A Night Train to Hoi An

After a few days in Saigon, late at night we boarded a train. The platform reminded me of something from a 1920s American movie. Compared to Japan, the train system is prehistoric. But we did it for the experience. Inside our six person hard sleeper car we slowly made our way from Saigon to Da Nang. In the morning we woke up and I walked the length of the train. I had some iced coffee when my one of my traveling companions warns me about having ice in third world countries. By this time I decided I gave up, and just finished my drink. Hoping either the ice was filtered or that my body learned to deal with third world bacteria. Turns out I was fine.

The train platform in Da Nang

Upon entering our sleeper car we had 3 new traveling companions, a young woman, her child and the young woman’s mother. The young woman could speak English so we chatted a little about Vietnam, but nothing in particular. A few hours later we arrived in Da Nang and grabbed a taxi to Hoi An.


Street view of Hoi An French/Asian fusion

Hoi An is a small town in the center of Vietnam facing the coast. Considering it’s size, it is a huge tourist destination. Mainly because of its well preserved French inspired buildings and renowned tailors. Although I didn’t get a suit, I had some shoes made and possibly ate more French food than Vietnamese food. Overall it was a place for shopping and looking at buildings. But it was nice to finally be in a quieter part of Vietnam. It also helped renting motor bikes and leaving the city and getting into the rice paddy.



My bike and the sea


Just outside of Hoi An proper

Dusty and I were standing looking out at an expanse of rice paddies when an older Vietnamese man approaches us and says, “Lost?” At first I didn’t understand, so he repeats it once or twice more. I then shake my head no and point to the rice fields and say, “No, just looking.” He then proceeds to squat down with a smile, pull out a cigarette and stares at us. I ask him, “Yours?” as I point to the fields. He nods his head yes. When Dusty and I decided it was time to go, he covers his eyes with his hands, how a father covers his eyes when he plays peek-a-boo with a baby. “Hotel?” he says. Again he repeats it once or twice. I say, “We have,” and smile. As we wave goodbye he remains squatting smoking a cigarette.

It was here I realized, it would be possible to get lost in the culture of Vietnam but one would first have to throw away the lonely planet guide and avoid many of the places people talk about in Vietnam to get there. Vietnam is a skinny country, and to find something real is a real pain in the ass.


The smiling man's fields

Lazily spending my days in Hoi An I was sad to leave, but excited to finally see the Vietnamese capital. I left Hoi An in a t-shirt and arrived in Hanoi freezing.

Hanoi

Somehow, I had to wear everything I owned in order to stay warm in Hanoi wandering the labyrinth made by the buildings of the old quarter. Our hostel was brand new and was extremely nice. We booked some bunk beds and headed out into the freezing heart of Hanoi. Picturesque, yes. Likeable…hmm. Seems like everyone who has been to Vietnam has been here, and the Vietnamese know it. Don’t care if you’re there or not, because someone else will easily fall into the gap you make.

At work in Hanoi

I can’t quite put my foot on it, but I couldn’t find something awesome about Hanoi besides it’s vicinity to Ha Long Bay. Maybe I was spoiled by Thai and Cambodian hospitality and blinded by the New Year party atmosphere of Saigon. Or maybe it was just because it was cold. Either way I stocked up on Crest toothbrushes because I knew I wouldn’t get a proper toothbrush back in Japan.

The next day we were off to Ha Long Bay. We piled into a bus with people from around Europe and U.S. The bay was beautiful, but it was FULL of boats towing people around. It may have been one of the most commercialized tours I was ever on, mostly because we were stuck on the boat and couldn’t wander off. We met a German guy who lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A Dutch couple and became friends with a younger Irish woman and man who we sang Karaoke with.


Halong Bay

After our one night on the boat we headed back to Hanoi for our last night. We met up with the two Irish and tried some Bia Hoi, Vietnamese fresh beer. It is beer that is brewed the same day it is served, and is cheap. I think about $.10 a glass. It is usually drunk about two feet or less from oncoming traffic on a street corner shop. This night we turned in early, since we were catching out next flight early back to Bangkok before heading home to Japan.

