Hey Everybody!

Long time no...blog. haha. Sorry it's been so long. I didn't have a chance to email in Da Lat, and my internet connection has been pretty sketchy since I've been back in HCMC.

So...Chuc mung nam moi! Happy New Year! I had a great time bring in the New Year (the lunar one, that is) in the romantic city of Da Lat (and speaking of romance... Happy Valentine's Day!).

The City of Da Lat






Da Lat is absolutely beautiful! And it was a much need change from the big, loud, impersonal HCMC. The city reminded me of some little hillside town in Italy or France (not that I've ever been there...oh the wonders of photography). It is in the Central Highlands region, and it is where the French colonialists would vacation to get away from the heat. The streets wound their way through rows of 3 or 4 story multi-colored buildings. The colors were absolutely beautiful! Rich reds, yellows, blues, greens, all stacked up together on the hills. I loved it! Da Lat is also known as the city of flowers, and there were definitely beautiful flowers everywhere.








End of the Year Party!!!








The days before Tet are filled with lots of preparations. People clean and decorate their homes, make enough food to last them through the few days of Tet, and just generally get ready for the New Year. They want to spend the days of Tet just relaxing and visiting family and friends, so there are lots of things to get done before the first day of the New Year.




One of those things is to have a party celebrating the year that is ending. I actually was able to go to two such parties. Lucky me :) I remember just chilling one morning at Ka's house, helping her to make spring roles (which I'm not very good at, by the way). One minute it was just me and her, the next there were about 30 people in her house...all family members. And they all wanted to meet ME! Ahhhhh!!!! It was absolute craziness. Everyone was talking and laughing and drinking and toasting. It was such a cool experience, to see how happy everyone was to see each other and to celebrate the New Year together. It was like that everytime they got together during the week. Many of the cousins in the family go to school in HCMC, so this is one of the few times that their entire family is able to be together. The second party I went to was at Ka's aunt's house, and we all sat around on the floor eating food and talking. I got a choice of the five boys in the room of which one I wanted to be my boyfriend. haha. Other than that awkward moment, I had a great time.

And for all you American Idol fans out there, there is a Vietnam Idol, too. And Ka's cousin came in fourth place in the last season of the show. He's almost finishe recording his first album. I got to meet him, and got a picture with him, of course. Let's just say that he was very proud of his achievment. :)

Another part of the preparations for Tet is making a tradition "cake" called Banh Chung. It is rice (a special kind of sticky rice only eaten during this time of year), green bean paste (sounds weird, but it's pretty good) and meet, all wrapped up in a leaf and then steamed. It actually looks kind of like a Christmas present. The story, to keep it short, is that a king had many sons and was trying to decide which one would succeed him as king. He told them to make him food to help celebrate the New Year, and the one who pleased him the most would be the next king. The 18th son, not very important in the line up and with a mother who had been shamed, made the Banh Chung and another kind of cake. This food was very simple, but he made each of the cakes in a way that they represented the earth and the sky. The king was impressed, and made this son the next king. Now Banh Chung is prepared and eaten every Tet holiday. I got to make a few...and I didn't do too bad, if I do say so myself.

Tet has finally arrived!

Finally, it was Tet eve. You could feel the excitement. People were running around the house, getting things ready. We got a visit from a dragon and one of the Buddhist gods. Kids from around the area came around in costumes to each house and did the dragon dance, mostly to get Li Si, or “lucky money.” It’s given to kids during the Tet holiday to wish them a lucky year and to celebrate their birthday. It’s kind of confusing, but the Vietnamese at least ceremonially base their age on the new year. Every Tet they gain another year on their age. I was glad to spend Tet with a family, because I got almost 200,000 dong (about $12, but it goes a long way here) in Li Si! :)

There were fire works in the main part of time to celebrate the coming of 2008, and we could see them from the balcony of the house. You could hear people cheering from the town. It was so great!

The next morning we got up and put on new clothes (a must for Tet) and went to visit the family. We went to Ka’s grandfather’s house, and you could hear the cheers before we even went inside. They had started giving out Li Si, and it was the funniest experience I’ve had in Viet Nam so far. All the kids were lined up, holding out their hands and looking at the older people like “Where’s my money?” haha. And even though I couldn’t understand what people were saying, I could tell that they were all joking about how much they had gotten, or who was supposed to give money to who. People would open up the red envelopes, and then make a face and jokingly ask for more money. It was hilarious! And everyone was just so happy the be spend time together.







Then we went to visit the graves of their family members who had passed away. Each grave has a picture of the person, and they would light incense and put it on the grave. That was definitely a new experience for me. Then we went to a pagoda, where Ka and her family spent a few minutes lighting incense and saying prayers. I have to do an ethnographic project while I’m here, and I’m thinking about doing it on religion and the role it plays in the everyday life of Vietnamese, so it was really interesting to be able to see these religious “ceremonies.”





After that, we just rested. For the next few days there was nothing to do but enjoy having nothing to do. Overall, the Tet holiday was a really great experience, and I’m glad I was here in Vietnam to see it!