China: Day 2

Day 2 in China was a day of exploring on my own. We had a group tour of the 3rd tallest building, the Jin Mao tower, but after that we had free time until the Acrobat show that night. It was more free time than I was expecting, but luckily I had grabbed a map from the airport, so I was able to visit a lot of awesome sights nonetheless.

Near the Jin Mao tower was the Oriental Pearl Tower which is one of the iconic images of Shanghai. Although there are multiple buildings in the works to surpass it in height, the shape and color do make it quite the sight. 

Apparently the Peal Tower is always overflowing with tourists, so we headed to the Jin Mao tower instead. Up to the 88th floor we went! We were so lucky to have such a clear day to view the city. 

The tower also includes a resort. From the 88th floor you can look down into the hotel all the way to the 54th floor! That was quite the experience. 

My next stop was the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre. I absolutely loved this. The museum is a  man's private collection of 6,000 propaganda posters from 1930 to 1990. I think I found it especially interesting after reading "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China," which is the story of three generations in twentieth-century China. Drawing connections between that book and the poster centre was fascinating. I would highly recommend this for anyone visiting Shanghai. :D

After the Propaganda Poster Art Centre, I visited the Jing'an sculpture garden. Although it seemed under construction, once I finally found my way it, there were some decent exhibits. 

I even had a bit of extra time before meeting up with Becca, so I went back to the Bund. I also managed to capture my favorite hair picture of the trip thus far. 

After meeting up with Becca in the Yu Garden, we went out to dinner in the ex-pat area of Shanghai. Then, I met back up with my Intrepid group to see one of the Shanghai acrobat shows which was also incredible. The athleticism of the performers was beyond belief. Unfortunately you can't take pictures during the show, but it was definitely a highlight of the trip. 

China: Day 1

I had a bit of free time today before I met up with my tour, so I decided to hit up some of the sights in Shanghai. My first stop was the People’s Park. On the weekends, this park hosts a marriage market where parents essentially create dating profiles for their children and then connect with other parents who have done the same. The number of parents and grandparents looking for these matches was unbelievable!

After spending some more time meandering through the park, I headed over to the Shanghai Museum. I enjoyed the painting and calligraphy sections the most. 

 

That night I met up with my tour group through Intrepid Travel. I met up with my group of 12 travelers that I will be with for the next 9 days. We went out to dinner together where we had a shared style meal around a large lazy susan. I got to see the value of the last 10 weeks of chopstick practice, as the dishes twirled by. :D We had so many delicious dishes with so many varieties of veggies, meat, noodles and rice. 

Our last stop of the night was down to the Bund-a historic walking area that is especially electric at night. It was quite the skyline!

The last day...

After one last breakfast of pho with Duy, it was time to head out to the airport.

Leaving Vietnam was a whole set of mixed emotions. I couldn’t help but be reminded of leaving Norway and how hard it was to leave that place and resettle back in to life in the US/at St. Olaf. But I know that I’ve learned a ton in Vietnam. It’s challenged my notions of normalcy, ideas of space, and sense of order. I’ve met so many people who hear differences between words (tones) that I can’t begin to hear, which is such a funny concept. And I’ve learned so much more about the realities of those suffering at the hands of human trafficking, domestic violence, and other forms of exploitation. It’s been such an incredible experience that I am incredibly grateful for.

One of my friends, Becca, from back at home has been studying in Shanghai for the semester, so she graciously offered to pick me up at the airport and help me get into town. Unfortunately, my plan from Guangzhou to Shanghai was delayed-enough for me to watch the entire showing of “The Pursuit of Happiness” before we even left our gate! I was a bit nervous about finding her in the airport that serves a city of 22 million, but luckily we connected in Shanghai. Its mind blowing that I’m here in China-I can’t wait to see what this experience is going to hold. :D

Farewell Vietnam!

As my time in Vietnam comes to an end, I find myself saying goodbye to some pretty incredible people. Duy's family graciously offered to have me stay with his family for my last few nights in Vietnam. It was so great to see them and enjoy spending my last couple of nights with their family. :D Hopefully they will come back to the US soon!

I also will dearly miss my friends at Hagar! Thank you for being such welcoming, kind, and passionate women! You have taught me so much. It was an incredible opportunity to get to work with and know each and every one of you. Cảm ơn!

Charlotte and my English class-Ngoc, Chi, Ha & Khoi (not pictured)

Hagar Staff: Pictured - Trang, Chi. Diep, Kerry, My, Ngoc

Beautiful

For my last full weekend in Hanoi, I decided to finally hit up some of the many museums that Hanoi has to offer. My first stop was the Vietnam Military History Museum. They had so many old jets, tanks, and other military equipment!

Next, I went to the Temple of Literature, which was a temple of Confucius. The temple hosts the "Imperial Academy", Vietnam's first national university. It temple was built in 1070 at the time of King Lý Nhân Tông. 

There were many "Doctors' stone stelae" which were erected between 1484 and 1870 for engraving the names and birthplaces of those who attended the university. This sit on top of turtles, which are one of the 4 sacred animals of Vietnam. 

That afternoon I went to spend some time relaxing at Hoan Kiem lake. The name means "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword". Turtle Tower lies in the center of the lake. 

In true Vietnam fashion, I ended up chatting with some local university students that were looking to practice their English. This was the original group, but I ended up sitting there for almost three hours talking to their friends, and their friends friends, and friends friends friends. :D

On Sunday I headed out for a bit more exploring. I visited the Hanoi Opera House and the Vietnamese Women's Museum. 

I was consistently amazed by the items people managed to carry on their motorbikes. 

The propaganda posters were fascinating. Here are a couple of examples... 

"Transporting for the army to liberate the nation"

That afternoon I attended a mid-Autumn festival party with the staff and clients of Hagar Vietnam (the organization I volunteered with), CORE and Humanitarian Services for Children, which are two other organizations. I’ve had the joy of celebrating two key Vietnamese holidays during my time here—Vietnam’s Independence Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn festival is a time to celebrate coming together and to express thankfulness. My favorite activity was called “Build the Moon tower” where each team was given a set of plastic straws and tape, and challenged to build the tallest, nicest and firmest tower. It had a great Destination Imagination ring to it. :D After the party, I even got a tour of Hanoi and night from one of my lovely coworkers. :D It was quite the night of parades, lights, dancing and songs. It was such a great day. I'm going to miss it here. 

Food!

One of the great aspects of living in another country is the opportunity to try so many new foods-sometimes you know what you are eating, and sometimes not. :D Although I've tried my best to stay away from the dog, cat, and snake parts that some Vietnamese people enjoy, I've enjoyed trying so may new dishes. 

For breakfast, one of the most popular choices is Phở. The most common type is the beef noodle soup version. Here, you can see Duy and I enjoying some on one of my first nights in the country.  

Lunch and dinner typically consist of rice (or rice noodles like in the case of Phở, 

bún cho, etc.), veggies (morning glory, green beans, pumpkin, potatoes, and many other unknown veggies) and a meat (typically chicken, pork, beef or fish).

Since Vietnam is a tropical climate, they have so many different and fresh fruits! 

Longan (quả nhãn)

Jackfruit ( quả mít )

Rambutan (Chom Chom [center]),  Grapefuit-esque (quả bưởi) & Watermelon

Persimmon (Hong)

The triangles are moon cakes-typically eaten around the Mid-Autumn festival

Jackfruit (Mit)

Bannanas! 

They also have delicious mangos (Xoai), Asian pears (cross between a pear and an apple, & Custard Apples (Man Cau).