A Shout Out for a Shout Out

Last week, on October 2^nd I made the following post to my Facebook status:

“I think I may be slipping into Stage 2 of Culture Shock...I am feeling the ground shift under my feet”.

Now that I have room I would like to clarify that statement. First the conditions under which that was written. Nearly two weeks of intense storms that kept knocking out the power and water. It’s not an issue initially but after losing the ability to flush one’s toilet or power the computer, turn on lights, etc. are sporadically wiped out…you begin to lose your cool.

At orientation we were told about the 5 stages of culture shock: 1) the honeymoon phase, 2) negotiation phase, 3) adjustment phase, 4) mastery phase and 5) re-entry shock. I was definitely livin’ the honeymoon phase during the month long orientation in Hanoi and upon my first two weeks here in Cao Lanh I was pretty upbeat. Sure, I had my moments: killing huge spiders, being hit by a motorbike, eating pig stomach - but they were just that – moments. Moments that I could laugh at or learn from and were merely a blemish on an otherwise good day. Usually I could explain these events away or chalk them up as occupational hazards from being immersed in a new culture. I made an effort to counter any negative reaction or impulse with a positive lesson to learn and wrapped it up in an effort to dive into my new culture and environment.

Well the two weeks of rain, storms and sketchy infrastructure along with a 5 week long nearly complete disconnect from everything western (especially the food) broke this camel's back. It wasn’t a nosedive into stage 2 but I stopped searching for the funny, stopped trying to learn a lesson and looking for the silver lining and acknowledged the cloud of gray. All those negative impulses and reactions are legitimate and deserve equal treatment…not my best attempts to explain them away. This journey is incredible but that doesn’t mean that every minute will be sunny and after a month of shoving things under the rug to paint a pretty picture my rug could supress no more.

I will admit that I very foolishly thought I might skip stage 2 (I can hear the heavens laughing right now). In Australia I had homesickness but I got over it quickly because Melbourne was my playground. Melbourne is nothing like Cao Lanh and Vietnam is nothing like Australia. That’s good and makes both places special. What I have recognized is that I can’t disguise my honest reactions good or bad and to try will enable them to come back and bite me in the tuchus. Vietnam will be all 5 stages of culture shock – there’s no skipping of phases, it is an all or nothing package deal. What remains to be seen is what form stage 2 will take. Like a Rochester winter it might be brutal or merciful and there’s no telling before you’re in the throes of it.

What I do know is that when I am down I have my family (blood, Fulbright and PhilaU) who are all an email or skype date away. I also have my earlier blog entries to clutch to those fond and fun memories, which I am sorry to say, feel miles and miles away from my current reality. What did get me through last week was the 20^th Anniversary Fulbright Gala in Hanoi! God did I pick a good year to do a Fulbright in Vietnam.

First of all I got to see 13 of the 14 other ETAs and we all stayed in the Rising Dragon Hotel with the best staff in the world, most of who are our friends. There was jumping up and down, hugging, tears, screams and running into traffic to grab ahold of each other. After all we had to make sure it was really happening!

I flew in Thursday afternoon and met up with 9 of the other ETAs and we hit up one of our favorite pizza bars near the Opera House. Cheese, wine, tomatoes, crust, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sundried capers, cheese, cheese and more cheese – I was in heaven. We practically closed the place and just kept talking and talking. It was food and family time for the soul and just what my stage 1/stage 2 transition needed to get firmly grounded again.

On Friday we attended the Gala. First we got all gussied up and we looked damn fine if I do say so myself. Out in the provinces we don’t need these clothes so it was nice to dust them off (or buy them after a long serch - I'm oversized...that was a fun day!) and look the part. The Gala itself was huge and superbly done, as one would expect of a US Embassy. There were current Fulbrighters (i.e. us), Embassy staff including the American ambassador and the Deputy Chief of Mission ( the number 2 in charge), the staff of Fulbright in Vietnam, Vietnamese scholars who attended Fulbright in America and leaders of the major businesses in Hanoi. The food was ridiculous and the whole evening was spectacular. 

For my Mom. She requested more photos with me in them.

