A Positive Point of Contact

Welcome to Cao Lanh! I arrived in the Mekong Delta on Thursday afternoon and since then it has been a whirlwind. I was picked up at the airport by Anh (Anh = Mr.) Hung, who is my host and serves as the liaison between the Dong Thap Community College (DTCC) and the Fulbright Program at the US Embassy in Hanoi. Accompanying Anh Hung was the college's driver and his daughter, Qyunh who will re-enter this story in a moment. The drive from HCMC to Cao Lanh was roughly 3 hours through flat jungle countryside. Upon arriving in Cao Lanh and DTCC I was shown to my apartment, which was well appointed. Some pictures are below:

2 beds for 1 person? As you can see the other bed is my huge nightstand and perhaps it will become a sofa in the future. You can see behind the bed my "closet" and the wonderful AC.

My dresser and desk. I have wifi and wired internet.

My living room, with cable TV (including HBO, Starz movies, ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, Cartoon Network and Starz Worlds), living room, tea set and fridge.

My bike to get around Cao Lanh and Dong Thap.

My kitchen corner. It's separated from my bedroom and living room by a glass door. I am cleaning my veggies and fruit I bought at the market.

The bathroom. Not spectacular but functional. The hot water heater is wonderful. Currently the ceiling has a drip, but my host said it would be fixed quickly.

Here are some pictures from DTCC. It sits on 2 hectors (they are currently building expansions on an additional 7 hectors). DTCC has roughly 4,000 students; about half of those are part-time students. Some pictures of the college are below.

The gates of DTCC.

The main square. The building I live in is on the right.

This is one of the main teaching halls at DTCC.

On Thursday after checking in Anh Hung took me to a local cafe where I ate fried baby fish and washed it down with Saigon Beer. The next day I had my official introduction to DTCC. I started the morning by meeting the Board of Rectors and the Rector and Vice-Rector. After initial introductions there was a meeting with the heads of the faculties and the English teachers and we did a SWOT analysis of the ETA program at DTCC. This was done in Vietnamese but Anh. Hung and Anh. Nam (the head of Foreign Languages) translated key points. I might have my teaching schedule tomorrow I hope. Following the meeting Anh Hung took me around to meet the college staff. I managed to mispronounce everybody's name and we all had a good laugh. I had to start a list so I could remember key people. Following introductions I registered with the local police and then I had dinner with the Board of Rectors and a wonderful restaurant and the food kept on coming and coming. The food was good but it was a lot.

On Saturday I spent most of day at Anh Hung's house. We started the day over fried eggs and baguettes. Over brunch I met Anh Lam, he teaches English at Dong Thap Medical College, we exchanged contact info (like Qyunh he will re-enter the story). After brunch I went to Anh Hung's house and his wife cooked duck (it was great) and I met his daughter, nephew and his mother-in-law. It was a privilege to spend a day with them. I practiced my Vietnamese (and the English equivalents) food vocab with his mother-in-law and wife and spent time with the children reviewing colors. During orientation the Embassy's Public Affairs Officer told us to be positive points of contact in the communities. It was during that afternoon that I began to understand what he meant and began to see what the ambassador part of this Fulbright was.

On Sunday Anh Hung and Anh Nam took me to an eco-tourist park near Cao Lanh. It's a nesting sight for numerous large bird species. We started with a boat tour and then hiked up the observation tour. After the walking we took in lunch over the marsh. It was very relaxing and the food was very good, though the rice-wine was extremely strong... I sipped it.

Now that brings me to today (Monday). Since yesterday was a holiday I had today off. Being in a new place and not having a rhythm yet has left me missing home, my family, my friends and the comforts of being in a land and culture I know. When I walk through town people stop and stare. I know it's out of curiosity but being the only foreigner here is strange and at times awkward for me. So when I woke up this morning I wasn't sure how I would fill this day... but boy I did! I woke up early and ran around a nearby lake. Then at 8:30 Qyunh met me and we biked to the local market. FYI I did wear a helmet, which is strange in Vietnam. The law in Vietnam is that motorbikers must wear helmets, but cyclists don't... so I looked very strange. Qyunh showed me which stand to by my veggies and fruit at. Then we went back to my place. Since it was hot today we sat in my living room and talked. Qyunh is entering her junior year in high school and she wants to get a degree in law. She also wants to study in Australia...so we had much to talk about.

After she went home for lunch I strolled through Cao Lanh and took some photos. See below:

The lake I ran around this morning.

The local supermarket where you can buy a TV, blender, clothes, rice, oil, towels, yogurt, candy, pots or pans. Everything but food. I miss Wegmans so much. Danny open a store in Cao Lanh...please?!

This is only part of the market. There are sections for veggies, brooms, oils and garlic, eggs, fish, meats and fruits.

Lotus flower roundabout.

A flower near the lake.

More of the lake.

After taking pictures I stopped by the lake and bought some ice cream and water. The young women who served me is a student at Dong Thap University studying to become an English teacher. So we talked for about 2 hours and exchanged contact information. The lake was stunning. This will be my weekend spot. Me + book + shaded lawn chair + fruit and water = wonderful. The increasing presence of dark clouds forced me to come home and when I arrived I bumped into the two ladies who cook and do laundry for the college (i.e. they clean my apartment and will do my laundry). They don't speak English and I don't speak enough Vietnamese. I heard them ask me what did I buy. So I said I bought...and tried to say 3 mangos, then re-tried to say 3 mangos. After trying this many times I raced into my apartment and grabbed all my fruit. Then we went through each piece reviewing vocab and numbers and had a good laugh.

To finish the day I went to a local eatery, which has English menus, is super cheap, really good and next to a wine store (grape wines, not rice wines). This may be my new heaven. After supper I got a call from Anh Lam, the English teacher at the medical college, and he asked me to grab coffee with him. I said yes, and after getting him lost for 20 minutes because I couldn't pronounce the name of eatery or street (Anh Hung intervened) we grabbed coffee at a canal front cafe next to DTCC. We talked about teaching, college in America and Vietnam and just gabbed. It was so fun and I realized how many people I interacted with today. Perhaps I can do this thing. Not only did I get my mind off missing home, but by being present and open I made new friends and meaningfully interacted with 5 Vietnamese, made a new contact, found a new favorite hang-out and learned more about Vietnamese culture. I hope all my days can be so blessed.