"Life is either a great adventure or nothing" - Helen Keller

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write a post...it seems life has been getting in the way, which is part of the reason I am writing today. And also because I’m having a huge “I miss Hanoi” day.  As I read about this year’s INDEVOURS initial feelings upon arriving, I can’t help but miss the rush of excitement and wonder I remember experiencing when I first got to Vietnam. I miss the feeling of adventure – knowing you’re at the start of amazing new chapter of your life and you’re going to do some amazing things. It also brings back my many happy memories of my time in Vietnam, the friends I’ve made, and the cultural habits I still can’t shake (you can ask my family, I still yell “Oi!” on a daily basis to get their attention). I also miss the place I call my second home because of how hard it has been to keep in touch with my friends there due to a 12-hour time difference. Trying to find times to skype or chat is nearly impossible while working full time! Finally, I miss the atmosphere of Hanoi. The hole-in-the-wall cafes, the history, the markets, and even the insane traffic. I guess what it comes down to is now that I’ve had the adventure of living in Vietnam, I feel like I need a new one. I think it’s more than just “the travel bug” or “wanderlust”... it’s the adrenaline of being somewhere new doing something exciting all on my own! Moving to the Victoria at the end of October for my Masters degree couldn’t come quick enough for me, because I see it as my next big adventure. I know Hanoi will always be a part of me though... as the start tattoo behind my ear reminds me every day!

Why I'm voting in Ontario's provincial election

I will start off this post by saying I am not trying to change the minds of those people who have chosen not to vote. Nor do I judge them for that decision. I’m just sharing my opinion on why I believe voting is important, and start a conversation on this important issue!

As many of us know (at least my Canadian friends reading this) that Ontario has a provincial election today. As usual, all that I have found that every politician in this race has been doing is pointing fingers at the other parties rather than telling us how they will fulfill their campaign promises. I have felt like I have to choose between the lesser of 3 evils. But as frustrating as this decision process is, I am going to use my right to vote today. Why? Because I am grateful to have the right to have a say in how my province in run.

I just lived in a country where people don’t even talk about their government. People can vote in Vietnam... but it’s a one-party system. The general public have very little say in how their country is run, how decisions are made, and the decisions that do get made. As well, I know people in Canada who’s family immigrated here years ago, but still do not have full citizenship and right to vote. That’s why I feel privileged to have the right, and duty, to vote for the person who will represent my interests in the provincial government. Even if none of the candidates represent my interest, I am also free to tell them that by declining my ballot. That is a privilege that not everyone in the world has, and therefore I choose to honour that privilege by exercising it. All it takes is a few minutes to read the parties platforms, watch the leader’s debate, or do an online political compass quiz. Then just a few more minutes to go to your closest polling station to fill out your ballot. And again, I truly believe that declining your ballot (which is just as powerful as voting for a candidate) is also exercising your right to have a say in who governs our province!


That’s my two-cents on voting and the election! What’s yours?

Coming home: How it feels to be back in Canada

It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve returned to Canada (I apologize for the hiatus in writing blog posts due to the chaos of leaving Hanoi then coming back home, by the way) and it’s been the biggest two weeks of ups and downs in my life. From tears to joy in the airport, to embarrassing silent tears of missing my Vietnamese friends on a GO bus ride. From starting an incredible new job, to feeling like I can’t connect with my friends and family the same way anymore. From celebrating completing my undergrad, to the realization that my classmates (and best friends) and I are now all heading down very different paths.

I also haven’t been able to shake the feeling of my own home feeling familiar, but very different at the same time. The places, the lifestyle, the people, are all “normal” to me. But at the same time, there are new buildings, places I used to frequent have changed (what do you mean Tim Hortons has changed their cups?!), and my friends/families lives have moved on while I was gone. Even the look of our Canadian money has changed during my 8 months away. And of course, I’ve changed in ways I’m still realizing. In terms of habits that have changed, “Oi” is still part of my daily vocabulary, I still give/receive things with 2 hands, and I’ll use chopsticks over a fork/knife. I forgot how to call over a waiter during my first few days back, and I nearly got run over by traffic my first few times crossing a street because “oh yeah, you don’t just step into traffic when you want to get to the other side of the road in Canada”. Little moments bring on waves of wanting to get on the next flight to Hanoi: like someone using a plastic water bottle when I just lived in a place where tap water was not drinkable, or the thought that for the price of a “nice” meal in Canada I could feed myself for weeks in Vietnam, or reading a blog post from a dear Vietnamese friend. And there was one point last week where I said "if one more person asks me how my trip was I am going to scream".

On a positive level however, I’ve certainly become more aware of the parts of my culture and Vietnamese culture that I value. I feel I’m more open, more mature, more culturally sensitive, more aware of how vast the world is and so ready to explore more of it. I’m a better communicator, more adaptive, more resilient, more comfortable being out of my comfort zone. These are all things I got the chance to identify during our debriefing sessions. But I also have been frustrated by feeling different in ways I cannot identify. Certain social situations have made me feel like I know I am different, but I just can’t say what that difference is. Such is the pains of reverse culture shock I suppose.