From Left to Right: Lindsay, Koua, Trevor, Chi Diu (ETA Program Assistant), Amanda, Kate looking surprised, Quan, Ambassador David Shear, Jefferson, Anna, Jessica, Vanlam, Amelia, Michelle, Claire, Andrew (he did our TEFL Training), Chi Nga (Director of Fulbright), Me and somebody else :)

Me with some of the sparkling ladies: Amelia, Vanlam and Koua.

Me and Koua with the huge backdrop.

Me and Michelle. 

The next day there was a football (soccer for my American readers) match between Team Fulbright and an exchange program of science students. Fulbright in Vietnam focuses on liberal arts and social sciences so Vietnamese Fulbrighters can’t attend US universities for master degrees in science, hence this other program. We had 2 ETA players and 7 of us dragged our tired and disheveled butts of bed to cheer. The cheering was a little weak (in our defense it was early) and at some point in the game it transitioned into cheering with some jeering. The game ended up tied but it was fun to support the program.

There's the cheering/jeering section. It was early, we were tired and we had no coffee so the lack of fervor was understandable. Top Row L to R: Me, Koua, Vanlam, Quan. Bottom Row L to R: Michelle, Amelia, Anna.

Following the game we went to Chi Dui’s house. Chi Dui is the assistant to the ETA program and she is our omnipotent mother hen in Hanoi. We all love her and are simply amazed by the power she can wield. You have an issue you call Chi Dui and Chi Nga (Fulbright Program Director) and you just sit back and watch the power of Fulbright come down from the mountain top and, pardon my French, s**t gets done. I am yet to use the power, my college is so organized and experts at this that I doubt I will. But other ETAs have and its comforting to know that it's there if I ever need it.

The Fulbright Family (I am going to start calling it F² ). Chi Diu's son Bi was also there. Look at all the food - it was a cornucopia of Vietnam's best!

Now back to lunch! Chi Diu and her neighbors cooked their butts off – just see the above picture! Of course it was amazing!

To finish up my time in Hanoi I went to nirvana – AKA Mediterranio Restaurant next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. For $24 US dollars here’s what I ate:

Appetizer: Prosciutto Crostini with Melon and melted buffalo mozzarella.

Dinner: House Risotto. That night it was an Andouille sausage risotto with a Sauvignon Blanc crème sauce topped with shards of Parmesan. This was washed down with a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Dessert: House Gelato. Are you ready for this? No, seriously? Amaretto Gelato…OMG! Total foodgasm. I’m not kidding I have never had anything like this; it was out of this world. This was paired with a shot of really cold limoncello. 

And, since it bears repating, all for $24 USD! This meal would have cost a small fortune in the US. I ate like a king and felt like one too. On my way home I picked up a latte at JOMA (another oasis in the heat and noise of Hanoi) and roamed the streets of the Old Quarter with this dopey smile splayed from cheek to cheek. Later that evening I found out that I received another medical school interview request! Yippee! When I go back to Hanoi for Thanksgiving I will be making another pilgrimage to Mediterranio. If it isn’t already obvious food is the way to this man’s heart. This is also what was causing part of my separation anxiety and pushing me towards stage 2 of culture shock. At home I could make this stuff or at least have access to it…not in Cao Lanh and at times I feel like the foodie part of me is missing. 

One more thing. In the flurry of things I had to do this week since I was out last weekend – you know the expression, karma is a             (it rhymes with itch) – I got a wonderful note that made my day. The President of Philadelphia University, President Joseph Spinelli wrote his weekly university blog post ("Tales from Vietnam", October 8, 2012) about my blog the link is here. Since he put a link in his blog to my blog I am reciprocating, sharing is caring. The role PhilaU and the professors at that institution played in my life and carrer are inextricably linked to my current job description. I love getting these notes from my readers telling me that they are enjoying the blog and learning something along the way. It maintains my motivation!

That nagging thing called Karma is calling and I have to get back to the grind. I will blog is weekend about my first week of giving exams…so much fun!

Have a good week readers!

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!!

Another funny sign. This one's not mistranslated just hysterical. In case of ire. I always thought a sunny disposition was the cure for ire. Apparently you can just hose your ire off. Who knew?