R.I.P. CEC

So it goes like this. The Canadian Education Centre randomly decided to terminate all of its domestic international offices due to lack of funding. Just like that, out of the blue. As a result, I no longer have an internship as of right now! Keith with CEC Mexico and Eloisa with CEC Singapore have been affected, as well.

I’m still at the office trying to figure out what’s next. Larissa & I chatted and we will try to find a new internship for me in Ho Chi Minh City, Districts 1 or 3. I like it here and I do not want to leave/relocate to another part of Vietnam. I mean, I could relocate to other parts of South East Asia but I have to pay my rent here, so I can’t get up and go just like that. I am trying to get in contact with local people here (both expats and Vietnamese) regarding positions in media, communications, international studies, and quite possibly education. But working with the CEC for 1 month made me realize that education is not quite my passion, and I may have to move on. Tram (co-worker) said she knew someone with an immigration company, and I know some people at international schools and the Canadian Consulate.

When I heard the news, nobody else in my office had known. I told my co-workers and they laughed because they thought I was joking. Then I forwarded them the email from York. Then our boss (Mr. Quang, who is in Canada at the moment) emailed us back and said yes, it’s true. The girls seem in good spirits, though; I think Vietnamese people laugh when they are in troublesome situations. Just like me!

I don’t know. I’m not really worried right now. I am going on vacation tomorrow so it’s awkward timing. Maybe York or Mr. Quang will find other internships for me but I want to speak to everyone I know. I guess I can’t be *too picky* but I think, in central Ho Chi Minh City, there are a LOT of very cool opportunities regarding media & media arts, which is my passion. As for other parts of Vietnam, I can’t say that I would enjoy relocating. Hanoi is not that great, and in between, there ain’t much else except rural areas, small towns, and tourists.

Man, the most ridiculous things happen to me every time I choose to live abroad. First it was getting robbed at gunpoint in Guyana, then it was Denmark’s crap banking system, and now in Vietnam, my internship is terminated. Fun fun fun!!!

Troi oi!!! That means “my goddddd” in Vietnamese!

Bangkok travel guide

I came across the Bangkok Wikitravel guide the other day, and they had very amusing descriptions of certain Thai stereotypes. I found them pretty relevant to Vietnam, so I am going to post them!

Bargirl: Mostly short and dark-skinned farm girls from the provinces, a bargirl can be spotted a mile away thanks to her pink hotpants, high heels and the kilo of gold around her neck. Often found in happy financial symbiosis with the sexpat.

Sexpat: Fifty-plus, bald, beer belly, stained shirt, lovestruck expression and a hairy arm wrapped around a girl too young to be his daughter. He’s found what he’s looking for.

Ladyboy: Either tall, large-handed, wears too much makeup, possesses an Adam’s apple and has large breasts…or has accomplished the art of camouflage so well that you just filed her/him as an office lady or bargirl.
(I haven’t seen this yet)

Expat: A farang walking about purposefully in dress shirt and long trousers, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it’s 35°C outside. For extra credit, try to distinguish between the scruffier English teacher type and the jet-setting expense package type. Or try classifying them by the old joke about the three types of expat — missionaries, mercenaries and misfits.

Yuppie: Like every other big city, Bangkok boasts a coterie of young professional types who are hip, well-educated and relatively affluent. Similar to the Expat, they usually sport business attire and are likely to be hurried – except they probably know a shortcut, and they aren’t sweating so profusely.

Office lady: Sharply clad in infinite variations of solid pastel shades, this human houseplant mans customer service desks and pours tea in offices across the capital.

Khao San Road brigade: Braided hair, bead necklace, sarongs, shorts and floppy pants. Either on their way to or just back from the beaches. Dazed and bewildered when torn apart from the familiar surroundings of Khao San Road.

This weekend was very good. Alibi, Shadow, Ly Ly’s, Ganesh, the Cage. I went to the “Everyone’s a DJ” night and one of the DJ’s actually went to York, I found out. On Wednesday, I’m bouncing to Hoi An because guess what? Our office is closed for Canada Day! (Again!)

