A Kansan in Nam

So I've finished up two semesters in my master's program without having lost my mind or my sense of humor. And now I'm in Vietnam! I'm here for an internship with Roots of Peace, an NGO promoting cacao (yum) and black pepper (sneeze) production in Binh Phuoc Province (about 2 hours north of Ho Chi Minh City) and Quong Tri Province (along the DMZ line).

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on Sunday after a 9 hour flight from Sydney to Taipei, a 3 hour layover there, and a 3 1/2 hour flight into HCMC. I was met by the Roots of Peace Vietnam Country Director, Tucker, and his girlfriend, Thanh at the airport--in addition to some sunny, warm weather, a lot of honking, and quite a bit of congestion (people and traffic). We had some lunch (pork!) and made our way to the organization office/residence where I'm staying while I'm in HCMC.

Here's the view from the 16th floor:

After taking a cat nap, I awoke to gray skies and faint honking below. I opened the window and was assaulted by all sorts of smells--good ones from food cooking and rain, and not-so-good-ones from the river being dredged below. It was a real shock to my senses--exhilarating and disorienting at the same time.

We went out to dinner that night and I got to ride on the back of Tucker's motorbike. There are SO MANY MOTORBIKES HERE. I know everybody says that, but I didn't realize just how many. It's pretty cool--all these bikes weaving in and out of the path of cars and other motorbikes, and meanwhile keeping some sort of order in what seems to be chaos. There's something darn exciting about experiencing the wind and smells and noises on the back of a bike, as opposed to being holed up in a car.

Dinner was, of course, amazing. We had little shrimp rice pancakes (bánh khọt)--crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside, with a big piece of shrimp on top. You wrap it in lettuce or mustard leaf, throw in some mango, mint, and who knows what other leaves, dip it in fish sauce, and munch. They were, quite possibly, one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. I'm kicking myself because I didn't take a photo. Wait, I'm here for three months...I've got plenty of time and plenty of room in my stomach.

Click here to see my photos of Vietnam