Despite these “growing pains”, this week I started an amazing job at the Markham Fair as a summer student. I have several responsibilities, including organizing/running a community garden, running sessions in primary schools teaching kids about planting, planting the sunflowers and pumpkins that the kids put into pots at these sessions, maintaining the gardens around the fairgrounds, creating a corn maze, and assisting with environmentally-focused summer camps. In my first 2 days, I have researched about community gardens, meet with a man involved in a town of Markham community garden, researched corn mazes, and got in touch with schools about my sessions! The job is very much about me accomplishing the goals of the position in my own way, and I love that I can take ownership of the projects I am involved in. I hope to keep my blog going this summer talking about what I’m up to at my job!

Until next time internet…

A rant about tattoos and Facebook: social media lessons

Today I had an experience on social media that has influenced my perspective and opinion about it. It started when I asked for some simple advice on a social media site about a tattoo. I wrote a question on the Facebook group “Hanoi Massive” (which is a group where expats living in Hanoi can post questions, events, room vacancies, etc) about where/how to dispose of the needle I was given by the parlor where I got a star tattooed behind my ear. I got many helpful answers, as I expected. But as could also be expected, two people with clearly too much time on their hands who decided it’d be funny to post “I'm more interested to hear about the Tattoo? Fusion Logo on your forehead?” and “We want photos of the tattoo or come and show me...”. These comments thoroughly upset me, and as much as I wanted to respond to them and defend tattoos (and the fact that they shouldn’t give a shit what I put on my body because well, it’s my body), I decided to be the bigger person and let it be. I instead decided to share my thoughts here on the whole situation, and the new opinion about social media it has given me.

So why did these comments upset me? I’m certainly no stranger to mean or mischievous people on the internet, but these comments hit me on a more personal level. First of all, as I mentioned, why is it their business what I put on my body? A tattoo is a deeply personal choice that I shouldn’t have to justify to anyone. Tattoos have meanings to the person who’s body their on, and for me, these comments made me feel like these people were questioning the significance of mine. It was like they were telling me I’m clearly one of those people who drunkenly decided to get a stupid tattoo. For me, tattoos are an art form and means of expression, and these people’s comments imply to me that they have the opposite opinion (although I can respect a difference in opinion). Also, these two people have never meet me before in their life, who are they to demand a picture of me or judge my personal choices? Lastly, how did their comment contribute to an answer to the question I had posted?

After having these thoughts run through my head, I began to realize I am probably completely over analyzing their comments. I could be interpreting them in a completely different way then they were intended. Also, I made judgments about them without even meeting them (which is why these comments upset me in the first place). Not to mention, I posted in question in a group that has thousands of members - I set myself up for someone to make a stupid comment. That’s when I realized that social media is horrible for these kinds of situations! How can anyone understand the intention of what a person has written on their facebook, twitter, instagram? There’s no face to face interaction on the internet, so misunderstanding occur all the time (especially between strangers). That’s why social media is famous for pointless arguments and “comment wars”.

So what have I taken away for this experience? Well first of all, ignore the people who have too much time on their hands who write comments with the intention of upsetting you. Responding will get you nowhere. That being said, I know I won’t be posting in Hanoi Massive anymore. I also learned that in this day and age of only text conversations, you have to be careful to not judge and be aware of misunderstandings. For me , this doesn’t mean social media is evil or a bad means of communication, but it does mean you must chose you words wisely when using it and be aware of how you respond to other’s words.

Reflecting on having a visitor!

Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a friend, Natasha, who was in a singing group with me in University. We both had a great time, even if I had to write my final report during most of her stay! Not only was her visit special because we hadn’t seen each other in such a long time (probably close to a year), but also because it showed me a whole new side of Hanoi and of myself.

As I showed Natasha my favorite foods and cafes, how to cross the street, and some famous places in Hanoi, I realized how much I have learned about this city. She made me realize that things that used to be strange to me – such as the insane traffic or constant attempts to sell you something as you walk down the street – have become normal. And as she put it, these things shouldn’t be normal to a Westerner, but they are now for me. She also made me realize that I understand the culture more than I previously thought. She showed me that I do speak enough Vietnamese to get by, I find a fork and knife unusual to use, and I know how to be polite to a Vietnamese (or rude if the situation calls for it).

Natasha also made me realize even more so how hard coming home is going to be. As we sat on plastic stools eating street food in the old quarter of Hanoi, we kept sharing stories and saying “how can you explain this to anyone back in Canada?”. Natasha having taught English in Thailand and now traveling Asia, she has had as many of these moments as I have. Although I am extremely excited to see my friends and family, I’m beginning to realize how hard communicating my time in Vietnam will be. I’m going to dread questions like “so how was your trip” or “tell me your favorite memory of Vietnam”… because for me they’re unanswerable. I know my friends and family are going to want to hear all about what I have experienced, but I’m afraid they’re not going to truly understand it. How can I share the feeling of wind in your hair as you  drive a motorbike, or the beauty of an ancient Vietnamese pagoda, or the taste of real bun cha (my favorite Hanoi specialty)? I’m afraid I’m going to feel like a bit of an alien in my own home. But I also know I have my fellow INDEVOURS to support me, and that the alien feeling will all be part of the cultural reintegration process. 

