building stands right next to the main gate, so everyone entering the university--or even people just walking, biking, or driving, by the front--will see it.

Inside everything's new and bright. All the tables, chairs, computers, and other equipment are modern and up to date. And there's glass everywhere. Even when walking inside the hallway, it's easy to see inside all the offices and, beyond those, to see out to the world on both sides of the building. To the south, one sees the other buildings on Campus One, and to the north, one sees the palm trees and farmland that make living in the Mekong Delta so beautiful.

In a hot, sunny place like Tra Vinh, this much glass can be a problem, but not in this new building. In hot climates, buildings with a lot of glass on the outside require huge amounts of air conditioning, and that's expensive. How does the Administration Building avoid this problem and expense? Well, although there's a lot of glass, most of it isn't directly on the outside of the building. Around the outside walls of the offices, there are more hallways and these serve an important purpose for maintaining the temperature of the building. These hallways keep the strongest sun off of the walls of the offices but they still allow light to enter. That means that everywhere although it is bright, there is still protection from the sun. Architects in hot countries have learned that adjustments like this are necessary when they build in climates with lots of sun and heat, and it makes me glad to see this king of "green architecture" here in Tra Vinh.

The building isn't completely finished yet. Workers are adding gardens all around it, but soon everything will be done. For me, this small trip to the Administration Building gave me a little bit of insight into the history of both TVU and also Tra Vinh province. The building is new, yes, but really, the entire campus is new. Just 10 years ago, the are that is now Campus One was marsh and farmland. There were no buildings and there was certainly no university. But in less than a decade Tra Vinh University has grown a lot and is continuing to grow.

I like that from the offices, one can see both the university and the countryside. Although there are many majors here, agriculture and aquaculture are two of the most important, and this is only right in an area like the Mekong Delta, which is one of the world's most important regions for farming and fishing. This new building, like most of the others on campus, doesn't hide from the world: it, instead, opens itself to the surrounding area and reminds us of why we are all here, namely to serve the educational needs of people in this part of Vietnam.

Things like this building and Tra Vinh University don't happen by accident. They take a lot of work, money, planning, and support. For me, I'm feel very proud and lucky to be a part of a university like this, one that serves an area that for many years did not have easy access to higher education. Having a university here makes a real difference in the lives of the tens of thousands of people who live in and near Tra Vinh province. The university provides education in many subjects very important for the future lives of students and their families. It helps them be better at agriculture and aquaculture. It also trains them in things like English, tourism, accounting, and law, subjects that are important as Tra Vinh develops industries and services.

If you're near Campus One, come and take a look at this building! And reflect a little bit on what it teaches us about Tra Vinh's past, and future.

Hue

During my Tet vacation, I decided to travel in Vietnam, concentrating on the central coast and highlands. My first stop was Hue and, unusually for me, rather than take a bus, I flew there from Ho Chi Minh City. Most times I prefer to travel by bus or train since it gives me more chances to see the landscape and the daily life of people in the areas we pass through. But this trip I didn't have a lot of time, and Vietnam is a long country, so I started by flying.

The biggest surprise as soon as I arrived in Hue was the weather. I'd expected it to be a little bit cooler than Tra Vinh and maybe with some light rain, but when I got there, it was clear I'd been wrong. The temperatures were about 15º the whole day, and there was constant rain. True, the rain wasn't heavy, but it stopped for just a few minutes each hour. I was dressed in shorts and felt a little bit uncomfortable but not too cold.

Most cities are not very pleasant when you first arrive. There's the problem of finding a hotel and doing this with one's luggage, and this true in Hue. The walk to my hotel wasn't long, but I was constantly shouted at by men on the street who wanted to get my attention. I hate this! And, unfortunately, it made me angry. But as soon as I got to my room and rented a bicycle, things improved a lot.

One of the main attractions in Hue is the Citadel. This is an area built about 150 years ago for the kings of the Nguyen dynasty. There is a large wall, about 2 km long on each side, that makes a huge square, and inside this there were--and still are--many houses, public buildings and businesses. Most of the buildings that existed 100 years ago have been lost in wars, fires, and other accidents, but the ones that survive are beautiful.

Some of the buildings have been restored. The colors are usually a deep, bright, very shiny red with brilliant gold decoration. Even in the rainy, cloudy weather they seemed to have an electric brightness.









