SE asia, here we come: hanoi, vietnam

It’s official: Vietnam is the best. Here’s why:

1. The people are super friendly, and it seems real, not just contrived to take your money. (Although also contrived to take your money.)

2. Everything’s “easy.” This one has subpoints…

a. We showed up in Hanoi with an itinerary and no train tickets, something that worried us. We mentioned this to our hotel, and voila – two days later and we had all the tickets we needed, without having to stop at the train station or deal with an online booking system.

b. All the streets are labeled, as well as the individual houses/businesses. Though we got lost a bunch, it was always a quick fix, not a ohmygodiamsolostdangitwe’regoingtoneedtohailacab lost.

c. Our hotel was happy to store our big bags for us while we went to Halong Bay. When we returned, they hailed us a cab and sent someone with us to show us right to our train berth. Now that’s service.

d. Hanoi was very walk-able. The only time we took a cab was when we left for the train station. We love cities like this.

3. It’s pretty clean, but still fun and chaotic in ways many American cities are not.

4. Women come up to you on the streets and sell you donuts.

5. Freshly brewed beer is only $0.50 per glass, and you can while away your time drinking it along the street and people watching (and eating donuts from the women in point 4).

don't let this photo mislead you - chris
is really enjoying this beer! 

6. The food. We haven’t had one “bad” dish, and we’ve had some seriously incredible dishes. Namely, bun cha (vermicelli noodles and pork), a seafood “hot pot” (sweet/sour soup with noodles, fish, shrimp, squid, etc.), and cha ca (this awesome fish flavored with dill and who knows what else). Vietnamese cuisine has become our favorite very quickly. We’re just glad we have another week to experience it.

This is only a preliminary list – I’m sure we’ll add more as we continue our journey down the coast. We started with Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital. Much of our time was spent drinking coffee, eating great food, and drinking a few beers. But we did have a chance to see some cool places.

classic shot of the back of chris's head...
in the temple of literature

Temple of Literature

This beautiful compound held several temples devoted to Confucius and other Confucian teachers. The architecture was in a traditional Vietnamese style, and I couldn’t stop taking photos of the intricate carvings. While we were visiting, some sort of graduation ceremony was happening. It was cute to watch the young students frolic around the campus and take photos.

Hoa La Prison

This was a pretty small museum, but we did get to learn all about the American pilots’ stay during the Vietnam War. (This is where John McCain was holed up after capture.) According to the museum, the American pilots enjoyed religious freedom, excellent American-style food, and lots of fun and leisure. They even got souvenirs! As Chris said, I’m sure it was more like “Now play chess and smile for camera. Now torture time.”

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Unfortunately we couldn’t get anywhere near Uncle Ho’s actual tomb, but we were excited to see his house and collection of Soviet/French cars. We also wandered into a weird museum that was half communist propaganda and half strange, socialist art installations. 

yup. there it is.

Halong Bay

We took an overnight cruise through Halong Bay, a few hours away from Hanoi. The bay holds 1,969 islands, big chunks of rock and trees that push out of the water. It was gorgeous. We went to the “surprising” cave, which was appropriately surprising; climbed to the top of one of the rocks; and saw a pearl farm. It was a relaxing two days in an exotic place.

geological dreams!

me in the surprising cave - near a
surprising stop sign.

(We'll post the other photos on facebook.) Now we’re en route to Hue and Hoi An, where we’ll spend Christmas. Happy holidays to you all!  

TREKTAKULAR: activity week 2013

We finished quarter 1 in early October, and since then, WS staff and students have enjoyed 1) Activity Week (AW) and 2) Quarter Break. This post is devoted to AW. You'll notice immediately that I don't have photos. I gave the camera to Chris, who went to Austria and hopefully took *some* photos. I'll just need to dazzle you with word pictures. Here follows a meandering travelogue of some experiences...

Grade 11 Advanced Trek: 5-13 October

Rupin Supin Pass / Baradsar Lake, Himalayas

The bus is late. The chaperones -- Pants, Titu, and I -- make ourselves comfortable on the steps leading from dorms to school. The hours slide slowly by, students drifting to and from Cozy Corner or Chardukan for bun omelets and chocolate. Not an auspicious start to our adventure.

*

Several hours into our eight-hour bus ride, we make a welcome dinner stop. On a restaurant's cool porch, we stuff ourselves full of thali: endless spicy dal (a split lentil concoction), simple subzi (cooked veg), and chapati (flatbread) -- and chalwa (rice), once we're full. Delicious!