Assignment #2

I’ve been setting the scene of my surrounding areas since I’ve arrived in Vietnam, but maybe I should go into depth about some stuff. I need to get my mind off of a few things anyway right now (daydreaming about Sweden, Vancouver and other parts of Asia, in particular).

Environment
By 2020, Vietnam aims to become a fully industrialized country. There is construction everywhere – if you can’t see it, you can hear it. Things are very developed here, and other things are very poor. A middle class is emerging rapidly. Think China or India. The gap between rich and poor is obvious, and gigantic. I live around the corner from a Louis Vitton store and a handful of pricey hotels and silk tailors, but I also live close to the poor mother’s desperately trying to sell tissues, toiletries, books and fruit to me outside of Benh Thanh market. I live close to people who pick through garbage, assuming they are looking for recyclable plastics to sell for a few thousand dong (a few cents). I have seen several instances of environmental degradation and it makes my insides hurt. People water the sidewalks just for fun. Dudes, it’s not like anything is growing under there! My co-workers and I order food every day – that’s enough garbage as it is, and pardon my carbon footprint, but I am very cautious when it comes to packaging. In Asia, it’s impossible to avoid. Last but not least, RECYCLING. My oh my, does my Canadian soul hurt when I am unable to recycle. I am not aware of any such magnificent process in Vietnam, but I truly hope that things improve. You can’t have “development” and economic success without “environment”.

Customer service
In Vietnam, you’re never too far from a random guy trying to offer you a motorbike ride. I feel like I receive non-stop attention and never-ending service. There is always someone around to “offer” or “sell” me something. Don’t even get me started on shopping. The store clerk will follow your every footstep in the store, literally around in a circle, right behind you at all times. Shopping in that type of situation just makes me want to leave, not buy anything, and never come back again. The customer service industry needs to relax.

In & Out of the city
The rural landscapes of Vietnam remind me of my time spent in Guyana. Lots of palm trees, dirt roads, skinny cows, stray animals, shacks, fields of fruit, interesting sights by the highway (i.e. a group of 20 men publically urinating at the same time, large numbers of hammocks grouped underneath a roof for siesta). In the city and the country, people fall asleep in public all the time. Lunch break is 1.5 hours long here and most people take a nap at that time.

Traffic redux
I am getting used to the traffic and it’s not as crazy as first week’s impressions. City noise is normal here. There are motorbikes everywhere and much to my dissatisfaction, not a whole lot of sidewalks, except in my neighbourhood where lots of ex-pats live. I walk everywhere! I put my headphones and sunglasses on and ignore my surroundings on the 30 minute stroll to work. Someone somewhere will try to offer me something and I will ignore them. At some point I will get stressed for a few seconds because someone will be honking loudly and obnoxiously on the road. It is part of my daily life. I arrive to work sweaty and sore from carrying my heavy laptop. I hear outside construction at least twice a day from the office.

Danger
I feel very safe in this city but I don’t really venture off into other districts alone. I take VinaSun and MaiLinh taxi’s and don’t really get ripped off by them. I don’t walk after 10pm just to be safe. The biggest danger for me is mosquitoes. Those guys just love my legs.

The backpacker’s area
I live about 35 minutes from the BPA by walking, 8 minutes by taxi/$1.25. The area is appealing for its super cheap food, amazing shopping, and travel agencies. The appeal starts to fade once children try to sell you things while you are out eating dinner. The sidewalks are used as motorbike parking lots (not joking), or are blocked off by huge tour buses in the mornings and evenings. The backpacker’s area seems very temporary. People come and go. You’re unlikely to see the same person twice.

Power lines are UN-REAL. If you haven’t seen this picture before, you’re seeing it now:

I know!

