Journey to Peace Village

On the second day of Tet, we went to Thai Nguyen to visit my student Huyen and her family. After a harrowing drive hitting huge potholes, Huyen took us to her home. They had a fantastic kumquat tree, complete with lights and decorations. Huyen's mother had prepared a delicious meal and we met many relatives and friends who visited on Tet to wish good health and happiness. It is customary to visit your friends and families and share a tea or wine and wish everyone well. After the delicious meal, we visited Huyen's grandma and met her many cousins. Finally, Huyen took us to a very good museum about the many ethnic groups that live in the region.

Labels: TET, Viet Nam, Vietnamese culture

On the first day of Tet, Tracy and I joined thousands of Vietnamese in visiting temples. We walked first to a temple near the Ha Noi zoo that included a shrine honoring people killed in the war. We then took a long walk through almost deserted streets to Quan Thanh Pagoda at West Lake. Turning the corner, we went from an empty area to West Lake, which was throbbing with life and people. The pagoda was flooded with people lighting incense and burning fake money to appease their ancestors. Most of the money is US dollars!

We had a coffee at a nice cafe across from the lake and went home to fill up on the Banh Chung that Huy's mother had given us. That night a swirl of fireworks filled the air.

Hello Everyone from Viet Nam! Today is the first day of the New Year, called Tet here in Viet Nam. It is celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year and shares some of the customs with China. But there are many customs unique here.

I've had a fantastic Tet and have learned so much. Before the holiday even started, Tracy (my friend from the States and from TEFL school) and I went into the countryside to visit my student, Chien. She lives on a small farm about 50 miles outside of Hanoi. It was just an incredible experience. It is very difficult to reach, because it is only accessible by dirt roads. But it is worth it. Chien's family and neighbors are very friendly and hospitable. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. It's the authentic Vietnamese way of life!

Chien's mom had prepared a delicious meal that included many special foods that are eaten at Tet. One is Banh Chung, a kind of rice cake filled with egg or pork. It takes about 10 hours to make and is the centerpiece of the meal, kind of like turkey on Thanksgiving.

In fact Tet is kind of like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter all combined! It welcomes the New Year and the start of spring. People gather with their families and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. On New Year's Eve, people have parties, drink beer and champagne and go to fireworks shows or make their own! My friend Tracy, who's visiting from the States, and I attended three parties on New Year's! First we went to my student, Huy, and ate dinner with him. Then we went on to Huy's aunt's house. Finally, at home, the landlady had prepared a dinner for the tenants, myself, Tracy, and two Indian men who work for a steel company as engineers. Needless to say, I was stuffed!

For videos of this super Tet, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/user/maryecroy

Labels: TET, Viet Nam, Viet Nam and the West

It's Monday morning. Tracy and I watched the Super Bowl and were shocked to see the Giants come back. I loved the half time show with Tom Petty. "She was an American girl raised on promises..." How fitting to hear that now!

Then it was off to the market to lay in a bunch of supplies for Tet. We bought a whole chicken, assorted vegetables, a kilo of meet. I also bought presents for my Vietnamese friends and I want to get some "ornaments" to decorate the Tet tree. My tree is a large branch from a peach blossom. It's just starting to bloom. Although sparse, it's beautiful. Spring is where you find it.

Labels: TET, Viet Nam and the West

Things are getting crazy over here. Everything is gearing up (or perhaps you should say winding down) for Tet. The stores are packed as everyone is on a buying blitz for the Lunar New Year. I had my last day of class for ten days and I'm totally exhausted. People buy gift packs and ordinary supplies as everything shuts down at the New Year. Most people spend Tet with their families and the vast majority of businesses close for three days. Hanoi becomes a ghost town!

My friend Tracy has arrived from the States and we're gearing up to. Tracy has been a huge help to me with shopping and helping out, and I've been showing her around the town. I'm going to visit some of my students over Tet and Tracy's coming too. It should be quite an adventure as we greet the "Year of the Mouse."