How nice! You can speak Chinese!

I finished my eight week long Vietnamese class at the Southeast Asian Summer Institute in Madison.  After innumerable glasses of iced Pete's Coffee, an exciting fan dance at the SEASSI talent show, and a quick few days in Missoula packing and enjoying Biga Pizza, I boarded the plane for Vietnam.

Vietnamese professors and students, SEASSI 2012

My trip to Vietnam left something to be desired. . .the ticket was over $5,000, and I paid $275 for my luggage, yet I had trouble with my bags at every stop, maybe in part because the flights had been billed separately to save money.  The highlight of the trip was spending an hour or so in the Seoul airport, where they have a Korean culture area.  Despite my jet lag and exhaustion, I managed to paint this woodblock folk picture, which was a very zen experience in the hustle and bustle of this ultra-modern airport!

After perhaps 30 hours at airports and on planes, I reached the Hanoi airport and took a taxi to a small hotel near the airport.  The next morning, I walked to a nearby bar/restaurant and managed enough Vietnamese for the most important question, "Where is coffee?"  Though the bar keeper didn't have coffee there, she walked me across the highway and down the way to a small cafe run by her niece, where she prepared me my first delicious and VERY STRONG cup of Vietnamese coffee!  It is shown in this photo, dripping through a little fliter into a glass with sweetened condensed milk in the bottom, being heated by sitting in a tea cup full of hot water.  Very cool!

So, I got coffee using Vietnamese!  Yay!  But my language skills apparently leave something to be desired as, after I told the hotel manager in what I thought was intelligible Vietnamese that I would be working as a professor at Can Tho University,  she said in English, "How nice!  You can speak Chinese!"  Apparently I really am nearly unintelligible as the taxi driver, thinking that I was flying to Guang Zhou (Canton), China, took me to the international departure area, not the national departure area where I can fly domestically to Can Tho.  Sigh. . .

After a short two hour plane ride, I reached beautiful Can Tho, in the Mekong Delta south of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).


A river in Can Tho City, from the plane



Boat with view of the longest bridge in Southeast Asia
taken in front of my hotel



Touring America's Dairyland

Bicyclists were whizzing around capitol square this morning, apparently a part of the bike race of America's dairy land.  Here are a few dairy land facts.  Did you know that 99% of Wisconsin's farms are family owned and that the state produces an average of 2.2 billion pounds of milk each month?!  No wonder there are cheese curds everywhere!



Development of Can Tho University

Can Tho University Building Site, 1966



Can Tho University Classroom Made of Bamboo and Thatch, 1976



Mekong Delta Development Institute, 2012 (This is where I will be working.)

Views of Can Tho and Surrounds

My friend Allison and her daughter are traveling around Vietnam right now.  They very kindly provided these photos of Can Tho!  Check out all of the trees!!! 

Traffic in Can Tho appears to be more manageable than traffic in Ho Chi Minh City!



This is the Social Sciences Building at Can Tho University.
It's much more up-to-date than my office building at the University of Montana!



Shaded Lane at Can Tho University

Fruit Stop between Can Tho City and Ho Chi Minh City
Durian (the large spiny fruit at the bottom) scares me!
It smells and tastes like baby poo. . .

When in Madison. . .

Since this appears to be a German-influenced town, I figured I should sample the local cuisine and grog.  Here is an official picture of my repast, enjoyed on the terrace of UW-Madison's student union, ovderlooking the sail boats on the lake.The grog of choice was an Ale Asylum Hopalicious, which was citrusy, refreshing, and indeed hopalicious!

Madison's Farmers' Market



My flat is just a few blocks from the state capital, where a wonderful Saturday market is held.  Amidst the cheese curds and fresh sugar snap peas, I discovered a honey seller with an attractive hat.  He's certainly the bee's knees!

A year inVietnam

After so many years studying and living in Thailand, I'll soon be venturing a bit farther afield.  Following eight weeks of intensive Vietnamese classes at the Southeast Asian Summer Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, I'll be heading to Can Tho University in Southern Vietnam where I will be teaching courses and helping with curriculum development on sustainable rural development.  Stay tuned for updates on my preparations for this new adventure!

Phu Quoc Island, a 45 minute flight from Can Tho