The Gift of Giving

I'm going to pull a little Marty McFly here and go back in time.  Last year, towards the end of my trip around the world, I had some phenomenal experiences that I never blogged about.  Please excuse the confusion and the jumping around, but I think there are some great lessons to be learned and funny stories to share.

(Written on 5/23/2011 from Hanoi, Vietnam)

I think I have a new boyfriend.  He’s about 6 years old and adorable.  I started “teaching” in his school today and he spent the majority of the afternoon trying to move his chair next to mine, kiss me on the cheek, and hold my hand.

A few weeks ago I decided to volunteer at an orphanage in Vietnam, and was given an assignment in Hanoi.  Originally I hadn’t planned on heading north, but when the opportunity arose; I grabbed the bull by the horns and booked a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.  To my surprise, a friend of a friend from Seattle is living in Hanoi working for Path.  And true to the hospitable nature of all the wonderful people I’ve met, Debbie invited me on a weekend trip to Sapa with some other friends visiting from Seattle.

Catfish spring rolls at Highway 4

After Debbie shared her love of catfish spring rolls from the Highway 4 restaurant, we caught an all night train to Lao Cai (closer to the Chinese border).  As I stood in the train station, turning down a million offers to buy water, snacks, and Seaweed Pringles (which turned out to be a total failure on my part), Debbie scurried around the station looking for the guy who was supposed to exchange her vouchers for tickets that she had already purchased. 

Despite the fact that Debbie speaks fluent Vietnamese, it seemed to be a rather confusing transaction.  After multiple calls to the original travel agents, lo and behold, we found out we were at the wrong train station.  Well…we were at the right train station (same name and all), but apparently the building for north bound departures is actually on the opposite side of the tracks, and you have to take a taxi to get there.

Thankfully, we shuffled out of the taxi and through the station doors to the open air tracks just in time. I was watching carefully to see if I stumbled upon Platform 9 and ¾ because I was certain these outdated trains had to be Hogwarts bound.

Our overnight cabin

While in Sapa, we hiked, gawked at the beautiful scenery, treated ourselves to massages (for $6!), ate like queens, and spent a lot of time laughing and reminiscing about things back in the U.S.  After another long evening on a train back to Hanoi, I was about to embark on a whole new adventure…

Not exactly sure how you get "925% Silver"...

The best pho I had in Vietnam!

All the kids had little babies strapped to their backs. 

When our Harry Potter express pulled up to the Hanoi station at 5 AM, the volunteer coordinator was supposed to send a taxi to take me to the house for volunteers where I’d be staying while on my new duty.  Debbie kindly and patiently called the coordinator who called the taxi driver who was late.  When he pulled up a half hour later to take me away, we were all hoping he knew where he was going.  I said goodbye to my new friends, and crossed my fingers as I put my life in the hands of the driver.

The taxi driver wound around roads that led us outside the city and entered a side street alley, where he abruptly stopped the car, unloaded my luggage and prompted me out of the car with hand gestures.  Still in a daze from not sleeping, and without any clue where I was, I found myself speechless (shocking) and unable to mutter a word – let alone a word in Vietnamese – that would keep the driver there.  So as he zoomed off into the distance, and I stood there with my luggage pressed up against me, stranded in an early-morning fog in a deserted alley, I looked up at a gated entry to a house, and rang the doorbell…hoping that I was at the right place.

No answer.  Fabulous.  I managed to steal wifi from the University next door and I placed a Skype call (thank goodness for technology) to the volunteer coordinator.  Apparently the live-in coordinator was still sleeping, and wasn’t expecting me, so she asked if I could wait in the alley until somebody woke up.

At this point I wasn’t thrilled.  But to keep myself from going crazy, I continued to abuse the free wifi and called my family back home…who kept me awake, kept me alert, and kept me happy, until 45 minutes later when another volunteer at the house came and let me in.

I was trying to reserve any judgment about the volunteer organization until I met the kids and found out what I would be doing - but so far I wasn't too pleased with my reception, or the dingy accomodations.  At about 1:30 PM I followed two of the other volunteers to the school.  The “organizer” at the school didn’t know I was arriving, and she didn’t have any assignments for me.  She picked a classroom at random with 2 teachers and 7 kids.  She said something to the teacher in Vietnamese and then told them my name and left me there. 