Days Like These

After a ridiculously cold January back in Japan, it seems like February, normally the coldest in Shiga, is getting warmer.

Lately I think I've been under a lot of stress. Yesterday I had 5 classes, scheduled for 6 but thankfully one was canceled, and most of them were the 7th graders who always zap the energy from my life stream.

However, there are moments that make everything seem worth it. Today I taught only my 3rd years (9th graders). I hate to choose favorites, but they ARE definitely my favorite grade. Their English ability is enough to actually have small conversations with them and their attitude is usually superb. Plus the English we are teaching them is at a bearable level and not some stupid ass useless sentence like, "Do you like pens? How many pens do you have?" It really makes me wish I was a high school teacher. Since last year, although I liked teaching them, it seems that when they start getting to about 15 years old they are just more fun and more serious about learning things. Not to mention conversations like this are priceless:

Student: "Have you ever been to Osaka?"
Me: "Yes!"
Student: "Oh! What were you doing? "Nanpa?" (Nanpa means "picking up girls.)

Or hearing two students in class with this conversation IN ENGLISH NONETHELESS:

Student A: "What do you want to be? A professional baseball player?"
Student B: "No I want to be a Daniel. He is the tallest of us all."
A: "Oh that is very cool!"

Dunno how I feel being one of multiple Daniels with the added "a" article, but I'll take it.

And also gifts such as this:



Kairo is the Japanese word for those heat pack hand warmers that are rarely used in the U.S. but always used in Japan due to the lack of central heating and insulation. This was handed to me by one of the 3rd year girls who wrote the message (spelled my name right and not Danieru).

My 3rd years I enjoy teaching. I try to be the best I can be in their classes because I know that I am given enough time in each class with an important enough role to actually make a difference in their English education. I am sad that they will be graduating in a month and the current English teacher for the 3rd years may be moving to another school. Now that I know I will be here for 18 more months, I only pray that the new first years and their main English teacher is awesome and the the current second years shape up a bit.

Again, the bittersweet of staying for another year.

On the Tops of Mountains

Since I've been back, I've gone snowboarding every weekend. Before I finish my tales in SE Asia, I thought I would do a quick update of the last couple weeks in Japan.

View of Lake Biwa (Shiga) from atop Biwako Valley

Biwako Valley Ski Resort, Lake Biwa in the distance

I also just learned that a great Indian restaurant opened about a 10 minute walk from my apartment! IN HINO! Praise the gods! It is delicious! Now there is a decent restaurant in my town. One good enough that maybe neighboring JETs may even venture into Hino for some curry.

I also signed a contract that will keep me at my current job for another 18 months. A bittersweet feeling. Knowing I will be stuck in The Sticks, Japan. But at the same time in Japan and getting paid a decent salary.

Thailand: An Orphan's Home

It was one year since the last time I was in Thailand. From the time I was gone, there were violent protests and gunfire in the streets of Bangkok. When my plane arrived it seemed much the same as before the few turbulent months. Bangkok was at peace, or as peaceful as the bustling Thai capital can be. I was back in a familiar land away from my current foreign home. I’ve been to Thailand in the past year and a half more than my own motherland. In a sense Thailand has adopted me. It felt like I was home.


A Bangkok Street Vendor

From the warm weather and smiles of Thailand, delicious treats and old friends to the special place not far from the Burmese border, I was back and swimming through nostalgia. This time with four new recruits from Shiga prefecture. It was the same, but different. It was an early arrival on a red eye flight, then thrown into the streets of bustling Bangkok. After checking in at our $16/person suite and having a delicious vegetarian lunch, I decided it was time to contact my good friend, Jessie, a Bangkok native. The plan was to see a Red Bull F-1 race through the streets of Bangkok, but we arrived as it finished. Seeing nothing, we walked to the “only remaining metal castle” in the world at Wat Rachanatdaram. It was good seeing an old friend, however early the next morning I left for Sangkhlaburi.


