Putney Magic

Legend has it that Halong Bay was formed by dragons. The jagged rock islands that tower over the landscape sprouted from the sea as these mythical beasts spat jade into the ocean to ward off invaders. After winning the battle, the dragons descended back into the deep ocean.

While some geologists would not be satisfied with this description of the formation of a world renowned natural landmark… a little mythology, folklore, and magic always make life a more enjoyable. So for the our last week in Vietnam we (Eileen and Ted) decided that after spending our time as “salt of the earth folk”, our team should spend our remaining time allowing a truly magical country like Vietnam to up the 'wow' factor of this trip. We decided to bring on the dragons.

After leaving Tinh Hoa, we spent a lazy day in Hanoi before taking a night train to Sapa – the northern highlands. The air in the mountains was cool and refreshing while the scenery was the stuff of legend. Though we encountered a lot of fog and rain, we managed to go on several hikes. The paths were a bit muddy and slippery, but with the help of Lang and Chi, our Hmong guides, as well as several of their relatives, we were able to explore the surrounding villages, hills, and valleys. And though the Hmong women have a slight frame (with some weighing less than 100 pounds), they have supernatural strength and balance. Many of them helped our students while carrying babies and small children on their backs.

Our three days in Sapa was short, but incredibly sweet… but unfortunately time is never on our side. We returned to Hanoi, again via night train, and, spent the day at museums and a water puppet show. At night we had Indian food, but chicken tikka masala was not the only focus of our meal. We (Ted and Eileen) made a surprise announcement… we’d be spending our last day at Halong Bay! This excursion was not planned in the original Putney itinerary but with some careful research we were able to find a good trip that would fit our timeframe.

Halong Bay was everything that we had imagined and more. We spent a majority of our day on a boat touring various islands and rock formations which the legendary dragons had created centuries ago. After lunch, we had the chance to try out our kayaking skills and paddled through tunnels, past miniature lagoons, and across the blue-green ocean. But for the most part, we just lazed around on the decks of our boat, enjoying each the beautiful landscape and each other’s company. For our last day in Vietnam, spending time together is all we really wanted to do anyway… but the gorgeous scenery did not hurt!

It is hard to believe, but we will be heading home in a few short hours. Our bags are already packed and the flights have been confirmed. As much as we do not want our Vietnamese adventure to end, I think that many of us are, at some level, ready to come home. We are ready to brush our teeth using tap water and cross the street without fear of a motorbike zooming in front of us. We are ready to sleep in our own beds without several roommates, and we look forward to showers with good water pressure and toilets that actually flush. And we are definitely ready to share our experiences with family and friends at home.

But one thing is certain… we are not ready to give up the Putney Magic that we’ve experienced this July. Only on a trip like this can nineteen complete strangers feel like family in four weeks. Only on a trip like this can a group like ours get to know and fall in love with a rural village in 'The Middle of Nowhere, Vietnam'. Only on a trip like this can we laugh and cry at the same time when someone says the phrase 'Chop! Chop!'

As we leave and as time passes, we’ll email each other, occasionally visit one another, and look through the thousands photos that will undoubtedly be posted on Facebook. From our past Putney experience, we (Ted and Eileen) know that some members of the group will keep in touch better than others. We know that eventually, we will forget some of the minor details of our trip that we hoped so hard to keep fresh in our memories. And we know that some memories will be exaggerated into our own Putney Vietnam folklore.

But no matter how much time passes, none of us will ever forget how magical this trip really was. Dragons may have formed Halong Bay, but they only wish they created the magic that we did.

Signing off,
Ted and Eileen

We hope you enjoy the photos below of the three completed houses (worksites 1, 2, and 3) with their respective students and workers/volunteers.