Now the disappointment set in.  Let me be clear that I adore the kids – they are sweet and playful and friendly and energetic.  But, I paid for this experience to make a difference in others’ lives.  And from what I was told, developmentally challenged children frequently end up as orphans in Vietnam and are not treated well...so volunteers are valued for their mere presence, and showering the children with love and joy.

My program was advertised as volunteering in an orphanage, but I quickly came to find out that it is actually a school that has mostly (but not all) disabled children.  Their parents drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon.  The parents look loving and happy and excited to pick up their kids every day.  The kids are treated well at school and shown lots of love.  It seems like they are in a fairly affluent area  as the school is gated, and equipped with many supplies, chairs, desks, decorations, food, etc.

I’m pretty sad this volunteer experience isn’t turning out as I had hoped. Fatal error number one - having expectations. Generally I have very few expectations, and therefore am pleasantly surprised and hardly ever disappointed.  But after dropping some big money with the organization to get placed for volunteer service, I did have some expectations….for my welcoming, for my lodging, for my food, for my ability to make a contribution, and for the ability to use me as a resource in some way.

Since I can't understand the teachers or the kids, I don't feel like I'm making any impact.  I’m really just an additional body in the room.  And I’m not sure if when I’m playing with the kids they should be listening to the teachers and I'm a distraction, or whether I should continue playing with them. 

I can’t help but think that there is some organization (or multiple organizations) making a killing from international “volunteers” that are willing to pay an arm and a leg because they want to do good.  I can't speak for all organizations, because obviously there are many that have greatly helped communities in need (and I've witnessed them in action), but I don't feel like this is one of them.  The consensus amongst the other volunteers is very similar - and many are disheartened by their high hopes of making a difference in this developing country.

I've reasoned that I will give it another day to see if my time here is well spent, or if I'm better off looking for a more enriching experience.  I'm considering abandoning this effort and travelling, even though it breaks my heart to step away from an opportunity I was so excited about where I thought I'd be of help. 

Especially while travelling, the blessings in my life become ever more apparent.  And thus I feel compelled to share my blessings in some way with others - time, money, effort, etc.  But when my best of intentions falls short, or when my contribution no longer seems valuable, I question when to walk away and focus my efforts in another area. 

So my question for you today is...what blessings in your life do you share?  And do you feel that your effort is valuable?  Whether you're giving money or time or knowledge or resources, it's important that your contribution is making a difference.  I enourage you to evaluate the outcome of your giving, because your resources are valuable and limited, and you should use them wisely.  If it's not lining up with your desires, then seek a new outlet where your contribution will be appreciated and used to someone's benefit as it should be.

Catfish Spring Rolls (from Vietnam)

Compliments of Highway 4 Restaurant

I was never given an actual recipe for these spring rolls, but they seem like pretty simple, yet delicious concoctions!  My best guess...

Directions:

Fry a few small pieces of catfish.  Take a thin piece of rice paper, dab your finger in water and smooth over the sheet to wet it.  Smear on a bit of mayonnaise, add a piece of the codfish once it has cooled, and add a sprig of dill.  Then roll the rice paper up like a burrito.

Dipping sauce:

Mix 1 part hot mustard and 1 part oyster sauce.  Since this is just a guess, you can modify to taste!

Enjoy!

History in the Making

(Written on 5/15/2011 from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Oregon?!….OREGON?!

Why is it that the first restaurant I’ve been to in Vietnam (and one that was recommended to me) happens to be a pho chain that also has locations in the state of Oregon.  As soon as I saw that after ordering and closing the menu, it spoiled the authenticity of the meal for me.  Although, it didn’t stop me from slurping down my rice noodles with salad, pork, and shrimp so it couldn’t have been too disheartening.

With every trip I take outside of my hotel, I find myself in awe of something new.  Take for example the gatherings of people every night in the park in front of the hotel – older folks are ballroom dancing under a gazebo, while a group of 10 kids learn a hip hop dance routine, and there is a karate class practicing on the parking lot pavement.