*

I roll out my sleeping mat next to three students: Khyati, Shreya, and Chloe. They are stuck with me for the week, but gracious and welcoming -- and thankfully, not night owls. Minutes after lying down, all is quiet. 

*

After hours of uphill walking (and ensuing student dehydrating / stopping), we're greeted by a beautiful, bucolic camp site. Soft, green grass, rolling hills, and a view of a huge valley. We take a welcome rest, with fresh pakora and chai and laughter. The students revive quickly after wilting on the trail.

*

My favorite hike, hands down. We start with an hour of steep uphill but are rewarded with a walk through rambling woods. The trees are losing their leaves, and the crunch of my boots brings me back to autumn in the U.S. It makes me nostalgic for apple-picking and cider donuts, for runs through Hickory Hill Park and carving pumpkins. I reminisce with students from New Hampshire as we stumble through the forest.

*

"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase..." Some students are singing again, cycling through a mix of Lion King, Mulan, and Wicked. I join -- a jazzy, "ain't no passing craze!" I love these girls. 

*

Some students chop veg on any surface they can find, some watch as water slowly boils. It is our night to cook, and despite heroic efforts, the sauce is bitter and the pasta overdone. Still, whether from effort or sheer exhaustion, the food is tasty! We chow down late in the evening.

*

Before breakfast, Titu tells us that a shepherd's donkey was killed by a leopard last night. I don't believe him, because he always teases, but we follow him down a shallow valley anyhow. He isn't lying. We spot the donkey about 30 meters away, notice the slit throat. Titu explains that leopards only drink blood right after they kill, and return to eat flesh later on. The shepherd's dog stands guard against the vultures above. Later, Titu hears from the shepherd that that the dog is ashamed he didn't protect the donkey, and will stay with the donkey indefinitely. 

*

10km day: a haiku

always walking on,

slow like ants, we make our way.

mountains scrape blue sky.

*

Straight up, we press, for several hours. We climb through a field of boulders and over the ridge. At the top, 14,500 feet above sea level, we can see far down in both directions, the wide valley on one side, and the always breathtaking snows on the other. We lunch atop an outcrop, and eat snow flavored with iced tea. 

After an hour, we descend. I hold Shreya's hand to boost her confidence, but she still trembles with each stop, squealing any time her foot slips on the small rocks. We make slow progress down the mountainside, and by the time we reach our camp after 10 hours of hiking, we are exhausted from head to to. 

It was the BIG day, the summit day. Because our group is large, and varied in ability, we split students into three groups. Some stayed at camp, some climbed to the ridge, and some went all the way to Baradsar Lake. When we told them the groups, some were thrilled and some cried. Others were mad, saying the trek advertised going to the lake and that we should all try. It was a tough decision that probably hurt our group dynamic some. But it worked. For the first time, a group of WS students made it all the way to the lake. 

*

We sit outside sipping chai when it starts to sprinkle, then rain, then hail and pour. My tent is stuffed full of girls, so I crawl into a two-man tent with Setse and Lulu. It is cramped, but we pass the time with our chai and countless chatter. They want to hear about how Chris and I met (about love), about English, about being an adult. In return, I learn of their families, their friendships, and their view of school life. Despite the wet all around, it is a lovely way to spend a few hours.

*

Friday night is always pizza night! Again, students chop. They grate. They make sticky dough. They manipulate camp stoves. Altogether, they transform our camp into a dirty pizzeria. Rain again drives us under makeshift shelters and some students back into tents for the night. The students make so many pizzas, and we must eat them all... Our favorite concoction includes wrapping a snickers bar in pizza dough and pan frying it until the chocolate melts. So. Yum.

*

After many miles, we reach Sankri. Our afternoon consists of trips to eat bun omelets, Lays, chocolates and to drink many cups of chai. One of our guides, Trepan, invites us up to his house. It's a beautiful mountain house, painted wood, slate roof, a porch that overlooks a valley. "Sundar hai," I muster in my broken Hindi. 

*

The last night. We sit in a guest house's common room, lit only by some candles and a few headlamps. We play "Hotel," a game that involves languages and acting -- a brilliant choice for our multilingual students. We laugh, laugh, laugh as YounJung explains in Korean that a cow peed on her bed to Setse, who replies in confused Burmese. Even I'm forced to play, speaking crazy kindergarten German about a cat demanding a beer. 

