VFCD

We just got back from two weeks of volunteering with the VFCD. This technically stands for the "Volunteer for Community Development," although Alex gave it the more apt name of "Very Fucking Crazy and Disorganized."

Our trip in general to Vietnam got off to a rocky start. As we were checking in to our hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, we realized Chris had left his small backpack in the taxi. This had his iPod, Blackberry, and, most importantly, his journal from the past two years' traveling, among other things. Luckily, the taxi called our hotel at the end of the night and was willing to return the bag. Our hotel owner was in disbelief at our good luck, telling us he's never heard of a taxi driver actually returning a bag (although he demanded a reward, which we were happy to give).

The next morning, we were ready for the VFCD to pick us up at 11AM, this having been confirmed by email a few days earlier. Our workcamp was in a village near Sapa, 10 hours from Hanoi. The area is known for its many ethnic minorities and beautiful scenery among the Tonkinese Alps. There we were to contribute to various aspects of community development for the village, inhabited by Giay people.

Eleven o'clock came and went. The phone number on the website didn't work. We emailed but no response. At 2pm we decided to take a taxi to the address listed in the website. After the 30 minute drive we were brought to a place on the outskirts of the city. We searched the apartment building but VFCD wasn't there. We took another taxi back. By 4pm we were making new plans and trying to forget volunteering. We were disappointed and frustrated, especially as the past 7 months of email contact had already been frustrating for Alex. Finally, we got an email with a correct phone number and were soon picked up with a feeble apology from the 18 year-old "international coordinator." He took us in a taxi to the VFCD guest house 22 km north of the city.

We were now ready to leave the next morning. However, later that night we were told we wouldn't be leaving until the following night on the train. We told him that if we'd known this we would've stayed in the city another night to sight see. His response: "But it's so much fun here!" The next night we finally left, although they didn't buy train tickets in time, so we were stuck taking a bus.

The next two weeks had the same level of disorganization. We would discuss the plan at night, when we'd get up, etc., and then the next day we'd do something totally different. They organized trips during our free time, which never lived up to expectations; e.g., going to an eco-tourist center was actually just walking around in the fog of a resort. Even more baffling, one morning we woke up to find our coordinator was gone -- he had gone back to Hanoi for a couple days without telling us! We were left with no plan for work and no idea when he'd return. It was unbelievable to us that he wouldn't think this was a problem. Especially after all the problems we'd already had.

Despite the problems with the organization, overall the two weeks were positive. We lived with an extremely friendly family in their modest home. The nine of us volunteers shared the one primitive bathroom (in the kitchen, no running water in the house) with the family of four, helped cook the meals over the open fire in the kitchen, and slept on thin mattresses in the loft above their main room. The mom loved to feed Chris, probably trying to fatten him up -- after two weeks of heaps of rice and meat at every meal, mission accomplished. We spent a couple memorable meals enjoying the local tradition involving lots and lots of home-made rice wine. It is customary to greet new guests with shot after shot of this liquor. Once you've done had a drink together you shake hands and become friends. It is rude to turn down an offer to share a drink so 2 meals involved over 25 shots for Chris for the 50 proof alcohol, prompting one man to call him Superman. Luckily for Alex, the same quantity wasn't expected from women. But it was a great way to feel part of the village and to be welcomed by the locals. It was also a great way to finally get Alex to wholeheartedly enjoy karaoke in the adjoining room. Turns out she's awesome at it. (That is by drunk Vietnamese standards.)

Our volunteer activities varied each day. We spent most days helping to plant the 500+ trees VFCD bought for local families. This will help prevent soil erosion on their properties. It was tiring upper-body work. Another full day was spent harvesting a field of corn. Chris helped the family pick the corn and cut down the stalks while the rest of us spent the day in the sun shucking hundreds of ears of corn. This was very boring but the family will be able to use the corn for feeding their animals, making corn wine and food. One day when we were supposed to help build a house, we found out they didn't need us because they had to wait until the afternoon to start since that was the time deemed auspicious to start. Instead we helped drag bundles of long logs down an incredibly steep and muddy slope. The local children do this job and we had seen them running with a long tree trunk tumbling behind them on a rope. We were not as graceful or fast. On our last day of work we used hoes to help clear and flatten a patch of land that will be used to build a house. All the families were so grateful for our help and we had opportunities to share tea, rice, and lunch with them. Our other volunteer work was to teach English to local children at night. They would usually show up around 7 pm and stay until about 8:30. This fizzled towards the end of our time with only a few showing up. We didn't mind much, though, as we were usually pretty tired by that time.

We had our afternoons free most days and we spent this time either relaxing at the house or going on walks in the village and to the surrounding towns. The area is full of small villages inhabited by the minority groups. Our village, Ta Van, has mostly Giay and Black H'mong people. It is a hilly area so trekking was tiring but beautiful and peaceful. The hills are full of terraces, bamboo forests, and small rustic homes. One day's excursion found us caught on the wrong side of the river which then required an exciting and slightly dangerous river crossing on the rocks. We had one full day where we drove to see another town nearby. It was quieter than ours and interesting to see the different building techniques used by different groups.

We're now in Hanoi, a city we love far more than we expected. We're staying in the old quarter, a chaotic area that somehow retains lots of charm, despite the endless stream of motorbikes. The city currently has over 2 million! Crossing the street is a test of nerves as they swerve all around us as we cross the street; the trick is to be slow but deliberate. And the food is great, from simple stalls with small plastic chairs to great restaurants. Cafes are everywhere, as are the bia hoi joints. These are simple roadside restaurants selling the ubiquitous draught beer. It's brewed daily without preservatives and meant to be consumed immediately. They're always packed and with good reason. The beer is good and a pint only costs 17 cents!