SATA Vietnam 2006 Blog

The semester is ending in 9 days and we are all preparing for our exams. On Monday we have our Vietnamese oral exam. This is the most important exam because we'll see how well we've learned Vietnamese over the past four months. I'm sure that everyone will do well!

Needless to say, our time in Hanoi has gone by very quickly. We've visited so many places in Hanoi and around Vietnam. Hanoi is a great city. It has so much to offer. It has been a pleasure living and learning here. I will miss walking around the narrow streets, dodging traffic, and buying fruit from basket ladies.

SATA Vietnam is an academic program, but much of our learning took place outside the classroom. What we saw outside on the streets, in the handicraft villages, at the floating markets, and in the mountains was enhanced by our coursework. Most of all, it was interacting with people that taught us the most. As I've posted previously, on a daily basis people mistake me as being Vietnamese. In fact, it just happened to me while I've been typing this post. Bargaining with basket ladies and motorbike drivers has significantly improved our pronunciation of numbers, but occasionally a brief conversation will ensue. We may understand only a few words of the conversation, but it's enough for us to respond.

I have had a wonderful time here, and now I'm trying to figure out how and when I can come back. To the Connecticut College students who haven't studied abroad: apply for SATA Vietnam.

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This weekend we went to Halong bay. On the way in a few of us took a swim around the picturesque islands. It was beautiful up until it started raining. On Saturday, I took a short boat ride around the harbor of Cat Ba island with a few other students. We saw hundreds of fishing boats of all sizes and boat houses. It was interesting to see the community that developed there. Around Halong bay there are numerous floating villages that make up the fishing industry. Later in the morning we spent some time on the beach. Zach and I rented a kayak and explored a nearby island and explored the surrounding waters. For dinner we took the opportunity to taste the seafood of Halong bay. We ordered crab, two kinds of clams, two fish, and shrimp. It was an amazing meal, easily among the top three I've had in Vietnam. The six of us stuffed ourselves for all of about $50.

That day Cat Ba island became very crowded because this weekend is a holiday in Vietnam. The holiday being the victory over the Americans. On Saturday night, while walking around after dinner, we encountered some Vietnamese, mostly young people, singing songs on a stage that had been set up. They invited us up to join their very large singing circle. It was a great time!

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Yesterday we returned from Sapa, which is in the northwest of the country. Sapa is a town in the mountains surrounded by many villages home to different ethnic minority groups. We spent two full days walking around the town and exploring the villages that surrounded Sapa. Because of the mountainous terrain, people have to farm on terraced land. The rice paddies were beautiful giant staircases. Although it was foggy most of the time we were there, the views were quite spectacular.

In Sapa we all encountered numerous children who spoke English very well. Many were younger than 10 and had learned English just from speaking with tourists. All were dressed in the traditional clothing of their respective villages. They sold bracelets, blankets, clothing, and various other souvenirs. Many of these goods were dyed in indigo; which is one of the plants grown around Sapa.

On the second day, I went off on my own to see what I could find. I headed up the mountains as far as I could and until I got above the fog. After three hours of walking on a narrow road, I made it to a peak where I could see the fog rolling through the surrounding hills. I then ventured down a dirt trail into a valley below in which I ended up in someone's vegetable field. From a distance I observed a few farmers tending to their crops.

Although the drives to and from Sapa were long, we drove through beautiful mountain passes. The roads were narrow and winded around steep cliffs. Along the way we saw the tallest mountain in Vietnam (Fansipan) and numerous waterfalls. Now that we are back in Hanoi, I miss the fresh air and the silence of the mountains.

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I've been a little under the weather lately, so I haven't been able to post. I missed an overnight trip that most of the group went on. The went to an ethnic minority village called Mai Chau and spent the night in a house on stilts. They walked around the village and saw traditional dancing and generally saw how ethnic minorities live. I'm told the setting was beautiful. The village was in a valley surrounded by mountains. Clean air, no noise, and beautiful scenery.

On Friday we'll be taking a 6 day trip to Sapa and Dien Bien Phu. Sapa is in the mountains and we'll see more ethnic minorities there. I've seen pictures of the terraced rice paddies in Sapa, but seeing it up close will be entirely different. I can't wait.

It's been getting quite hot in Hanoi, so our trip to Sapa should be a nice break from the heat.

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