Sunday, February 27
Back to University
I am back to school ! For two weeks, I am having 3 hours vietnamese classes every morning at the University of Vietnamese language and culture. It is a very difficult language to learn: words are monosyllabic: there are 6 ways to pronounce each syllable in a slightly different way and each of them has a different meaning ! If I can learn enough to manage in the streets I'll be happy !It is fun to be in the middle of a vietnamese campus and observe the flow of students going to their classes on foot, on motorcycle or bicycle.
La Pagode des Parfums ...
Dimanche 20 février:4h00: départ en mini-bus devant l'ambassade de France avec Thuy, une copine vietnamienne et une vingtaine de ses amis vietnamiens ainsi que deux autres français.4h05: arrêt petit déjeuner dans un petit stand de rue pendant 20 minutes ...6h00: arrivée enfin à proximité de la rivière, point de départ pour aller visiter la pagode. Mais nous ne sommes pas seuls: il y a déjà des milliers de personnes attendant de pouvoir passer pour se diriger vers les barques qui nous emmèneront en une petite heure de douce ballade au fil de l'eau au pied de la montagne où se situe la pagode. Ce ne sont pratiquement que des femmes qui pagaient frénétiquement pour emmener les pélerins. Car après le Têt (Nouvel An chinois), il est de bonne augure d'aller faire un pélerinage dans une pagode et d'y apporter quelques offrandes pour que la chance ne vous oublie pas ...Une fois arrivés, pris dans la foule, on tente tant bien que mal d'arriver à la Pagode par un petit chemin escarpé, jonché de pierres glissantes usées par les pas des pélerins. Le chemin est bondé de gens qui montent et qui descendent, qui se poussent, qui se frayent un chemin dans la foule. Arrivés enfin en haut, nos camarades de route offrent un plateau de victuailles à Bouddha et d'autres déités locales, puis en reprennent une bonne partie qui nous servira de pique-nique: gâteau de riz gluant, fibres de porc séché, mandarines. Après le déjeuner, la moitié d'entre eux se couchent sous des couvertures de couleurs fluoresentes mises à notre disposition sous de grandes tentes, pendant que les plus courageux d'entre nous reprennent le chemin vers les grottes situés à quelques heures de marche de la pagode. La foule est encore plus dense, on n'arrive pas à avancer. Après presque 1h30 de marche et à peine 2 kilomètres plus loin, je décide de faire demi-tour, redescend, et m'empresse d'aller me blottir sous une couverture car le lever était tout de même un peu matinal ...Après quelques heures d'attente (pour reconstituer le groupe, reprendre le bateau, retrouver le véhicule ...) nous rentrons à Hanoi, épuisés. Il est 19h. Fatiguante mais mémorable expérience !
Saturday, February 26
Friday, February 25
Ha Noi - Hoi An
Before my training started, I went travelling a bit in central Vietnam for 1 week and a half. I spent 3 days in Hue, the ancient city of the mandarins with its beautiful citadel and its numerous mandarin tombs. The city itself has no charm but the ancient city is worth visiting. However, I must say I am not as sensitive to bricks covered with cement as to carved stone, and most of the tombs of the mandarins are in cement and usually restored in a heavy way ... I then went straight to Hoi An which is a charming small city with superb wooden houses from several generations of chinese people settled in Hoi An. There are tons of tailors, shoe-makers, fancy restaurants and a beach nearby. You can imagine what a nightmare it is to stay there, especially when the sun is shining (and it was !).I met 3 great women with whom I spent most of my days in Hue and Hoi An: 2 american women travelling each on their own for several months around the world and a french stewardess: Alison, Tara and Nathalie: we had good fun together !
Monday, February 7
It is 0h50 in Hanoï, everything is quiet. I am for a few hours now in the flat that will be mine for the coming 6 months. There is a large room with a double bed, a desk, four armchairs and a small table, there is also a fairly large kitchen and a bathroom. AND hot water AND an air conditionning system that is supposed to work as a heater as well (I didn´t managed to get it working so far) ... It's freezing and humid. Everything is humid, from the bed sheets to the toilet paper. The flat is cosy as a prison cell with its gigantic neon lights and kitsch furniture. I'll have to work on that to feel a bit at home ...
