Weekend updates

My weekend began on Friday with a visit and "check-in" from the representatives of the Fulbright Program in Vietnam, Chi Diu and Chi Nga.

Both of them were our supportive "big sisters" for our month in Hanoi, and they work as a liaison between us and our host universities by advocating for our wants and needs.

Feeling comfortable around Chi Diu and Chi Nga already, I didn't realize their visit was such a big deal, so I woke up, threw on some play-clothes without showering, and put my hair in a ponytail. After all, I had already won the Fulbright grant, as well as Diu an Nga's approval, not to mention the approval and respect from my University. I figured the meeting and visit would last a few hours and then I could go back to bed, and I didn't put too much thought in getting ready for the meeting.

I was SHOCKED to arrive at the meeting to see Mr. Duc (my host and head of the English department) and the Vice Rector of the university wearing suits and ties. It dawned on me quite quickly that while I had nothing to prove to Diu and Nga, besides that I was happy and comfortable with my living and teaching arrangements, my university had a LOT to prove. Fulbright is giving them money, as well as a valuable resource that is in high demand (a native English speaker). Of the 80 Vietnamese universities that applied to host Fulbright English Teaching Assistants, only 15 were granted teachers (those 15 are my Fulbright cohort). Apparently there are lots of other volunteer-teaching organizations that send native English speakers to Vietnam as more of a study-abroad experience than as a one-year, paid prestigious fellowship. Apparently the quality of the volunteers is reflective of the fact that anyone is able to do it, as opposed to the rigorous Fulbright application process. I have no real desire to brag or to toot my own horn; I am just providing background context that Diu kept whispering to me during the meeting.

In any case, Fulbright ETAs are coveted as being the best and most qualified people to teach abroad (which is a scary thought, since maybe only 1/3 of us have any real teaching experience!), and Ha Tinh University is pushing to have an ETA every year for the indefinite future in order to beef up their English department, so their reputation needs to be spotless and superb. As far as I know, HTU was incredibly good to Jens, the Fulbright ETA who worked here last year, and they have been incredibly wonderful to me. I absolutely adore my hosts, coworkers, and students (well, most of the time, at least...), and I think my living conditions are decent, and the demands on my time are generously minimal. Overall, I have no real qualms or complaints about my experience at Ha Tinh University, and I was happy to give Chi Diu and Chi Nga a glowing review.

However, Mr. Duc and the Vice Rector were acting so nervous and frantic during the meeting, which was fascinating to witness. I realized that the University was on its best behavior and trying to put on the most welcoming, elaborate reception for Chi Diu and Chi Nga that I could have imagined.

When Diu whispered to me during the meeting that we would be eating lunch in the canteen at my school, I was disappointed, to say the least. I had heard from the other Fulbrighters who had been visited already that they went out for really elaborate meals at fancy restaurants with Diu and Nga, and I was annoyed that we had to eat in my canteen, whose food is notoriously bad. However, I needn't have worried!

They set aside a separate function room connected to the canteen, used fancy table-cloths and cloth napkins, served REAL red wine (!!!!!!!!), and served a delicious catered meal. Here is what we ate:

Tiger shrimp, squid stuffed with rice paste, and jellyfish salad!

Oh yeah, and here is the red wine that flummoxed me when it appeared at the table. Nobody in Vietnam drinks wine! This was such a big deal! (Also, notice the abundance of morning glory that was placed right in front of me! Needless to say, I was in heaven amongst a big pile of green leafy vegetables!)

A close-up of the jellyfish salad. I can't say that I loved the texture of the jelly, but the slaw that made up the salad (carrots, cucumbers, peanuts, and a tangy sauce) was delicious, so it made the jellyfish more palatable.

Oh yeah, and the frogs' legs. Yes, I ate frogs' legs. And to be perfectly honest, they really were pretty decent!

Grilled chicken, steamed vegetables with prawns, rice, and leaf soup.

It was so wonderful to see Diu and Nga, and I remembered just how legit they are, and how willing they are to go to bat for any of us Fulbrighters. They will stand behind us on just about any demand, complaint, or request that we make, and they will justify it with some explanation that is so difficult to argue with. For example, Diu (my translator and co-gossiper during the meeting) whispered to me at one point that Nga was explaining to Mr. Duc that it is very important that I continue to have long weekends so that I am able to travel. After all, Chi Nga explained, my job here is as a cultural ambassador, so it is important for me to see as many places of Vietnam as I possibly can, and not be stuck here in Ha Tinh teaching the whole time.

Uh, thank you???? It is unclear to me whether Diu and Nga are bullshitting our universities and simply want us to get lots of vacation time under the guise of cultural ambassadorship, or if they truly believe the innocent and well-meaning explanations they are giving our universities. In any case, I am so thankful for their advocating for me and making life easy for us Fulbrighters. They truly have our backs, and it is so wonderful to know that such powerful, strong, hard-working, and responsive women are in charge of our well-being.

In an ode to Chi Diu and Chi Nga, here are the pictures I took with them:

Me and Nga 

Me and Diu (with a fresh new haircut, I might add!)

These pictures are taken in my bedroom, which both of them declared to be significantly nicer and bigger than Jens' was last year (his was the bedroom they placed me in initially that had all the bugs and instigated Vietnamese Meltdown Number 1 on my first day here). They seemed satisfied with my living arrangements, happy to see my motorbike and bicycle, and happy to catch up with me and talk about my time here.

Speaking of my bike, it FINALLY arrived after a month and a half of pestering. Apparently the impending Fulbright visit is all that they needed to finish the transaction and bring the bike to me, as bicycles are one of our requirements in our living arrangements, as stipulated by Fulbright. If Diu and Nga were to show up and see me without a bicycle, HTU would have looked real, real bad. In any case, here is my "two-car garage" that I am quite proud of!

Overall, it was a wonderful visit, and they left me in such good spirits, knowing that there were two women in Hanoi looking out for me.