Yesterday, I unfortunately witnessed a young boy “taking care of business” in a Tupperware bin on the side of the freeway, assisted by his father who had pulled over the family motor scooter.  I was shocked, and apparently everybody else on the tourist bus was as well.  But it didn’t seem to faze the locals as a young lady whizzed by on her scooter – decked out in fake Gucci high heels, skinny jeans, a purple blouse, purple scarf, and matching purple crochet helmet cover.  She wasn’t exactly my vision of a “biker chick.”  And although motorcycles and scooters aren’t used for “cool factor” here, I have to believe that by the sheer variety of helmets (which are more like hard baseball caps)…they are in fact a fashion statement.

Helmets aplenty, helmets galore!

Among my unique experiences – one that stands out significantly is my recent trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an intricate tunnel system where the Viet Cong hid and lived underground during the Vietnam War.  I was lucky enough to fall into a group led by Mr. Binh (pronounced Mr. Bean!), an ex-U.S. Navy serviceman who himself had fought against the Viet Cong.  Originally born Filipino, Mr. Binh entered the U.S. Navy and never returned to the U.S. after the war.  He later told me it was because he hated American food.  Fair enough.

Mr. Binh explaining about the tunnels

Mr. Binh’s stories and firsthand accounts were captivating.  As we walked around the tunnel site, he detailed stories of fighting beside John McCain and John Kerry.  He told us about the tricks and strategies of the Viet Cong that kept them alive and hidden for so many years as they outwitted the Americans.  One example was how the Viet Cong masked their scents – stealing trash from the U.S. base to place over the tunnel air holes so the U.S. dogs wouldn’t pick up any unfamiliar scents when sniffing above ground. 

One of the doors the Viet Cong used to enter the tunnels

Mr. Binh pointing out one of the tunnel air holes

Explaining how the "Asian squat" was a useful technique for the Viet Cong

Squeezing through the tiny tunnels - 12 m deep

I was amazed by the tunnels themselves, but even more fascinated by the man who was sharing the stories.  Towards the close of the tour, 4 new Canadian friends that I met asked me if I’d like to take Mr. Binh to dinner so we could hear more stories.  Back in Ho Chi Minh City, we glugged down refreshing drinks at the restaurant Mr. Binh recommended as he ordered on behalf of the unknowing tourists.  

After Mr. Binh was quite a few Vietnamese 333 beers in (I think he must have downed 5 of them)…his true emotions started surfacing.  In his no longer perfect English, his eyes teared up and his face got red as he expressed the heartbreak he’d experienced.  He shared about the true feelings that accompany him every time he guides people above those tunnels, and the horrible things he’d witnessed happen to comrades who were good men.

Our personal table trash can

My tour ended with an unexpected, eye-opening dinner, and a man who had pledged his loyalty to the U.S. many years ago.  His stories were full of honorable men, and pride in his American status.  It couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to the way the tour began – with an old video from the Viet Cong perspective.  It was showing Viet Cong that were honored and showered with medals and praise for killing Americans.  Young kids were touted for their gun fighting skills and abilities to root out the enemy (the Americans). 

It was shocking to hear the praises that others were given for taking the lives of my own neighbors.  And my heart sank at the thought of celebrating over deaths that others considered tragedies.  But the reality is that since the Vietnam War, this has happened time and time again.

My thought for you today is to consider the two sides to every story.  History is told from different perspectives – and it was clear to me after my tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels that facts can be portrayed as victories and triumphs as easily as they can be portrayed as losses and defeats.  I encourage you to question your sources, and their motivations behind how they tell stories.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

(Written on 5/14/2011 from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

After jumping from Tel Aviv to Istanbul to Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City I arrived in Vietnam at the airport – completely exhausted and with no plans, no hotel, no wifi, and no clue.  Thankfully, after a few months of travelling I’ve gotten used to the nomad mentality and am comfortable navigating my own way through uncertain circumstances.  Although, in this particular situation I think “unprepared” was even an understatement.

Thanks to my brilliant sense of direction (okay…quite honestly it was thanks to the taxi driver and my new found millionaire status – it’s 20,000 Vietnamese Dong to $1 USD) I managed to find my way to downtown Ho Chi Minh City.  As we whizzed by full families of 4 on motorbikes and inched between trucks and cars, I held my breath and stared out the window in awe.  Thank GOD I did not have to navigate my way through this treacherous traffic….I can guarantee if I had a rental car I would have taken out half the city.