Next Monday is the beginning of the Tet festival ! Great, I really wanted to see it. Actually what I didn't know is that everybody go back to their families for a week of celebrations at home and that everything is closed: restaurants, shops, banks and probably most of the travels and buses agencies. All the contacts I got in Hanoï are actually gone to their home or on holidays ... And there won't be celebrations in the street as I expected ...hmmm ... Doesn't matter! will see how to make this week fun anyway !
I live on a quite large boulevard, but the building is a bit withdrawn from the street. My address is 34A Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem district, my home telephone is +84(0)4 94 22 816 and my mobile phone is +84(0) 91 435 98 10. There are 6 hours jet lag between France or The Netherlands and Vietnam: when it is 16h at your place, it is 22h in Hanoï. (BTW, if ever you intend calling me, be aware it it is much cheaper to use pre-paid phone cards for Vietnam (available in chinese shops or on the internet www.iradium.fr)). For those having ADSL at home, I will also be connected from time to time to Skype (free Net2Net phone available at http://www.skype.com/).
Sunday morning: Nice stereo to be waken up by: workings from the left window and traffic horns from the right one. It is extremely dark in my room, the next-door buildings are so closed to the windows that they shade them. Today Unpacking and cleaning day. I have an appointment at 15h with a british VSO volunteer for a tour of Hanoï and at 19h for the dinner with another french volunteer from the Hoa Sua school (the 2 last ones in town !).
Some more news coming soon ... Take care & send me some news ! Love, @leX
Next Monday is the beginning of the Tet festival ! Great, I really wanted to see it. Actually what I didn't know is that everybody go back to their families for a week of celebrations at home and that everything is closed: restaurants, shops, banks and probably most of the travels and buses agencies. All the contacts I got in Hanoï are actually gone to their home or on holidays ... And there won't be celebrations in the street as I expected ...hmmm ... Doesn't matter! will see how to make this week fun anyway !
I live on a quite large boulevard, but the building is a bit withdrawn from the street. My address is 34A Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem district, my home telephone is +84(0)4 94 22 816 and my mobile phone is +84(0) 91 435 98 10. There are 6 hours jet lag between France or The Netherlands and Vietnam: when it is 16h at your place, it is 22h in Hanoï. (BTW, if ever you intend calling me, be aware it it is much cheaper to use pre-paid phone cards for Vietnam (available in chinese shops or on the internet www.iradium.fr)). For those having ADSL at home, I will also be connected from time to time to Skype (free Net2Net phone available at http://www.skype.com/).
Sunday morning: Nice stereo to be waken up by: workings from the left window and traffic horns from the right one. It is extremely dark in my room, the next-door buildings are so closed to the windows that they shade them. Today Unpacking and cleaning day. I have an appointment at 15h with a british VSO volunteer for a tour of Hanoï and at 19h for the dinner with another french volunteer from the Hoa Sua school (the 2 last ones in town !).
Some more news coming soon ... Take care & send me some news ! Love, @leX
Tuesday, February 1
J-3: Departure to Hanoï
On Friday the 4th of February, I'll be in the plane to Hanoï !
After 2 months of travelling and visiting in Europe (Nancy-Utrecht-Amsterdam-Nancy-Birmingham-Paris-Bordeaux-Saintes-Boulogne Billancourt and Paris again ...) I am looking forward to the next adventure and settling down again !
My in-country training with VSO will start on the 18th of Feb for 2 weeks (courses about language, history, society, culture, ...) and I will start my work at Hoa Sua school early March (www.hoasuaschool.com).
Before that, I will use the spare 2 weeks to travel in Vietnam, probably up North in the mountains. I'll post soon some photos !
CU
@leX
After 2 months of travelling and visiting in Europe (Nancy-Utrecht-Amsterdam-Nancy-Birmingham-Paris-Bordeaux-Saintes-Boulogne Billancourt and Paris again ...) I am looking forward to the next adventure and settling down again !
My in-country training with VSO will start on the 18th of Feb for 2 weeks (courses about language, history, society, culture, ...) and I will start my work at Hoa Sua school early March (www.hoasuaschool.com).
Before that, I will use the spare 2 weeks to travel in Vietnam, probably up North in the mountains. I'll post soon some photos !
