Mai Tâm Goes to Vũng Tàu

A few days ago I got a call from Thu, the manager at Mai Tâm, asking me if I wanted to go to Vũng Tàu with everyone on Saturday. Vũng Tàu is a beach community that is very popular with people in Ho Chi Minh City ... maybe the closest beach to the city. There are two ways to go to Vũng Tàu ... by sea and by bus... The boat trip is quite a bit faster, but with the number of people involved in this project, the only way to make the trip was by bus. So when Thu told me I had to be at Mai Tâm by 6:50, I was a bit shocked, but didn’t feel too badly, because I knew there would be many more people who would have to be ready even earlier and would have had children to organize and coordinate ... all I had to think about was myself. So, at 4:45, I set out. As it happened, there was a taxi directly outside my apartment and no traffic to speak of, so I got to the orphanage by 5:20.

It was so cool ... all the kids were ready, with their little backpacks and sunhats and sandals and excited faces. Gradually, the rest of the volunteers arrived until we were all assembled. Many of the other volunteers were seminarians, either from the Camillian community or the Jesuit community. Both have centres in Thủ Đức, which is the district that Mai Tâm is located in. I was the only foreigner, so had no clue what was going on, but at some invisible sign, we all started walking ... well, it turns out the 50-seat bus that was rented for the occasion could not traverse the narrow streets near Mai Tâm, and so we had to walk a couple of blocks to get to the bus. Which was fine, but what a sight ... toddlers toddling and babies being carried and boxes and bags and cases and cartons and backpacks all being lugged ... and we all made it. The bus was full with several seats housing 3 or 4 people. Fr Toai had already left in a smaller bus, so I am guessing there were 65 or more people in total.

The sponsors of the day was a lovely couple who came on the trip with their young (12 or so??) son and his friend. Nice, well-mannered kids. How wonderful these people are ... they hired the buses, paid for food and snacks, and also treated everyone to lunch at a restaurant. And they joined in the day’s activities; what an inspired act of generosity! It was a great day.

SiSi and Le Thu

Despite our leaving so early, the traffic leaving Sài Gòn was horrendous. I thought we were never going to get out of Thủ Đức, let alone Hồ Chí Minh City. There is a lot of road construction in that area and some of the roads had reduced lanes. I can imagine traffic will flow much more easily in a year or two ... but I guess there will be that many more cars on the road as well. Luckily, people had thought to bring lots of distracting food, starting with bánh mì, which are like subs ... in this case, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro and ham and chicken cold cuts and a bit of hot sauce. My buddy Thiên sat on my lap and carefully picked off every shred of vegetable and only ate the chicken. I wondered if his having no front teeth made it difficult to chew the baguette (knowing in my heart of hearts that he is a picky eater) and when somebody asked him if he was ok, he said he wanted rice. Sure enough there was some sticky rice and he ate quite a quantity of it. Thu thought he might get sick, but he was fine. Only one upchucker in the bunch and that was little Chua. There was a DVD of Tom and Jerry (the perennial favourites here) as well, so kids (and some adults alike) were kept amused. We had one rest stop along the way and although there were lots of little toddlers off to use the WC, we collected everyone with no problem. After another quiet hour or so on the bus, with another drink and another wee snack, we arrived in Vũng Tàu happy as clams.

The Lovely Miss Thy

Vũng Tàu seems like a city on the upswing. I think because of the beach, as well as offshore oil and gas exploration activities, there is lots of development money flowing into the city. I saw lots of new construction ... residential, commercial, and hotel projects. And the road into the city is very attractive, with manicured boulevards and plantings ... dragons, mostly! We didn’t go to Vũng Tàu City, which I understand is quite amazing. Instead we went to a beach ... not sure of which one. I was the only foreigner I saw and I know lots of my RMIT colleagues say they stay at a beach further up (or down) the coast, as it is a bit quieter ... likely with more amenities. The beach we went to was fine ... lots of sand for the kids, shaded canopy with deck chairs for 60, and shallow water for the kids. There were a few restaurants, lots of little food stands (squid, octopus, shrimp on a skewer, ice cream, etc) and vendors selling trinkets, but no boardwalk or bars or other venues that might attract Westerners. The beach itself was very clean and well maintained. There were lifeguards patrolling the shore and of course the kids had lots of supervision. In addition, it was quite an overcast day, so nobody got sunburned, although there were a few pink shoulders and noses.