Jessie and I at Wat Rachanatdaram

The Home of Joy, Baan Unrak in Sangkhlaburi, a place I feel privileged to return to for a second time. Walking up to the orphanage at night it was hard to see who was there. Then I heard my name! A girl from last year, who I promised I would return, remembered me. A great feeling, especially knowing that many volunteers go to this place over the course of the year. We, the 22 volunteers, painted walls, fixed bikes, taught English, laughed and played with the children. Not much different from last year, which was kind of nice since last year was great!


Sangkhlaburi Sunset

However I would like to mention the main event. The Christmas party! Kids got toys, some old and some new. Some broken and some in original packaging. No matter what it was, they were happy. This is why I truly love this place. None of the kids have a lot of things, but they have enough. They have enough because they have each other. Something lost in much of the world where I come from, even amongst families, real connections with value greater than anything you can wrap in a box or spilled from your mouth. A concept easy to understand and valued in society but rarely seen. This is a special place, where everyone is from somewhere different with different backgrounds, with a different talent and a different story. They don’t all understand each other, but they all respect and care for each other. The “other” is greater than the “self”, but in thinking so the self becomes supreme. And if everyone thinks this way, no one is abandoned. This is what I love about this place. This is what makes me want to go back next year.


Christmas Bear

Keeping the Flame

I remember talking to Didi, the founder of Baan Unrak, about adoption at the orphanage. I remember first being surprised that none of the children get adopted due to bureaucracy and whatnot. Then I realized, to adopt these children would be doing them an injustice. Bringing them into a world of prejudice, materialism, away from those that love them and those they love. Walking away from a philosophy (Neo Humanism) that instills morality while not restricting exploration and thrown into the confines of exclusive religion. At the Home of Joy the children learn and develop talents and become strong mentally, physically and spiritually.


Flour Victory

Practice

The week I spend at Baan Unrak Primary School and the Home of Joy is always a week worth a year of my life. Seeing the changes with the kids, and the familiarity from the last time I saw them. The young girl I mentioned earlier was in 2nd grade last year. This year she was in 4th grade. I remember telling her last year to study hard. I told her again before I left.

Sharing a Story

2011: Considering the Future

I returned from SE Asia to Japan on January 10th. I've been busy with work here in Japan. Re-contracting time is here and I have to decide whether to stay on the JET Program as an ALT in my rural town for a 3rd year. I am leaning towards staying since working for a private company, possibly in a more urban environment, would be taking about a $500/month pay cut. I don't feel ready to leave Japan yet. Although I find my job both draining and frustrating, it has its moments. It's amazing how one sentence out of one of my 600 junior high students can make or break my day.

Japan, a love hate relationship. Isolated in my small town with only a few old men to talk to at the local izakaiya. Freezing winter nights in my apartment burning kerosene to prevent hypothermia, but risking CO poisoning. The safety and beauty of this country both calming and fascinating. The culture and language I may never fully understand. The endless warm politeness on the surface, but an impenetrable mask concealing truth underneath. A feeling of human disconnect. Efficient public transportation. Inconvenient placements. Silly but practical inventions. Questionable health care. Stable income. Cryptic bills. Good snowboarding.

Oh, Japan! I am not yet ready to leave your bewilderment, adventure and security. I still have too much to learn. The claws you have in me bring me some pain, but tearing them away prematurely may spill too much blood and cause regret. Do I seal my fate until July 2012? I think, I may. Before I venture into the void calling me forward for another grand adventure. To get completely lost in order to find my true destination. Maybe staying chained for a little longer will develop greater endurance.

Shooting arrows at Sanjyusangendo, Kyoto.

Stay tuned for tales of adventure from warmer regions in Asia.

Greatness, a perception.

Done a many of things I thought were great but others see as normal or less. Done a few normal things that some perceive as great.

Perceive greatness, and it will be.