With one month left on placement...

With one month left in Hanoi, I’ve been reflecting on the things I will, and won’t, miss about this strange and wonderful city, and Vietnamese culture general. So here’s my ever-evolving list of things that will be hard to leave and things I’m ready to leave.

I’ll miss…

· The people (of course!). The friends I have made here will be for a lifetime I know it! And Vietnamese are always so happy to invite me places and share their lives with me. They’re the reason I WILL come back one day soon to Hanoi

· My job and co-workers. Although I'm not doing what I hoped to be doing during my time at SRD, I really do enjoy the communications work I do. I also am proud to work for such a reputable and professional organization like SRD. We work hard, but we also know how to have fun! SRD really is my Vietnamese family.

· The food. Not having the best street food in the world just outside my front door, for around $1/meal, is going to make me go through Vietnamese food withdrawal. And I’ll miss my office cook’s food too! Which reminds me, I’m gonna have to cook again (ugh... the joys of being “grown up”).
· The culture. I feel like I’m always picking up a new custom, exploring a new area of town, or learning new facts about Vietnamese history. Living in such a culturally rich place, there’s always ways to expand your knowledge! Especially in Hanoi.
· Always having something to do. Whether it’s a hanging cool coffee shop, biking with a friend to a pagoda, or going to a concert… Hanoi has no shortage of things for you to do and see! It’s one of the reasons I love big cities!
· The independence. Although I love sharing my life in Vietnam with friends back home and wish they could experience it with me, it feels pretty cool that I have a life all my own that is completely different than my loved ones. I also feel like living so far from home has truly made me stand on my own two feet and make decisions by myself, which I’m sure will make me more self-sufficient when I get back home.
· The craziness and busy-ness of the city. As chaotic as life can be in Hanoi sometimes, it gives the city a character. A pulse. A vibe. It makes you come alive and want to explore.
· The ease of transportation in Asia. I love how cheap and easy it is to travel by bus, train and even plane! It’s given me the chance to see so much of this incredible country, and continent!

I won’t miss
· The traffic and noise. After 7 months I’m still not a fan of horns 24/7 and getting cut off every few minutes while I bike home (although I have come to accept and deal with these long ago). Hanoi has even made me an angry driver at times. When I do get honked at, cut off, or nearly hit by someone talking on their cellphone, luckily I can let out my frustrations in English while continuing down the street and no one around me is phased. Having some rules on the road will be a nice change.
· Getting unwanted attention. The occasional strange man yelling “I love you” at me, or the questions about my age/martial status/income/home country don’t bother me really (because that’s just how life as a foreigner goes in Vietnam goes), but it will be nice to “blend in” again.
· Having to buy bottled water. Drinking from the tap is privilege I have missed.
· The language barrier. Many people in Hanoi speak at least a little English, and I understand quite a bit of Vietnamese by now, but understanding 100% of what I hear and see around me will be a pleasant surprise to come home to I think. Granted I will miss the challenge that this language barrier presented me. I hope I stay motivated to continue to practice and learn Vietnamese even once I won’t need it every day.

You can see how torn myself, and my fellow INDEVOURS as well probably, are feeling right now about leaving the places we have called home for 7 months now. But at the same time, I feel in many ways I'm ready to go home. Such is the life of a development worker I suppose... falling in love with a place you're working in and knowing you have to leave it one day.

Observations on vietnamese culture

There are many aspects of Vietnamese culture that I really enjoy and have accepted whole heatedly – like showing respect by referring to people based on their age relative to you, or slurping you soup and noodles! But there is one part of Vietnamese culture that I still find strange and cannot accept, which is the pressure on girls to get married young. Whenever I meet a new Vietnamese person, the conversation almost always starts by them asking my age, where I am from, what my salary is, if I am married, and how old I will be when I do get married. I by no means am saying every Vietnamese asks these questions, but I have to say I have had this experienced almost more times than I can count. To a Westerner, these questions can come off as very personal and unusual to ask someone you have just met. I know now that these questions are just a way that Vietnamese get to know me and I answer them honestly every time, but the “when will you be married?” question still doesn’t sit well with me. Not only does the question assume that everyone wants to get married in the first place, but it also puts so pressure on young Vietnamese girls to find a husband, which can take away from their carriers or other aspirations. Many of my single friends here in Hanoi who are around my age have told me about how their parents keep asking when they will bring a man home. If you’re not married by 30-years old in Vietnam, you’re considered undesirable and too old to find someone anymore. Parents get worried, and think marriage is a kind of security net for their children.  For me, marriage is something that should happen because you are ready for it and have met the right person, not something you should force to happen by a certain age. I’m not saying that young marriage is always bad and unhappy, but I think you need your youth to figure out who YOU are before you can commit to another person for the rest of your life. This may be a somewhat Western view, but it’s one that I will always advocate for because I believe marriage is too big of a decision to force on a person.