When I arrived to the “recommended” hotel by the taxi driver, a young man crossed the street to the cab, helped me with my luggage and in broken, yet very stern and serious English said, “Cross when I cross.  Stay with me.”  It’s a good thing I follow directions because for my first ever street crossing in Vietnam, an escort was very, very necessary.

That night when I finally decided to venture outside the safety and security (and air conditioning) of the hotel sliding doors, fear of crossing the street by myself kept me from going anywhere except for the same block as the hotel. 

They may as well forget about painting lanes on the streets here because the constant flow of traffic – trucks, cars, bicycles, scooters – weaves in and out wherever it wants to.  And the only reason traffic in one direction stops isn’t because the light turns red, but actually because the cars in the other direction just start moving.

After being careful to only take left turns and stay on the sidewalk, I found a little street stand underneath a faux tent (made out of blankets hung on street lamps) and with those little Fisher Price tables and chairs you used to play with as a child.  I plopped down until I was on the chair (and about 6 inches off the ground) and continued to order (or try to) some eggs and fried rice cakes.  The food was good but not the biggest or best I’ve ever had.  But for 75 U.S. cents, I think it was sufficient for a sleepy night and a hungry girl.  J

On day 2…I CROSSED THE STREET!  This was in fact a triumphant moment for me – that I actually made it across alive.  Once both feet touched down on the opposite sidewalk, I looked down at my toes in disbelief.  I checked to make sure all limbs were intact, and I grinned from ear to ear, content with my clearly Darwinian ability to survive.  I nearly broke out in a happy dance…but since none of the locals were rejoicing for their own victories, I kept on moving…

Now let me give you some “Crossing the Street in Ho Chi Minh City 101”…the crazy thing is if you walk slowly, not stopping, and not making any sudden movements then the cars and scooters and busses will weave around you.  It's like playing real life Frogger – as I step out into rushing traffic, my pulse quickens as I stare at cars and bikes that look like they are coming directly for me.  I’m convinced that crossing the street would in fact be safer if I were blindfolded and walked at a slow pace.

This picture doesn't even do the traffic justice

Once I (yayyy!!) made it to the market I stopped in the “food court” for beef pho, a sweet Lotus drink, and caved when I saw some mangosteen at a stand.  1 dollar later I was trotting back to the hotel to tear into my favorite fruit.  Okay…admittedly I was distracted for a bit by a street hawker with pork and rice.  But right after that (oh yeah…and ice cream) I got back to the hotel and started to devour my sweet little pretty fruits (insert voice of the Wicked Witch….I must have some weird obsession with that movie because it keeps coming to mind).

Unfortunately the mangosteen weren’t totally ripe but they did bring back great memories of my trip to Malaysia in 2009 with my aunt and uncle.  I walked in on my aunt devouring 2 kilos of the fruit by herself, squatted over a trash can in the hotel.  She looked like a child caught red handed with a jar of cookies…and ever since then it’s burned into my memory as “mangosteen of shame.”

My aunt's mangosteen addiction in action...

As I passed out I continued my love affair with mangosteen in my dreams until I was up again…heading off to the market for the 2^nd time.  I met up with a chef who was leading a Vietnamese cooking course, and he took us through the market.  I found out that the “food court” opens up at 2 or 3 AM everyday so they can feed all the other employees in the market while they prep to sell their seafood, meat, fruits, coffee, herbs, clothes, shoes, bags and everything else you could imagine.

Back above the Hoa Tuc restaurant, Chef Phoun led our class through 3 magnificent recipes.  Fresh spring rolls to die for (with peanut sauce), a char-grilled beef salad, and Vietnamese fried rice wrapped in lotus leaves.  Watch out folks…I’ve got more recipes and more to cook for you when I get home.  J



Peanut Sauce

Fresh Spring Rolls



Char-grilled Beef Salad



Lotus Fried Rice

Today my question for you is when was the last time you had people over for a fantastic and fun meal?  Not one of those days or parties where you felt obligated, busy, and too stressed to cook.  But a day you truly enjoyed with friends or family and worked together to make a final product.  I encourage you to set up a “dinner date” cooking experience with a few people.  I always think cooking with others is better than just cooking for others, because you get to enjoy the time together.  Have fun!

