Survey work
This afternoon was our third time out administering surveys for one of the economics courses that we are taking. We are asking basket ladies about their jobs, income, debt, child rearing, and division of labor in the household. All of our respondents are circular migrants and stay in Hanoi away from their homes for considerable time.
Although I am not actually enrolled in the course, I opted to join my peers and go out every week to interview these women street vendors. It's very fascinating hearing them talk about the debt that they have and the difficulties of working away from home. Each time they return home they bring back very little money. Many of the respondents I've talked with bring between 500,000 and 1,000,000 VND home each month (about $30 to $60).
Today, many said that the money goes to raising their children. In particular, they pay for school fees for the children.
The streets of Hanoi truly are our classroom. With each interview we learn something new about the basket ladies.