first impressions

I have been in Ha Noi, Viet Nam for nine days. Summer rains are cooling the city down significantly. Unpredictable tropical rains. Pouring one day, drizzling the next. Days before my arrival, Hanoi went through a heat wave, reaching 40 degrees Celsius daily.

I am finding myself surrounded by sounds, smells, tastes, and sights which were once very familiar to me and are now becoming familiar again. In some ways, I am home.

Home has changed a lot. My first trip back was in 2007 and it is only now, while realizing this trip, that I begin to understand the immensity of the culture shock I'd exprienced in 07. There was much confusion and frustration then. This time, however, things feel different. I am able to approach the people and situations here with more patience and open-mindedness. I no longer think that every local is out to rip me off or cheat me. It is a good change.

Hanoi straddles between poverty and modernity, the uber rich and the dirt poor. Some people rent flats that cost thousands of dollars a month while others cram in tiny living spaces. Our group stays in the Old Quarter, which is ancient, beautiful, and touristy. I notice however, that nearby high-end establishments, from fancy coffee shops to expensive Vietnamese restaurants, are filled with locals. Poor Vietnamese families live on roughly 200 dollars a year. A meal in the Old Quarter typically costs about 2-5 dollars.