KUE left the decision to book a flight, whether by them or by myself, to me. Many of us chose the flight which was offered by KUE. But that flight was overprized and required stops in Bahrain and in Bangkok.

Hence I searched on Internet for a cheaper and more convenient one. I found the most suitable option after a few minutes. What’s more this preference granted me a free baggage allowance of 38 kg. That was good to have – coz I carried along two bags of German chocolate and candy.

I arrived on time after a trouble free short stop in Bangkok, obtained my Visa at the Immigration office desk and picked up my bags from the baggage claim. To my surprise I didn’t see any of the other volunteers who should have landed just a few minutes earlier than me. So I headed alone to the meeting area. I was warmly welcomed by a friendly young Vietnamese man. He drove me to Nguyen Trai University.

There I was introduced to my coordinator Lan. She explained that the other volunteers had missed their connection flight in Bahrain and stuck there for one day. Therefore we postponed the introduction day and I was unexpectedly free. That day I met my old Vietnamese friends.

The private university was founded in 2008. Its main office is in Ladeco Building, a high rise in the heart of Ba Dinh District. The sight from one of the teaching rooms points to Westlake. The lake is surrounded by traditional quarters and new modern Skyscrapers. Motorcycles dwarf from this height. The university is investing in the 340.000 m2 Nguyen Trai educational complex at Ha Dong District and will move to it after completion.

“Nguyen Trai University is striving to become one of the top universities in Viet Nam and the region by achieving international standards in education programs and delivery. It aims at all-round personal development of students with high moral, intellectual, professional standards and sound physical and aesthetic capability, dedicated to the service of the society.”

The schedule doesn’t keep me too busy with just four hours of Vietnamese lessons a day. But the timetable is rather inconvenient with a four hours lunch break. We additionally teach English at Ha Thanh High School. Further projects are in planning and will follow shortly.

The new semester starts this week. Roughly 200 new students will begin their studies at NTU. We will guide and assist them.

Contrary to the original planning we don’t stay in host families yet. All volunteers live in a house 15 minutes afar My Dinh bus station. Either two or three people share a room. The furnishing is reduced to what is absolutely necessary; a thin small foam mattress. (It was worn out after a few days)

We are still young so I don’t complain. However I cannot even think of easy sleep. Our house is opposite the local cultural house. The squawking loudspeaker announcement starts every day at 5.30. At around 6 o’clock people come to play volleyball on the adjoining field.

Therefore my day starts early. The neighboring village offers a sufficient number of delicious Vietnamese street food. We cover the distance to university on foot and by bus in approximately 60 minutes. Though, I prefer the motorbike instead. My aged but fast Honda Dream II takes me to my workplace in 15 minutes.

I am on good terms with the other volunteers. We undertake a lot in the spare time. We also have close contact to the students of our university. We invited them on occasion of mid-autumn festival to our house. We cooked Vietnamese and German specialties and had a great but short time.

The weather is typical for Ha Noi. Some days it is hot and humid other days rainy. The smog irritates the respiratory tract. Accordingly all of us got ill in no time.

It’s been an absence of eight months; time to revive my blog. Here are a few lines to abstract the recent months since my return last winter. I was employed by my company for four months. But I left Germany for Viet Nam another time in April. I was warmly welcomed and quick settled in. I supported a few smaller projects and spent the remaining time with Vietnamese as well as International friends. I discovered Ha Long Bay and went to Cua Lo for bathing. My Visa expired after three months and I had to leave Viet Nam. I took the plane to Thailand, stayed there for one week, and then headed home.

The exchange year hasn’t changed, surprisingly, my German daily life. I remember well my recommencement. It is an undeniable fact that I feel great in my familiar environment. However I found myself thinking back about Viet Nam. Some German companions who also volunteered in Viet Nam experienced a similar sentiment. Hence we decided to meet again in Germany. It was easier said than done in a group of different regional provenance and crammed schedules. We finally agreed on a long weekend in March. We’ve had a cracking good time and we felt like in the good old VN-days. Moreover we even cooked Vietnamese dishes; Bun Cha and Nem. It is rather simple to shop for these ingredients in Germany on account of our migrants. What a coincidence! The owners of the next “Asia-Shop” were Vietnamese and open for a chat in Vietnamese with us, too.

Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood. I grew up in a society where people let others live freely. Live and let live. However, my second home is Viet Nam. I was up for volunteering once more. Hence I sorted the wide range of opportunities and applied at some organizations. An important criterion of the nonpaid voluntary service is the coverage of board and lodging. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany launched the “weltwärts” development volunteers program in 2008. “Learning by serving” is the motto of the volunteers’ service. It promotes the exchange between North and South in this way.

“Encounters between North and South help to promote understanding for one another. And this is particularly true when participants have prepared well for these encounters. In Germany, there are several programs enabling young people to get involved in development activities and get to know other ways of life. These programs are not about giving adventurous globetrotters a travel grant. In seminars, program participants are prepared thoroughly for their encounter with the foreign country. They also look at the opportunities and limits of their own involvement and think about what they themselves and their partners abroad expect from the encounter. And even before the trip, plans are made for participants to share their experience with people in Germany after they return. The young people themselves thus become “multipliers”, sharing their experience and engaging in development education work.” (Source BMZ)

Quite a few German organizations are assigned to run this service. I have signed the contract with the child and development aid association (KUE) for 6 months. I will assist at the Vietnamese-German vocational training center of Nguyen Trai University (NTU). Our volunteer group amounts to 18 boys and girls. Sixteen run services at NTU and two at a publishing company. Each of us will stay in a host family.