Phone etiquette
People will bring their phones and answer their phones in every situation imaginable. I have been in yoga class where a girl answered her phone. In Canada? Not cool. Expect evil looks and a warning from the instructor. Or what about a meeting? In our office, we have many parents coming in to ask questions about studying in Canada, but every single day of consultancy, someone’s phone goes off, and the person answers it and sits there talking for at least 1-2 minutes. During meetings and interviews, at least one cell phone will go off per every 5 minutes in Vietnam. Expect people to answer their phones during dinner, or on their motorbikes. Oh, did I mention that I saw two people making out while driving a motorbike yesterday? Classic.

Burping in front of company is common, as is wearing pyjamas on the streets, especially in Nha Trang beach town where I only saw women in matching tops and bottoms strolling down the street. On the topic of pajamas, I’m tired, see ya later.

Food, True Blood & Outings

Food! Food in Vietnam through my eyes/tastebuds consists of lychee, dragon fruit, mangos, baguette, coconut, bananas, rambutan, coffee, green tea, pineapples, red bean products, fruit shakes, bakeries <3, typical Vietnamese dishes we have in Toronto (rice and/or noodles), French-influenced cuisine, and overpriced dairy products (cheese). I’ve eaten Mexican, American, Chinese and Indian.

The food has led to some unfortunate stomach situations and I was sick for most of last week and completely immobile for one full day. Electrolytes and Diamode saved my life, but especially Diamode, which I shouldn’t be taking frequently anyways. I like Vietnamese food but it can wreak of fish sauce and animal fat a lot – two things I am incapable of digesting. Fruits and veggies are not always properly washed and I feel like a tool for so openly accepting drinks with ice cubes in them. Pre-departure Dukarol vaccinations only did so much for me.

On my completely immobile sick day, I watched a lot of True Blood, a fantastic HBO series about a vampire subculture in Louisiana and a love story between a vampire and a telepathic girl. It is so phenomenal that I finished it in 3 days. I would watch it all over again if I could, but I am now moving on to Mad Men, which is also fantastic.

A woman groped my ass last week. Probably in search of cash or my passport. I looked at her and she pretended as if nothing happened. Fortunately, I am smart enough not to leave things in my pockets.

Last night I finally went out dancing to the tunes of sweet 70s and 80s music. We saw some live cover band (hilarious) at an overpriced “rock bar” called Acoustic. It was fun and I made some French friends, but the place was packed and I was being touched every half-second. Then we went to a place I can’t even believe exists – Q Bar. It’s attached to the OPERA HOUSE of Ho Chi Minh City. WTF was I doing there!?! This is what happens when you follow Italian acquaintances around the city. People were severely fashionable. Like, uber-ritzy, ultra-swank. It’s just crazy to see the stark contrast between the rich and poor in this country. (More on this later). I spoke to an Italian textile manager about the sweatshops he has seen in Asia, Bangladesh in particular. Then finally, we headed to the legendary Apocalypse Now which is an after-hours joint mainly for tourists and hookers. Despite this, you’ll find every type of person there, because it’s one of the few joints that doesn’t close at 12am.

Today I took yoga and belly dancing classes in Vietnamese. Hahahaha. It RULED. It can be tough learning movement in another language, but so easy at the same time. I will keep up with this! I am definitely the only foreigner in the class, but the studio is really sweet and it also has a fairly cheap spa! Ooh la la.

I have a really big craving for the following: Wendy’s grilled chicken sandwiches, legit French fries, and Pizza Nova. All at the same time. I have been deprived of chicken breast for a very long time, it’s starting to feel sad.

Mekong and friends

The highlight of my week was on Thursday where my boss took us out to the Legend Hotel for a buffet lunch. Hoooooooooolyyyyyyyyyy shit, I’m sorry, it was fantastic. Soooooooo good! Later on I felt extremely sick. I think I overdosed on dairy products. I just couldn’t handle how good the food was. I mean you can find everything in Saigon but not always at amazing quality. At the Legend we had Mediterranean food, French pastries, fresh local seafood, lettuce (haven’t had that one in a while), everything. I ate from a chocolate fountain for the first time ever. Puttin’ on the ritz much?

