College of Foreign Languages

On Monday, we started our first day of classes at the same time that a group from the University of Washington started their course of study. The UCR students are to the left and above is a sign welcoming each program. Pictured next to me (David) is Dean Phuoc and to his left, Dr. Christoph Geibel, head of the Washington group. Christoph served on my dissertation committee during my graduate study at the University of Washington; and I assisted him in leading a trip to Hanoi in 2000. So our association with study abroad trips goes back a few years. When Christoph asked me about possible hosts for his program open to U.S. students this summer, I sent him right to Hue. Having two American groups here seems to be fun for the students, both the Americans and the Vietnamese. The UW group will leave Hue in another week and spend two weeks in the former De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) working with veterans' groups on tree-planting and other rehabilitation projects. The UCR group will participate in service-learning internships in the city of Hue working with Vietnamese students at Hue Hospital, Thuong Lac Free Health Clinic, the Hue Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Hue Sports Center, and Duc Son Orphanage. Also in this picture, far left, is Mr. Huy, the logistics person in the Department of Vietnamese Studies who is largely responsible for organizing these programs.



Each year we have a welcome ceremony and this year, the College supplied each UCR student with Hue University logo gear. Sporting the ballcaps are Chau, Tri and Jonathan. Not pictured here are the Vietnamese students who will work with them on their service projects this summer.









Classes take place in this room, part of the ground floor of an old, French-era villa where the college has its temporary campus until the new, modern campus is completed this summer. Each room comes with ethernet, lcd projector, aircon, ceiling fans, and flowers (only on the first day!). Like UCR, Hue University is going through a massive building phase, and all of the various colleges around town will move to a new, American-style campus complete with green space and kids throwing frisbees on the grass.

Our Hotel in Hue

"Welcome to Thanh Noi Hotel" the neon sign reads. We are located at this very fine local-style garden hotel in Hue, inside the walls of the old city that people in Vietnam call the citadel ("thanh" in Vietnamese). Xuan Anh is standing on the steps of the reception next to a very fancy looking Mercedes - great advertising for the place. No doubt it probably belongs to the Mayor or Vice-Mayor of the city since the hotel belongs to the City of Hue.

One of the great features of this little hotel is the very clean, small pool in the garden area. Here pictured are a couple of Italian kids who woke me up from my siesta screaming in Italian while doing cannonballs into the pool. Students are usually reading in the mid-day and resting after lectures, but the pool is a great and useful feature for the early morning or later in the evening. The staff at Thanh Noi Hotel know us well from last year, too, so there's no problem taking late-night dips.

Another nice feature of Thanh Noi is its garden-house style restaurant. Here under a very old Bodhi tree, breakfast is included free each morning, a great buffet of fresh tropical fruits, coffee & tea, some Asian breakfast dishes, and eggs cooked to order. During our stay here, there is a steady flow of European and American families and tourists passing through Hue. Its ideal, too, not having to clean a single dish during the program! In the far distance, you can just make out the wall surrounding the old, 19th century palace.

I didn't get a photo of the room in here yet, but its a standard room, fresh sheets changed daily, a fast laundry service, very clean floors, bathroom with shower or tub, and most important of all for us, a strong air conditioner. The rooms also come equipped with BBC, MTV, the Vietnamese broadcast channels, and a few European channels (Television Monde and a German channel). One thing we like here very much is the staff; they have all been working at the hotel for years and are relatively happy working there - so we feel secure there. They are constantly sweeping, cleaning floors and windows, and there day and night. This is relatively rare outside the five-star resorts, and I think it has to do with the management - esp. the Vice-Manager who is a graduate of the school that hosts us in Hue.

We've Arrived

To all those interested in following the adventures of David, Hong Anh, Xuan Anh as well as the seven students in this year's program (from left: Jonathan, Tri, Tony, Albert, Vicky, Lidia, and Chau) we have arrived and are finally getting up online. At Co Hong Anh's prompting, everyone this year has bought a bicycle for fun cruising around town. (All have helmets, too.) Bikes here are cheaper to buy ($40) and resell ($20) than to rent daily from the hotel. Tri and Jonathan will be working at Bac Si Que's medical clinic for poor people, and Lidia will be working at the Duc Son Orphanage, so there may be an option for donating the bicycles for needy children instead. Hue is perhaps the most bikeable city, especially in the Old City (Thanh Noi) where we stay. Last night under the near-full moon, the group biked the main streets along the Perfume River, nearly empty after 10pm.

The Backpack Carrier

We arrived in Hue on a sweltering June afternoon, the plane parking on the tarmac and us walking to the gate. Vietnam Airlines has lost its old Soviet-style block-letter logo and opted for the more inviting Lotus, symbol of pure quality service and a flight on Boeing equipment that practically levitates you from Saigon to Hue, Hanoi and any number of other destinations. I just read in the Vietnam News that the government has purchased four new Boeing 787's for its fleet, the Dreamliners.

Hong Anh is very proud of this latest child-carrying device. Its compact, crushable, and very comfortable. The Ergo Baby Carrier can be worn in front, back or on your hip, and makes for a great stroller substitute. A good workout too!

Family in Saigon

On our way to Hue, we stopped in to stay with Thao and my adopted family in Vietnam. Thao lives in Thanh Binh District, just beyond downtown, in a highrise where she also manages about 8 programmers working for an Australian software company. Pictured here at dinner are Mama Hiep, Thao, and her niece and nephew, Cun and Bin, as well as us with a sleeping jetlagged Xuan Anh.

Xuan Anh and Cun get acquainted.















Feeding elephants sugarcane at the zoo. While the San Diego Zoo might be our favorite zoo back home, few places will let you feed the elephants anymore like the Saigon city zoo. Here the elephants wait patiently while Xuan Anh and the gang savor the moment. It looks like Bean is actually taking a few licks of his before giving it off.