I’m already looking forward to my upcoming tasks. Particularly with regard to come up to one’s expectations. I have booked the flight for the 13^th of September and arrive one day later in Ha Noi. Henceforward my blog undergoes a change in the frequency of publishing new reports. I will post once a month instead of twice as in the past. I’m out of here, will pack my suitcase and see some of you in the coming days.

Back home at the heart of Europe. I’m sitting at my desk. I find myself in daydreams; not knowing what’s going on with me. Where am I? What am I supposed to do here? Well, the everyday life with family, friends and my actual work has got me back. My Vietnamese lifestyle’s still present. It would be nice to continue blogging to deal easier with the changed circumstance. But I won’t blog almost certainly about my current life. A blog about Germany would appear analogous to my Viet Nam blog. If I maintain writing, then I’d start like this: “Germany is not perfect by far. Germans are polite but insecure. It makes them act strange. Quite many Germans occupied the same aircraft on my flight home. A lot of German habits are unlike to the Vietnamese practice. My compatriots are always afraid to act off beam in this and that way. Thus they anxiously stick to their manner of perfectionism. My fellow citizens yearn for firm statements. They cannot live in uncertain case in point. More to the subject, they complain and grumble constantly. Charmingly, however goofy they are. “

I’ve got much love to both countries. My life is basically lined by luck and accomplishments. But I have written about topics which are running not yet smoothly on the other hand. Sigh, it became my main intention. Neither ones country nor culture is considered to be superior. They are different however equal. I reported about differences and picked out weak links. Others learnt from me and I learnt from my Vietnamese sphere. Thanks for your interest in my blog. Thanks for reading the posts and sharing your thoughts with me. Appreciation also goes to criticisms. The foreseen end of the blog has come.

My last days in Ha Noi passed in a flash. I met friends and was busy. Joscha and Yann left on December 30th. New Years Eve started with Italian dinner. We celebrated New Year in a bar afterwards. I did my last purchases on the following days. I started my departure day early and packed my suitcase. The taxi took me to the airport in the morning. I was able to observe the dynamically activities in the streets for last time. The traffic was catastrophic as usual. I wished to ride my motorbike again. Even so I got rid of my bike already. I was quite surprised managing check in without over luggage.

The flight had an eight hours lasting stop in Taipei. The ongoing landing in Frankfurt was astonishing. The sky was still shady at exactly 06:13 CET. Then I saw the first skyscrapers. The locals got up and illuminated their rooms. I observed the beautiful skyline and took notice to the pilot’s announcements. He informed us about the cold 3°C outside temperature. He was right; shivers ran down my spine. It was cold and my hands petrified. However, the air was fresh and clean. I took the intercity express to reach Berlin. I crossed many villages, cities and tunnels and took pleasure in the wonderful snowy scenery on the ride. The snow reflected the golden sunrays. The sky shone in light blue.

I had to change transportation several times to get to the small little village Gussow in Brandenburg. The journey to my evaluation camp ended after more than thirty hours in a remote area. I walked twenty minutes by foot throughout snow and ice. The seminar house was sited in a forest next to a lake. Then I identified well-known faces. I was looking forward to the coming five days. My organization offered us help for reintegration. The units were mostly thrilling and controversial. We exchanged stories and had a great time together. I don’t consider my point of view different to my attitude before my exchange year. But this experience has reinforced my conviction that priorities can change due to circumstances.

I will return to Viet Nam soon. The evening crowns the day; my purpose in Viet Nam is still incomplete. Work and friends are waiting for me in Ha Noi. My project was all in all a prosperous mission. I experienced intercultural exchange. Giving and receiving insight into a different culture. I learnt much. I am not a saint as you can see. My future is uncertain. Well, what was relevant yesterday, may doesn’t count today. I thank once again for the loyal readership. I wish all of you happiness, health and success.

Best and warmest regards

Michael

Only one week left. My flight’s on the 3^rd of January. I will head to Berlin to the evaluation camp right after my arrival in Frankfurt. The seminar takes place in Gussow/Berlin, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Subsequent get back to the grindstone. I will go back to normality; get up at half past five in the morning, come back from work around six in the evening. I am curious to discover how my life has been changed by this year. I would wallow in self pity if it didn’t change me at all.

We had to move out of our house on the 17^th of December, due to the landlords missing backbone and omitted legal permit. The owner blithely ignored the problem which was provoked by them. They couldn’t stand the possible confrontation with the authorities. They mocked us and kept my deposit money in their pocket. They’re pathetic, but this circumstance won’t solve my case. We had to sell our furniture. I wrote around five hundred E-Mails to friends and acquaintances from Indigo. We got rid of everything with much effort and discounts of over fifty percent, sigh. Our hotel “Prince 57″ is not far from Hoan Kiem Lake. Thus the place’s very touristy. It is strange to be among many westerners again. The price level in Old Quarter is incredibly high. Everything is so expensive and inferior quality.

Our residence

Christmas in Viet Nam. Well, the shop window advertisement changed to a bizarre kitschy snowy something. I can even find cheesy Christmas pictures and banners in my Cau Giay District. The true acceptation of Christmas is mostly unknown. But at least the profitable strength of this event has been recognized during the years of western influence. For me, Christmas is best with family at home. But this year I stayed in Asia. I celebrated Christmas Eve with friends in Ha Noi. Besides I think that this New Years Eve will be different because it’s not the Vietnamese New Year. The Vietnamese New Year “Tet” is directed after the lunar calendar. Tet is at the end of January in 2009.