A Streak of Blue in a Sea of Green

When we first arrived to Tinh Hoa, members of the local Youth Union presented us with official YU shirts at a welcome party in honor of our service. At this point in our stay, we were still adjusting to life in the village. Some of us were getting comfortable on our bikes, others were coping with the scorching heat, and all of us (except for Eileen) were still trying to learn basic Vietnamese phrases. It was a nice gesture, but it is hard to say if the shirts had any true meaning to us. To be honest, they were not made for the heat and they looked a little odd! They are made from a thick cerulean blue cotton and boast a striking red and yellow Youth Union logo over the left breast pocket. If our students had popped the collar and donned the right pair of sunglasses and they would fit right into a 1980's cop drama!

After the party, we put the shirts in our bags and, with the exception of one or two students, that is where they stayed for the next two and a half weeks. Our time was focused on building homes, forming friendships, learning, teaching, and growing as individuals. Blue shirts were not on the agenda.

On our last full day in Tinh Hoa, however, we decided to wear our Youth Union shirts… and this time they had significant meaning. We were a part of something bigger than ourselves. And yes, our Vietnamese friends in the Youth Union wore matching shirts as well.

At the beginning of our final day, we took the time to enjoy some things in Tinh Hoa that we will miss the most in the coming months and years. Several students sipped a glass of rich Vietnamese iced coffee from a shop nearby. Even more of us spent some time at the beach – our beach – where we caught some of the best waves we have seen since coming to Vietnam. We all enjoyed the relaxing pace of the morning, knowing that our work was done.

In the afternoon, the formalities began. We attended a ceremony at the city hall which was very similar to the one held on our first day in the village. During these proceedings a news crew from a regional television station filmed and even interviewed a few of us. Considering that we already have celebrity status in Tinh Hoa (with everyone saying hello and asking us for autographs), we were old pros in front of a camera!

Then we biked as a group to each of the houses that we built and formally handed them over to the families – our families – who would care for these beautiful homes. This is when the tears started flowing. Knowing that we would not come back to these sites and see our new friends everyday was heart breaking. But there was also a genuine sense of accomplishment in this sad time. We had given these families, who we had grown to love, something amazing and life changing. We could see the gratitude, respect, and (dare we say it again) love that they had for us. The hugs lasted for a few hours, but the memories will last a lifetime.

As we biked back to our farewell party, we (Eileen and Ted) managed to stay in the back of the pack. By pure coincidence, we witnessed one of the most bizarre yet touching scenes. As we passed the rice paddies, we marveled at the thin blue streak, created by our students’ shirts, in a sea of brilliant green. In an already colorful region full of vibrant flowers, trees, and fields, we were able to make a small but incredible visual impact.

In many ways that image is representative of our work here in Vietnam. On paper, our contribution was small. We spent three weeks building three houses in a country with a population of 86 million people. But, if years from now, you ask anyone in Tinh Hoa about the students of the 2009 Putney Community Service in Vietnam program, they will fondly remember our hard work and our small but tangible impact in the community.

We spent the rest of our evening saying more goodbyes and even sang and danced a bit. At the farewell party, our students made us proud by singing an entire verse of Lý Ngựa Ô. The crowd went wild and made us give an encore performance!

The next morning, we had some group bonding time at 5:00 in the morning. We all trekked to the beach to watch the sunrise. We were tired, but the scenery was incredible. When the sun started to heat up the sky (which happens around 5:45 AM) we went back to the guest house in hopes of napping. But in no time we had several visitors and well-wishers showing up to see us off. Luckily, we managed to squeeze some time to pack up our belongings – blue shirts and all.

And then we left.

It is so hard to believe how strong our attachment has become to this little village in the middle of nowhere. Many members of our group are already planning to return years from now to see how the houses look. Many of us would like to visit our friends and see how the babies and little children that we played with have grown up. We (Eileen and Ted) hope that some of our students do return to Tinh Hoa… and that when they do, they’ll wear their deep blue, Youth Union shirts.

Singing off,

Ted and Eileen

Fashion, Food, and Fun in Hoi An

Travel books and websites describe the city of Hoi An as “friendly”, “charismatic”, and “oozing with charm”. And though most Putney students and leaders rarely have much interest in the assessments of such travel guides (because we don't spend much time in 'touristy' locations to begin with), our crew definitely agrees with the descriptions above! Last weekend we had the chance to trade in our work gloves, boots, shovels, and sweaty bandanas for all the luxuries that Hoi An had to offer.

