Rainy Day Woman

First a few quick updates:

• It’s not so much of an update since I’ve already told most people, but, for those I haven't told, almost five years after the original ring-pop proposal in front of the Vegas Fat Burger, a real engagement took place a couple of weeks ago, so congratulations, Isha and Mark!!
• I finished my product recommendation report, and we think we found a great embroidery trainer who is willing to teach at our center.
• Last Friday night Alice and I found a restaurant that serves pizza…real, honest-to-god pizza and beer. Hooray!
• Mr. Thanh and some of his family members took me to the floating market in Cai Rang last Sunday. All of the vendors sell their merchandise directly from their boats and you simply pull up along side in your boat to buy your goods. I just so happened to get some great footage of some fruit sellers, Mr. J.B.
  
  Ok, so it is the rainy season in Vietnam. This means that the mosquitoes are now out in full force. In addition, sometimes the rain interferes with work when your motorbike gets stuck in the mud on the way to the workshop and you have to get it unstuck and then attempt to find an alternate route, but end up an a bone-rattling 45-minute jaunt through what can only be described as the jungle.
  
  When you’re in Can Tho City, however, it’s great fun to see the traffic pattern the minute the skies open up. All of the bicycles, motorbikes and xe lois simultaneously veer to the side of the road, (I believe this is what is suppose to happen when an ambulance comes through) so their respective drivers can pull their rain gear out of their back packs or out from under the seats of their motorbikes.
  
  The rain gear is best described as a rain cape rather than a rain jacket, so everyone resembles superheroes pedaling through the streets as the back flap of the cape flails about in the wind. The front of the rain capes is large enough to be draped across the front of your vehicle to protect whatever items you happen to toting in your basket and the back flap is expansive enough to go over a backpack or even a second person who may be riding on the back of the motorbike or bike so that that passenger essentially becomes a piece of cargo.
  
  Incidentally, I have discovered a new trust building activity that Camp Clinton organizers may want to consider. Instead of the climbing wall at the Heifer Ranch, I suggest renting several motorbikes. Two students should be placed on each bike. The student driving the motorbike should wear the rain cape and the student in the back should take the back flap and place it over his or her head so that he or she can no longer see. They should then drive into a crazy amount of traffic and see how long it takes the second student to scream, remove the flap from their head, and/or jump from the bike. I promise that you never know how much you trust your friend until riding with her on the back of a motorbike unable to see anything and only hearing the sound of other vehicles whizzing by, the screeching of breaks and her shouting Vietnamese expletives.
  
  But I digress.
  
  Honestly, the rainy season hasn’t been nearly as rainy as I expected. The rain can be intense, but, for the most part, it is of a short duration. It often rains either at noon or right at 5:oopm when everyone is headed home. If it rains at lunch time, most people can avoid it because the Vietnamese begin lunch around 11:00am, take a siesta, and then return to the office at around 1:30pm. Generally after it rains once during a 24 hour period, it will not rain again until the following day.
  
  Or so I thought.
  
  A couple of weeks ago I was downtown at a coffee shop. It had already rained once during my time there, and the sun had returned. I packed up my bag and started on the 20 minute bike ride home.
  
  About 2 minutes later, the sky darkened, thunder rumbled and down came the rain. I pulled over and donned my lavender rain cape. Unfortunately, an awful lot of wind accompanied this particular storm so my rain gear really wasn’t keeping me all that dry. The wind also complicated things because it’s somewhat difficult to balance a bike with a massive bookbag on my back, my purse in the front basket along with a 1.5 liter water bottle, and strong gusts of wind.
  
  It wouldn’t have been quite so hard to balance, but for extra fun that day, I had worn a skirt. I was desperately trying pull it back down each time a gust of wind blew it up to inappropriate levels. This, however, was also extra challenging since I was trying to hold the front part of the rain cape onto the handle bars so that, 1) it was more difficult to see that the wind was raising my skirt and 2) my purse (with my camera and phone inside) did not get soaked. The problem with trying to cover your basket with your cape is that, if you do not hold it tight enough, the cape becomes a receptacle of sorts and begins to fill with a small pool of water that just might end up on your face as a large gust of wind comes along when you are trying to pour the water off to the side.
  