Actually, I miss my old residence. The people and the surrounding area. Even the noise of drilling, hammering and yelling of the construction workers. The melodies and singing voices of the mobile traders on their bicycles. The friendly but confused people who couldn’t stop looking at us mostly in combination with a murmured “Tay”. On the other hand I also miss the countless low-priced restaurants which supplied me all day long with snacks and delicious Vietnamese food. I miss the people who invited me for tea or rice wine. Even so the entertaining chats with locals. Further the laughter about my mispronounced Vietnamese. I miss the contrast. I found myself in a steadily changing neighborhood. My house represents the traditional style. It is located in a narrow, winding lane. It is high and contracted. My neighbors spoke no more than Vietnamese. I often observed the life from my roof terrace. I listened to Vietnamese voices, perceived the sound of motorbikes and watched the workers on their construction sites. I saw children playing, women washed clothes and men processed rice, vendors waited for customers, dogs romped around and here and there singing or whistling Vietnamese. Sometimes I was just quiet and studied. The life’s different a few streets ahead. There are large buildings, shopping centers and a developing amusement industry.

Around our residence

I haven’t had much holiday this year. Hence I stopped teaching at the beginning of December. But I kept work for Indigo and held workshops. VPV’s evaluation took place in a Welfare Center in Ba Vi, extended Ha Noi. It was all in all satisfactory. The time will tell if our comments, criticisms and encouragements will improve VPV’s operation process. I felt strange while telling my learners that the end of my teaching had come. I realized that I enjoyed my volunteering much. My pupils are important to me and I’d like to work longer with them. However, the subsequent weeks weren’t monotonous at all. I stayed in touch with many. I received SMS, E-Mails and calls. They invited me for drinks, parties and even marriages.

It is time to say goodbye. I leave my Vietnamese community. I have to return to Germany. The year passed too fast. I’d like to turn back the hands of time; spending additional time with friends. But then I remember one of my student’s words. She said: “I don’t say goodbye. I’d rather say, see you soon!” I agreed. Viet Nam, see you soon! Best wishes and a Happy New Year.

The life is insane. I am quite stunned about how diverse life actually is. Sometimes I do not know what to believe. Life’s like a dream to me. Visions are unstable. First I thought to know roughly about my future. But certain plans are now uncertain. No matter what comes, it is good. I don’t fear future. Embedded you can find pictures from a Chinese artist who went to Germany in the age of thirteen. (More pictures here) Needless to say that stereotype pictures speak for the general public and I often disagree with her drawings.

We haven’t got any perfect society in our world. People create their society. We are responsible for our future. Wikipedia says a society is a population of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions. In Germans social order I feel like in the “Matrix“. In Viet Nam rather like in “Pleasantville“. I do not belong to the perfect civilization. I am the intruder. Either I play my role perfectly, or I am myself.

I occasionally give Joscha a ride on my motorbike. A police car recently drove in front of us. Then Joscha whispered to me: „ You know what Michael; this is how I thought about Viet Nam before my arrival. I mean the police, military and a disciplinary society which I’ve seen in media before. But, you know, it is so different and distant from that.”

My understanding of teaching as voluntary employment is in intercultural exchange. I do not force norms and values on someone. I want to know different point of views and wish to learn from others. But I also talk about cultural differences. I want that my people altercate actively with their culture. I encourage and animate them to think differently. Tough for them, tough for me. Many foreign volunteers ask me why I live with such a burden. And continue saying, take it easy. I take it easy. My lessons are joyful and we joke around a lot. Everybody plays his role in the world. Vietnamese are very good actors. They play their role perfectly. Then I think about Ronald Reagan and his unforgettable speech in Berlin. He demanded the soviet president, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Well, I am not as important as Mr. Reagan but I motivate my learners to tear down their walls in their minds. For sure, my way isn’t the simplest. But by this way I could experience great times.

Indigo started anew after my holiday in Laos. We attracted other people and a new Indigo administration crew started its work. They, unfortunately, never took part in Indigo before. So they are green and have to grow with their experiences. They are not aware of Intercultural learning. We held a workshop about cultural differences. I had the feeling to escape as soon as possible out of this. Harshly, I was confronted with the reality. We asked the attendants, as well as the Vietnamese key members, about their image of their own culture in comparison to others; as for example western cultures and the culture of their Asian neighbors. My apprehension was right again. I should be used to it. They came up with bloodcurdling stereotyped answers. All westerners eat fast food, are thoughtless and without sense of family, have no culture at all, take a shower in the mornings, live in big houses with garden and swimming pool…and so on. They are even miles apart from assuming their neighbor’s culture veridical. Or do you really think, that Japanese only drink tea when they wear a kimono?

They are well educated. Most of them study foreign trade or graduated already. It wasn’t amazing to me that they judged about Vietnamese culture rather positively. Indeed, they are aware of misbehavior. However a change is implicit as too difficult and not even taken into consideration at all. And this is exactly the point where we have to continue working on it.

In Goethe institute was an exhibition. “Hanoi transformation” consists of photo art (different pictures than in my blog) in combination with interviews. Vietnamese of any age were interviewed. I wrote down the first interview with a retired auto mechanic. He lives in Ha Noi and is 64 years old. In my opinion, he is so damn right.

“I believe that at the moment our society is deep in a dream, or maybe it’s a nightmare. Maybe we have to first have a major disaster; maybe people have to experience the consequences themselves before we can wake up from this nightmare. The dream we are dreaming is the dream of riches.