We arrived in Hoi An after a two hour bus ride from Tinh Hoa. We immediately checked into our remarkably quiet and comfortable hotel – complete with huge bathrooms and an amazing pool – and then headed out to the downtown area. Most of us were surprised by the change of pace in this quirky city . Unlike most Vietnamese cities, old town Hoi An is completely pedestrian friendly. There are no cars or motorbikes to look out for when meandering down the city's attractive, shop-filled streets.

In addition to the change in scenery, we were also in awe of how many other travelers were here. In Tinh Hoa we have gotten used to being the only foreigners. We have grown accustomed to the stares of curious locals and we are used to saying hello to every child who sees us bike around. In Hoi An, however, we ended up doing a bit of the staring ourselves. We often looked at other non-Vietnamese travelers and wondered where they had come from and how long they had been living it up in Vietnam. Perhaps we felt more like locals do every day.

As you know, our days revolve around food, so we (Eileen and Ted) decided to treat everyone to a nice non-Vietnamese meal for our first lunch. We love our spring rolls, soups, noodles, rice, and stirfry, but after two straight weeks of eating it, we had pizza, milkshakes, burgers and fries on our minds. Students ate an incredibly satisfying lunch at The Cargo Club, complete with some of the most amazing desserts available in Asia-- tiramisu, brownies, fruit tarts, mousse, and cakes!

After lunch we sent our students off on an intense scavenger hunt. They had to find and photograph landmarks – like a covered bridge built by the Japanese, and an old house that was owned by the Chinese mafia – and also search out other common sites – such an elderly vendor selling animal whistles and tourists wearing “Tin Tin in Vietnam” shirts. If we learned anything, it is that our students have a bit of a competitive streak!

We also spent most of our first day shopping. Hoi An is known for its textiles and numerous skilled tailors, so naturally we decided to have clothes made. Everyone (including the boys) had an incredible time designing suits, dresses, jackets, shirts, trousers, and even shoes. Some students were very prepared beforehand, showing tailors hand drawn sketches and photos from the internet of specific pieces they wanted made, while others just winged the designing process when they saw the fabrics and showpieces that they found in the shops.

We enjoyed a dinner which was very similar to lunch, and then we headed back to the hotel for an early night. Everyone took full advantage of the consistent air conditioning, the cable televisions, and warm showers. For the first time in a long time, we felt completely and undeniably clean!

The next day we woke up early for a tasty breakfast at the hotel. We thought we were spoiling our students with the jams and chocolate spreads that we serve in Tinh Hoa… but the hotel definitely showed us up. There were several fruits, freshly baked bread, danishes, and brioches, and even an omelette bar!

Next we headed to My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 50 kilometers from Hoi An. The ruins at My Son were built by Champa kings in the late 4^th century AD. The Champa kingdom was largely Hindu and the architecture closely resembles ancient buildings located in Cambodia and Indonesia. While there we enjoyed a cultural performance, which recreated the Hindu dance styles of centuries ago, and then wandered throughout the ruins catching a glimpse of an ancient time.

We returned to town for yet another amazing meal and then continued with more shopping. That evening we decided to change things up with a cooking class at the Hai Café. We made spring rolls, salads, and one meat dish and, to be completely honest, our food was beyond delicious. I am sure when our students come home they will recreate the recipes for all of you. Making the food was fun, but listening to our instructor was downright entertaining. Every 30 seconds he was cracking a joke in his Australian influenced Vietnamese accent. If any of our students get impatient from now til the end of the trip, we will take a page from our cooking instructor's book and say “Easy there Tiger!”

That night we enjoyed more incredible desserts from The Cargo Club and, after we got back to the hotel, we went for a night swim in the pool. The water was cool and the stars were bright. It was was one of those group bonding moments that we’ll definitely remember for a long time.

