Final Destination
Trip Start
Oct 24, 2005
1
42
149
Trip End
Ongoing
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Following the Vietnam War, Hanoi became the capital city of Vietnam. The city is dotted by a dozen or so lakes, and still retains a bit of the old French colonial feel. Hanoi certainly feels a lot different than the cities of the south - you can tell they haven't had tourists wandering their streets for as long as places like Saigon (but there sure are a lot here now!). You also get the feeling they're still a bit wary of foreign investment: the only foreign businesses in town are some banks and a few big hotels (one of which is the Sheraton, where Dubya will apparently stay when he visits in a few months - hmmm.....).
Apartment - Back Porch
The streets are packed w/motorbikes, and the people drive insanely - they'll just pull out in front of you w/o looking, dart in and out of traffic, etc. - the rule is pretty much: if it happens in front of you, it's your responsibility. Konrad has done great cruising around the city - nothing fazes him. I'm still learning, but feeling more comfortable - certainly not ready for rush hour yet. We spent the first two plus weeks in a hotel while we looked for an apartment. We saw fourteen apartments, and, surprisingly, we really liked three. It was a tough decision, but eventually, we chose "The Penthouse" (so called b/c it was the top floor of an apartment building). We really liked this one b/c it was high up (seventh floor), so we could see the city and have lots of sunlight (plus, there are windows on every side, so we have great cross-ventilation). It also has a great back porch where we can relax - a must for us. I've included pictures, if you're interested in seeing it. During our apartment search, I learned that most people in Vietnam don't cook - it's the exact opposite of living in the States: going out to eat is much cheaper than cooking at home. Thus, the kitchens in most places aren't as complete as we're used to - only one of the places we looked at had an oven (and, in the end, we didn't choose that apartment). So we're thinking about buying a large toaster oven. No pizza will be made here, I guess.... We're definitely settling in though, and making the place our own. We have a spare mattress and lots of room to sleep, so whenever you come and visit, you've got a place to crash! I know I said you could call anytime, but currently, our router is broken, so we are unable to use our Madison number.
Apartment - Back Porch II
We're working to fix it, but in the meantime, you can always catch us via email or internationally:Dan & Kathleen
42 Lo Duc #7
Hai Ba Trung
Hanoi Vietnam (there are no postal codes in Vietnam)
Madison #: 608-255-1156 (USA)
Cell: 0904702541
Home: 049763832
Dan: dan_konrad@yahoo.com
Kathleen: koparsons@gmail.com
Other than apartment hunting, we really haven't done a whole lot in Hanoi: we haven't yet visited Uncle Ho, seen the water puppets, ventured up to Halong Bay, etc. The one touristy thing we did do was check out Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French around the turn of the 20th Century, and initially used to house Vietnamese prisoners. The prison was used to incarcerate (and kill) insurgents trying to free Vietnam from the colonial clutches of the French. The French treated the Vietnamese prisoners terribly, and the prison routinely executed people using the infamous guillotine (two of which still remain at the museum). Upon the departure of the French, the Vietnamese took over the prison, and it was eventually used to incarcerate American POWs during the Vietnam War. Actually, a number of famous inmates resided here, including John McCain (US Senator) and Pete Peterson (the first US Ambassador to Vietnam following the war). The American POWs nicknamed the prison the Hanoi Hilton, a name which many of you probably recognize. Today, most of the prison has been torn down to accommodate the towering Hanoi Towers.
Jobs.
Apartment - Back Porch III
Yeah, it was also time to settle back into the working life. We weren't getting too many hits at first, but then w/in two days, we were both employed at two schools: Cleverlearn & Apollo. I started teaching on Thursday, and am jumping in w/two feet: I have seventeen hours a week, which is quite a bit (esp. if you haven't taught for over four months). All my classes are taking over for someone else (someone got fired, someone is having surgery), so I need to pick up where they left off and improvise a bit. The first class I taught was 2½ hours long for a group of early teens. I quickly realized I was no longer in Thailand - the kids were wild and a bit unruly (and really loud), but we made it through the lesson unscathed. Friday and Saturday's classes were all adults, and things went swimmingly. I was reminded why I wanted to get into this field in the first place. They actually listened and did all the work I asked them to - and they seemed to enjoy it! Wonders never cease. Fortunately, I only have the Tuesday/Thursday class of kids, and the others are all docile adults. Konrad is eager to get his feet wet too - he starts class on Tuesday (we're actually splitting one of the adult classes), so we'll have more to report then.Anyhow, that's it for now; I must get back to lesson planning and whatnot. However, you know we're here for at least six months, so start planning your trip - we'd love to have some visitors to do some of the touristy things with!