There are these mediums that are possessed by a supernatural spirit and they speak for it… I think that today in our society the people who still believe in socialism are like these mediums – there is no truth behind it; it’s all pure hallucination. To wake these mediums from their dream, to end this hallucination…Maybe it will take someone to give them a good shake to wake them up.

It’s like a big theater piece. There are people who are not communists or socialists, but they are still wearing the costumes of the communists and socialists. And sometimes they play the role so well that they themselves believe it is real. But it’s a lie, a big lie. And they lie to themselves first, and think that they are this or they are that. And when you live so long with a big lie, and believe it, it becomes a second reality.

When I ask people here, some are high ranking officials or party members in very high positions, even they can’t tell me what this socialism is, what socialism means, they can’t give a really clear definition. Maybe that means that its value is not particularly high. Whatever! There is a group of people who use this term “socialism” for their own ends. They use it as it means to get what they want.

I would say there are three ways to look at this “socialism”. There is the first group. They know that socialism has no value anymore. They know it doesn’t exist. But they can use it; they use it to their own advantage, for their own profit, to get what they want. Then there’s the second group. They don’t know if socialism exists or not. And they are betrayed by their belief that something like socialism is somehow hanging in the air. And that we continue to try to realize it. And then there’s the third group. They know that socialism doesn’t exist. But they also don’t know how to function without it, what can then possibly remain for them. And so they hang onto it because they have breathed that air for so long. They have become accustomed to it and they think that they are themselves socialism. They are afraid of what would be left of them if socialism were taken away. Those, I think, are the three groups in Vietnamese society, the three points of view about socialism.

The dream we are dreaming is the dream of riches. The dream of being rich, the dream of having power. Maybe it’s because until now the Vietnamese in their society had practically no chance of getting rich and having power. So now everyone who gets even a little tiny bit of something in his hands tries to get as much as possible out of it. Everyone wants to be rich. This dream is so deep within them, that they are beside themselves. And that’s why they do something that is really totally crazy and irresponsible – they destroy their own living space.

I can say this because I see it in the people here who live around me. My neighbor recycles plastic polymer. Polymer releases dioxin, something that is similar to Agent Orange and highly toxic. But although his wife and his son are already ill, he doesn’t stop; he keeps making plastic because he has earned so much money with it. I bought him a book which explains all about Agent Orange. He read it. But he keeps on making plastic because he wants to be rich! And he believes that with money you can heal all illness. But you can’t.

I don’t believe that there in any chance at all that those who are in power will willingly democratize the system. But it would be wrong to make the government responsible for everything, to blame the political leadership for what happens, that wouldn’t be fair. There are many who will now say, it all comes from the communist government. But it’s not that. Those things are now the way they are – that has a lot to do with the people here. The people in Vietnam accept it: I see that the desire, the need for freedom here in Vietnam is still very, very, very limited.

The system of slavery, which ruled here for centuries, is still deeply rooted in peoples thinking. Whether educated or uneducated – they all still think that they give their work and their strength for someone who is above them. Slavery begins in our minds. And it is still very strong. And you have to realize what this means. The people must change first, before they can demand a new political system.

I see a root cause in Confucianism. Because particularly China, Vietnam and a few smaller countries are deeply influenced by Confucianism. When Confucianism was founded the world was very different. China was a great empire which had occupied many smaller countries. They needed someone who could stand for unity, someone they could all follow. And it was a system where there was always someone who must be obeyed, who was in control. And for a certain historical epoch that was good, it was a system that worked well. As a historical phenomenon. But under present conditions Confucianism as a system is very wrong. But in any case, the people in Vietnam have lived so long under its influence, have had it drummed into them for so long, that it’ s not something that will simply change overnight. It will take a very, very long time.

To change you have to wait for the time. And it is essential that people in Vietnam manage to get out now and then, out of their own world. Just to see how the world is. And to see that not everything is the same as the way they live – that things can actually be different. And they need to experience this difference themselves. Simply so that they can imagine something different for themselves.

People in Vietnam today still live in their very closed societies. They are isolated from the world. And from other societies. It’s almost as if they live in a sort of desert. They don’t come into contact with anything else. For them reality is what they hear coming out of the loudspeaker. But that comes from this system. They read only the newspapers that come from this system, they watch only the TV that comes from this system. That’s why they don’t want anything else – they don’t know anything else.

I think my greatest dream … it is, that we can freely express ourselves, as free as much as you could to be yourself. And every society, every system which tries to prevent that is a great danger. People are prevented from being themselves. In other words that means: conformity.

They lose their own identity. And that is really a great, great danger. I see this danger today in our society. That is all that I have always sought in my life. You can’t be afraid of challenges and difficulties. As long as you know what you yourself want you can overcome difficulties. And as long as you are your own person, there is really nothing to fear. But when you cannot be yourself, are not permitted to be yourself, then you run the risk of losing yourself completely.

I think the blame lies on both sides: with those who choose not to speak freely and with those who want to hinder people from speaking freely. I mean the political leaders, the government. But equally I mean the people who fearfully think only of themselves, who don’t have the courage to speak the truth. And they must bear the consequences of that. They must live with the lie…

I will go so far as to say that in our society there are many who do not have the courage to stand up for something. Because they all have this fear, like a burden on their shoulders. I see so many people to whom that apply, even high ranking politicians who have much knowledge, and many, many titles and awards and this and that…and they have no backbone, they don’t stand up straight, all because of fear and ego.

I think that the powerful are the same in all countries:  they want to have everything under control. And that’s why people have to look after themselves.”

