We woke up before sunrise today and put our luggage in the bus so we could leave right after the kickoff ceremony for the Green Summer Campaign finished. Shockingly, we were ahead of schedule which was wonderful news for my growling stomach because it meant we had time to grab pho at my favorite place again. As in last night’s pho, there was an explosion of bean sprouts but I approached more cautiously this time and had no further choking incidents.
The kickoff ceremony was held inside the zoo (the kind of zoo any animal-lover like myself tries to stay away from) and though I didn’t see any animals, it certainly felt like a zoo. There was a stage some distance from us where a boy band (presumably famous Vietnamese pop singers) were performing in super-stylish white jeans while hoards of Vietnamese college students went nuts. There were groups of volunteers from scores of different schools and organizations bearing flags and banners to identify themselves in a sea of blue. Everyone there, including us, was wearing the official uniform of the Green Summer Campaign, a blue polo with indiscernible Vietnamese writing silkscreened on (I’m sure at least some of it lists sponsors) and floppy army green hats.
We were quite literally the only non-Asians at this ting and we were thus subjected to countless stares, shoutouts, and photos. For the most part, the students were too busy swaying to the music and waving their arms in unison like waves (one person flourishing a Vietnamese flag among the masses) to pay too much attention to us, but the television cameras never left us for a moment. According to Van Anh’s family, we were indeed on TV and she’s been teasing me ever since about being a celebrity. The cameras were a little awkward but we eventually embraced it and got pretty camera-happy in return. Fortunately this ceremony didn’t last nearly as long as kickoffs from previous years so we didn’t have too long to stay before we were on the bus headed to Ben Tre.
The bus ride was pretty comfy compared to ones I’ve been on in the past although the ferry ride was an interesting new addition. We had to get off the bus so it wouldn’t accidentally roll into the river with us on it. Instead we went up some very slippery steps to the upper level and took thousands of pictures of the river. When the ferry stopped on the other side, all of the motorbikes sped off, leaving a cloud of exhaust fumes behind for us to walk through to get back to our bus. We drove through some incredibly poor areas that looked like a mix between city slums and rural villages. Some of the areas were picturesque scenes of farm life but others just made me sad – the houses weren’t huts but they were still tiny and dingy and all over the towns things looked as if they were falling apart.
We soon arrived at our home for the next four weeks – it’s a hotel that’s no five-star resort but it’s a far cry from the hut we’d been expecting after our DukeEngage interviews. I must admit, the décor of this place weirds me out a little. There are depictions of naked women everywhere, from the large photo of a couple in a raunchy pose hanging above the fountain (which incidentally is presided over by statues of peeing boys like the one in Brussels) to the paintings of topless Egyptian women hanging in all of the bedrooms. My room I’m afraid is something of a disappointment. Other people in the group lucked into the honeymoon sweets, huge rooms with large windows and huge bathrooms with heart-shaped sinks. Mine however, is a tiny box (which I’ve dubbed the cubical in honor of its shape) walled with tiles that should have stayed in the bathroom where they belong. I’m suddenly glad I just brought duffel bags instead of my suitcase because it literally wouldn’t have fit – there’s not even a wardrobe like in most of the rooms (except for Phil and Ming who have even smaller floor plans than mine) so everything is just lying on the floor. The worst part about it is that there’s no natural light, making it feel cold and sterile, not exactly a homey place. But it’s alright, I can certainly tough it out for four weeks. At least there’s AC and, as an added bonus, actual doors for the shower. The other surprises left in the drawers of all our rooms were condoms (the very popular “OK” brand). It’s unclear whether they were left by the hotel or by former guests, but the heart-shaped mirror on the headboard of my bed is starting to make more sense. I suspect this hotel has another little operation on the side, based on all the greasy businessmen staying here with their female companions, as well as the karaoke rooms upstairs (since karaoke is often a cover for brothels in Vietnam). I know this is the only place to stay in Mo Cay but it really is suspect.
We had just a little time before heading to the welcome ceremony so we decided to practice riding the bikes we’ll be using every day to get to work. Now, I haven’t ridden a bike in at least four years, and I only ever rode one for one summer of my life, but there’s literally no other way for us to get around Ben Tre so I just have to roll with it. Mind you, that’s easier said than done. My practice session with the bike didn’t go well at all. I couldn’t get going or find my balance and kept veering off to the left. When I stopped, I discovered that the reason I couldn’t keep the bike straight was that the handlebars were crooked (most of these bikes are pretty old and beat up). I didn’t have time to get it fixed because we had to leave for the ceremony immediately. I decided I’d have to ride on one of the wire seats on the back of someone’s bike.