I discovered Co-op which is a huge grocery store. It reminds me of all the Asian grocery stores in Toronto/Mississauga. I left satisfied because Co-op had an ample amount of choice. When it comes to food, I need choice. Hence, living in a city = crucial to me, unless I grew my own food (which I will one day…when I move to BC). I seriously love doing groceries and cooking mediocre meals. It just grounds me a little bit. I also discovered Zen Plaza which is a Japanese-owned department store. Bye bye pocket money.

This weekend has been nothing but awesome to me! I got to know my Swedish roommate Adam which was great, hilarious and silly. He has been here for two years. I REALLY needed to go out and socialize so I am glad that it happened. Tyra Banks was taking over my life (and still is occasionally).

This weekend I organized trips to the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels. Mekong was stunning and so different. I got lost on a bike ride in the country side. Why? Because I was following a Dutch guy. Never follow Dutch people on bikes unless in the Netherlands :P We ate lots of local fruit, drank lots of rice/coconut/banana wine, honey tea, and coconut candy. I bought a bunch of coconut candy, it was unnnnnreeeaaaalll. We actually saw how the coconut candy was processed. It’s all made by hand, so it’s nice to bring home a treat that isn’t made in a factory. My proudest moment was drinking snake wine. Yeah, I drank snake wine. And it was wicked.

(Not my photo)

Cu Chi Tunnels were interesting…they are the underground tunnels that people hid in/traveled through during the war. We climbed into two fake tunnels built for tourists. The first one had a secret entrance covered by leaves. The hole to get underground was TINY! Once we got in the hole, we were basically on our hands and knees crawling through dirt. It was PETRIFYING. And completely dark. Luckily I had my cell phone for light, and luckily there were people in the tunnel with me (obviously) but no guide, because that’s how Vietnamese people do. The tunnel was 7m. Oh, and there were TONS OF BATS. One fluttered right by my head. The next tunnel was larger, decently lit, made of stone, and had air conditioning in it. This tunnel was 120m. We all crawled through it hopelessly thinking “Why are we doing this?” My posture was crouched for a good five minutes. This time we had a guide. We were sweating sooo hard! Those underground tunnels are HOT!

The reason why they have built constructed tunnels for tourists is because the original tunnels are very deep into the ground. This also means that there are lots of cobra snakes and scorpions there. There are 2 or 3 layers below the tunnels we crawled through and they are extremely dangerous and obviously off-limits. I have never felt so claustrophobic in my life but it was definitely an experience! I still feel kind of messed up after being in those tunnels. It was traumatizing to think that people hid in those tunnels for days and days. It was interesting to see some “war tourism” preserved in such a way. The area also had a firing range which was ridiculously loud. You could shoot AK47’s and other such guns for a (quite large) fee. Not sure how I feel about that…

Our tour guide was pretty jokes. He was all, “I like Canadians more than Americans” and I’m like “Why?”. He says, “Americans are trouble makers…you know, gangsters. Some good, some bad, but most bullshit”.

Week 3 highlights:

P.S. Most Vietnamese kitchens don’t have ovens. This sucks.

Move, moving, moved

I finally moved! I stayed in a guesthouse for too long, and finally I live on Le Thanh Ton Street…also known as the Japanese neighbourhood. If this isn’t my calling to go to Japan then I don’t know what is. I love the area. It’s very safe, there are wide sidewalks and TRAFFIC LIGHTS that are usually followed but not always. The walk to work is maybe 25 minutes but nobody walks here. In fact, the more time I spend outside, the more my lungs begin to deteriorate. I can smell gas and exhaust and pollution in my lungs even when I’m not outside. Not a good sign. At all. I might have to start wearing a mask :( Maybe I’ll find one with Hello Kitty on it or something. Maybe a plague mask. My face will not get any sunlight so when I return home, you can just call me Whiteface Killa.

