Day 2 in Sa Pa: more mountains, rice fields, and a service learning project

The school and our project.

Day 2 in Sa Pa was very long, but an amazing day. We woke up pretty early, had breakfast, and went to a local elementary school to help build a playground. Or that is what we were told– I am not quite sure what we were actually accomplishing while at the school. Basically we transported sand, dirt, and rocks from one big pile to another and then spread this out to form what I guess is the foundation for the playground. We accomplished a lot and everyone was very grateful for what we did– but it would be nice to see the fruits of our labor. I guess now I have to go back to Sa Pa to see the end result! After we finished working we had lunch at the school with the teachers and parents who had been working beside us. This lunch turned into an excuse for everyone to take lots of shots of rice wine. Not my favorite. Following the rice wine was a cultural exchange. Guess what we sang... (if you guessed Build Me Up Buttercup you're correct). I think that we got the better end of the deal because the children's performance was much more impressive and entertaining.

Chicken feet at lunch. I was very close to trying it but
someone beat me to it.

 

On top of the big rock!

After we said goodbye to the teachers, parents, and students we hopped back in the van and drove about 45 minutes to a small Hmong village to visit the house of one of the Hmong students we met the day before. We had to walk about 30 minutes to get there and were accompanied by some local children. The girl I talked with was very friendly and chatty. She kept inviting me to come back to her village and told me once I was married and had kids I had to bring them back to meet her. Her sister is my age and married with a baby. The sister, husband, and baby all live with the parents of the two sisters. The husband had to pay a lot to marry the sister– she said 4 million dong ($200). I am not sure if she translated that correctly because it seems like an awful lot. We also chatted about our pets. She told me she had a dog that doesn't have a name. I asked her why it wasn't named and she responded that it didn't need a name because they were just going to eat it someday. In case you didn't know– Northern Vietnam is famous for eating dogs. She asked me if I had ever eaten one of my dogs. I wish I could have seen the look on my face when she asked me that! Once again I was amazed by the differences in our cultures. When we finally arrived at the house of the Hmong student we climbed up a huge rock and had a fantastic view of the valley and mountains. The family had cooked a lot of corn for us so we ate that as

My "guide."

well as drank the water that it had been boiled in. It was actually really sweet– strange because I would never ever think to drink that back in the states. If you haven't picked up on it, Vietnamese don't waste food. Chicken feet, pig hoof, intestine, and lots of other organs are commonly found in Vietnamese cuisine. Anyways, yes I ate corn and drank corn water. Unfortunately, we were really pressed for time so we had to say goodbye quickly and start walking back to the bus, once again accompanied by the local children. As we neared the bus they all started to ask us if we would buy something from them. Surprise, surprise. Since I really had enjoyed the conversations with my "guide" I bought a little bracelet from her. We returned to the hotel, showered, had a quick dinner, and took a night train back to Hanoi. We arrived at 4 in the morning, checked into the hotel, and went back to bed.

Katia and I found cute puppies. I hope they never
end up on a plate :(

We visited her house

Walking back to the bus I followed a young boy carrying
a load of bamboo.

so so so beautiful!

Today we went to Ha Long Bay. It was beautiful. Pictures and information to come. Hannah, prepare yourself for lots and lots of pictures of... wait for it.... ROCKS (oh how I love my sister the geology major). Tomorrow I return to Hue– by myself!!– to start my ISP. I am very excited but also a little nervous. It will be interesting to be alone after having been with the group for three weeks straight.