A Fulbright Blue Christmas

For the first time in 24 years I wasn’t home for Christmas. No snow, no family, no bear claws, no midnight service. Instead a Skype call and work until midnight. But let me start at the beginning.

My week, last week started out with this brown package from home. My first care package and it was wonderful and when my host brought it to me I leapt up and down and squealed like a pre-teen at a Justin Bieber concert. It was full of some clothes I realized I needed and some books that I need to read to get ready for interviews. I have the best parents on the planet.

This is what joy looks like! Layers of packing tape and all!

On Tuesday I traveled to Da Lat, a city located in the mountains of central Vietnam. Da Lat is the city of love and when I ask my students where they want to travel if they had unlimited money Da Lat is the most common response, now I know why. I was in Da Lat to attend the mid-year retreat hosted by Fulbright for all current Fulbrighters in Vietnam. The ETAs presented 40 minute presentations over two days in front of our fellow ETAs, Fulbright in Vietnam Director Chi Nga, the ETA program assistant Chi Diu, and the US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Michael Turner.

There we are, Fulbright always makes awesome signs that are gigantic.

The presentations focused not only on our jobs but also and more so on our individual adjustments to teaching and Vietnam. We discussed our challenges, the realities of each of our teaching placements and the strategies and successes we had as well as our hopes for the next four months. It was wonderful to hear about everybody’s life in the provinces and to be able to spend time with them again after such a long absence was super special. After the close of our two days we visited a local university where we led an afternoon of cultural exchange. The students were wonderful and super stoked to see us. The welcomed us with dances and songs, then we did an activity where they had to make presentations about American and Vietnamese culture, then there was more dancing and singing. That was followed by a hilarious game and then we went to dinner with them at a local hotel. As we left they made an aisle to the door and as we processed out they waved and took final pictures and asked for our autographs…such a rock star.

A successful conference. The ETA gang with Chi Nga (in green) and Chi. Diu (in the suit).

Another big sign at the university we visited.

Some of hte welcome dancing by the students of Yersin University.

The game where pairs had to move a balloon through and obstacle course using only their backs. ETA Claire and her student.

ETA Amelia and her student.

Me and my student. We were on the winning team. In this game being 6' was a major challenge.

Being a Fulbright event we stayed in a wonderful hotel called the Da Lat DuParc and the conference was held at their nearby sister hotel called the Da Lat Palace both were splendid with holiday cheer.

The lobby of our hotel. The DuParc.

The lobby of the Da Lat Palace.

The DuParc at night.

Me at the Palace's Christmas tree with Chi Nga and Chi Diu.

The group shot at the Palace's staircase. My Fulbright family!

We had time on the weekends and one day before the conference began to explore Da Lat. Da Lat is set up in the mountains which are covered with alpine forests – something that being from the south, the flat jungle delta – I never thought I would see. The air was ripe with pine and flowers. It was cool and rugged. I was transported back to Lake Placid New York and all my fond memories of training there in the summers. On the day before the conference we visited a local waterfall. It was spectacular and I tried to do it justice with the pictures, but the sun was in a bad spot. The waterfall bursts out of the pine and pours over huge boulders down to a small pond where it disappears back into the wood. Pictures are below.

There were two falls really. The larger one as seen in the previous picture and then these two smaller ones at the bottom which emptied into the pond.

Some of hte turbulent rapids over the black lava rocks.

Because it was Christmas we also had a small white elephant Christmas celebration. We each brought 1 gift and then did a secret Santa. Kate, one of the Delta ETAs is Jewish so she brought a menorah, dreidels and she lit the menorah while telling us the story of Hanukah and said a traditional prayer, a video is below.

Kate telling us the Hanukah story. It was so special to be able to share this tradition with her and celebrate everybody's holidays.

Kate lighting the Menorah.

To finish out our little Christmas party we had an affirmation circle where we sat in something resembling a circle as we went around the circle we said something about the person to our left and right. It was crazy emotional with many of us fighting back tears. We have really gotten to know and care about each other. These 13 people are the only ones on the planet who understand exactly what I am going through and the fact that we have have become so tight was something that none of us expected.