  But wait, there’s more. Naturally, the rain cape is not long enough to cover one’s feet. It is amazing how quickly the pot holes in the street fill up with muddy water. Therefore, when you ride over them the water splashes over your flip flops. You really can’t do anything but laugh as you continue to peddle home knowing how ridiculous you look and that your attempt to keep dry is absolutely futile. Thank God I like to laugh.
  
  The icing on the cake is when you finally pull up to the house and realize just how much you resemble a drowned cat when you see the expressions of your host family. If I’d had enough time, I would have snapped a photo of their aghast faces, but they moved into action too quickly, sliding the doors open, ushering me inside, and even mopping up after me as they insisted that I hurry to my room to change.
  
  Generally, I prefer the sunshine, but the rainy days here have definitely made me grateful not only for the cooler temperatures they bring, but also for the people who help me out on those rainy days.

Picture 1: Truc and Alice on the way home from work as the rain begins.

Picture 2: Typical Vietnamese homes along the riverside.

Picture 3: The floating market from really far away. I promise that I have better video.

Moving Right Along

Things are moving right along in Vietnam. I have successfully mastered riding the motorbike side-saddle across the bumpy dirt path to the workshop and pot-hold filled alleys. This is excellent news because it means that I can wear skirts more often, which, given the day time heat, are five million and half times cooler than wearing jeans.

Truc bought me my very own set of long gloves and a face mask to wear around town. I’m getting somewhat accustomed to them. I do have to say that they are nice because when I wear them I am not as conspicuous, and it cuts down on the stares.

I’m getting to know my colleagues a little bit better. When I first arrived, I took some time to learn about other people’s roles so I could gain a better understanding of how the project office functions. As I later discovered, several people assumed that, since I was from Little Rock, I was from Heifer HQ. They were scared of me because they thought that I was there to evaluate them. Now that they understand that I am just a student, all is well.

I do have to say that I love the Asian custom of leaving your shoes at the door. I have often kicked my shoes off under my desk at previous jobs and at school. However, at Heifer Viet Nam I am expected to walk around barefoot. Somehow, I think certain administrators probably don’t appreciate me forgetting to slip my shoes back on and padding around the break room in bare feet as guests come through touring the school. It really doesn’t help dispel that myth Arkansans still do not wear shoes.

Random jobs have been coming up at work. For example, I’ve been editing the newsletter and reports that go to HQ. I actually spent the majority of last week out of the office traveling through different provinces looking at other handicraft workshops and meeting with agencies that work with persons with disabilities. We even went up to Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of days. Khue and I had some free time on Thursday night, and the road trip in and of itself was fun. I learned that she enjoys English children’s songs and Christmas carols. I think we were probably the only vehicle driving through the Mekong Delta to a soundtrack of off-key versions of “Three Blind Mice” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” [This made me happy, though, as it reminded me of singing Disney songs during early morning trips to Pancake Pantry :-) ]

I am now living with an incredibly generous Vietnamese family. They won’t stop feeding me! Thanh studied English at university. His favorite phrase is “I introduce you.” This could be referring to locations throughout Can Tho, any number of food items or one of his many cousins, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, etc who are often at the house. His wife, Xuan, speaks a little English as well. They have a one-year-old son, Nhan. His nickname is Bin, which means energy, and he is the cutest thing ever.

Thanh’s parents also live with them. The grandmother does not speak English at all, but the grandfather knows a few words in English such as “Grandson!” when he holds up and proudly points to Bin. His new favorite phrase to say to me is, “BBC dot com,” which is then followed by his infectious belly laugh that tumbles out of his mouth and fills the entire room. They get the BBC at their home because Thanh likes to watch it in order to improve his listening skills. Until recently, they thought the internet address was BBC drop com. They are all clear now, but it’s a favorite household joke.