However, from what I have observed, the pressure to get married young is a generational thing which is changing. Although my single Vietnamese friends say they feel their parents want them to get married soon, they want to wait until they find the right person to marry. I think the “get married young” view is becoming old-fashioned amoug today’s youth. However that doesn’t mean that girls don’t feel the pressure still. They see their friends marrying, and ask themselves when their wedding will be. I think this shows there is a slow but definitive change in this aspect of Vietnamese culture. I have no idea how far this change will go or if it will happen for the better, but I hope it happens in a sustainable way that will give Vietnamese girls more freedom.

So, to my fellow INDEVOURS and to my Vietnamese readers, do you observe a similar situation? And what do you think about this topic? Please note again that this just my observations about Vietnamese culture… I don’t claim that it is 100% accurate and I mean no offense. 

A snapshot of my placement experience

Today I received an email asking for me to awnser a few questions which will be featured in a publication by St Paul's University College (a great supporter of the International Development program). I found my responses kind of gave a quick overview of my whole placement experience so I thought I'd share them!

1) How are you finding your placement and the country/environment you
are living in?
Hanoi is a crazy but wonderful city to live in. It can be chaotic with the traffic and the noise, but there’s always something new to do and see. Even having been here almost 7 months now, I’m still discovering the city every day! I love that there is no shortage of history here too. The museums, architecture, and monuments of Hanoi are all so rich in Vietnamese history and culture. Part of that culture is of course the food, which is one of my favorite parts of living in Vietnam (granted some dishes are much more adventurous than others)! Getting delicious street food for cheaper than you can cook yourself a meal for is a habit I think anyone can get used to. Besides the living environment, the NGO working environment I am a part of is also one thing I’m really enjoying about placement. My coworkers have become my close friends, and are very willing to share their expertise in the fields I am interested in. There is a big sense of family and community when you work for a small NGO.

2) What have you learned (which you did or did not expect to)?
Something that I’ve learned that I did not expect to is how to be more independent. Having lived in another country before and having been away at University the past 3 years, I considered myself a pretty independent person before going on placement. But having a 24-hour plane ride and 12-hour time difference between me and home has forced me to become independent on a whole new level. I really had to make my own decisions and I have to everything myself. It has also made me more independent in terms of my learning. You don’t have a professor to lecture and help you you in person, so you have to take charge of your own learning. You’re forced to analyze your experiences and what you see around you/ In other words, no one can tell you what you’re supposed to learn and how you’ll learn it. It’s a chance to have a completely personalized learning experience.

3) What are you looking forward to now?
To be honest, I’ve been avoiding this question even from my friends and family because I don’t have a plan for post-graduation quite yet! The freedom to do anything after graduation can make you feel overwhelmed with choice. However, I have been looking for jobs at NGOs in Toronto/Montreal/Ottawa, but I’m also applying to masters programs in Disaster & Emergency management at York and Royal Rhodes University. Either way, I know graduate school is in my future (whether it’s this year or next). Working for an NGO that does disaster risk reduction and response work has really motivated me to pursue a masters in that area. Climate change will cause more extreme weather events and the poor will be the most vulnerable to these events so I’ve become driven to help decrease that vulnerability.

A normal week for an INDEVOUR in Vietnam

Inspired by a bog post from my fellow INDEVOUR Darrelle (and also due to the realization that after living here so long I have yet to really describe on my blog what life in Vietnam is like), I thought I’d write about an average week for me in Hanoi. I hope if gives some insight into how I’ve been living the past 6 months!

My average day starts with a 20-minute (well, usually more) bike ride to my office down Le Duan and Giai Phong streets, the main roads leading in/out of Hanoi. Needless to say when I first started riding my bike to work I wasn’t quite comfortable navigating through the traffic and noise, but now I ride my bike faster than the motorbikes on the road! Knowing the intricacies of Vietnamese traffic, like when to slow down or speed up, or how to not get mad every time someone honks at you or cuts you off, are definitely skills that can only be learned by living in Hanoi.

When I get to the office, I’m always greeted with smiles and a “how are you?” from whoever is at our front desk! Then I go up the lovely, old, winding staircase to the second floor of the building, where the room where my desk is. I fire up my computer as I say hi to everyone, and I get to work with a cup of green tea brewed by our amazing office cook. As a communications officer, my general tasks are updating our website and facebook page, writing articles, taking pictures at events, editing documents/publications, and making videos. I do get to attend the occasional workshop, training, or project launch too. There are certainly days when I have more to do than others, and I consider myself very lucky to have a pretty steady stream of work.

Then at noon, we get a phone call from downstairs to tell us it’s lunch time… all the staff’s favorite part of the day! Our office cook is pretty much my Vietnamese mother… she’s always looking after me. Not to mention she makes amazing food! Our standard meal is rice, some sort of meat and fish, steamed or stir-fried veggies, and soup – always family style. Lunch is followed sometimes by cards at a nearby coffeeshop, or a nap if you feel like it. We go back to work until around 6, and it’s time for me to make the ride down Le Duan again to get myself home.