Chuot and Fr Toai

When we got to the canopy, it was there that the scope of planning for the day became apparent. All the kids had bathing suits and extra clothes packed, which is a feat in itself, but there was a huge bag of steamed corn (100 pieces) that was still warm. This was similar to the corn that we saw cooking in Hoi An. Very tasty. There was bánh bao, the Vietnamese version of baozi , and cases of milk, and huge bags of chôm chôm, and packaged snacks. Wow, everyone was well-fed. It was amazing that people had organized the food and the packing and the kids, as well as the transportation, facilities, and restaurant. Quite an undertaking! I don’t know how long they had been planning the event, but they really pulled it off.

OK ... to the best part ... the kids had a blast. It was so nice to see them running and splashing and enjoying even the simple pleasures of running down the beach with a pinwheel. They dug and collected shells and ran and ran and ran. The staff at Mai Tam also had a lot of fun as well and it was a joy to see the moms laughing and enjoying their day as well.

Thien

The volunteers, some of whom were meeting the kids for the first time, fit right in ... carrying and playing and reassuring and helping in any way possible. I know that the young seminarians may have young brothers and sisters, but I was really impressed with how comfortable they were and how the children responded to them as well. Lots of fun.

I didn’t go swimming (couldn’t exactly organize myself) and so I was on shore patrol and got to help with a few grumpy babies/boys who may have been a bit frightened by the water (aka Mr Ha and Mr Chot). Mr Minh had a nap on my lap and that was fine. I got lots of bà time, as I rode both ways and always had a kid in my lap ... first Thiên, the Tieu, and then Minh. It was nice.

After a session of swimming, the whole group was treated to lunch at a restaurant (after snacking ravenously all morning) and there were several dishes .. omelette, beef and vegetables, morning glory or rau muống), as well as the Vietnamese version of hot pot, called lẩu.  Everything was so delicious!

  

After meds and another round of swimming or playing in the sand, showers and a change of clothes, it was time to head back. On the way home, the kids slept most of the first half of the trip ... the little angels. After a pit stop, people chatted and watched TV and just rested. Traffic got heavy as we got closer to Sài Gòn, but peace prevailed. We encountered some fairly heavy rain, but that had turned to just a light mist as we walked from our disembarkation point back to Mai Tâm. When we arrived, some savoury cháo gà (chicken congee) was waiting for everyone. The kids ate (or didn’t) and some went to bed, while others watched TV. There were a few little meltdowns occurring as I departed on a xe ôm (in the driving rain) to go home ... I almost felt guilty at leaving the moms to deal with the cranky kids, but I am sure that it was just exhaustion and once they were in their beds, everyone was sure to sleep soundly. It was a great day ... one to remember.

The Beautiful Miss Thao

A Night at the Opera/ Insight at the Opera

My RMIT colleague, Jane, has a playwright friend named Linh Huyen who created a libretto in traditional cải lương style about a famous 18th C Vietnamese poet, Hồ Xuân Hương. The opera, entitled Bà chúa thơ Nôm, translates into Queen of Nom Poetry. Ho Xuan Huong was a woman who was ahead of her time. She was married at least twice and is believed to have been a second wife ... a concubine, a role she did not cherish ... "like the maid/but without the pay" (Thanks, Wikipedia!). Hồ Xuân Hương obtained a reputation of creating poems that were intelligent, witty, and occasionally erotic. Her poems are usually irreverent and full of double entendres, (which I have come to believe are very popular here).

At any rate, it is always lovely to go to the Municipal Theater or Opera House as it is more commonly called by foreigners. It is a jewel of a building and a lovely example of French colonial architecture.

Although the opera house can seat 800 people, the performance was very sparsely attended that evening and there is really no music pit to speak of, so the musicians were not separated much from the audience. We were really able to see who was playing what. With the exception of a guitar and a keyboard, the instruments used seemed to be traditional ones, namely the đàn nguyệt or đàn kìm and a little clicker-er that I could never identify.

