Day 1
01/06/2009
Today was my first full day in Vietnam. Last night I listened to the sound of horns honking and dogs barking. The hotel's breakfast buffet was beautiful to behold but a bit baffling to this recently arrived American. As another Fulbrighter commented, there must have been breakfast for at least five cultures. I was thankful to meet him there, and asked him to walk with me to the New World Hotel for our orientation. This involved crossing at least four streets, no minor undertaking. I learned to step into the traffic and let it flow around you, but it is a bit unnerving. If you need a reminder, look at the picture of traffic I posted in my December 17 blog entry.
Here's a picture of my room at the Que Huong/Liberty 4 Hotel, which seems to be environmentally friendly.
Today's orientation was filled with briefings on politics, economics, and health, also reports from Fulbright alumni. The highlight for me was meeting my host from Nha Trang University, a lovely woman with a beautiful smile and big heart. She took my arm and steered me back to the hotel across the rush-hour streets. If I were on my own, I might still be standing on the curb by the New World Hotel!
This evening our group boarded several 7-passenger vans and traveled to the home of the U.S. Consul General Kenneth J. Fairfax, who treated us to a lovely buffet. We had opportunities to mingle with one another and with embassy staff, and now I'm about ready to crash. First, however, I must pack up my bags for tomorrow's outing to Cat Tien National Park to view animals at night and observe crocodiles!