My favorite was probably the building dedicated to the memory of many of the Nguyen kings. This building was restored, so the colors were wonderful. But more importantly, there was some real activity there. I happened to arrive just before the end of a ceremony to worship the spirits of the kings, and seeing the people and offerings, smelling the incense, hearing the prayers, bells, and drums made this building seem more alive than the others.













During lunch there, I met a German woman who's traveling around Southeast Asia for 6 weeks alone. She explained that she used to travel with her husband, but that since he died, she's started traveling alone again. Like me, she was surprised--and disappointed--by the cold, wet weather, but we both agreed that traveling in Vietnam is generally safe, friendly and fun, and we both liked the buildings in the Citadel.













In some parts of the Citadel there are hundreds of tourists, and it feels like the corner of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi in Hoi Chi Minh City. Lots of crowds and little space to move. But just a few minutes away, there were places with few or any people, and walking around there was more pleasant.

I spent maybe 6 hours walking around the Citadel, taking pictures, trying to keep my camera dry, and admiring the beauty, both natural and man made. Near the end of my time there, the battery in my camera started to run out of power, so I had to skip many places but that wasn't a real problem since I had enough time to return another day.

The Student Canteen

The name of this blog is "Going Places", and as I've said, this doesn't just mean going places far away. It includes things near by. The purpose is to use movement (going places) as a way to learn more English and to share ideas about the world. And this movement doesn't have to be just to famous places like Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Paris, or Tokyo. It can also be about going to ordinary places that we visit every day.

It's now 12:12 PM, and that's about time for me to go somewhere important, although very nearby. I mean the student canteen. I live on Campus 1 here at Tra Vinh University, and I'm lucky to be living in a beautiful new building made for visiting teachers, specialists, and volunteers. Out my window right now I see the sports field where students come to play soccer and volleyball and, just behind that, I see a group of trees. To my left, just 2 minutes walk away, is the student canteen. And that's where I'm going very soon for lunch. I hope to have cơm tấm ("broken rice") which is a dish that combines broken grains of rice with some meat and vegetables on the side. It almost always comes with nước mắm ("fish sauce"), a small bowl of soup, and often a glass of iced tea. At canteen it's tasty and cheap, and when I'm busy in my apartment or in the office, I like to go there, instead of riding my bike into town.

Today, I have a special goal. I want to take some photos in the canteen and then come back here and post them on this blog. I don't think it'll be hard, but I'm still interested trying out this new technology. I think that the combination of image (photo and video), text (words that are written), audio (sound files) and also feedback (ideas, suggestions, criticisms) from students, friends, and readers can help make this a useful tool for learning English.

Rice growing cycle

In September, when I arrived in Tra Vinh, the fall rice planting season had just started. Farmers put seeds of rice in the ground. There's a special word for this in English (and in Vietnamese). In English we say that people "sow rice". This word sow is pronounced exactly like the words so and sew. (There's another word spelled exactly the same but pronounced like the word now and that word means "female pig"). I didn't see farmers sowing rice when I arrived, but a few weeks later in early October, I did seem them transplanting rice. After the rice plants grow a little bit, it is necessary to move them to a new place with more room for them to grow. When I saw farmers doing this, I felt very lucky since I realized that I was going to be able to see an entire season of rice farming. When I told my friends this, they thought it was funny. There's nothing lucky about seeing a rice growing season in Tra Vinh, they thought. That happens at least 2 times, and sometimes 3 times, a year!

Still, I felt lucky and even though it is very hard work to plant and transplant rice, it's also quite beautiful, so I started to take pictures of the farmers doing this. I also took photos of the rice when it was fully grown in early January. And now, in the middle of February, it is time to cut the rice. There's a special word for this in English. We say that people "harvest the rice". And, of course, I plan to take photos and make videos about this part of the agricultural cycle as well. Today, I will ride my bike to the countryside with several friends and we will talk with farmers about their life and work, and I'll take some photos to share.

Like a lot of Vietnamese people, I love to eat rice. And living in an agricultural area is special for me since it lets me see just where our food comes from. It is hard to be a farmer. A farmer must work in the fields when it is hot or cold, sunny or rainy. The crops in the fields won't wait for farmers. So even if farmers feel a little bit tired or bored, they cannot be lazy. They have to take care of their plants and animals. And the physical work of being a farmer is demanding. There's a lot of lifting heavy objects and cutting and tying. So they have strong arms and hands. Farmers spend many hours each day bent over, so they also have strong backs.