*

In my first bed for days, I drift off to sleep as students play truth or dare, and my memories return to my childhood -- "truth, dare, double dare, promise to repeat" on the cracked driveways of Jamestown Terrace. To be young. The students constantly remind me of their age, about how vital and hopeful we are in our teens, but also how awkward and searching. 

After a long quarter, with frustrations building at the end, this trek is a great reminder of why I teach. My students bring me so much joy -- especially when we're not bothered by the regular business of school, the lessons, assessments, grades, complaints. Instead, we can just be human together. 

Thanks, Woodstock, for a brilliant week.

reflections on running

It’s been several months since our last update, as school has again taken over our lives. We’ve worked hard, but we do have time for our own hobbies. Chris writes his crime fiction and edits his blog, and I run.

 

a typical running scene... (thanks for snapping this, tara!)

My relationship with running has always been tense. Only occasionally do I enjoy the actual running: those rare moments of runner’s high when my feet fly and everything around me seems hyperreal. One could argue that I continue running in search of these fleeting moments, but that is mistaken. I run primarily for two reasons.

1. I care about health and understand that running is good for my body.

2. I enjoy the social bonds that come via running.

Let me be serious… #2 is the real reason I run. Ever since I began Cross Country in tenth grade, I’ve benefitted from running friendships.

During high school, training consisted of gossiping about cute boys, planning an English project, playing singing games, and lots of giggling. My college running days were spent talking about life with a close friend, as we were the only two girls on the team. And in graduate school I bonded with several fellow students over long runs around the neighborhood. Yes, I wanted to excel at running – I’ve always been competitive, and worked hard when I competed in HS and college. But I cared more about building these relationships than perfecting my racing technique. There’s something about running with someone – hearing each other’s breathing, encouraging each other, sharing a sweaty high five – that forges a strong bond very quickly.

I wasn’t sure what running at Woodstock would be like, but I’ve happily found a great locale and running community here. The actual running is tough. It’s uphill half the time, making it a real effort to move quickly, and the high altitude likewise tugs at my lungs. But the views are worth it; the snow peaks are always around the corner after a few miles, and they could energize even the most sluggish legs.

The conversations are rewarding, too. Though infrequent, I always look forward to weekend long runs with the steadfast. We recently went to Corbett National Park for a race (5K/10K/half/full marathon), and it was so fun to spend time with fellow runners. (Check out facebook for some photos!) I look forward to more of these good times, and to reconnecting with runners back home in the states this summer. Miss you guys!

love, mel

an average Mussoorie run

ready to go, on a sunny sunday morning

the first part of the run is lots of downhill
from my house to  the other side of campus

and then some uphill...

our meeting spot

today we had a big group!
and the uphills begin....

and more uphill...

the ladies, powering through!

out by kaplani (?), a small village, looking out at the next leg

arapiles -- cutest member of our team!

on our way toward brewing thunderstorms

we made it to the next village!
10km away from clocktower, mussoorie

mini-break for some H20

looking back over the hill we just ran -- neverending up, done!

eating our way through jodhpur

Mel and I agree that Jodhpur was our favorite of the three cities we visited in Rajasthan. What one does in Rajasthan is visit historic forts and eat delicious food—and Jodhpur excels in both these areas.

We spent about a week there and stayed at Heaven Guest House. The food at the guest house was some of the best I’ve had in India—excellent channa masala and subzi. It’s run by a Jain family, and they serve no eggs or meat, so that their food is so good is kind of amazing. 

Speaking of amazing, down the street from the guest house is omelet man. On the outside, this looks like any other Indian omelet stand. But that’s until you taste the omelets. Your average Indian bun omelet (served on something approximating a hamburger bun) is buttery and quite tasty, but this dude’s omelets make you rethink what this breakfast food is capable of. That’s why he has a stream of customers all day and into the night.

If you walk from omelet man’s through Sadar Market, you’ll find another local landmark, the lassi man. Lassi is a sweet drink that has a yogurtish consistency. I’d had it before and not been impressed. But that’s because the lassi I had sucked. A true lassi is almost like eating cheesecake out of a cup.

Now I’m making myself all hungry.

Just in case you thought all we did was eat, we also did a bunch of stuff. Mehrangarh Fort looms over Jodhpur no matter where you go, like a big, giant, looming thing. Inside, it’s simply gorgeous—plenty of beautiful courtyards and miniature paintings.

Jodhpur's known as the blue city, what with all the blue houses. There's a bit of debate as to why they are blue--it's either a caste thing or to protect against termites.