I’ll usually pick up street food for myself for dinner on the way home. There are a few places that I am quite the regular. I admit I do almost no cooking here, but I justify it with how cheap and delicious all the street food is! My evenings are almost always busy, whether it’s a Vietnamese-English language exchange lesson with a friend, doing homework at a café, going to Toastmasters meetings on Tuesdays, or an Open Mic night on Wednesdays with my roommate.

Weekends are also very busy for me! Seeing friends and coworkers (Canadian and Vietnamese), more language exchange lessons, more homework, concerts, going to the market… there’s always something for me to do in Hanoi! My Vietnamese friends love inviting me out to interesting places around Hanoi, and sometimes to their homes as well. When I do have downtime at my house though, it’s always filled with quality time with my roommate and her son… making music, watching movies, or just talking about life.

I feel like I live a pretty amazing life here in Vietnam. It’s busy and chaotic sometimes… but that’s because I’m trying to get the most out of the short time I have left. It’s also a life of small routine things that I can already tell I am going to miss so much. I really wouldn’t trade my placement experience here for any other one. This may sound sooooo cliché, but I am incredibly thankful that I have the chance to be a part of Vietnamese culture just through my day to day activities, as well as for the great people I have met who have come to define my time in Vietnam.

That Olympic feeling

It was a hockey game that every Canadian will remember. The Canadian women were down 2-0 against the USA in the Olympic gold medal game with 4 minutes left in the 3rd period. Some of my friends that were in the restaurant with me watching the game had given up hope. Some Americans that were watching with us had already gone home thinking they’d won (granted, I don’t blame them, the game started at midnight Hanoi time). Then, the near-impossible happened. Brianne Jenner scored with 3:26 left, and Marie-Philip Poulin scored with only 55 seconds to go! After a nail-biting 8:15 in overtime, Poulin scored again on a powerplay to bring home the gold medal. 

I’ve never been so on my toes watching a hockey game! And in that moment, even though I was 12,790 kilometers from home, I’ve never felt more Canadian. That comeback IS hockey. It proved hockey is OUR game, and always will be. Seeing the women receive their well-deserved medals, and hearing the national anthem, made me incredibly patriotic and emotional. I admit it would have been nice to be a part of the celebrations back home, but I was also very happy to have shared the moment with some fellow INDEVOURS and new Canadian friends. 

This game was certainly the highlight of the Olympics for me, but watching my country compete in all of the games while so far away from home was a great reminder of the amazing place I call home. I’ve always loved watching the Olympics, but these ones were very special for me because I felt a new kind of patriotism. I watched the games with people from all over the world, and when I wore my Canada jean-jacket and t-shirt it really meant something. I was representing and cheering-on my country in a foreign land… which was a great feeling.

Until next time, Internet... 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.”

67 days. That’s how much longer I have on my “experience of a lifetime living and working in Hanoi”. One essay and a final work report are all I have left to write to complete my undergrad degree. How on earth did that creep up on me!? And how has my time in Vietnam flown by so fast? I seems like just yesterday, I walked the streets of Hanoi's old quarter and was fascinated with everything around me. Now those things that fascinated me are everyday life... which still kinda blows my mind when I think about it.

With the countdown already on, I really need to get working more on those grad school applications… and figuring out what I’m gonna do with myself when I get home. It’s hit me suddenly over the past week or so that when I get back to Canada and graduate that my options are completely open. No school, no job, no definitive plans (as of yet) that are forcing me to be in a certain place for a certain amount of time. For the first time in my life, I will be able to go anywhere and do anything. All my older, working friends tell me this these endless possibilities will make it the most exciting time of my life, but right now the pressure of needing to make a decision scares me much more than it excites me. It’s the wake-up call that I really am “growing up”.

I’ve conceived so many plans for myself for when I get back. A cross-country bike trip. Backpacking around South America. Going back to the Philippines to volunteer on Project Leyte again. Working in Vancouver and living with the family I have there. Working in Toronto and staying closer to home. The logical side of me says “stay close to home because you’ve been away for so long already, get a job to get yourself some experience, and start paying back those student loans. You can’t just come back and leave again anyway.” But the other side of me knows I’m going to find home boring. I’m sorry mom and dad, but Newmarket isn’t gonna cut it for me! I miss my family and friends of course and I want to spend time to reconnect, but I also want to take advantage of the fact that I will have nothing tieing me down. I want to use that freedom to travel and explore. I can’t count the number of people who have told me to go out and see the world while I still can… and not to worry about the money or student loans yet. Not to mention that there’s tons of programs that let you live abroad while working anyway.

Making a decision among the indefinite number of options that I have is so overwhelming. I’ve already decided that I am going to apply this year, but grad school is most likely gonna have to wait another year because I do want to get some more practical experience before I go to school again. But there’s still the matter of “what do I do in between now and then”. I have no idea where to even begin to narrow my choices. I’m hoping an opportunity will present itself, or something will happen between now and the end of April, to give me some direction. Until then… I’ll just keep digging myself an even bigger hole by making even more imaginary plans.