As an only child I have learned to be self sufficient and reliant. When I started this journey I never imagined that these people would become my brothers and sisters and that we would be a family. Each of these people is inspiring and I admire each of them. They are teachers, scientists, humanitarians, literary geniuses and scholars. In their own way they are finding a way to blend their career fields with service to better the world. I have spent my life since college looking for these kindered spirits and at PhilaU I found some, but I never thought I would be part of a group so dedicated and uplifting. I am honored to be their colleague and proud to be part of this family – the greatest and most unexpected gift I could have ever received this Christmas.

Kate super stoked about the Hanukah plates. It was my first Hanukah.

On our last full day in Da Lat a bunch of the ETAs and I hiked up Da Lat’s tallest mountain. Dinh Lang Biang. It was about a five-hour hike and so worth it. We started on a paved road, which turned into a wooded path, which then disappeared as we scampered through the jungle, and then climbed a ‘staircase’ for the last hour to the top. I put ‘staircase’ in quotes because each step was over a foot tall so you literally lunged up the mountain for a hour and boy did we feel the burn. At the top we had a picnic and rested before we started the climb back down.

OMG a zerbra in Vietnam! Wait a minute... look a little closer. Capitalism at it's finest, if you wanted to ride the 'zebra' you had to pony up extra dong - and many people were more then willing.

Along the way we ran into two 'wild' ponies who posed for some pictures.

This is what we started on, the paved road which was jamed with jeeps speading up taking Vietnamese toursits to a low lookout who didn't want to walk.

That road became this trail.

That trail became this. Let's play a game...Where's the trail?

We made it! Take that jungle covered mountain. And we did it without a guide! 

The gang. From left to right: Amanda, Justin, Claire, me, Michelle and Lindsay. 

Picnicking at the top of the world.

The view from the peak of Lang Biang, 2,167 meters (7,110 feet) in the air. Breath taking.

After the hike we visited a nearby lake and watched the sun set. It was in that moment that I realized the next time I see everybody together is the end. When our Fulbrights have ended and we are now alumnus. We collectively realized this and our goodbyes this time were hard, because we knew the next time we did this it would be the end. The curtain would have fallen, the stage lights dimmed and that our final bows, our final goodbyes to each other and Vietnam may very well be our last. Talk about a sobering bitch slap from reality. Ouch!

The lake with the lighthouse...nobody could figure out what it was. Let's go with lighthosue.

Your's truely.

The sunset wasn't spectacular but the clouds were. 

To finish up this super long post with tons of videos and pictures I wanted to include some photos from Christmas around Cao Lanh. They are trying really hard and as I have been told they love Christmas but don’t understand it or how to do it but they like the atmosphere. Which in Vietnam translates into strange Christmas trees, confused nativity scenes usually with a Buddha replacing a key player and the techno k-pop version of famous Christmas songs that you may or may not be able to recognize.

Outside the supermarket... it's nice but they forgot to fluff their artificial tree. I wanted to offer to fluff it form them but I don't know that Vietnamese and I thought they might get offended if I just started shaping it for them.

Tree made from palm fronds. At night you can't tell and I was impressed and then the sun came out and I realized I had been fooled. Now I am suspicious of all conical trees in VN.

Yep a tree made out of Saigon Beer cans. Super family friendly. Bottoms up!

A tree made of 'disco balls'...that's what I was told and I couldn't even begin to tell them that those aren't disco balls. At night they do twinkle but it's no Studio 54.

The award for the most competent tree goes to the back enterence of the supermarket. The same place with the egregiously under-fluffed debacle out front. Perhaps two different pepole set up each tree?

So from my new found Fulbright family to yours. A very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Give thanks for the blessings you have, take stock of the love in your life and give something to those around you.

Mừng Giáng Sinh và Chúc mừng năm mới.

Family portiart #1. ETAs in the back from left to right: Quan, Amanda, me, Claire, Jefferson, Jessica, Vanlam, Linday, Kate, Justin, Michelle, Trevor and US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Micheal Turner. Seated in front our Fulbrright moms Fulbright Program Director Chi Nga, left and Fulbright ETA Assistant Chi Diu, right.

                            Happy Holiday! With love from across the Pacific.