Life is not always simple. It’s a constant up and down. We look for approaches. We are sometimes afflicted by doubts. Many despair of such situations and choose too fast the easiest way. However, is the easiest way the correct one? Does the way of the slightest resistance lead us always to success?

I’m a volunteer in Viet Nam. I teach English at VPV/Coma 6 and I am a key member in our dialogue group. Circumstances can complicate work. Firstly, I am not a professional teacher. Secondly, work is hindered by missing social awareness of the Vietnamese society. However, in spite of all I go on working with unbroken drive. I wondered why I don’t choose the way of the slightest resistance. A good friend sent me a book, “The purpose driven life”. It encourages me to maintain my line. I believe that the way of the slightest resistance is only a way of avoiding facing to problems. I take moments just for myself. This is important. Though, a lonesome life is a dreary life. I share my life with others. My life is ruled by relationships. It enriches my life. I walk with family and friends through life. I asked over, what is the greatest gift of your life? Many answered this question with material bits and pieces. Conversely, this is wrong in my opinion. The greatest gift of my life is time. I can earn more money, but I cannot obtain any more time. My time is restricted. Our time is restricted. Hence, whenever someone is spending time with me, this person is investing his precious time in me.

The time with my pupils is eventful and useful for me and them. We’re a community. A community is a great warm place of friends. I commit myself to this community. I take responsibility and honesty. The lessons should be in contrast to the common practice of superficiality. My demanded goals are high aims. I need the help of others to succeed. The dialog should follow on an equal level. I am nothing special among them. Everybody has got the same rights and will be treated in the same kind way. Respect is the highest bid. Respect different opinions and take consideration of the feelings of others. I expect patience and understanding. Communities, in this case an intercultural community, will improve our social competence.

We often have a discussion about differences, yet I appeal to unity. Sure, the origin differs but we have more in common than we think. I remain realistic by some means. I know that I cannot change the society. I am although aware that I can adjust some mindsets at least. Excessively, the work here will finally alter my way of thinking. My lessons and of course every day dealings are likewise far off perfection. None of us is perfect. There are no perfect people on earth. Encouraging is better than criticizing. Protecting and keeping community is difficult. Encouraging is not always understood as good deed. Therefore it depends on the correct approach.

The subsequent codex is kept more difficult in Viet Nam. People who have been here already will agree to following points. Most people learned to think in one direction and will always believe in it. They stick on it no matter how evidently the facts are. I should have been dead in Vietnamese traffic. Road users don’t understand that less selfishness is safer and leads them even faster to their destinations. To elbow your way through everything is always the first choice of use here. I asked one student about his everyday life. He said that queuing is unfair and it takes him always too much time. Many Vietnamese share this judgment and do not queue. Sorry, what? What is unfair about queuing? No discrimination at all – who comes first, will served first! They are often noisy and easy to temper. Discretion is missing. Many Vietnamese will say that they are friendly, respectful, polite, hospitable…shy, open minded, sensitive. Hum, only a few foreigners visit this country again. Many tourists report rip off and impolite manners. Cold comfort, the Vietnamese are troubled by the same problems. I experienced and will always suffer a setback. But the achieved result is amazing. Many of my pupils appreciate my work much. This feeling keeps me going and makes my work meaningful.

Relationships are important in our life. Make the effort to maintain them and to restore them. I work for Volunteers for Peace Vietnam. Can you see the two important words? Volunteer and peace! I work here because I have chosen to work for the community not for money. Moreover I work for peace. Rick Warren quotes in his book: “Blessed are those who work for peace…not the peace lovers because everyone loves peace. Neither blessed are the peaceable; those who keep silent and are never disturbed by anything. Blessed are those who work for peace!” Running from a problem is pretending it doesn’t exist. Sometimes we should avoid, occasionally provoke and sometimes we need to resolve problems. Peacemaking is tough work! So maybe you understand now, why my blog often deals with pointed out problems. It is difficult but worthy for my part and probably in addition for others.

I acquainted VPV from beginning, that I am not a troublemaker. And that I will do my best to keep the peace. I will encourage and demand to achieve the best for them and me. Whenever a problem popped up, I discussed the problem with me first. Then I talked to VPV. No matter if I was offender or victim. Maybe I am a part of the conflict and the longer I wait solving it, the greater my suffering is. I sympathized with VPV and tried to see their point of view. I value their opinion; I care about a good relationship and feel responsible to my students. I didn’t attack VPV’s management team personally, but I attacked the problem. I cooperated as much as possible. But VPV’s thinking and dealing is far away from my procedure. We couldn’t come to a conclusion. My move out six month ago was at least an agreement. We realized that we couldn’t solve the problems at that time but agreed in disagree.

It is temporarily rather uncomfortable in Ha Noi. The rain flooded large parts of the city. The life brutally became a mess to the people. The transport system broke down. Vehicles were buried and houses flooded by the water. The food prices raised, especially for vegetables. VPV, located in the outskirts, was and still is in state of emergency. The volunteers have to stay in hotels. I had to suffer in darkness two days of power cut. I was lucky because the water disappeared after one day in my street. But the forecasts predict even more rain in the coming days.

It is cold or it’s just considered to be cold under those circumstances. My feet and hands are icy. It reminds me to last winter, spending whole day covered under a blanket. Let’s see if the shops next door sell jackets. I had to bear another shutdown a few days after the great flood. Power cuts are not unusual for Ha Noi. This happens quite often in my area. Though, I smelled something strange. I opened my window and saw smoke in the small lanes of my block. I went outside and took notice of frantic, hysterical voices. A crowd stood next to the power distribution box. The box was under fire. But the people didn’t do anything. They haven’t tried extinguishing nor calling the fire brigade for help. The fire set more and more power lines under flames and went off after two hours for lack of burning material. The supplier fixed the majority of the damaged cables the next day. But they omit fixing the small cables. Apparently, I am one of the people who is reliant on the small cables. I had to suffer seven days in the dark. A boring week without electricity and I couldn’t go anywhere because of rain.