There are ants in my room unfortunately but where aren’t there ants?! I live with a Swedish guy, two Vietnamese girls (one is French) and a Filipino man is moving in soon to replace the Danish girl whose room I took. It feels so good to do the groceries! The doors are a pain in the ass to open. There is a cleaning lady who does the dishes and cleans the rooms – wish I had her around my house during university crunch time.

On the weekend, I met my room mates and we went to a restaurant called Cepage. It’s as fancy as it sounds but luckily I ate some reasonably priced risotto. I met my roommate Aivy who is really awesome and sweet. She took me to Saigon Square (huge market), we ate pho, and I met her Swiss friend. I also went to a “Canada Day” celebration on Saturday…yesss…Canada Day in Vietnam 3 weeks before the “real” Canada Day. Hilarious. I don’t have much to say about it except that it was overpriced and there was bad music playing. At least the breakdancers!!! made for some great entertainment. I loved those guys.

I have yet to go out for drinks and dancing, but Vietnam is about 20-30 years behind in music. This is actually the best thing ever because Vanilla Ice, Boney M, and Boyz II Men are all the rage in da clubs. Which makes me SO excited to dance. I want to avoid droned out techno and house as much as possible. I will tear up the dancefloor so long as the 80s and 90s are alive and pumping. It’s going to be Chronologic allllllll over again. Vietnam = best scene ever.

FOR ALL OF MY PICTURES, please check out ONE and TWO.

Week 2 highlights:

What is your culture?

York International asked the question “What is your culture?” and I have to answer it. (Nervous laugh).

What does it mean to be Canadian? My Vietnamese co-workers expected me to arrive at my placement with blond hair and long legs, when in fact I am the opposite! I feel like there is no such thing as a Canadian, but then when I think about being Canadian, I think of cliché things like accents, beer, hockey, flannel, the countryside, certain animals…

But in reality, my family is Turkish. I am the only person in my family born in Canada. I speak the language (poorly), eat the food, and understand the customs. I think most Canadians are hyphenated in some way. It adds a nice flavour to the country. What is “Canadian”, because honestly, I picture a hundred different people that could be from any country.

I have certain quirks about myself. They may or may not be “Canadian” but they include being a huge Canadian indie music fan. Caribou, Broken Social Scene, Plants & Animals, Chromeo, Besnard Lakes, Emily Haines, Final Fantasy and I won’t name drop anymore. At the same time, I recognize how awful some Canadian music is and I wish people would dive and see what’s underneath the “cultural iceberg” in the music department. I’m a huge fan of nature and mountains. I can live in a city so long as there is green, parks, and escapes. By the same token, a lot of Canada is developed and you can’t enter a small town without seeing a Wal-Mart, Home Depot or another big-box shopping mall. Here, culture = lacking. Which brings me to my next point: I don’t think I could live in a place without “diversity”. I might get freaked out by living in a city with only one type of people. I enjoy eating a smorgasbord (ha!) of ethnic foods that are available to me, but also enjoy beaver tail pastries, maple syrup and potatoes. I can’t live without personal space. Canada is almost 10 million kilometres squared and has 33 million people; that’s three people per square kilometre! The only thing I know is big spacious suburbs, cities, towns and rural areas. Taking personal space away = not a happy Pea.

I can’t leave my house without looking presentable. I will be anti-sweats and Uggs until the end of time. I take representation very seriously – perhaps this isn’t very “Canadian” of me. I am hard on myself when it comes to work, although taking a carefree approach to life is also pretty crucial. The Turkish perfectionism comes out of me and blends with the general laissez-faire, modest Canadian approach. I work fast and hard and enjoy challenges. However, I don’t enjoy being overworked.

I define my culture as something that is not always definable. There are visible symbols that can illustrate one’s culture, but defining culture is an in-depth process with tons of gray areas. Sounds like post-modern theory – I’m starting to feel nauseous. In the end, I think that Canada doesn’t have one strong cultural identity. This might lead to identity crisis but, umm, you know…it happens. Canada is what people make it. There is no single culture that defines me and I guess that is what I love about Canada.

