Giao Xuan

Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Nam Ðịnh, Nam Ðịnh, Vietnam
Vietnam at last!
As we stepped out of the airport, we got to see our first glimpses of the mesmerizing northern Vietnamese city of Hanoi . On the way to our hotel, we tried to keep our mouths shut at the intimidating number of motorbikes on the streets, weaving through people and other vehicles.

During our time in Hanoi we visited Hoa Lao Prison, the Ho Chi Minh museum and mausoleum, and the Temple of Literature, all of which gave us a profound look into Vietnamese culture and history. We also went to a water puppet show, a much appreciated break to the chaotic city bustling around us. Putting our fears of the motorbikes aside, we also ventured into the city on our own and experienced some of the other wonders the city has to offer.

After Hanoi, we took a bus to the small village of Giao Xuan, located in the province of Nam Dinh, just south of Hanoi. Our local co-ordinator, Duc, gave us a basic Vietnamese lesson and split us up into cooking groups. Everyday a different group took charge of buying ingredients from the local market and cooking our meals, giving us a taste of local Vietnamese cuisine . The next day, we began our adventures in the village by teaching school kids English. We went to the local kindergarten and watched the kids fight/play with each other until we corralled them into their classrooms and tried to teach them some basic English. Their attention span being that of kindergartners, we played and colored with them instead. Looking forward to another day of mayhem, we soon realized that the weekend was coming so the children wouldn't be in school. We spent the weekend decorating the classrooms to surprise them. We finished our work at the school on Sunday morning leaving us the whole afternoon available, so we went on a bike ride. We rode down to the coast where we saw the fishermen in bamboo huts waiting for the tide to rise. Our stay in the village sadly came to an end on Monday morning as we boarded a bus at 7:30am and headed back to Hanoi.

Back in Hanoi, we had the rest of the day free to explore more of this fascinating city, learning more about the city while eating Pho along the way. In the evening, we went to the train station and boarded an overnight train heading northwest to Sapa where we will venture off into the world of the hill tribes! Alexia

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