My time on All Hands Project Leyte

This post is probably going to sound super cliché in some spots (hopefully I don’t come off like this article does), but I’m certainly going to write it anyway. My experience in the Philippines is one I really want to share… mostly because it has really given me more momentum to continue with NGO and charity work. So here it goes. Once again… I apologize for the length of this post (you've been warned!). 

Over my time off of work for Tet holiday (the lunar new year), I had the pleasure of going to the small town of Kananga on Leyte island, the Philippines, to volunteer with the typhoon Haiyan relief effort through a group called All Hands Volunteers. My first step on this volunteering journey was of course getting myself there. I had never traveled very far alone by myself before this trip, so I have to admit I was a little nervous. I managed to make my 3 (yes, 3!) flights from Hanoi to Cebu no problem. From Cebu, I had to take a ferry to the city of Ormoc on Leyte island. I had read that Filipino ferries were not the most reliable, so when I missed the ferry I planned to take (the last one of the day, too) by 10 minutes I started to think my smooth-traveling luck had run out. I ended up catching an slow, overnight ferry, where I meet 2 really nice Filipino women who kept me company. Their comments on how brave I was for traveling alone in the Philippines made me both worried and proud of myself at the same time. Once I got to Ormoc (at 4:30am, might I add), I hopped on a bus that took me to Kananga, where I found a bicycle driver to take me to the town hospital where the All Hands base is. I got this sudden anxious feeling when I realized was in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, guided by a complete stranger in a foreign country… but one look up at the incredible stars above me and the sight of the bright pink hospital down the road made it go away instantly.

Lucky for me, there were some volunteers who were already awake when I arrived, and one of them (an awesome, 40-year-old, tattooed-up, American guy named Jeff) came out to make sure I didn’t get ripped off my the bicycle driver and even offered me his bed to nap until the work day started. That just goes to show the amazing character of all of the 40-ish All Hands volunteers and staff I meet! I could talk about each one and how dedicated and caring they are… but I’ll just leave it at saying it was so nice to meet people who had devoted themselves to helping those less fortunate than themselves. What is also really cool is that we were a really diverse group of people, so I have friends to visit all over the world now!

So as for the work that I did, Project Leyte had moved bases to the Kananga Municipal Hospital about a week before I got there. We were restoring the hospital from top to bottom, trying to repair the damage that Haiyan caused to it. My first day I was on the “debris team”, which meant I was cleaning up all the garbage, glass, scrap metal and wood that was around the hospital. My second day I signed up to be on the interior painting team, because I have experience with it thanks to the painting business I ran 3 years ago. When the All Hands staff found out I had painting experience, I ended up with the responsibility of leading the painting team (on my second day!). We ran into tons of technical issues with the painting (as in, paint was peeling right off the walls), but we solved them with some trial and error solutions. The painting team  were also in charge of repairing and painting the cabinets and shelving of the hospital (which turned out to be MUCH more difficult than I remembered it to be). I know this is not really what you think of as “disaster relief” work, but I felt good knowing I was helping give the people of Kanaga a fresh, clean hospital.

One of my working days, I managed to get away from the paint by getting first pick at which team I would be on by volunteering to do dinner dishes (yes, that’s how team assignments work at All Hands). I went of the “safety” team, which meant going to a local high school to make some of the damaged classrooms safe for use. This usually involves taking down loose ceilings and roofs, and on the day that I went there, we took down 2 giant A-frames (the triangle pieces of steel that meet to make a roof). The experienced volunteers I was with made an awesome pulley system to get these massive pieces of metal down from the roof, and it was so cool just to even be a part of that! I also just helped moved a lot of debris, and tried cutting the A-frames with a angle grinder. The children of the school were what made that day really special for me though. As I walked around the school grounds with my wheel-barrel full of scrap wood or metal, all I could hear were the kids asking me “what’s your name?” or “where are you from?”! One student, a 12-year-old boy, even gave me a letter addressed to all the volunteers, thanking us for helping he and his people to recover from Haiyan. It was such a humbling and touching moment, and made the all the sweat and the sore back at the end of the day well worth it. When I was walking through town a few days later on a hike to a local waterfalls with the other volunteers, I heard kids yelling my name, and I realized that it was the high school students who must remember me . How can you not feel overwhelmed with happiness when you’re welcomed like that?!

After work was done every day, you could usually find most of us volunteers at a local house just down the road that sells beer (appropriately named “beer lady”). Then there was dinner and the daily meeting, where the team leaders talked about the work from today and what was to be done tomorrow.  My nights were filled with great conversations, bond fires, card games, and of course more beer. That’s the remarkable thing that happens when you have no internet or constant electricity… you connect with the people around you instead of staring at your phone all day. It’s also surprising how little you miss internet and electricity when you have great company who keep you entertained anyway! One of the more eventful nights while I was on the project was when a typhoon passed through Kananga! It was a 3 out of 5 on the typhoon class scale (to put it in perspective, Haiyan didn’t even register in this class system), and we prepared very well by securing the hospital and getting emergency food/water. Being in a typhoon was scary for me at first (even though these size storms are a very regular occurrence for Filipinos) but it turned out to be not a huge deal. There was also a small earthquake that night… which didn’t even wake me up. So I guess I can say I lived through 2 natural disasters in one day, but really they were not disasters. There were no reports of damage or loses from the locals in Kananga from this smaller typhoon too which was reassuring.

