2008 Blogs

A visit to the countryside

01/25/2009

I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of the people I have met at Nha Trang University.  One of the graduate students invited me and our dormitory manager to accompany him, his wife, and his daughter to his family's home in the countryside this morning.  He wanted me to experience some Vietnamese traditions, and I was not disappointed.  It was a 17 kilometer ride to the southwest of the city, which was my estimatation more than an hour by motorbike.  At least it felt like it by the time I got off the bike!

Everyone seems very busy and active today.  Motorbikes were laden with pots of yellow flowers, people were putting up decorations (much like we do Christmas lights), I saw what appeared to be a small parade, a Buddhist monk walking down the street, and several alters with lit incense in front of shops/homes.  When we arrived at our destination, Mr. T introduced me to his father, his mother who was hard at work in the kitchen, and other relatives.

 

Then we walked down the road, stopping at a stand where someone was selling wild boar meat, which is pictured here.  We had some for our meal, and it was tasty.

 

Next, we visited a bit with his sister, who was decorating a tree for Tet.  If I haven't mentioned it before, Vietnam's constitution allows for religious freedom.  Mr. T's family illustrates this religoius diversity.  His parents are Buddhist, his sister is Christian, and one of his brothers is Catholic.  You will also find Taoism, Confucianism, ancestor worship, Cao Daism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, among others, in Vietnam.

   

Mr. T's sister also makes snake wine, which the family sells as well as consumes.  Essentially, it is rice wine with a pickled snake in it and I can assure you that it is very, very strong.  During dinner they offered me a tumbler and I decided to take a sip, not more than a teaspoonful.  Wow!  It burned all the way down, like I imagine white lightening would.  I knew you would like to see a picture of the snake wine aging.  In my opinion, this is something that men will enjoy a good deal more than women.  But at least now I can say I tried it.

Before dinner, Mr. T. took his daughter and me for a ride down the country road.  As we passed quite a few rice paddies, he explained that his father is a retired farmer, and that working in the rice paddies is very hard work (I understand that in the Mekong Delta rice cultivation is a bit more mechanized).  The work Mr. T. did in the fields as a young man fueled his determination to get a good education so he could improve his lot in life.  He explained that today, now that Vietnam's economy is improving, many young people want to leave the countryside for easier and better paying jobs in the city.  Here is a picture of some of the rice paddies near Mr. T's childhood home.  This side of the road is able to get two harvests per year because of an irrigation canal.  To an outside observer it looks like a beautiful and peaceful place, but as those who live there know all too well, it is a hard existence.  As a farmer's daughter, I can definitely appreciate that.

It started to rain as we returned to his parent's home for a meal of seafood, pork, beef, and tofu, plus a number of other dishes.  As I have learned, Tet is a time for reunion of family and friends, and several of Mr. T's mates stopped by to share the meal, some snake wine, and lots of conversation.  Every once in awhile Mr. T. paused to translate something they had said, but most of the time I sat quietly, simply enjoying the spirit of the day.  His mother is an exceptionally warm and gracious person, and I wish we could have talked woman-to-woman without the barrier of language.  I hope she realizes how much I appreciate the privilege of being invited to share part of this day in her home and with her family.

Today, which was truly international, was far from over.  This evening, after I returned home, the Chinese students who live in this dormitory invited me to share a very special Chinese New Year's dinner that they had cooked in the dormitory kitchen.  I was quite impressed at the array of dishes these five men prepared and touched that they wanted to share it with me.  Then, at 9 p.m., several graduate students from Bangladesh accompanied me to the party hosted by the university for students who are unable to return home for Tet.  After several speeches, everyone toasted the new year, and then the singing began.  I've been told many times how much the Vietnamese enjoy singing, and it is true!   Happy New Year to you all!  May the year ahead be filled with good health, much happiness, and good fortune.