Peanut Sauce (from Vietnam)

Compliments of Hoa Tuc - makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons Hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon crushed peanuts

.5 - 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

.5 - 1 teaspons minced red chili

Directions:

Prepare and mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Adjust chili to your taste and add more Hoisin sauce if you prefer a more salty flavor.  Serve with fresh spring rolls and enjoy!

Fresh Spring Rolls (from Vietnam)

Compliments of Hoa Tuc - 12 rolls

Ingredients:

About 20 shrimp

Pork

Rice noodles

12 rice paper - or a few more in case they break

12 green lettuce leaves sliced Julienne

Fresh basil

Fresh mint

Bean sprouts

Chives

Directions:

Prepare the shrimp - in a sauce pan bring water with a pinch of salt to a boil over medium heat.  Add the shrimp and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes until pink.  Remove the shrimp.  Peel and cut in 2 parts and then set aside.

Prepare the pork - heat oil in a wok over medium heat.  Sear pork for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned on all sides.  When pork cools, thinly slice it into bite size pieces.

Wrapping the rolls - To make the fresh rolls, quickly dip a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of water until it is soft (or wet the paper just a bit by dipping your fingers in water and running it across the top).  Remove the rice paper and place on a dry surface, smoothing it out with your fingers.  Like a burrito, on one side of the rice paper place the lettuce and then the rice noodles and top with some basil, mint, chili, and bean sprouts.  Add a line of pork then a line of 3 pieces of shrimp.  Fold the 2 sides parallel and roll up tightly, pressing to seal.

Serve the fresh spring rolls with a bowl of peanut sauce on the side and enjoy!

Char-grilled Beef Salad (from Vietnam)

Compliments of Hoa Tuc - Serves 4

Sticky fish sauce dressing:

4 tablespoons of lime juice

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

2 teaspoons of deseeded, minced chili

Mix all ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved, and set aside.

Marinated beef:

1/3 lb of beef filet

A bit of chopped lemongrass

A bit of chopped garlic

2 pinches of pepper

Vegetable oil

Mix together all ingredients and marinate the beef filet for about 20 minutes in the sauce.  Char-grill the beef and then let cool.  Cut into small pieces (about 3-4 cm in length).  Set aside.

Salad:

A bit of finely chopped lemongrass

2 kumquats, well washed and then thinly sliced

3 small white eggplants cut into wedges

About 1/4 lb mustard sprouts

About 1/4 lb chopped green salad

A bit of chopped Vietnamese leaves (such as basil and mint)

2 pinches of sesame seeds

Mix all the ingredients for the salad, including a bit of the sticky fish sauce dressing.  Place the mixture on a serving platter and top with the slices of beef and the sesame seeds.  You can pour more of the sticky fish sauce dressing over the top, right before serving.  Enjoy!

Lotus Fried Rice (from Vietnam)

Compliments of Hoa Tuc - serves 4

Ingredients:

2/3 lb Jasmine rice - pre-cooked, cooled down, and kept cold ready for use

2/3 lb prawns, boiled in salted water and diced

2/3 lb cooked and diced chicken filet

1/3 lb Chinese sausage - diced and boiled in water for 3 minutes

2 dried lotus leaves softened in boiling water

6 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium size carrot, peeled and diced

1/3 lb lotus seeds - pre-soaked, remove green shoots from the center and cook gently for 20 minutes

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped stems only

1 bunch of spring onions, cut into 1/2 cm width

2 red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped

Seasoning - 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1/2 teaspoon  ground white or black pepper

Directions:

In a wok heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil on high heat.  Add shallots and garlic and fry until fragrant.  Add all the ingredients (except the rice and spring onion), seasoning with the fish sauce.  Fry for a few minutes and then add the cooked rice and spring onion.  Stir fry for about 4 more minutes. 

Spread out the lotus leaf into a rice bowl, fill with the fried rice and pack it tight.  Fold the two sides of the leaf to the center into a tight package, then fold the two ends together and cover with saran wrap.  Let it steam for 3 minutes and then remove wrap.  Flip the lotus package upside down on a plate, and cut an "x" with the tip of a knife.  Open each side like petals of a lotus and enjoy your beautiful, tasty creation!