Eating rice is a lot easier than growing it, but now I have a much better idea of the work that rice farmers do. Now, many times when I have a delicious meal with rice, I think of the beautiful green fields of the Mekong Delta, and I also think of the many hours of work and sweat that were necessary to grow the rice. And I also think of the many beautiful photos I've been lucky to take. Taking photos of rice is also a lot easier than growing it, so I feel thankful that the farmers of Vietnam have been so willing to share the beauty of labor with me.

Biking to Ben Tre

I love living in Vietnam. I say this all the time, and I'm afraid it will bore my friends, but it's true. I really like being here. Do I love it every minute of every day? Of course not! No country is like that. And no life is like that. We always have good and bad moments. But I have lived in many different countries (I have traveled to 27 countries, and I have lived in 6), and being in Vietnam is both generally easy and very pleasurable.

One thing that I really like about living in Tra Vinh in the Mekong Delta is that it's a great place to ride a bike. The land here is very flat. In the USA, I've lived in Chicago for about 20 years, and Chicago is also very flat. Flat land makes for easy biking. Mountains and hills are beautiful for the eyes but painful for the legs. But flatness isn't enough. Tra Vinh province is a great place for bikers because the countryside is beautiful. There's always sun and water, everywhere you look there's green, and people are very happy to share their lives with someone with a camera. Because of these reasons, biking around Tra Vinh is a great experience.

At least once a week, I take a long bike ride. "Long" here means about 20 km or more. My favorite bike ride involves visiting Ben Tre province, which is right next to Tra Vinh and less than an hour away by bike. My favorite place to bike is Mỏ Cày district. The roads here are special. There are many trees close to the road, and this provide shade which makes biking more comfortable. Ben Tre and Tra Vinh always have a lot of sun and heat, so the shade from the trees really makes it easier to bike around for an hour or two. Also near the road there is always a lot of water. There are small ponds for fish and also small streams of running water. The houses are close together, and the children are very friendly. For all these reasons, I always look forward to biking in Mỏ Cày.

I am not alone in this. The world's most famous travel guides are the Lonely Planet guides. The book about Vietnam talked about biking in the country, and an expert in biking said that Mỏ Cày was also his favorite spot in the entire country! I read this after I'd already gone there two times, and I felt quite lucky to be living so close to what seems to be the best of all biking districts in Vietnam.

What do I do when I go to Mỏ Cày? Well, nothing really. I've never been to a restaurant there, and I've never bought anything there: not a book, not a shirt, not a coffee, nothing. But I've taken lots of pictures and have talked with quite a few people. I was invited to a wedding in Mỏ Cày district and there I ate (and drank!) a lot and certainly had a lot of fun. It was a Vietnamese wedding, and I was the only foreigner. In fact, only one other person there spoke English, so I had to use my limited Vietnamese to communicate. That wasn't easy, but making new friends, eating food, dancing, taking lots of photos, playing games with kids, all of this was fantastic.

I've gone to Mỏ Cày several different ways. Usually I take the small ferry from Tra Vinh harbor that is just a few kilometers from Khu công nghiệp Long Đức (Long Duc Industrial Zone). Sometimes I take the Co Chien ferry (phà Cổ Chiên). A ferry is a boat that carries people and things across a river. The Co Chien ferry is fun to ride on, but if I take it, that means a much longer bike ride.

For at least two weeks, I won't be able to take any long bike rides in Vietnam but I look forward to doing this again when I return to Tra Vinh from Cambodia. If you have any questions, requests, or recommendations, please feel free to write them here in the comment box or email them to me.

Going to Cambodia...and I want your questions

In a few days, I will be going to Cambodia to meet with other English language teachers. This is the first time I will go to Cambodia, and I am, of course, excited. I will meet some old friends and make new friends. I will also give a workshop (this is similar to teaching a class), and I am a little bit nervous about this. I will also have some time to travel. I hope to visit Angkor Wat, which is about 5 hours from Phnom Penh, and see the beautiful temples there.

But I need your help! I am a teacher, and I want my students and friends to ask me questions. Ask me about things that you want to know about Cambodia or about the people I meet, and I will then try to answer these questions when I am in Cambodia. I will also have my camera, so you can ask me to take some pictures of different things, and I will try to do that.