CU
@leX
Friday, January 14
NOBODYHERE
I forgot to mention to you earlier, but one of the cooooolest website ever is this one: I just love it so much ! When you are getting: bored, moody, quiet, sick, nervous .... just visit that site and you will feel better ! I would prescribe 5 minutes per day to start with .... be careful NOT to get addicted to it ! :-)
Saturday, January 8
News from Birmingham
Hi folks,
I hope you had a lovely year start. I am currently in Birmingham at the VSO training center for 2 weeks of training (Skills for Working in Development & Training Skills) with the other volunteers ready for the departure next month: Papua New Guinea, Namibia, China, Malawi, Tanzania and so on ... almost as many countries as people ! It is really great: everybody is very excited about their placement.
I'll then go to Bordeaux on the 17th of January until the 25th where I will be back in Paris.
My departure is planned AT THE LATEST on the 17th of February but I am still hoping the clearances and visa will be available sooner to allow me to go as soon as possible !
For more information about VSO: http://www.vso.org.uk
I hope you had a lovely year start. I am currently in Birmingham at the VSO training center for 2 weeks of training (Skills for Working in Development & Training Skills) with the other volunteers ready for the departure next month: Papua New Guinea, Namibia, China, Malawi, Tanzania and so on ... almost as many countries as people ! It is really great: everybody is very excited about their placement.
I'll then go to Bordeaux on the 17th of January until the 25th where I will be back in Paris.
My departure is planned AT THE LATEST on the 17th of February but I am still hoping the clearances and visa will be available sooner to allow me to go as soon as possible !
For more information about VSO: http://www.vso.org.uk
Sunday, December 26
Le Chemin ...
Ce n´est pas en suivant les pas d´autrui qu'on arrive à tracer son chemin
Le chemin comblé d´obstacles et d´embûches est celui qui mène à la grandeur
L'essentiel de la vie sont les être que l'on rencontre sur son chemin
Suivez le chemin de votre âme
La vie est un chemin qui se dérobe sous nos pieds
Ne demande jamais ton chemin à quelqu'un qui le connaît, car tu ne pourrais pas t´égarer
Il ne faut pas laisser croître l´herbe sur le chemin de l´amitié
Celui dont le pied glisse montre le chemin à beaucoup
La poésie est le plus court chemin d´une sensiblité à une autre
Le vie trouve toujours son chemin
Celui qui marche droit trouve toujours la route assez large
Ne cherche pas le chemin du bonheur, car le bonheur c´est le chemin !
Le chemin comblé d´obstacles et d´embûches est celui qui mène à la grandeur
L'essentiel de la vie sont les être que l'on rencontre sur son chemin
Suivez le chemin de votre âme
La vie est un chemin qui se dérobe sous nos pieds
Ne demande jamais ton chemin à quelqu'un qui le connaît, car tu ne pourrais pas t´égarer
Il ne faut pas laisser croître l´herbe sur le chemin de l´amitié
Celui dont le pied glisse montre le chemin à beaucoup
La poésie est le plus court chemin d´une sensiblité à une autre
Le vie trouve toujours son chemin
Celui qui marche droit trouve toujours la route assez large
Ne cherche pas le chemin du bonheur, car le bonheur c´est le chemin !
Thursday, December 23
Monday, December 20
Hanoï
... just can't believe it is so bloody freezing over here !!!
Already 2 weeks in Europe, one in Nancy, one in The Netherlands and I feel like I've left Cambodia for months already ... weird !
So nice to see all my friends and family again ! It feels though that I left Europe yesterday ... strange feeling.
I'll spend a bit more time in Nancy, a few days in Paris, 2 weeks in Birmingham for a VSO training and 1 week in Bordeaux to visit friends and I'll be on the move again !
Departure is planned within the 2 first weeks of February for 6 months. Destination: Hanoï ! I am so loooking forward to it !
I'll be working in a vocational school for disadvantaged youths from the North of Vietnam that provide them with trainings in catering and hostelry. The school wants to become self-sufficient (not dependant on international donors anymore) therefore wants to make its training restaurant, hostel and bakery more profitable. So they asked me to establish their marketing strategy and implement some commercial and marketing activities for them. Sounds very exciting !
I wish you all a very happy Xmas and the best New Year ever !
I am very touched that so many of you are regularly reading my Blog so I wanted to thank you all for your interest. I promise to continue next year in Vietnam and send you lots of new exciting stories !
U, take care.
Lov' from @leX
Already 2 weeks in Europe, one in Nancy, one in The Netherlands and I feel like I've left Cambodia for months already ... weird !
So nice to see all my friends and family again ! It feels though that I left Europe yesterday ... strange feeling.
