Monday, January 29, 2007
Tuesday, January 30th 2007
In Hanoi I've seen it all. The art of balancing amazing quantities on your shoulders supported by a pole...Or I've seen scooters loaded with huge amounts of things, bicycles even. I will never think of my motocycle in the same way. Indeed my single cylinder 650 road/trail bike is not only bigger but much more powerful than anything I've seen here. And I've always thought myself limited by what I could transport on there. Well, the Vietnamese are capable of doing a lot with what we view as very little.
In the streets close by my hotel, yesterday I bumped into Huan, the lady from the other day who wouldn't stop trying to sell me a fan. She grabs me and makes me take a seat so she can more easily try to convince me again. As soon as I'm seated a number of other women come by trying to 
sell me fruit or something else. And then this lovely 17 year old girl sits next to me with her back to the wall. She put her fruit basket down and is just listening to Huan and smiling. No matter what the first question I always get is: "Where are you from?" which is always complicated in my case...I was born in Canada but I have been living in Australia. The second question is almost certainly: "How old are you?" which still surprises me. So, I also get to know everyone else's age like this lovely young girl yesterday. Then it's: "How many babies?", "Your husband is in Australia?" or "Are you married?" and then "Why not?". As other women gather around they brief themselves so they all know: "She from Canada, but lives in Australia, she's this old, she has no children, no husband and at the moment no home." One tells me that I look so young because I have no children. I tell her I look young because I have no husband and we all laugh. But most of them are just about my age or a few years older and
they look beautiful.
sell me fruit or something else. And then this lovely 17 year old girl sits next to me with her back to the wall. She put her fruit basket down and is just listening to Huan and smiling. No matter what the first question I always get is: "Where are you from?" which is always complicated in my case...I was born in Canada but I have been living in Australia. The second question is almost certainly: "How old are you?" which still surprises me. So, I also get to know everyone else's age like this lovely young girl yesterday. Then it's: "How many babies?", "Your husband is in Australia?" or "Are you married?" and then "Why not?". As other women gather around they brief themselves so they all know: "She from Canada, but lives in Australia, she's this old, she has no children, no husband and at the moment no home." One tells me that I look so young because I have no children. I tell her I look young because I have no husband and we all laugh. But most of them are just about my age or a few years older and
they look beautiful. "You are not in school?" I ask my young 17 year old friend. "No" she says and tells me that her family does not have enough money for that. All this she tells me with a lovely smile. "So it costs money to go to school?" I ask. I mean we are in a socialist regime...does it really cost money to go to school? She tells me yes, that only those who can afford it send their children to school. This young woman has the most beautiful smile and eyes. And-as I tell her- her english is very good. "Oh no" she says " I only speak a little english." And this I hear a lot as well. No one has admitted having any good english skills to me and I've only mentioned it to those whose english was pretty good.
The women around me (the others) after trying to sell me anything from fans, caps, bracelets and whatever else, have just been happy to sit and talk for a bit. Thankfully, I have a translator if we cannot communicate.
Later, I head off to the Dong Xuan market area to have tea with Phuong at her cafe. I spend an hour or two with her talking and helping her for her TET Menu in english. Well the lonely planet phrasebook does that for me.
And with all those people I don't know and the boys at the hotel last night helping me with my computer connection, I sort of feel I have some friends here.
Bye for now
# posted by AdeC @ 11:47 PM 