Maybe I deserve that kind of discriminating treatment. I am a criminal, an illegal resident. Or better said my hosts are against the law. I drove back home with a Vietnamese friend one evening. Someone waited in front of my gate. I saw the uniform; it was our local police officer. He told me to move out immediately. The reason was explicit. They found out that our hosts aren’t in possession of permission for renting the house to foreigner. We begged for amnesty and comforted the policemen. Yet, we can stay as long as the papers are completed.

Hum, we asked our host about the permit from the local authority before our move in. They affirmed this question. As we no doubt have guessed they rent rooms in their own home to Vietnamese students. For that reason we considered their bureaucratic awareness as confirmed. To believe them was a foolish mistake. They don’t even have a property certification. Further, they are lazy and don’t lift a finger. In worst case we have to move out. No one will fine us. The host doesn’t understand that they have to pay the penalty.

We don’t speak Vietnamese. Accordingly my friends have to process everything. It isn’t easy. We knew from beginning the proper way. However, every official authority said something diverse. First we had to get the business registration permit. It took us four weeks. Now we have to proof that our house is save and good enough for foreigners to live in. Vietnamese authorities are concerned about foreigners. Standard must be much higher than for Vietnamese. The fire prevention regulation is only obligatory for foreigners. It says that there must be two fire extinguishers on the ground floor and one more on any other floor. I have never seen fire extinguisher in a Vietnamese household at all. Our house is narrow. The rooms are rather small and water is available on each story. It counts, on the other hand, a total of three floors. At this instant we must purchase five extinguishers! (One extinguisher is a duty in Germany)

I am pretty mad about our hosts. They treat us disrespectfully and we have to arrange, and pay, their affairs. By the way, luck is on Joscha’s side. He travelled with his mother and sister throughout Cambodia and Thailand in these tough times. We are calculating the costs at the moment. Maybe, unlikely, we move out of our house.

Today I deal with a subject which evidently catches someone’s eye. This report is about my experiences and incidences in the Vietnamese traffic. You will find embedded two videos. They document my everyday way to work. (No rush hour) Ha Noi is temporarily flooded due to heavy rain. Have a look at some photos from VNexpress and another video in front of my door. I sit in candlelight in times of no power supply. The water level is rising…

The transport looks chaotic at first sight. The streets, sometimes more sometimes less largely, are lined by countless pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and indefinable other means of transportation. The roads are often in bad condition. I have to drive around stones, potholes and garbage. The air is polluted. Many streets are dusty. But it rains quite often. The fresh breath is cathartic when the shower starts. However the rain still has quite a lot of disadvantage. The view is strongly limited by the downfall of rain. Some streets might be flooded. Other streets are probably slippery due to mix of rain and dust.

You can cross the Vietnamese streets relatively simple as person on foot. But you should be brave. Don’t be frightened by the mass of vehicles. Crossing is possible everywhere. Have a look at the traffic and start walking. Cross the street slowly, though in continual steps. It took me a while and courage but I got used to it after a few days.

The only local public transportation is the bus. The Ha Noi-Bus is low priced with a cost of 0.12€ per coach line. A ticket salesclerk charges, no matter how far your destination is, always the same price. So the price is settled for the respective coach line. To reach e.g. Peace House, I can choose line 32 and 57. Hence the journey amounts to 0.24€ in total. The bus is mostly overcrowded and the Vietnamese hit each other (!!!) for the few empty seats. I nonetheless took the bus for over five month.

The life’s hard for cars in Vietnamese traffic. Coaches and trucks use their strength and size to drive without consideration and the familiarity, or rather hope, that the other road users will make way. Other cars drive basically careful. However, they try to compensate their size by massive application of the horn.

The motorcyclists join in, in the chorus of honking the horn. The horn is from essential meaning in order to signal or to demand. One time to inform: “Here I am, please do not knock me over. “ And on the other hand: “Piss off, I have to drive as fast as possible to my destination. “ Motorcycles are often hopelessly overloaded. I’ve already seen bikes up to five passengers. It’s also common to transport big objects or animals e.g. a few pigs. I show respect for the skilful transportation. They can carry more on a motorcycle than we can in an ordinary automobile. The driving of a motorcycle is easy. And the transportation is basically trouble-free in compliance with a simple rule. “No hectic actions and let the traffic stream carry you. “

So far to the transportation theory but it’s diverse the truth. It is obvious that the high traffic density goes ahead to problems. Approaches, as for example new broader streets and separate tracks for cars and motorcycles, are already there. But virtually nobody stick to traffic rules. The high risk of an accident is everywhere. A basic problem of the Vietnamese society is reflected in the traffic. The majority of the Vietnamese are selfish and recklessness! The ruthless elbow mentality is common practice. Come hell or high water me first, then my family or friends and then (maybe) the others. The human being is naturally focused on its self. This is quite normal and elemental. But if you are not able to see yourself as a part of society, you and others are trapped because of this. At last admitting other opinions and perceptions will also lead you to quicker personal headway. The key is awareness, understanding, acceptance and love. It simplifies your life. Life which means friendship, partnership and business will gain an unexpected dimension of freedom and personal fulfillment.

