Aid Expedition, day - the Breaker

WELCOME! This is the unofficial official blog of the Catalyst Foundation/uNAVSA Aid Expedition for 2007!

(It's really an excuse for me to start a new blog, since for some reason my internet won't let me post on Xanga)

These are my perspectives on the trip. Directions:
1. Open bag
2. Put noodles in bowl and pour in hot water.
3. Let sit for 3 minutes
4. Stir and enjoy!

August 11

This is an interesting day, because when it started, it was August 9^th. I guest that’s what happens when you hop on a 16 hr flight that takes you across 14 time zones. It wasn’t too hard for me to readjust though, since I was able to sleep through a significant portion of the flight, and I was incredibly excited to be in Vietnam. Not to mention, free alcohol on Philippine Airlines? I’m sold.

My layover is in Manila (of course). I arrive there before dawn, so I decide to read a bit more, as I was quite enjoying the new Tom Clancy book that I had bought at SFO. On a hunch, I figure that I should turn on my phone to see if it would work. I was expecting, and actually appreciating, to be completely isolated, with no connections to anyone, since I obviously didn't sign on to any international plans with Cingular.

Even though this was supposed to be a working trip, I actually appreciated some time to clear my head. Lo and behold, I can still get email on my phone. My first thought was "jeebus, I still get email." I check the 20 or so emails that I got while I was on the plane. Soon, the sun is rising, and I actually get to see a bit of the Manila skyline. It is actually a very nice view.

So I land around 9am today, August 11. I was definitely worried, because I had never traveled alone to Vietnam before, and I was bombarded with a litany of last minute advice before I left. There were of course the standard warnings:

“Don’t drink the ice!”

“Don’t eat raw vegetables!”

“Don’t give money away!”

Of course, the one that actually stuck with me the most was the advice that my sister gave me: “I know that you’re going to go, have fun, and do wild and stupid things. Just remember one thing – no STDs.” I have to admit, I find it amusing and helpful at the same time.

As I bound off the plane, I have all of my documents ready, fully expecting to receive a full barrage of questions digging into my personal life, such as “why are you here?” and “why are you by yourself? And “damn American” (more a comment than a question, but you get the point).

Getting through the airport is quite easy, however, and I am soon outside, greeted by the coolest greeters in the world, Michelle “give me attention” Vo and Don “Shaboobalaboopy” Hoang. We catch up and hang out for a few hours while we wait for the last two members of the Expedition Team to arrive, Kimberley "Awesome Kim" Truong and Phuc “Goof Troop” Huynh (known because of his signature laugh, "ahyuck hyuck hyuck!").

Kim arrives soon, but leaves quickly to be with family before our dinner. Phuc arrives, and subsequently tells me that I’m unhealthy. I do appreciate the advice, but my response generally stays the same:

“I can help you get into shape!”

“Round is a shape.”

We follow up this riveting conversation with lunch at a local com tam (rice plate) restaurant, where I strictly adhere to the advice that was provided to me before I left. I didn’t drink the ice, I didn’t give money away, and…oh wait, I did eat raw vegetables. Oh well.

After lunch, we hit the streets. I am eager to test my negotiating skills at the infamous Cho Ben Thanh, which is a collection of vendors who all sit in one HUGE bigger-than-Walmart size building (and don’t take this as a Walmart plug, I am quite opposed to this corporate baby-eating company). By this time, Hoan “the Intellectual” Truong finds us and joins us in our exploration. My first purchase is the complete DVD set of the Simpsons. Price-tagged at $450k, I negotiated it down to half at $225k. I was quite proud of myself, though Don and Michelle eventually knock the pride out of me when they find a DVD booth that actually starts selling DVDs at roughly the same price. It’s okay, I worked hard for that drop in price.

We also spend part of the day just exploring. At the top of the Palace Hotel is a great view of the entire city. Saigon is very beautiful, and I can't help but take a few shots of the skyline around me. Of course, I also took a shot of some homes that I noticed were hidden behind some stores. These homes were like shacks built on top of shacks, all hidden behind these nice remodeled stores.

What a metaphor for the country right? After we take a few shots from the rooftop, we go back down to the streets to look around more. There was a moment when the rain started coming down really hard.This was as good a moment as any to start pranking on Don (it’s a pride thing). I start light by telling him that I’ll take a picture of him in the rain, noting that he’s wearing a white shirt.

Instead of taking the picture, I record him, watching as he got soaked in hot Vietnam rain. When he realizes that I was recording the whole time, both of us knew that it was on for the rest of the trip.

(We take this seriously folks. Don’t do it at home without the assistance of a pranking professional.)

After all the exploring, we head back to our temporary housing in a little spot nicknamed "Foreigner's Alley." It literally is an alley, but with a lot of guest houses that go for pretty cheap. Don scratched his ass. I took a picture.

At dinner, we get introduced to the entire team. Joining our team at the last minute was Mike “Mika Lea” Tran, who decided to join the Expedition following the uNAVSA conference, and Sarah Le (who obviously needs no nickname). Our team totals 17 people, with a slew of folks from all over the country and all with unique personalities. It was like mixing oil, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, water, and Hanoi vodka into one bowl. It won’t mix until you light it on fire (and if you try it, you’ll find out that Hanoi vodka burns quite easily). Needless to say, I was quite excited to see the fire lit to this very diverse set of volunteers.

The day ends, but not before we find out that Anna actually got a motorcycle burn and ends up at the hospital, Don pranked me and told me that Anna was having surgery, Duy earned the nickname “Rookie” by giving up his alcoholic virginity, and we get a surprise visit from Phu “Big Man” Nguyen and “the Big Man Handler” Yen Khanh.

Night 1 and Day 2 come tomorrow.