Overall, my experience in the Philippines gave me a whole new perspective on disaster response and risk management (which is a field I hope to get involved in during my carrier). I saw first-had how people lives are dramatically changed by natural disasters, and how they can still smile and be incredibly generous even in the face of such loss. I realized that disaster response work really means getting things “back to normal” for the communities affected by disasters and understanding their needs (even if that need is a newly painted a hospital). I also realized how complicated and frustrating this kind of work can be, when you don’t have access to the materials and funds to effectively respond to the community’s need.  But I also realized how truly rewarding and impactful the work is. I can say I helped get a hospital back up and running… and that’s pretty freaken cool. I can’t wait to see the pictures of the finished hospital, which should be done next week, and to hopefully return to Project Leyte this summer (SURPRISE MOM AND DAD! :P).

Fitting in in my home away from home

The other day on a 3-hour bus trip back to Hanoi from a field trip in Nam Dinh province, I found myself reflecting on what it means to call a foreign country “home”, and what that means for development work. A foreign country CAN feel like home, and for me, Vietnam has become a country I can say I feel “at home” in. I have people I care about here, I have a routine here, I have a place to live here. However, no matter how long I am here I will never be able to go a day in Vietnam without sticking out as a foreigner in some way… whether it’s because I don’t speak the language fluently, I make a cultural mistake, or simply because of the way that I look. It can get frustrating when people act a certain way or say certain things to you just because you're a “Westerner”. I know when I walk down the street and I hear the word “tay” (which means Westerner in Vietnamese) it is usually not meant in an offensive way, but at the same time, sometimes I just want to turn around and say “Yeah, I’m white, what’s it to you?!”.

Don’t get me wrong, I by no means think that Vietnamese people are prejudice or unwelcoming when I say they treat me different for being a foreigner.In fact, most of the time foreigners get treated specially in most situations... except maybe when it comes to negotiating prices. I just think the frustration comes from the fact that I don’t think twice when I see a “foreigner” back in Canada, and I wouldn't treat them differently simply because they are not from Canada. Seeing people from all over the world is part of daily Canadian life, and not necessarily part of daily Vietnamese life (especially in rural areas).

Looking past these feelings of frustration, I have come to terms with the fact that if I am going to work in development, I’m going to have to get used to “sticking out”. I cannot change the fact that I am a Westerner, no matter how humble I may act or how much I assimilate myself into whatever culture I work in. As a development practitioner who plans to work abroad, I will always be a guest in someone elses' home… trying to understand and solve problems that I will probably never have to face myself. That fact both excites me and terrifies me at the same time. Placement so far has given me a little taste of what it feels like to try and solve these complex problems, but I know I’ve only scratched the surface.

What I did this Christmas vacation

Happy New Year readers! After 2 weeks of traveling around South East Asia for the holidays, I’m back home in Hanoi and it feels pretty good! I figure since a lot of people have been asking how my trip was, I should write a blog post about it (as difficult as that will be). I apologize in advanced for the length of this post, but I’m goning to try to do my best to summarize the trip of a lifetime that I had! If anything, this blog post is for me to try and document my experiences and thoughts while traveling.

My adventures began in Bangkok, Thailand where I meet my fellow INDEVOUR Darrelle, who is working in Nepal. It still blows my mind that I even got to travel with an INDEVOUR on placement in a completely different country! In Bangkok, Darrelle and I did many of the temples and museums, and took in as much history of the country that we could. We did indulge in the more touristy things like tuk tuk rides, massages and shopping on Khao San road, but that was all part of the experience for sure. We even meet up with another Vietnam INDEVOUR, Danielle, and her mom too! 

After 2 days in Bangkok, we found 2 other INDEVOURS Mahmoud and Zain and took an overnight bus/ferry to Koh Tao island where we did our scuba diving course. While the journey there was not the most fun, the beautiful beach and scuba diving certainly made it worth it! Diving has to be one of the most surreal experiences of my life. When you breath underwater, and see fish and coral reefs up close for the first time, it just blows your mind! I’m totally hooked on the adrenaline rush diving gives you, and I plan on getting my advanced certification over time. Besides diving, we explored the island quite a bit (with various means of transportation…) and, of course, enjoyed the beautiful scenery! It was a wonderful place to spend Christmas day too, and my friends certainly made it one I’ll never forget, with “presents under the tree” and everything.

