There's no better way to do it then to dive right in, and cannonball! That's exactly what we did. Strapping on our day packs we ventured out into the bustling and crowded streets of Hanoi with our Vietnamese fellows for the first day's scavenger hunt. After splitting into four groups, we were given a list of historical and cultural sites throughout the city that we had to go find. Among these were the Opera House, the Long Bien Bridge, the Sun Beam Bridge and Mountain Temple and the statue of King Ly Thai To overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. A point of interest for our group was the Long Bien bridge because it was bordered by the slums of Hanoi. The GIEU team regrouped in the afternoon for an iced coffee break that included a tutorial on how to patiently make a delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee. We wrapped up the day with our first communal meal. Yum yum!
Day Two
The second day started on a more somber note than the hustle and bustle of day one; visiting the mausoleum where the body of Ho Chi Minh rests. It was amazing to see how many people came to pay tribute to a national hero; we had to wait in line for an hour for a brief visitation. The excursion aided us in understanding the importance of Ho Chi Minh to Vietnam, although clashing with our American bias towards him. Next we went to the Temple of Literature, Hanoi's first university and a popular place for students hoping to do well on exams. We felt this illustrated the importance of education in Vietnamese society. Our next stop was Hoa Lo, the prison built by the French used to hold both Vietnamese and American prisoners. The exhibits were haunting and shocking to see how poorly people were treated. Seeing the Vietnamese side of the story was an unique comparison to the one commonly taught in America. The new women's museum, which we visited next was very fascinating. Learning about the woman's role in Vietnamese society; ranging from home and family life to working to help support the family; was interesting. Traditional rituals differ within each ethnic group but are still preserved in their culture today. We ended the day with another delicious meal.
Day three
Today we traveled to the campus of Hanoi University of Technology (Đại Học Bách Khoa) for the day. We started with a lecture from Ginger Davis, who studied Vietnamese for many years and ended up moving her life here. We were taught about Vietnamese culture, including the dos and don'ts and gender perceptions, she also gave us an overview of Vietnamese history. We then took a lunch break and went to the Reading Club(Câu Lạc Bộ Đọc Sách Cùng Con), an organization working to get kids in the area and their parents to be more enthusiastic about reading. We were served a delicious lunch by a University of Michigan graduate running the reading club. We also donated the English children's books we brought with us. After lunch we began preparing for our cultural exchange event; the event consisted of mingling with Vietnamese students through a variety of activities such as songs, card games, bracelet making, slang and temporary tattoos. It was awesome to see how enthusiastic the students were to be interacting with us.
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