These are the moments when I have the best job in the world

A New Favorite

Thanks to Seth, I have a new favorite tea. Market Spice Tea from Seattle... kind of hard to come by in Hanoi, but I had a big pot of it last night and it made my day. Just wanted to share.

Phat Diem Cathedral

From Phat Diem Cathedral

My recent trip to Nam Dinh for a Helmets for Kids ceremony scored big time because we also got to visit Phat Diem Cathedral. Hands down, it was one of the most startling sights I have experienced to date in Vietnam. It is a Catholic church built in teh style of a buddhist temple or pagoda, the work of Father Tran Luc from 1875-1899. Chinese characters are interspersed with stone relief work depicting the lives of the Jesus and Mary. A series of smaller chapels surround the Cathedral, and the complex in total is several acres.

The ground under the Cathedral was constructed - originally it was on a reed-filled swamp. It has stood for over 100 years now, including surviving  a 1972 bombing that tilted the Cathedral 15-20 degrees (restoration was necessary).  

Catholics represent a significant minority in Vietnam. In this district, they are 53% of the population. Below is a slideshow of my pictures, posted on my picasa site.

We Just Drew Our Lines

A ceremony will be held either today or tomorrow to mark the official completion of the demarcation of the border between Vietnam and China.

Seriously guys? The 100+ officials from each side in attendance acknowledged it was a "major step" for bilateral relations.

Hanoi has its moments

So Hanoi is not a particularly tough place to live. I cannot honestly say that I often feel like I'm really roughing it - we have electricity, running water, and air conditioning (though heat would be awesome in the winter). However, there are moments when little creepie crawlies remind me that, well, these are NOT the fellas you find in your kitchens in the good old US of A. There's Frank, the gecko, and one of the guests that I don't like quite as much is this guy:

This is from quite a while ago, and I cannot claim the photographic credits. One of my very brave housemates put a guitar pick up next to the spider that has now been in our kitchen 3 times. No one has been able to kill it, but we have chased it out. So far, no casualties.

Street Crossings

I shot a few videos around Hanoi, and I am thinking that I will do a few more. These are pretty amateur, and I had thought I would be able to edit them. Unfortunately, when my computer crashed I lost my iMovie, so I currently have no movie editing software. But until I do, enjoy some scenes from Hanoi's streets.

Vietnam Victorious!

Wow. Talk about excitement. Last night, Vietnam beat Thailand for the Asian Football cup, for the very first time. The entire country seemed to erupt in jubilation, and the streets were mobbed for hours with people playing pots and water jugs, riding around on their motorbikes, and waving flags.