This is my first time in the actual motherland to all of my favorite franco-colonial countries (Senegal, Morocco, Vietnam), and France is, well, decidedly French. I know I was always taught not to use the same word in a definition, but how else to describe France but that it is just so incredibly French?
People love their leisure time, their weekends, their strikes, and their bread. It is fascinating to witness the aspects of life that are important to French people: the mandatory maximum of a 35-hour work week, the boulangeries in every single neighborhood (one of our tour guides told us that wherever there are French people, there are bakeries!), the wine, the good company and conversation, etc. etc. etc.
Just being here is getting me excited to be in Vietnam. I fully recognize that Vietnam will be NOTHING like France, nor will it be anything like Senegal or Morocco. While I am fascinated by the cultural thread of French influence that runs through all of these unique countries, I also realize that they have retained so much cultural distinctiveness. This fascinates me even more.
Thus, Vietnam is so much more of a former French colony to me. It is a country filled with culture that is thousands of years old. France has nothing on its culture. However, I think that the only way for me to make sense of the cultural immersion process is for me to put it in terms that are familiar to myself. If I can see Senegal and Vietnam and Morocco through a European lens, then they seem more comfortable.
This is a dangerous fallacy and assumption to make, because it short-changes the cultural uniqueness that has nothing to do with France. Of course these are all thoughts to keep in mind as I go into my final two months living in the United States, before departing for Vietnam.
In fact, just today I found out where I will be living/teaching in Vietnam. I will be living in the Ha Tinh Province, which is in north-central Vietnam. Initially, I felt nervous to be living here because all I knew of Ha Tinh was the brief Wikipedia article that I found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hà_Tĩnh_Province. It described Ha Tinh as impoverished with extreme weather scenarios. This was disheartening at first, but according to my cousin Lizzy, who has travelled in Vietnam, Ha Tinh is centrally located between Hanoi and Hue. Apparently there is a train that will go up and down the coast, so I should be able to get around to other important regions just as easily.
I am starting to get excited, but I think the excitement is accompanied by impending anxiety.
This map is a picture (from Wikipedia as well) of the country of Vietnam divided into provinces. The one marked in green is allegedly where Ha Tinh lies, between the Laos-Vietnam border and the coast. My google research has shown beautiful beaches and mountainous landscapes. It may be a little more rural and a little more small-town-esque than I would have preferred initially (I was excited for the hustle and bustle of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city, to be honest), I think I might enjoy the peaceful natural setting, and hopefully I can settle comfortably into the routines of every-every life in this farming region.
My apologies for this rambling post. I am waiting for a connecting bus in France and have a million thoughts on my mind about the upcoming year. I'm sure more posts pre-departure will be forthcoming. These are just my initial reactions to finding out the news of my station in Ha Tinh.
As long as a good, hot bowl of pho awaits me each morning, I think I can make my peace with wherever I am stationed...
If you could handle Senegal this should be easier as your 2 years wiser and worldier. And you know pho!
ReplyDeleteDid you know Vietnam has some of the best shrimp in the world!