At any rate, I loved the music from the first chord struck and thoroughly enjoyed the production. I might do as Jane did ... go to another performance, where I will undoubtedly understand more. It will give me an opportunity to take my other camera and maybe get some better shots. I know that cải lương is but one form of three styles of Vietnamese opera and that there are other cải lương operas performed, especially in the south, so I will try and learn a bit more about them and see a few moiré performances. I really enjoyed the evening and need to continue to see what cultural activities are available ... and take advantage of them!

Which takes me to my insight and how often I realize (and am sometimes grateful for) the learning/understanding which can occur when I take the time to reflect on certain issues that are concerning me at any given time. So, right now I am concerned about the participation of students in preparing for their internship placements and the level of engagement in attending class or sessions, investigating employers, dealing with their resumes/CVs, etc. etc. etc. And I know that students are busy, bored, falling in love, scared, tired, hungry, confused, and apathetic. And I am aware of my own resistance/reluctance to get out there and see and do and learn. And I recognize a connection ... so, it is not exactly psychological projection ... well, at least I am trying not to deny my own failures and fears. I guess it is about becoming more open to them (and maybe not being so judgmental) and being creative in terms of trying to address lack of engagement... or being engaged in a different way from my own (expectations).

Tales of Triumph, Tempests and TEDx

I often feel like I should take the kids at Mai Tam something when I go to visit ... I used to take fruit when I travelled by xe om as it was easy enough to stop near the orphanage and pick something up. Now that I don’t have a regular way to go, and have resolved to go by bus when possible, I don’t want to have to schlep watermelons around with me, especially as the walk from the bus stop to Mai Tam is a few blocks. So this week I took balloons and some origami paper. Light and convenient.

Balloons are a favourite treat, as the kids love them and if we can get them to blow into the balloons, they are doing something to develop and strengthen their lungs. And then they can break them and make loud noises and shriek and giggle. So most of the kids came and got balloons and some tried to blow them up and others just ended up stuffing balloons in my mouth ... the concept of needing hands to inflate a balloon just doesn’t dawn on some of them, it would appear !^_^! I had tucked a package of origami paper in my purse along with a couple of cranes, as I thought the kids might like to learn to make cranes (the only thing I know how to fold). Those of you who know me well know my love of origami cranes and how I believe they can be a conduit for many, many purposes. But, when I make them for specific people, I feel folding is a very prayerful activity. I love them and love making them. I thought making cranes might take the kids' minds off of food rewards and possibly help with developing concentration ... I had such a distorted understanding of what 4 and 5-year-olds are capable of ... really, they just wanted the birds, so they could have a treat and make them fly and then pull them apart and shriek and giggle. Well, there were a couple who showed interest and potential ...

One little guy, Thiên, has been a bit of a mystery to me over the months I have been going to Mai Tam. First, he has consistently spurned my advances. He is quite solitary with little outward affect, and a tremendous sense of reserve or self-containment for a little child. Very still much of the time, with very deliberate movements. He is tiny ... the size of a 3 or 4-year-old ... but he is missing his front teeth, so he may be somewhat older. Lệ Thu says he is very sad and doesn’t feel well and doesn’t often interact with the other children, although she says he does have a loud voice and will often roar. He was sitting with a glass of milk in front of him (sort of ‘you sit there, young man, until you have finished what’s in front of you’) and I unwittingly broke the rules when I gave him a red crane. He was immediately intrigued and studied it as carefully as I had suspected he would. Then I started folding a lovely turquoise crane for San ... Thiên quickly joined us (with his milk) and chose a blue paper for another crane. He watched me and took another sheet and tried to follow. He got a few steps through the process before it got too hard for him (and I know there is another way to fold that is easier, but I only remember one way). But the neat part was that he was so interested. He loved it that his crane kissed his cheek when it came to life and he loved blowing into the crane. He came around and sat on my lap and said, “Cảm ơn Bà”. He balanced himself on my knees and stood with his arms outstretched like he was the king of the world.  He smiled and laughed. He just came out of himself ... it was so amazing. I feel I have a sense of what play therapists must know when they see kids engage in play in such meaningful ways ... such a heartmelter. Can I also say that the glass of milk was mysteriously knocked over??? How does that happen????

