Highs, Lows, and Joys
Highs: incredible scooter tour around the city, being able to go to the jungle in beautiful rain, dancing the night away at a crazy club with new friends.
Lows: got bitten by a leech; truly having some tummy troubles; adjusting to only drinking bottled water/being careful about food
Daily Joy: coffee culture and specialties (coconut coffee 🤤), exploring with new pals over meals, having a peaceful place to work and sleep
The Details
We arrived in Hanoi on October 1 as planned, completely exhausted (as planned). Between our airport transfer and check-in, we met one of our cohort members in a similar state. Our roommate was generous enough to leave us the master bedroom, which was a welcome feeling of home - a king-sized bed, lovely bathroom, incredible view, and closet space (more on accommodations later). In an effort to find my PJs, and also settle in, I immediately unpacked everything.
The next day, we met our entire cohort at a local coffee shop and sports bar, Puku, for our City Welcome and Orientation. Our City Manager - which we will have in every city - reviewed some basic information about our accommodations, neighborhood, and schedule for the month. Our Community Manager - following us for the year - reviewed policies, and logistics and led a few icebreakers and community-builders. That evening, we joined someone who had just finished their yearlong program, a "Remote", for dinner at Sadhu, a vegetarian buffet. Our City Manager ordered everything for us and, needless to say, I was well-fed!
It was interesting to connect with a Remote who had just completed her year on our first day. Unlike our group, she was confident, unphased by our questions and eagerness, and shared her experience as if we were kids in a classroom. One thing that made me nervous was how her group dwindled over the year, cut to nearly half the size. With our group being only 12, I'm curious to see if that increases or decreases retention. She said that many people had to leave for super valid reasons: work, life, etc, which gave me confidence that it wasn't the program or experience.
The next day, I had my first meeting in this time zone (7am) and it threw me off. Luckily, we had a Coffee Hour and Language Class that day, so it felt nice to work a little in the morning before these events. In our language class, our City Manager shared some basic information about how to speak or read Vietnamese. As a tonal language, it was helpful to review the accents that indicate tone to support the pronunciation of words. It was interesting to learn the influence of French colonization and language on the Vietnamese language as well. For example, the word coffee in French is café, and in Vietnamese, it is cà phê. They are pronounced almost exactly the same.
Later that week, we had our first "Lunch Roulette", where I was paired with a random group and sent to a random place for lunch. I liked this activity because I got to know a few people in a smaller setting at a restaurant I would never walk into.
A local highlight that our City Manager arranged was an exotic fruit-tasting experience. I was so excited to try new fruits, especially so early on in our trip so I could buy things I knew I liked. We tried a whole variety of them. I actually liked them all or at least found them interesting, but my favorites were jackfruit, durian, and custard apple. Yes, you read that I liked durian. It made the entire hallway smell! But, it really packs a punch with flavor.
We started our weekend experiencing bia hoi ("fresh beer"), a type of light, draught lager served on street corners and in small bars. Later that evening, we ended up at a sky bar, a night market, a gay bar, and then a Club. Needless to say, I had a great time exploring the city with some new friends.
The following day, we had an exciting day on the back of a motorbike for a city tour. Having been to Vietnam before, I knew that this was going to be an epic experience. We cruised around the city, passing by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Temple of Literature, Banana Island, West Lake, Hoan Kiem Lake, Opera House, and Saint Joseph Cathedral. The best part about being on the back of a motorbike in Hanoi, aside from covering the ground, we zigzagged through backstreets, frantic traffic, and old French boulevards, as well as off-roading along the Red River. Ride with me here. A highlight of our trip was getting to see the train pass by on train street - an area and experience that has been more or less closed off to tourists for years. Watch the train pass by here.
In an effort to get out of the city, I had wrangled a few other Remotes to go on a hike with me to Ba Vi National Park. Originally a French hill station, the park is considered a fascinating destination for a weekend getaway. I was curious about the area because it is supposed to be amazingly biodiverse and boasts mysterious French ruins and intriguing trekking trails.
Well, we had a lovely time stretching our legs in the pouring rain, but our tour guide was quite awful. I would not usually judge so harshly, but our guide had to stop and talk to staff and tourists to find all of the places we were meant to go. It was... awkward... but fortunately, our driver was competent and my pals were willing to go with the flow. The forest itself was absolutely gorgeous, lush with ferns and trees, vining plants that made you know you were in the jungle. Walk with me here.
Since it was raining pretty heavily, we were completely socked in and had no beautiful views as expected. So, in fact, the most notable thing that day was that I got bit by a leech! Fortunately, leeches are not super hazardous and I found it early enough before they caused too much damage. The real story is a little too much for the internet, but just know, I made it out ok and I learned some valuable life lessons along the way.
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