Greetings from Vietnam!!:)

Hello everyone! :)

I have been here in Hanoi, Vietnam for a week and it has been nothing less than amazing. The sights, the smells and even the noises definitely took some adjusting to as they are all much different than the US. Below is a picture of the view from the hotel we stayed at the first night.

 After arriving in Vietnam I was introduced to my host family. My host mother is a doctor and then my host father used to be a captain of a ship. They have two girls, Fune, and Mai. They have been so great in welcoming us into their home.

(picture of my two host sisters and their cousin Lon)

Our day to day life here consists of making our way to the bus stop each morning to make it to class for 8:30. We normally get done around 5 each day. Some challenges are trying to order lunch during our breaks without  a translator. The food here has been great! Much different than our typical american food for sure :) Everyday the food is bought fresh for that dinners meal. Below is a picture of Pho which is a noodle soup that in this picture has fish in it. I have had it with chicken as well. It is very popular here and of course eaten with chopsticks! :)

 Crossing the street is very interesting here. The traffic here is very chaotic and definitely a difficult thing to get used to especially when the concept that the pedestrian has the right of way does not exsist here. It has taken us all a bit to figure it out but slowly and carefully we are managing!:)

During my free time my group has been able to do some exploring which has been wonderful. We viisted Ho Chin Min's bural sight. We were also able to pray for good luck at another statue. 

My host mother is very into exercise which has been wonderful for me! :) We go to exercise aerobic each night in the park. This has been a lot of fun, kind of like zumba just a bit more intense. Many people stay after the class to ask the other american student and I many questions about where we are from. (I definitely stand out quite a bit with my blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin complex. :) My host mother even told me of a great place where I was able to run around a beautiful pond in a park. Many of the people clapped and smiled for me as I ran by. So much of this culture is surrounded by the amazing hospitality everyone has given me so far. 

picture of the View from my run:). Interesting fact is that although it looks cloudy, it is actually a very nice day. The cloudiness is actually the smog here. Many people even wear face masks to protect themselves on the days where the air quality is not great.

There are also plenty of cafes and lots of shopping to be done in a more touristy part of the city. Tea is a staple here and is SO delcious as well as the hot chocolate!! 

 I was shocked to see English as the only language on a few of the cafe menus. Definiely shows the ideas gentrification branching into some parts of the city of Hanoi. This upcoming week we will be having classes about the Agent organge victims which will definitely be very eye-opening experience. 

I am so grateful for all for all of the experences I have had so far and the ones yet to come! :) The bonds throughout my group have only gotten stronger as we continue on our jounrey to make a difference in the many different ways that will be! :) 

I hope all is well with everyone! I do have wireless internet so feel free to message me or email me (hmiller@mail.smcvt.edu) I would love to hear from you all!:) 

Thank you again for all of the support! 

Hillary xoxoox :)

"Go and see all you can possibly see"