On our last day in Hoi An, we spent another few hours of shopping and picking up clothes. On the bus ride back we felt mixed emotions. Hoi An was great for our spirits and we were so happy to have experienced it… yet we were a little sad that we had to leave! Also, this particular excursion reminded us that we are more than halfway done with our trip. While we all feel like we’ve experienced so much since we’ve been here and have already made lifelong friends, it is a bit shocking to know that we have such a short amount of time left.

In order to pick up spirits one more time, we decided to have a fashion show challenge (Project Runway style) the day after we got back. We (Eileen and Ted) are seriously amazed by the modeling and designing talent of this group. Heidi Klum could have learned some serious lessons from our crew!

Now we are gearing up for yet another bittersweet moment. We are approaching our last few days in Tinh Hoa. Our compassion houses, which literally started from nothing, are truly amazing structures that we could not have even imagined three weeks ago. And our friends here are among the most genuine and funny people we know. We’ll be bracing ourselves for an emotional goodbye.

Bye for now!

Ted and Eileen

group shot at the My Son ruins

Bricks, Beaches, and Farmer Tans

We’ve been in Vietnam for a little less than two weeks, but we have something that few travelers ever get – a routine. Our 8^th day of work was pretty much the same as the last seven, and we couldn’t be happier!

Each day several athletically ambitious students and wake up at 6:15am to go for a run with Eileen. There are, however, several students (and one leader!) who wish to sleep in for an extra precious forty five minutes. We all gather at 7:15 for a breakfast in the courtyard of the Hy Suu Guesthouse, where we eat fresh fruit, Vietnamese style omelets, rice porridge, noodles, and French style bread. We (Eileen and Ted) even bring out fancy jams, coffees, and chocolate spread every day, just to spoil everyone even more!

By 8:00am we head out to our respective work areas. The labor is definitely intense but we are already seeing incredible results. At all of our three compassion house construction sites, our students have mixed cement, set foundations, laid hundreds to thousands of bricks to build up the walls, and assisted local workers as they measured and constructed the roofs of each home. Not bad for a few days work! Right now we are mastering our wall cementing technique with mixed results. We just can’t seem to make the walls quite smooth enough yet… but it’ll come with practice.

One of the biggest rewards of this experience is working alongside local volunteers and the families that will eventually live in the houses. We already have a list of characters who have become our friends.

At site one you can’t walk for more than twenty feet without running into Tien, an adorable three year old boy whose smile would make anyone melt! The students definitely make some “baby time” each day to play with Tien and two of the most precious infants who live near the worksite. Site one also benefits from having Ky and Xo around. They are two volunteers in their early twenties who, on top of having a lot of construction expertise, make the work day fun with jokes and frequent watermelon breaks.

At site two, students are constantly entertained by the “Hip Hop Boys” a group of local 12-14 year old boys who bust out the craziest dance moves-- head stands, back flips and crazy flying kicks! From time to time we try to join them, but for the most part, we prefer to avoid embarrassment. The students are also serenaded quite often with the Vietnamese version of What is Love? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me!). Except the Vietnamese version sounds a bit more like “Baby don’t heart me”…

Site three is quickly becoming gluttony central because our kids are always getting fed! Twice a day an adorable elderly man comes by at 10:00am and 3:00pm and motions for the students to stop working. He eagerly says “Chop! Chop!” which we’ve taken to mean as snack time. They eat bean dumplings, soup, ramen style noodles, fruit, cookies… and the list goes on. (This is on top of the big lunches that we eat at 11:30am everyday!) Needless to say, we refer to our old friend affectionately as “Mr. Chop Chop”. And everyday after lunch a few students from this site watch a Vietnamese Soap Opera with the neighbors. The rest of the group gets intense, daily updates!

We leave the worksites everyday at about 4:30pm. The bike ride back to the guesthouse is always more difficult than the morning ride because we are exhausted. Yet somehow we manage to go to the beach nearly every day! Nothing is better than ending a long, sweaty day of manual labor with a dip in the South China Sea. Though our time at the beach is usually only an hour, it gives us the opportunity to even out the ridiculous 'farmer tans' on the back of our necks and forearms. And the water is always calm and cool… it is heaven on earth!