Well, back to the mentioned problem I’m going off topic if not. The common Vietnamese will seize every opportunity to pass. The smallest gap is even good enough. Accordingly the person behind is forced to slow down. They are often self-centered whilst driving out of small lanes or entrances into the moving traffic. They suddenly appear in front of you and then they wonder why others have to slam on the brakes. I’ve seen plenty of accidents as a result of that. Pedestrians sometimes cause problems, too. Whether they cross without looking or they hesitate. They sometimes simply stop on the street or go even backwards.

Up to now I managed quite well with the traffic. Soever, I can tell you some awkward stories. My first accident occurred on the first weekend with my new motorcycle. I drove on a big street along a bridge. The light did not illuminate the street on a segment. Suddenly another motorcycle appeared in front of me. I braked hard and drew aside but couldn’t avoid sideswipe. No one was injured and the bikes were alright. However, the other guy was displeased by the accident and shouted at me. I would have had all reason to go off the roof. Conversely, I was too shocked. It is a one-way street. He had no reason to be on my roadway at all. He besides that drove without light, mirrors and helmet. I still don’t understand his behavior. I am glad that nothing bad happened to me that day. Some construction workers chased him angrily off.

I drove another day back home from work on a rainy evening. I tried to pass a truck. There was enough space for the oncoming motorcycles. But then I saw my nightmare; a driver who looked on the display of his mobile phone instead of the roadway. I honked and slowed down. But he didn’t act in response. We crashed. I slid on the ground and incurred abrasion. Nothing happened to him and our motorbikes. Surely, I am responsible for overtaking accidents. But on the other hand if he hadn’t had a look on his mobile phone, there wouldn’t have been an accident by any means. We attracted many curious onlookers. The man was fury and deplored loudly the loss of his mobile phone. We couldn’t find his mobile phone. (Well, bizarrely he phoned his wife with his mobile phone later that evening). Then he insisted on 200$ to set off the loss. This was ridiculous. The new phone costs 30$ in a shop. The man didn’t calm down. I called a Vietnamese friend and asked for help. We explained him the situation. He arbitrated between both parties. But the man persisted in his viewpoint.

By chance or mischance the police pulled off the road and took over the case. Unlike western police, they are not your friend and assistant. Everybody fears them. They are low paid. So “extra money” is subject that pays well. However, surprisingly they did not rip me off. At the end they decided that I had to cover the cost of his mobile phone. So I gave him 30$ and the matter had come to an end. We continued our journey. My Vietnamese friend was already at home. Joscha drove with his bicycle ahead. After a few hundred meters however, the Vietnamese guy appeared. He forced me to pull over. Apparently, the matter rested just for the moment for him. He turned violent and snatched my key. I didn’t want to start a fight. I called Joscha for help. The guy hunted for even more money. All alone we stood on the street. We waited endlessly for the police. The police was obviously annoyed by the guy’s behavior. They condemned his action and recorded his personal data. All other Vietnamese and policemen behaved friendly and helpfully the whole time. Good things come to those who wait. I felt tired out back home.

We stepped out of the airport. The sky above the city pronounced nothing good. Ha Noi was covered under a yellow layer. The smog irritated the respiratory tract. By the window of the coach I saw them again, the mass of the motorcycles and cars. Noisy and frantic people on their overloaded vehicles. Yes I am back, back in Ha Noi! I missed my charming capital city.

We hoofed from the bus station back home. The people yelled when we passed by. We heard them from all corners and ends saying “Hello” and “Tay”. Tay means nothing else than west or in this case foreign person from the west. I have missed these words much. Even though I think it would be very impolite, if I would shout that to a foreigner in Germany. My neighbors asked curiously where we headed to and what we experienced. With patience I answered all their questions. Then, I entered my house. The floor and furniture were covered with a thick layer of dust. I cleaned our residence and rested then on my bed. The familiar smell, the peace and my comfortable mattress. I took pleasure in being home. It was plenty of time left, half a week, to get used to the “normal” rhythm.

Peace House was nicely to be seen again. The VPV employees welcomed me with open arms. I settled down to work. The timetable was unfortunately a chaos. My lessons were rescheduled. They told some pupils to clear the way for others. I don’t know why and I don’t see the fun in such actions. So I called the old students and reinvited them to my lessons. Nevertheless I carried on with old and new learners. Besides that were some changes in our dialog group, Indigo, too! The previous team members desist from the active encouragement and new ambitious volunteers took over their work. I’m looking forward to the coming collaboration.

At times I wish to be in Germany. I want to see the golden autumn. Autumn in Ha Noi is really gloomy. It is cloudy and muggy by the day. It gets rather cool in the evenings. On some days I am lucky and the sun shines through the clouds. It reminds me of the first three month here, where I haven’t seen the sun at all. There’s not much to tell recently, except the ordinary cultural differences. It’s quiet and peaceful. The people are friendly, curious and even sometimes shy. They invite us quite often for a tea or we occasionally attend dinner at their homes. Well, did you know that dog meat contains a lot of Vitamin C? Do you know expressions like “parabol” (Satellite dish)? Or “Hitler No.1”? For us, with our limited Vietnamese, it is really difficult to explain that he’s a criminal, mass murder and f***ing bastard.