We also took a zip-line tour through the wilderness preserve on the back side of the fort. I thought I would be terrified, but it was actually relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. It’s also the best way to see the city, as you fly high above it. Flying Fox, the company that runs the tours, is based in Switzerland and they do a fantastic job.   

At the Wilderness Preserve

Since we had a lot of time, we also went off the beaten path. We visited the Jodhpur City Museum—the best museum 30 rupees can buy. It's alleges to be a natural history museum and does have a number of stuffed animals. Here are some of its finer exhibits…

These are some birds. They are missing their heads.

Here is a sign...

...and here's the exhibit under the sign.

 After our wonderful Jodhpur visit, Jaipur was a bit of a bust. We did go to City Palace, which was great, if a bit too touristy for our tastes. But then I came down with the flu and we holed up in the hotel for a few days watching the finest in English-language movies on Indian TV. (Armageddon, Fast and the Furious, The Mask 2...it wasn't pretty.)

udaipur: more WPIDK than we can count

After saying bai bai to Mumbai (couldn’t resist), we took an overnight train to Udaipur, a town built around some peaceful lakes.

Ah... The view from our room.

We needed peace, as you can see from our travel “portraits.”

The first thing we noticed about Udaipur was the massive quantities of WPIDK. This is a “code name” we made up, in Mumbai, to surreptitiously comment on the foreigners around us. If you haven’t guessed, the acronym stands for “White People I Don’t Know.”

English quiz: Which line is grammatically correct?

It’s not like there aren’t white people around India, but living in Mussoorie sometimes tricks us into thinking we work with or know every white person around. Mumbai certainly had some WPIDKs, but Udaipur was packed. It’s like there was some website saying, “If you’re white and sort of hippy-ish, visit this place and wear baggy pants!” They flocked all over the touristy part of town we stayed in.

**

One of our best days in Udaipur was spent wandering around City Palace, a beautiful relic from the city’s early rulers. As you’ll see if you check out our facebook page, we (read: Melanie) couldn’t stop taking photos. Around every corner awaited another view of the lakes through some sculpted stone window.

Lake Pichola through the windows

Mustachioed sun. Sweet.

We also enjoyed taking a peaceful boat ride around Pichola Lake. The boat dropped us off on one of the two small islands, upon which is an extraordinarily overpriced café. We had our mediocre $4 coffees, wandered, and then boated back to the mainland. The fresh air felt great!

**

Udaipur was a city of firsts: first fort palace in Rajasthan, first Indian boat ride, and my first real bout with good, old-fashioned food poisoning. (The offending food came from a restaurant claiming it was “organic” and “healthy.”) I spent an entire day cooped up in our hotel room, cleansing my system of everything. Chris was an amazing help, and I’m thankful that we’re taking our time on this trip; losing a day to illness didn’t prevent us from fully enjoying the city.

What is that, you say? Why, my friend, it's the world's largest turban!

One thing we learned from this experience is that the English-language movies playing on Indian TV are absolutely horrible. We have no idea who chooses the movies that make it here, or what standards they use, but you end up with everything from Baby’s Day Out to Rush Hour 3 to Three Men and a Little Lady. Needless to say, I watched many inspiring pieces of cinema as I recovered from my illness.

**

One last Udaipur shout-out. We stayed at a lovely guest house called “Dream Heaven” with a great rooftop restaurant. But the best part of our stay had to be this guy: the fattest dog we’ve seen in India yet. He was always laying outside our room or at the restaurant, soaking up the sun. Such a sweetie.

Love.

big city livin' at its finest in mumbai

We somehow finished our first semester at the beginning of December—it was a mad dash to the finish—and then, like most all Woodstockers—promptly ditched the chilly mountain climes for warmer digs.

We kicked things off in Mumbai, the world’s fourth-largest city that has been rated the world’s least-livable city. (Seriously, here’s the link.) 

Most of the time we got around by riding the Mumbai Commuter Railway. It’s a far leap from Delhi’s easy, clean, efficient metro system. Instead, it reflects the city in general—insanely crowded, dirty, chaotic, pushy. 

Stuffed to the gills, indeed.

But it’s only 14 rupees a ride and an interesting way to tour the city’s many neighborhoods.

And there was an elephant at our home station, Sanpada.  

  

Elephant at a train station? Heck yes! This is India, bitches.

Speaking of transportation, one thing Mel and I love about India is auto rickshaws. As Mel said, “They’re cheap and you don’t have to mess around with doors.”