We finish off each day with yet another delicious meal and a group meeting. Group meetings are a great time to reflect on our days. We give shout outs to students who perform an exceptional task, everyone shares their high and low moment of the day, we go over announcements, and we usually end it with a game. We’ve had some intense rounds of Mafia over the past few nights!

This weekend we’ll be breaking from the same old same old. We have a long weekend excursion to Hoi An, an historical port city located two and a half hours (by bus) away from here. Hoi An is known as the textile capital of Vietnam… so expect a lot of gifts to come from this city.

And next week we’re back to the same routine for five more days. It is so difficult to believe how fast time is passing. But you can be sure… we are savoring every minute of our Vietnamese adventure!

More later,

Ted and Eileen

My Lai

She crouched patiently as she systematically pulled weeds from a nearby bush. We learned that, despite her advanced age, she comes to the My Lai Memorial regularly and does odd jobs on a volunteer basis. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue, could so easily be overlooked by the occasional tourist or passerby, but, by pure coincidence our group had the opportunity to hear her story.

Earlier this week, our team visited the My Lai Memorial, which is located a few kilometers from our guest house. The ride, like most of our biking excursions, was beyond gorgeous. It is difficult to believe that this scenic region has such a sad and violent past. On March 16th, 1968 hundreds of unarmed civilians in the villages of My Lai, My Khe, and Son My were killed by US soldiers. The memorial and museum contained haunting photographs of the elderly, men, women, and even young children who had been shot or were awaiting their bloody fate.

While walking through the grounds outside of the memorial building, we had the rare opportunity to meet Ms. Nguyen, an actual survivor of the massacre. Our encounter with her was brief, but extremely powerful. As she recounted her story, we could see the raw emotion well up in her eyes. She was in her early 40's at the time. Her morning had started off like any other. At that point in her life, her previous experiences with American soldiers had been very positive. They had provided food ration supplies as recently as three months earlier.

But within hours she saw her entire family killed. The houses in the village had been burned down. She managed to escape by begging the soldiers to spare her. She says that it was pure luck that she survived at all. It was hard for us to associate her fate with the word "luck".

Many of us teared up as she spoke. The thought of losing your entire life, while actually managing to stay alive is beyond our comprehension. Yet, as she met with us, she showed no sign of animosity. She shook our hands and appreciated our respect for her.

It was an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives. It also reminded us of the reasons that our work in Vietnam is important. By building these houses, we are attempting to give a livelihood back to people who had so much taken away from them decades ago. And at the same time, we are serving as ambassadors to people who rarely see Americans... much less young Americans. It may seem like a big responsibility for a group of 17 teenagers, but our team is living up to that high expectation.

More soon,
Ted and Eileen

Ms. Nguyen

From Ho Chi Minh City To Tinh Hoa

For the past three days we have, quite literally, been on the move. From Saigon to Danang to the Quang Ngai district… we’ve covered a lot of ground. And in the process we have created a lifetime of memories and experiences. Not bad for 72 hours!

Our second day in Ho Chi Minh City was just as adventure filled as the first. We started off our morning with breakfast at the hotel and then headed to an upscale coffee shop for our in-country orientation. We covered several topics – including health and safety, culture, rules, group expectations, etc. – while sipping on more Vietnamese iced coffee. After orientation we walked to a large market for our first group competition. We split everyone up into four groups and had them complete a mini-scavenger hunt. Each team needed to purchase at least one bracelet, a kilogram of a fruit that they’ve never eaten before, and one “choose you own” item, which could range from a funny t-shirt, to a snack, to anything that would make us laugh. The point of this activity was to try bargaining. Surprisingly, many of our students are shrewd when it comes to market haggling! We ended up with several articles of jewelry, dragonfruits, lychees, rambuton, puppets, colorful hair scrunchees, and more… and all of the items were purchased at reasonable prices!