Now for the tempest. Although in the south we have not had anything like what China and northern Vietnam have experienced as a result of Typhoon/Tropical Storm Conson, we certainly did have a doozy of a storm yesterday. It poured and poured and many streets in Ho Chi Minh City were flooded. Nguyễn Văn Linh was certainly one of those streets affected and I got some shots of cars and bikes trying to navigate their way through about a foot of water. I can only imagine what other areas and communities have been going through. Such powerful forces can be mustered by Nature, no? When I got home, I could see a tree had been uprooted directly across from my balcony. Workers were in the process of cleaning things up and busily clearing the street. In some ways I wasn’t surprised, but I still cannot really believe that the chainsaw operator was working in his bare feet. Oy. Took them 20 minutes and things were back to normal. Except, of course, for the tree.

And finally, TEDx. One of the major benefits of my new job is that it is exposing me to a larger range of communities ... especially within the university, alumni, business contacts, and students. Through my colleague, Phoenix, I was introduced to two inspiring young professional communication students named Giao (/zau/) and Thuy. They and some friends are involved in an incredible project ... bringing a TEDx event to Saigon. Some of you may be familiar with TED.com or TED Talks ... TEDx events are related - independently organized occasions that feature technology, entertainment and/or design. This will be the first one for Vietnam. Between finalizing the venue and finding sponsors and complying with all TED’s rules and regulations, Giao and Thuy and their co-organizers have an incredible mountain to climb to pull this off, so please keep them in your hearts and minds and wish them the best. Such an undertaking ... what an incredible learning experience!

BTW, this is where I work ... my ofice is on the ground floor and is sort of directly under the stairways.  Isn't the tree beautiful? It's called "Phượng vỹ", or phoenix's tail.  My friend Thy, who works in Bobby Brewer's, says students have strong feelings about this tree, as it blooms when they leave school and so it really reminds them of their school days. It's a type of flame tree or Royal Poinciana.

A Visit to Long Khánh

My Vietnamese teacher, Thúy, invited me to her family’s house in Long Khánh, which is about 3 or 4 hours (NE) from Hồ Chí Minh City in Đồng Nai province. Although Thúy usually travels by motorbike, we went by bus. As it is rainy season, I think she didn’t want me to be stuck on the back of a bike in a monsoon rainstorm. Travelling on the bus presents its own challenges, but more about that later!

Thúy’s family has a house in Hồ Chí Minh City where she and some of her siblings and some nieces and a nephew live. Her parents, Mai Thi Xuân Quyền (mother) and Bùi Đắc Trưng, (father) come to the city from time to time, but usually her father prefers to live in the country. Thúy and her siblings take turns visiting their parents on the weekends. This past weekend, Thuy’s sisters Câm and Hà, as well as her niece, Điep were there. Her parents, extremely gracious hosts, are lovely people. I had met them at Thuy’s brother’s wedding last fall, but got a chance to know them a bit more this time.

Thúy has always referred to her family’s place in the country as a garden, but in English we might call it a small orchard, with the main fruit grown being rambutan, or quả chôm chôm. I had never seen chôm chôms in Canada, probably because they are a fairly fragile fruit and I would think they should be eaten quite soon after being harvested. I don’t know how many trees they have, but the three hectares are fairly solidly populated with mature trees that might be as high as 20 metres. In addition, there are some mangosteen, coffee, pepper, and a few jackfruit and durian trees. There are lots of chickens and a few ducks in the garden, as well as various herbs and flowers.

So, right now chôm chôms are in season and the entire vicinity, including Thúy’s family’s place, is a hive of activity with picking and packing going on from early to late, rain or shine. I think the family sells some of their fruit directly, but have now leased the remaining crop to a contractor, who has a crew on site to pick and pack the fruit. Đồng Nai province is a major chôm chôm-growing area and the fruit is sent to Hồ Chí Minh City as well as to Cambodia, Singapore and China. So, it was very interesting to see how all this activity unfolded.

We had some major rainfalls while in Long Khánh, so we had to cancel a trip to visit a mountain, but we did see lots of other things. We went to some areas in the countryside that were quite pretty. We saw quite a few rubber farms and a large park called Suối Tre Culture Site. Suối Tre harkened back to another era, it seemed to me. There were a lot of huge old trees and the entire park seemed quite quiet and deserted, in spite of having a pool, tennis courts, a bar and restaurant, a small amusement park and some trails for walking. A bit eery.