After Koh Tao, Mahmoud and Zain went back to Bangkok, and Darrelle and I got on another ferry to go to another Thai island, Phuket. Phuket certainly was more touristy and busy than Koh Tao which I wasn’t a huge fan of, but we took advantage of the beach and shopping during our short 24 hours there. After Phuket, Darrelle and I hoped on a plane to Penang, Malaysia. Now I’ll admit, when I first thought of places I wanted to travel to while in Vietnam, Malaysia didn’t come to mind, but I was so happy that I ended up going there! So many things about Malaysia surprised me. The amazing public transit (we didn’t take a single Taxi while in Penang), the incredible food, and mix of cultures especially! In a single day, I bought a tailored Sari in the best Little India I’ve even been to, visited a floating mosque, and passed Hindu temples, Christian churches, Chinese girl schools, and Buddhist associations. All these cultures and religions were interacting and living together perfectly… it made even Canada seem less multicultural then I thought it was! Penang is also known for its food, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! I ate the best Indian food I’ve ever had, and tried traditional Malay dishes like Laska and Char Khoy Thao. Penang’s also one of the main nutmeg producers of the world and was part of the spice war, which I learned all about at the Penang Tropical Spice Garden! Darrelle and I also climbed the famous 5km, 30 degree, Penang Hill! The trek up was exhausting of course, but the view and feeling of satisfaction at the top were spectacular! It was pretty cool to ring in the new year in Penang too. Darrelle and I meet some other backpackers on New Years eve (some of them Canadian!) to celebrate, and saw some beautiful fireworks at the Penang City Hall.

From Penang, Darrelle and got on another plane to Singapore, where we meet up with yet another INDEVOUR, Jordan, who is working in Botswana and traveled South East Asia over her holidays too! Again, the public transportation in Singapore was awesome! We were navigating the city like locals on the subway our whole time there. We did all the main tourist attractions of course, like the Singapore flyer, Marina Bay park, the merlion statue, Botanic Gardens, and Chinatown. It was so interesting how developed Singapore was, especially after I read about the extreme poverty and struggles of the Chinatown migrants just 50 years ago.

The last stop on travels was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Like Penang, the mix of cultures there was also such a cool thing to see! I noticed mainly Muslim and Hindus as the dominant religious groups in Kuala Lumpur, which I gathered by the dress, customs, and places of worship I experienced. My favorite part of Kuala Lumpur was the Batu caves, which was few Hindu temples and monuments built into a cave! We also visited some museums, the National Mosque, Central Market, Petaling street, and Petronas Towers.  It was so much culture and history to take in, I loved it (even if we did get trapped soaking wet on a tour bus for 3 hours in traffic)! Our trip ended really well, with spontaneous fireworks on our hostel rooftop while we were playing cards on our last night.

So that’s what I did on my crazy 2 week adventure.  I got to see and do many amazing things… and now that I’ve had some time to reflect on the experience, here’s what I think I take away from it all:     

      1. I’ve got the travel bug bad! The whole trip, I couldn’t wait to see more places, eat more new foods, and try more new things. I loved learning about the place I was visiting from the locals themselves, and reading about the history.

      2.Take time when traveling to take in your surroundings, and appreciate the little things. It reminds how lucky you are to be having the experience you are. I mean, I got to do and see things and do things not many people have, like being blessed by a Monk in Bangkok, scuba dive over Christmas, and eat lunch with a monkies right above my head in Penang… how cool is that!?

      3. I’m more adaptive to my surroundings then I thought I was. I suppose while living in Hanoi, I got pretty used to not having things that I have back in Canada (in terms of brands, restaurants, services). While traveling, we ran into some of those comforts of home. I admit I indulged in Starbucks, but I was never tempted to go into any other “Western” place I saw simply because I was missing it.

      4. North American public transit has a long way to go! If my friends and I could get ourselves around almost only by public transit in 3 different countries, it can happen in Canada too.

      5. True blending and coexistence of cultures fascinates me, especially in places where I wasn’t expecting to experience it, such as a “developing” part of the world like South East Asia.

      6.Trips don’t go 100% as planed, and you have to take the good with the bad. I may have had a bad experience with an unreasonable motorbike rental shop in Koh Tao, but I also had a great experience with the hospitality of our hostel staff in Penang! You have to not worry when things go wrong, and not sweat the small stuff. You’ll laugh about it later anyway!

      7.It’s okay to be touristy sometimes. It’s part of the reason you travel and way you take in local culture, right?! Just don’t take any pictures that will offend anyone, and do your best to follow cultural rules. Everything else is fair game
8.The people you travel with determine the kind of trip you have. I am so happy that I traveled with the friends that I did, because they are all as outgoing and open as me! They made the experience the life-changing one that it was, and I think it made our friendship even stronger.
9.As amazing as traveling is, home really is where the heart is. On Christmas, my heart was of course in Canada with my family and I missed them more than I can say. But when my fellow INDEVOURS and I were comparing our placement experiences, I would get waves of homesickness for Hanoi. Even now, I keep thinking of all the little things that I will miss about Vietnam when I have to go back to Canada in a short 3 and half months.

Wow… that really is a lot of learning crammed into two weeks. And I want to say thank you again to the friends that had this experience with me! Now that it’s all over, it’s time for the home stretch of placement, and a trip to the Philippines at the end of January over Tet for me!

Until next time, Internet…