Our next stop for the day was the War Remnants Museum. After the excitement of the market, it was a complete, but necessary, change of pace. We saw actual war craft and vehicles of destruction, accounts of Vietnamese citizens and American soldiers who were disfigured as a result of Agent Orange, and startling photographs of human rights atrocities committed during the war. As saddening as the experience was, all of us could recognize the importance of understanding recent history in Vietnam and the delicate relationship that this country has with the United States.

For dinner we decided to do something light and a bit out of the ordinary. We went for tapas! We all have been enjoying Vietnamese food immensely, but before we headed off to Tinh Hoa, the village where we’d be staying, we decided to mix things up a bit. And to end off the night with a bang (it was the 4^th of July after all), we decided to go out for some ice cream!

The next day, July 5^th, we had to prepare for yet another day of travel. We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang, and from there we took a three hour bus ride to our project village, Tinh Hoa. Usually a long bus ride is not something to look forward too, but this particular route offered very few bumps and amazing scenery. The rice paddy fields were the brightest, most vibrant shade of green, while the nearby mountains and blue skies helped create a postcard-like image. It was hard to believe that we would be living and working here for the next three weeks. . .

Today was also another remarkable day. After having settled in our guesthouse yesterday, we were ready to go this morning. Several students decided to go for a run this morning (which is beyond commendable!) and the rest of us joined them for an early breakfast. Then we had the chance to break in our brand new bikes! We first rode off to the Tinh Hoa City Hall, where we were greeted by our university hosts and local village officials. There were several speeches and photos ops for the local media. The village officials even gave us all flowers. We spent the rest of the morning touring the worksites and meeting the families for whom we’d be building houses. We have a feeling that ,in no time, the individuals we met will be lifelong friends.

One of the highlights of the day was our time at the beach. We were incredibly hot and sweaty after riding bikes all day, and the ocean was just what we needed. Later in the evening we even got together with some of the university students to play soccer and frisbee on the sand. It is likely that we’ll be going to the beach (which is less than a 5 minute walk from our guesthouse) pretty regularly.

Tomorrow we start working! We know that building these houses will not be easy, but that is what will make this experience so rewarding. And as long as we can embrace a routine (and avoid extensive and exhausting travel for the next few days) I think we will be set.

Until soon,

Ted and Eileen

The group has arrived

It's an undeniable truth... Vietnamese culture is interconnected with Vietnamese food. According to an old proverb, "hoc an, hoc noi", people should "learn to eat before learning to speak". So appropriatley enough, our first day in Vietnam has been dedicated to Vietnamese Cuisine!

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at 10:00am after an incredibly exhausting flight. As tired as we were, we knew we had to fight jetlag with a full day of activities. We took a few moments to settle in our hotel and wash up. By noon, we were on our way to a fancy restaurant for our first Vietnamese lunch. Remarkably enough, this simple meal provided us with a fun group bonding experience and a handful of great memories. We enjoyed fresh seafood, perfectly seasoned chicken and tofu, homemade noodles, delicious Vietnamese coffee, and (of course) great conversation. A few of us were particularly adventurous, ordering delicacies like crunchy pig ear and spicy jellyfish. Needless to say, we shared plenty of laughs. (And, believe it or not, the pig ear was pretty good!)

Our gastronomic adventure did not end there. After a brief sightseeing trip to the Reunification Palace, we were back on the prowl for something new to taste. We bought unfamiliar but delicious fruit from sidewalk vendors, and even checked out supermarket where a few of us stocked up on Vietnamese and western snacks. We've only been here for a few hours... but we're already impressed with the variety of delicious food we've eaten. Dinner is just around the corner, and we are already gearing up for another great meal!

We will probably turn in early tonight, because tomorrow will be a busy day. After a thorough in-country orientation, we plan on doing a lot of sight seeing... and eating. And if our meals thus far are any indication of how the rest of the trip will be, then we definitely have a lot to look forward too!

Bye for now,
Ted and Eileen