You betta WORK…in the city

I have completed three days of my internship so far in HCMC. I’m liking it! I was asked to come up with a “communications strategy” for the CEC Vietnam so they can improve their image and attract more advertisers and students. I have noooo idea how to do this, but after a few google searches, I feel like I have a better idea. Some of my projects include designing various graphics, giving input on certain projects, emphasizing the CEC logo, suggesting website improvements, going through electronic & print media to see if it’s consistent, and so on. In conclusion, it’s up my alley for sure and like I said before, I am grateful for my co-workers because they are really cool! I work with 3 Vietnamese girls and 1 Vietnamese man – he is the manager.

I think I can be really shy in the workplace sometimes. I am trying to open up some more but usually I am quiet when I meet people in professional contexts, especially if I do not instantly have something recognizable in common with them. Those bonds take longer to form. Nonetheless, I am confident about things. I had a dots-per-inch crisis today, but I worked it out, I worked it gooooooood.

I’m learning a few things about myself: I need things repeated and re-explained to me sometimes. It is difficult to turn ideas into action. When I think about it, university has taught me how to NOT do this for the most part. Did I ever think about a “communications strategy” before this job? No. Did I learn InDesign and Photoshop in school? Hellllll to the no. I had to teach these things to myself. I know university is theoretical but I think the style of teaching needs to be overhauled in many classes, most of which are forgettable and erased from our memories. I guess that’s why I’m with the CEC after all – to learn some hands-on skillz and get down and dirty with some editing software.

Some observations:

• Traffic still boggles my mind. I actually feel like I am going to die every time I step out into public, especially when my co-workers give me a lift home on their motorbikes.
• Speaking of traffic tomfoolery, I have my first physical scar of Vietnam! A new friend drove me home on his motorbike and I burnt my leg on the sizzling hot engine. Congratulations Erin, you have  a new story to tell.
• I went to the HCMC Art Museum last week and I have to say that it is interesting to see a Western concept (a museum) implemented in an Asian context. The museum was interesting and curated with decency but the building was run-down and I had never seen a museum that wasn’t all about bright fluorescent lights and tons of white space.
• I am getting ripped off in markets ALL THE TIME. It comes with the territory of being non-Vietnamese.
• I observe a lot of Western men walking around with Vietnamese women. Sometimes it seems very synthetic, other times, you can tell they have some sort of meaningful relationship. But considering the country’s history of sex tourism…yeah, I am not going to get into it…
• Last but not least: I observe a lot of people wearing masks particularly on their motorbikes. This is because of SWINE FLU – just kidding! It’s actually because of pollution combined with beauty standards. In Asia, light skin is considered more beautiful.

Right now I am watching America’s Next Top Model reruns and researching pools in the city. My body feels so lethargic, especially after all the exam stress I had to endure four days before my departure. Erin Pea, youuuuuu betta WORK!

Week 1 highlights:

Tiếng Việt

Intense traffic jams, bargaining at all times of the day, blasting the A/C, and refusing motorbike rides from randoms. Welcome to Vietnam. I am here in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon for an internship for 3 months with the Canadian Education Centre. A 22-hour flight later, walking through an alleyway at night, and riding on the back of a motorbike, this marks the beginning of my adventures in Vietnam.

Some quirky observations:

• I’ve never seen so many people at an airport in my life
• I’ve never heard so much honking in my life…and I have been to Turkey
• Plenty of tourists to become short-term friends with
• Vietnamese people dress awesome. Like seriously, I want their clothes

So far I have stayed in HCMC and I also went on a tour to Nha Trang which is a stunning beach town/fishing town. I started my internship on Monday and it was good. The people were very nice, helpful and cute. I am excited…especially since the internship relates to my field of studies (communications and international development) quite more than I expected. I am staying in a guesthouse until I move into my house on June 7. The house is on the same street as Chloe & Marc Jacobs Boutiques. Only in New York City? Apparently not.

More updates later!