Unfortunately, all of the Vietnamese roommates had already taken off and I was in danger of being stranded because riding the bike really wasn’t a feasible option for me. The only person who offered to take me was Alex (who probably only weighs as much as me). We started out really shaky but we were doing alright under the circumstances until we had to cross a big road. We had to turn onto the main road on something of an incline and we’d almost made it when suddenly we lost control and wiped out on the tarmac. We landed on our sides with the bike on top of us. Miraculously, no motorbikes ran over us or anything and we got out without injury. Some of the Vietnamese roommates were waiting up ahead and I jumped on the back of Khang’s bike. I was still really shaken up by that point – I’ve never been in a road accident of any kind and I was kind of in shock.
When I finally calmed down I was able to enjoy the scenery as we passed lots of little vendors and farm animals (primarily cows and chickens) on the side of the road. We crossed over two incredibly frightening bridges to get across the river – they were long rickety bridges with lots of missing planks, which weren’t overly noticeable because the ones that were there were so uneven. Khang and I got off and walked the bike across but brave souls in the group actually rode over it. I don’t care how good I eventually get at riding a bike, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to ride over these. The ride was forty-five minutes and it was an uncomfortable one at that – the wire seat dug into me the whole way and by the time I got off my tailbone was numb and every muscle in my body was tensed from trying to maintain my balance on the back.
We arrived in time for the opening ceremony at the People’s Committee Hall of Dinh Thui. The hall is set in a courtyard next to a large white building with a huge sculpture on top that’s supposed to be a flame but looks more like a big red onion to me. Out front is a tablet that honors “The Heroes of the Dung Khoi Rebellion who achieved victory and exterminated the Americans,” quite the welcome for us. There weren’t many people in attendance but there was still a great deal of pomp and circumstance. Apparently they wanted one of the Americans to make a speech and Alice generously volunteered me. When I got up on the stage I took a page out of Obama’s book and opened with “xin chao” (similar to the way Obama started his recent speech to the Muslim world with “asalamalakam,” though I’m sure his pronunciation was considerably better than mine). I then proceeded to give a very short speech thanking them for welcoming us and saying how excited we were to work on such a worthwhile project. Alice translated, I said thank you (or rather “camon” because they were so excited when I used Vietnamese before), and eagerly went back to my seat. We then presented gifts to mothers seven and nine, the nice older ladies who will be cooking all of our lunches during the weeks.
Then, accompanied by the People’s Committee on motorbikes, we rode over to a house the Robertson’s Scholars had built a few years ago, which is similar to the one some of us will be building. The family gave us coconuts to drink out of as a welcome – the coconuts weren’t bad but there were way too many of them and they were so big I couldn’t possibly finish one on my own and had to share (seriously, they were bigger than my head). We then moved on to the site of the house that we’ll actually be building. The family is really nice and welcomed us with tea and what else but more coconuts (there appear to be an inordinate number of coconut trees in this region). We sat down to drink at tables standing on all that’s left of the foundation of the demolished former house – the family will be living in their small kitchen until construction is completed on the new brick house.
Out next stop was the school site where I’ll be starting. I wouldn’t say that the school was in massive disrepair, but it could use a little touching up so we’re going to give it a new paint job and hopefully replace the doors and build a path from the gate to the door. The biggest problem spot is what I’ll be working on – the toilet in the back. To call it a toilet is very gracious. In fact, it’s nothing more than a brick floor surrounded by some aluminum siding (with no roof) that acts as a screen. It’s incredibly unsanitary, overgrown with vines and swarming with bugs. The teachers are afraid the kids will catch diseases (a concern I share after seeing the facilities) and the children have recently stopped using it all together and just relieve themselves right into the river right next to the existing “toilet” because they won’t go inside. Not only is it environmentally harmful for that much urine to be going straight into the river, but it’s a major health risk to the kids to leave this toilet the way it is. Hopefully we can build up an entirely new, more sanitary one for them.
For dinner, we walked through the market to a fried noodle place and for desert we had coconut candy, a toffee-like concoction, world-famous for rotting teeth. I could feel the sticky candy eating away my enamel as I chewed (and chewed and chewed), but it was durian flavored and so good I couldn’t resist.
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