For whatever reason, every Indian city has a different rickshaw style. Delhi has green and yellow rickshaws. 

And yes, they usually have about this many people riding...

Mumbai’s are black and yellow. 

Jodhpur’s are a bit bigger and have a lot of ornamentation. Regardless of where you are, these tiny vehicles dart around every narrow street and wide boulevard for a very negotiable price. 

Blingtastic Jodhpur.

One of the best decisions we made was to go on the Bombay Heritage Walk tour. Our guide told us a bit about the city’s history and a lot about its architecture. Originally, Mumbai was seven separate islands; the British filled in the space between them to create the city. In comparison with other Indian cities, Mumbai has a distinctly colonial feel. The streets of Colaba and the area around the train station reflect Victorian and Gothic architecture, though often mixed with Indian architecture. An excellent example of this is the Taj Mahal Hotel, built by Jamsedji Tata.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel: Super Swanky

 

Gateway of India (+ sunshine) -- neighbor of the Taj

CST Train Station: The trains may suck, but the station's kick-ass.

We also got to do Westernish things we hadn’t done in a while. Coffee that isn’t Nescafe! Beer that isn’t Kingfisher! These are glorious things indeed.

Chris chose a Stella...

And Melanie, a Hoegaarden. 

And if you ever find yourself there, you must, must, must go to Theobroma. Not only is it the first excellent bakery I’ve been to in India, but the eggs Benedict are cardiac-arrest-inducingly delicious.

semester one: check

We survived one semester of teaching!! Our bodies had given out by the end. For nearly a month, Chris and I were sick at overlapping points. But now that the storm of the last week is far behind, the sun is out and we can relax a bit and look back on what we’ve accomplished.

In August, I posted a short (and early!) reflection on teaching, and those ideas still hold true. It’s exhausting, exhausting work – but I have found a career I truly love. Though I have a tendency to whinge* about my work, it’s usually about how much time I spend working rather than the nature of the work. I dislike grading, true, but planning units is like unraveling some mysterious, enjoyable puzzle. And then I get to take those creations and work them through with so many interesting – sometimes infuriating, but always interesting – young people.

I also look forward to the next few years, when I can learn how to balance teaching with actual living. Each semester should get easier – or so our colleagues tell us. Right now it’s just a rush of getting to know the students, the school, and the curriculum.

Other than teaching, a lot has happened in the past month and a half. Highlights:

--Activity Week. Tiring, yes, but I got a chance to meet some new students and experience the mountains like I never had before. Our family was never much of a hiking/camping troupe, so I had no idea what to expect on a 6 day trek. What I found are that it’s really, really cold; that I need not bring any extra changes of clothes (just embrace the dirt/funk);  that the right shoes are really important; and that your body will push on, push on until you have nothing left. It was a lovely trip, though I was certainly not ready to teach only two days after returning.

--Thanksgiving. I haven’t been home in Rochester for Thanksgiving for quite a while (L), but we’d been used to our Iowa tradition of a huge potluck with friends. Anne and I would work on the turkey at someone’s larger ovens, I’d make stuffing and Chris’s grandma’s spice cookies (a favorite of everyone’s), and then we’d converge, eat, and chill. So being in a completely new environment this year was kind of depressing. But we did have much to be thankful for, including a Woodstock potluck with nearly 50 attendees! I tried my hand at stuffing without celery and sausage, and it turned out so-so… (I still haven’t figured out how to cook here.) We didn’t have a turkey, but it felt good to gather with others over fabulous eats on my favorite holiday.

--Fall Concerts. November was a flurry of activity for the music students here at WS! All of the ensembles put on their fall concerts, and boy was it a treat. It’s great to see a totally different side of my students, and to see all their hard work pay off in recital format. And I even got to perform with the staff choir!! It’s been a long time since I’ve done a choir performance, and it was loads of fun to get up there and share what I love to do.

--Adopting our dog. Sadie (formally Saddy) has been a lovely addition to our household. Though having a pet again is kind of a pain – think three walks per day and many stray dogs annoying us – the benefits easily outweigh the annoyance. We love coming home to Sadie’s excited welcome and affection. She’s a sweet girl, though she is not good with little kids or coolies. We were really sad to leave her for the break, but she’s with our ayah and her kids, who clearly love the dog too.

We’ll check in soon about our recent trip to Mumbai (with pictures!). In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all of our loved ones back home – we miss you! 

*whinge (v) - to complain persistently and in an annoying manner. Thanks for teaching us new words, Commonwealth people!!!