Nam Moui Nam Moui

Cow!

Walking through the rice fields. It was kind of like follow the leader.

Mangroves are muddy.

On Tuesday morning, we left campus bright and early (6am!!) to venture off on our second excursion to Long Hoa Commune, Tra Vinh Province. It was about a 4 hour trip up, most of it on a bus, but we also had to take a ferry to get to the island. When we got there, it was probably about 19 million degrees fahrenheit (I am not even exaggerating) and there were no trees or any structures to shade us. But after the 30 minute walk to the house that we used as our check point, we had a great lunch and some time to relax. And everything just got better from there for the following reasons:

• amazingly friendly and easy going village guides
• Alcohol
• Cows were everywhere
• Alcohol
• The toilets, or perhaps lack of toilets
• Alcohol
• Wooden Plank Bed

Here's the low down in more detail:

Amazingly friendly and easy-going village guides

So, basically the people that I met were sooooo friendly. There was our host, Mr Quac, who I am probably going to marry. I was pretty in love with him. It's ok if the only things we can actually communicate to one another is our names, age and whether we're tired, right? Then there was a lady who was about 45 or 50, who I was supposed to call Co, which means Auntie in Vietnamese. She was the best. She was only at lunch with us on Wednesday, but her and I knocked back quite a few shots together. There were also the men who were also about 5 or 6 government officials and some farmers throughout the couple of days.

Cows were everywhere

Do I even need to say more?

The toilets, or perhaps, the lack of toilets

When we had to pee, we went into a small room that was made in the kitchen with blue tarps as the wall. Inside the dirt floor was so compacted, that it was almost like cement. In one corner, there was a little opening to the outside world in the small ledge around the "room." When you had to go, you just squatted and let it all flow. You then "flushed" it by scooping water over the area and cleaning it out. The drip dry was the best. I LOVE THIS TOILET. You think I am joking? No way. First of all, there is never any worries about pee on the seat, because there isn't a seat. Also, you can never miss. Can't see where you are? No worries, just drop trow and go. Need to go poo? Take it out back, jack, where the hole in the ground is.

Wooden Plank Bed

So, you think you have the hardest bed in the world? Try again. The bed that Julia and I got to share was just a bed frame with a wooden surface. Surprisingly, wooden planks are pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, the non-functioning mosquito net made it less so. 

ALCOHOL!!!!!

Man, oh man, can those Long Hoa-ans drink. Tuesday night at dinner we had rice liquor that was half way between whiskey and rum. Wednesday at lunch I had rice wine, which was super strong. It was delicious. I don't drink here in Vietnam, but when you have every government official and host coming up to you saying "Nam Moui Nam Moui," which means 50-50, it is a little hard to say no. Mainly, because when you say no, they just laugh and tell you to drink more. 

So, the drinking ritual goes as following. There are bottles and bottles and bottles of alcohol and some shot glasses. When you want to drink, you poor a shot glass and go up to a someone and invite them to drink it with you by saying "Nam Moui Nam Moui." You both drink half the shot. Sometimes, you invite them to take a whole shot with you. 

Everyone there loved drinking with me. At lunch, they made me sit on their end of the lunch circle and consume shot after shot. It was great and I was drunk at 12:30 in the afternoon with about 5 middle-aged (well, one 25 year old and four men ranging from 31-60) and Auntie. Auntie and I were also smoking cigarettes together, which although is very bad, was hilarious because it is totally unacceptable for women to smoke in Vietnam. But I think the guys loved seeing us just go crazy together, especially since they were the ones giving them to me. 

All in all, I loved Long Hoa. I drank a lot. Was told by our host's mother, that she would like me to stay with her because I smile and laugh so much. Was introduced to the provincial policeman, who was 31 and looking for a wife. And had another mother tell me that her 29 year old son was looking for a wife and she would like me to marry him. I thought she was joking til she showed me his picture. And of course, we got to get dirty again. Oh, what a GREAT trip!