My first month completed, April, 2006 (letters home)

I have now finished my first month volunteering I can already tell that this next month is going to go to fast,  I am already scheming on how I can come back here for a longer stay, like a year or two or at least a few more months.  I want to see other countries too, but it is hard when you form friendships in one place, you don't want to leave.  Two weekends ago was fun packed.  On Friday afternoon Chelsea and I payed the extra 1.50 to be able to go on the slides at the water park (for those of you who thought we were crazy not to pay the extra money on our previous visits).
 
On the Saturday before last we were invited to Quyen's house for her mother in law's 100th day after death ceremony.  We bought a big beautiful cake and five different fruits for the alter.  When we got there we brought our gifts upstairs to the alter and payed our respects but after that it just seemed like a regular party, we ate lots of wonderful food and sat around a talked.
 
On the next Sunday morning all 18 people on the grooms side congregated at our house with all the gifts for the bride.  As we understand it they mixed traditions for the engagement ceremony and wedding ceremony since the couple will have their wedding celebration in the states. So I don't think that we experienced a typical engagement ceremony since there may have been some wedding day rituals as well.  The man is from Oregon and is in his 50's and has been married twice and the Woman is from Vietnam and is 40 and has never been married.  Each of 6 volunteers got to carry a gift to the bride we were each given something to carry and an order that we had to carry the items in I was at the front carrying a small teapot and thing tea cups with some small things wrapped in leaves and some sliced of lime. All of which were on a tray covered with a decorative cloth.  Behind me someone carried 100 nut like things (which may be beetle nuts but we couldn't get a straight answer) but we were told you could get addicted to them and there were 100 of them to symbolize 100 years of marriage. Behind that was a tin with two 1 liter bottles of soda and two boxes, all of which were wrapped in cellophane and  had bows. Behind her was a giant fruit basket that carried 100 fruits also to symbolize 100 years of marriage.  Behind that was a tin with all these rectangle box shaped things that were wrapped in banana leaves but we never found out what was wrapped with in.  And in the back Chelsea carried two cakes which were placed on a pedestal of sorts.  After getting pictures of the gifts and pictures of us in line with the gifts we walked in line to the cars that were taking us to the girls house.  Before we got there we went on a cruse around the city, this is done to help create a memory for the groom to be and those in his party.  Also I think to show off to the people in the town that someone is getting married. The whole way there a photographer for the wedding followed the cars taking photographs and video while riding backwards on the back of a motor bike, this was so funny to me.  They would speed ahead and then get film of us driving around the corner, etc...
 
We arrived at her house with many people waiting to greet us out side, we had to get out of the car and reorganize ourselves in the proper order behind the car then get another picture and walk slowly towards the door and up stairs where the ceremony would be held.
 
Then they talked for a while and I could not understand and then we got to eat and socialize.  After the wedding celebrations we went out to karaoke which is done in the same fashion as Japan, in a personal room, so only you and your friends can hear you.  They had many English songs to choose from.  One of the funniest parts was after you sang you got a score like "94% good singer" Chelsea and I got a 100% on one of our duets but neither of us can agree on which one, maybe gangsters paradise?  We had lots of fun and will be returning this weekend for another session.
 
The Play Ground construction is finished but there are no toys yet we are trying to get enough money for that now. It is a very colorful playground and I really like how it turned out.  For the time being we put some little bikes inside the fence and we are getting our schedule changed so we can play with the kids when it is cooler outside.  So next week we should be able to utilize it better.
 
My new obsession in Vietnam is going to this place called Bread of Life, which is a restaurant owned by some Americans from Missouri who have been living in Vietnam for the past 8 years, but the restaurant has only been open the past 9 months or so.  Getting to the point they hire mostly people who are deaf, so I go there in the evenings and learn more Vietnamese sign language, I have progressed quit well and can now understand most everything they are saying.  It is my new passion here, it is a bit difficult because each person may use different signs depending what form they learned and how much they were taught.  So I have been having to learn numerous signs for the same word, the perk is as I am learning sign I am also learning Vietnamese, which has been more difficult for me to pick up without proper lessons and people always trying to speak to me in English.  My favorite thing about going to bread of life is I can carry on a much more in depth conversation in sign with my new friends than I can in Vietnamese.
 
This last weekend we went back to Hoi An and went to a cooking school, which was a great experience and very well organized.  It was my first time feeling like a real tourist.  The day started out with us having coffee then going into the market which is very busy and stimulating to the senses, there are hundreds of vendors all trying to get you to buy from them, they are selling vegetables, fish, clothing, items for a funeral, meat (we saw a pile of pig heads lying on the floor, which made me laugh) and much more.  Our guide lead us through showing us the vegetables, tools for cooking, spices and meats and seafood and answered any questions we had.  He was very witty and had all sorts of jokes up his sleeve (which I am sure he had told a million times).  After the market we took a half hour beautiful boat ride to the cooking school (the red bridge), when we arrived there we got a tour of the garden and got to see how they grew their herbs.  Afterward we were taught how to cook squid with vegetables, eggplant in a clay pot, rice paper, and food decoration.  Then we got to eat.  It was a very pleasing experience.
Then of course being the fashionable girls Chelsea and I are we went out to the tailors and each got a dress made.  In the evening we went to this great restaurant "the cargo club" and got fancy desserts. Yum!
 
In conclusion I am still having a wonderful time and wish I could stay longer, two months is too short.  None the less I still love you all and miss you and wish you could be sharing this experience with me.
 
With love,
Stella

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