I'll spend a bit more time in Nancy, a few days in Paris, 2 weeks in Birmingham for a VSO training and 1 week in Bordeaux to visit friends and I'll be on the move again !
Departure is planned within the 2 first weeks of February for 6 months. Destination: Hanoï ! I am so loooking forward to it !
I'll be working in a vocational school for disadvantaged youths from the North of Vietnam that provide them with trainings in catering and hostelry. The school wants to become self-sufficient (not dependant on international donors anymore) therefore wants to make its training restaurant, hostel and bakery more profitable. So they asked me to establish their marketing strategy and implement some commercial and marketing activities for them. Sounds very exciting !
I wish you all a very happy Xmas and the best New Year ever !
I am very touched that so many of you are regularly reading my Blog so I wanted to thank you all for your interest. I promise to continue next year in Vietnam and send you lots of new exciting stories !
U, take care.
Lov' from @leX
Friday, December 3
HITACHI
01 Dec 2004
Mercredi 1er Décembre - Aéroport de Delhi – Salle de Transit. 17h : Déjà deux vols sur quatre d´effectués … Mais que faire dans une petite salle de transit pendant 10h30 d´attente ? D´abord on commence par faire le tour de la salle, repérer les 3 ou 4 boutiques ou restos disponibles. Dans un coin, oh ! Miracle ! Un petite salle de projection, on me passe un DVD d´un film soit-disant mythique de Bollywood. Je ris et verse quelques larmes pendant les plus de 3 heures du film. Trop bien ces bollywoods, je crois que cela me plait de plus en plus ! ;-)
En sortant de la salle, dans un recoin du hall éclairé par une série de néons, deux indiens musulmans agenouillés face au mur sur leur tapis, juste sous l´affiche publicitaire du dernier projecteur HITACHI. Cela donne l´étrange impression qu´il vénère le Dieu Hitachi pour tout ce qu´il apporte à l´humanité …
Ensuite quoi de mieux que manger pour occuper son temps ? J´avale un sandwich et je me cale dans une cabine téléphonique pour appeller Joséphine qui se trouve seulement à quelques kilomètres de moi mais que je ne peux rencontrer à cause de la barrière des bureaux d´immigration …
23h (0h30 avec le décalage du Cambodge), il me reste moins de 5 heures d´attente, je tiens le bon bout ! Quelle drôle d´impression de rentrer après être partie si loin pendant plus de 7 mois ! A la fois heureuse de rentrer pour retrouver les miens, mais également triste de quitter ce pays et tous ceux que j´y ai rencontré. Cela va être dur de passer de plus de 30 degrés Celcius pendant 7 mois à seulement 5 …
Mercredi 1er Décembre - Aéroport de Delhi – Salle de Transit. 17h : Déjà deux vols sur quatre d´effectués … Mais que faire dans une petite salle de transit pendant 10h30 d´attente ? D´abord on commence par faire le tour de la salle, repérer les 3 ou 4 boutiques ou restos disponibles. Dans un coin, oh ! Miracle ! Un petite salle de projection, on me passe un DVD d´un film soit-disant mythique de Bollywood. Je ris et verse quelques larmes pendant les plus de 3 heures du film. Trop bien ces bollywoods, je crois que cela me plait de plus en plus ! ;-)
En sortant de la salle, dans un recoin du hall éclairé par une série de néons, deux indiens musulmans agenouillés face au mur sur leur tapis, juste sous l´affiche publicitaire du dernier projecteur HITACHI. Cela donne l´étrange impression qu´il vénère le Dieu Hitachi pour tout ce qu´il apporte à l´humanité …
Ensuite quoi de mieux que manger pour occuper son temps ? J´avale un sandwich et je me cale dans une cabine téléphonique pour appeller Joséphine qui se trouve seulement à quelques kilomètres de moi mais que je ne peux rencontrer à cause de la barrière des bureaux d´immigration …
23h (0h30 avec le décalage du Cambodge), il me reste moins de 5 heures d´attente, je tiens le bon bout ! Quelle drôle d´impression de rentrer après être partie si loin pendant plus de 7 mois ! A la fois heureuse de rentrer pour retrouver les miens, mais également triste de quitter ce pays et tous ceux que j´y ai rencontré. Cela va être dur de passer de plus de 30 degrés Celcius pendant 7 mois à seulement 5 …
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