So both the Americans and the Vietnamese are making progress in different ways. In fact, my most recent gain, or so I thought, is related to chopsticks. When I first arrived and attempted to use chopsticks, I was well-aware that I resembled Edward Scissorhands at the dinner table. However, I remarked to Khue just the other day that I really think I have improved. A couple of nights later when several us were enjoying another meal with mass quantities of food, Dr. Loc looked earnestly at me and said, “You use chopsticks like my grandson.” His grandson is 5.

Well, things are moving right along, but I still have a long way to go in more ways than one. I’m trying to enjoy the ride, though!

Picture 1: This is Bin. We are learning Vietnamese together. He is far more advanced than I.

Picture 2: By request, this is a picture of Flat Stanley on the back of Khue's motorbike. For those of you who do not know about Flat Stanley, you can visit http://www.clintonschool.uasys.edu/news-events/detail.aspx?id=132 to learn more.

"The idea came from my heart."

So what exactly am I doing here? Well, it took me a little while to figure that out since my work plan changed once I arrived in Vietnam. I am primarily working on a project that aims to provide training in handicraft production to disabled young adults. The workshop is located just outside of Can Tho and provides training in wood carving, knitting and embroidery.

On my first day of work, however, I accompanied my supervisor to a meeting for another project to explore the possibility of a partnership with a local import/export company that would potentially provide training to girls in villages where Heifer works. When we sat down with the general manager, an assistant carried in a large plate of fruit and a coconut with a straw in it for each of us. My supervisor and the general manager then entered into what I perceived to be a very serious negotiation. After about 10 minutes, they paused to translate for me. “We are discussing how fruit production is very good here in Vinh Long. Fruit is of very good quality,” my supervisor informed me.

Ah, yes. Of course, I thought to myself…Agenda item one: Discuss fruit production. Check.

I smiled and nodded.

My supervisor then hit the table with both hands, “Now we begin.” and we then moved into another meeting room for the actual discussion to take place.

Upon returning to the office that afternoon, my supervisor pointed to my desk. “You work here,” he instructed. He then disappeared into his office and left for Ho Chi Minh City shortly thereafter.

Now, please understand that I have no problem getting straight to work. In fact, I very much wanted to since I only have two months here. The problem was, I had yet to discuss what my responsibilities would be. However, I sat down at my desk and, based on what I did know and some brainstorming, tried to develop a new work plan.

I now have a better understanding of the project in general and my related duties. I have interviewed all of the trainees and trainers to learn about their backgrounds and expectations for the program. I am hoping to use this information to develop a mission and vision statement for the project with the participants. I’ve also researched and contacted international fair trade organizations to learn more about best practices, guidelines and marketing opportunities. I’ve been collaborating with Heifer staff to develop objectives and strategies for the training center. They told me that, in general, the Vietnamese aren’t very good at planning and even less successful at writing down what plans do exist, so they seem to like my charts with expected outcomes, deadlines, etc. I just pray we can actually reach some of those goals!

I’ve still been struggling a bit because not much previous planning has been done on the project and several holes seem to exist. However, one day I asked my supervisor why he decided to start the center. He replied that he knew that disabled community is often overlooked in Vietnam and those trying to empower them have few resources to do so. “The idea came from my heart,” he said.

That made me smile. Ideas that come from the heart are usually the best ideas because the people behind them have the commitment and drive to see them through. If paired with the right amount of planning and analysis, then, over time, success just might be possible.

The project is not perfect, but that is because I am working in the field of development. Everything, including myself, is a work in progress. There are plenty of miscommunications and circumstances are constantly changing and unclear, but I think also that a huge amount of potential exists in the midst of all the fog. It’s not going to be easy, but I am going to use my head and my heart to work with the staff and trainees here and hope that I’m of some use!

Picture 1: Path to the training center.

Picture 2: Wood carving training.

Picture 3: At the market purchasing wood for the center.