We drove around the city of Long Khánh and it seemed quite a hive of activity. We visited a chùa, or Buddhist pagoda and then walked around the grounds of an absolutely amazing Catholic seminary, St. Paul Seminary of Xuân Lộc. Apparently there are 300 seminarians studying there and the guard on duty told us there is stiff competition to enter the seminary. The place was largely deserted when we were there, as students are on summer break., so we had the grounds to ourselves. After, we watched the sun go down over a patriotic statue in a town square before heading home.

On Sunday, Thúy and I went to a different chùa in the countryside. The pagoda itself was rather small, but it had a large area with sort of a sculpture garden. Many, many statues of many incarnations of the Buddha and many statues of Quan Âm. The grounds were interesting with a combination of living and artificial plants. There were lots of incredibly vibrant bromeliads.  We met a couple of nuns there who were so gracious and welcoming. One was a young novice, named Đê Pháp, who has lived at the pagoda for four years, since she was 15. She was such a lovely young woman. Very serene and yet also very poised.

Despite its rural area (and fresh air and blue skies) Đồng Nai province, due to its proximity to Hồ Chí Minh City is positioning itself to become more industrialized. While the capital, Biên Hòa, is the chief area of development (we just changed buses there), Long Khánh looked pretty progressive, possibly because it is on the main highway between Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City. There are lots of new western-style houses and several new schools in the vicinity. We also saw a couple of developments under construction near Long Khánh, including a residential area and an industrial park. Without a doubt, Việt Nam is undergoing a tremendous change right now.

While visiting Thúy’s family, I was treated to some very traditional Vietnamese food, including wonderful salads, soups, and cháo long, which roughly translates to innards porridge. Câm did most of the cooking (Can I whinge a bit about how hard it is to be the eldest daughter?) and she produced some delicious food. On Sunday, however, before we left, Thúy’s mother made homemade bánh xèo, the rice flour pancake that is so delicious.

I have to say, I have never been fed so much ... every time I turned around I was served more chôm chôms, pomelo, mangosteen ... you name it. I have to say, I had to make myself clear about my inability to eat durian, as I feared I would be served a whole one ... Thúy kept insisting that I just needed to try it again and she was sure I would like it ... nonononono Nanette! No durian, please. The word for durian in Vietnamese is "sầu riêng (one's own sorrows). I would be very sorrowful if I had to eat it, that’s for sure! I hope to see Thúy’s family again, maybe in November at Hà’s wedding. Cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều,!

OK ... now to the ride home. Thúy, Điep and I started out for Hồ Chí Minh City at about 5 p.m.. The first bus was full but we got standing room only on the second bus. They kept letting more and more people on until it really was ridiculous. It was the most bizarre ride. First of all, there was a passenger with no legs. Nobody gave him a seat and he was squished on the floor near the exit, so was constantly being stepped on, which he loudly compllained about (rightfully so). As there was virtually no air, people started to feel ill and the young woman next to Thúy threw up .. thank goodness in a rather dainty way. She continued to look ill for the remainder of the journey, but no one offered her a seat. A little boy was laid right out with heat prostration and had to lie on the floor; his mother sat down with him so the kid wouldn’t get trampled by the hordes of people who were trying to balance after two hours of standing. The traffic was terrible so the trip seemed never-ending. I had lots of opportunity to people watch ... watch Điep give killer glances at Thúy for making her come on the bus; see some pretty open flirting between some high school students; discover a sweet little Chihuahua tucked inside a woman’s bag; see numerous people sleep standing up; but more importantly, witness how people endured a very uncomfortable ride with a stoicism that was rather impressive.

Good thing Điep had had a nice long nap earlier in the day ... we were all pretty tired after 3 hours of bus ride! Thúy, Điep and I parted company part way through our second bus ride. Thúy and Điep caught another bus, while I continued on to Chợ Lớn, after which I caught a taxi. I have to say I was extremely glad the buses to Phú Mỹ Hưng had stopped running by the time I got back to the city, so I had no option but to take a taxi ,^_^, Besides, I needed the taxi to help me carry home all the fruit Thúy’s mother sent home with me. What a great weekend in the garden! Lots more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick. I hope all is well with everybody reading this. I hear stories about heat waves in Ontario, worse heat waves in Europe, and hail in Calgary ... so I guess some of that is par for the course. Take care and I hope everyone gets some beautiful weather at some point!