We meet up with the new German volunteers from time to time at the weekends down to their placement in the province. Then, we commonly spend our time in cultural activities. We were, for example, in the opera house and listened to the “Abegg Trio”. They performed Beethoven, Brahms and Schostakowitsch. We also went to the “Cinematheque”, an art-house cinema, and watched “Le Ballon rouge”. The short movie is about a red balloon with a life of its own, follows a little boy around the streets of Paris. That followed a Korean remake. A little boy and his baby-sitter inhabit the same imaginary world. Through their adventures they are followed by a strange red balloon. I like those kinds of movies. In contrast to that we went to a rock festival the other day. We savored cheap beer, Vietnamese and international rock bands. We had a good time.

I am back. I stayed away, as usual, from drugs and mostly alcohol, too. Firstly, where the heck is Laos actually? Laos shares borders with Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar and China to the north. Laos is nice. Beyond doubt, mountains, untouched nature, picturesque waterfalls, exotic dressed and friendly people of different ethnical groups let a visit here become an experience. However, Laos is poor. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is one of the poorest nations in South-East Asia. The life is simple. Seventy-two of a total of 142 districts are officially numbered as poor, forty-seven of them as extremely poor.

I traveled with some of my friends. My travel buddies were Joscha, Yann and Hisar; one of the new German “unemployed” volunteers. We changed our plans and headed directly, for 17 $, from Ha Noi to the Lao capital. The border crossing was simple and without any difficulties for the visa upon arrival. We arrived in Vientiane after a total bus journey of 23-hours. A clean guesthouse for 2€ was just fine enough for us. Yeah, this is budget travelling again. Long time no do. We took it easy in Vientiane and followed the Lao lifestyle. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lao PDR, or by some people called “Lao Please Don’t Rush”. We had Lao and Western food in rotation. I emphasize especially to the “Swedish Bakery” on this occasion. Sightseeing by day and the evenings ended mostly early and unspectacular.

We hit the road to Vang Vieng on the third day. Vang Vieng is a little town, which developed to the top backpacker’s destination in Laos. (Do I really want to be there then?) At this place tour operators supply activities like “Tubing”, “Caving”, “Climbing”, “Trekking”…“Canoeing”. We settled in a hotel five minutes apart the town. However, it was favorable and in order to our needs adequate. We spent the first evening in one of the countless restaurants. The specialty of these bars is that they show exclusively the TV-series “Friends”. The guests sit comfortable on mattresses, enjoy the show and nip on their glasses. Almost as good as in their own living rooms. Well, I’ve got the impression that some people come to Laos just because of that…

Vang Vieng is famous for tubing! It is quite simple. You insert yourself into a tractor inner tube and float down the river. There are dozens of bars along the riverside. Anytime you want, you can stop at these bars by giving the friendly helpers at the shore a sign. They are pleased to catch you. You will have a great time with them and all the other tubers. You can drink, dance, play volleyball or swing on the incredibly high rope swings and zip lines into the river! Tubing was great fun for us. We went to bed rather early that evening, thus exhausted and evidently drunken.

The following day we had to work hard. We cycled the whole blessed day and explored the amazing scenery and small minority villages. The caves were awesome, too! Hundreds of them are waiting to be discovered. It is advised to tourists to investigate the caves with a guide. We didn’t and possessed only one lamp. I begrudged the others for their hiking boots. I owned only my flip flops and slipped off dangerously from the slimy, cliffy, stony path and rocks. The cave was huge, though sometimes narrow and we had to creep. It was frightening dark. I escaped by the skin of my teeth. Gosh, I should have been dead. My feet were bloody and littered with cuts after ending of the tour. Accordingly the wounds burnt like hell linking up swimming in the lagoons. So the next day was relaxation day for me and the others went tubing again. We took the night coach to Luang Prabang later on.

We arrived in the early morning. The sun rose scarcely and the monks marched their everyday begging walk. A couple of residents contributed food or money to the monks. A Tuk-Tuk drove us to the desired Guesthouse. Up to midday we remained in our rooms and slept. Local buses aren’t that convenient in Laos. Then we met up with Liana and Mark, two Ex-VPV-Volunteers, and chatted for the good old times. We visited a gigantic waterfall on Yann’s and Hisar’s last day. The way to the waterfall was lined by terraces all over filled with water. A perfect backdrop for having a refreshing bath. Well, unfortunately full of leeches waiting for their victims to come. I had three of the beasts firmly bitten between my toes in no time. They enjoyed sucking my sweet blood. We stayed two more nights in Luang Prabang, checked out farther places of interests and informed us about a bus to Phonsavan, our ongoing destination.

We got up early to catch the coach. The eight hours bus ride was very nice. I could hardly refrain from looking and being fascinated by the mountains, small laid back villages and the primeval forest. Phonsavan is located on a high plateau. The pleasant climate and the vegetation are crushing. Not far from the Vietnamese border, unfortunately, also a violently bombed stripe. In Laos, although it was not officially involved at all in the war, more bombs were thrown down during the Vietnam War than in the Second World War in Europe. Nowadays many people lose their limbs and lives by unexploded ordnance devices (UXO). Field work or the collecting of war scrap (metal for resale) is the most frequent cause of the accidents. For further information you can browse through this organizations website.

Joscha and I cycled around the town the whole day. The plain is also known for its mysterious jars. Some about two meters high and centuries old. Their origin and purpose is still unknown.

Unfortunately, on account of the bad street conditions, there was no straight bus connection to the south of the country. Therefore we had to accept a long detour via Vientiane. We stopped in Pak Kadding and walked through the village towards the Nam Kadding River. But there was no picturesque shore for bathing, promised in our guidebook, so we went on to Savannakhet. However, the 24 hours in bus made us really tired and we had a tight sleep in our guesthouse then. The border town to Thailand, Mukdahan on the other Mekong riverbank, is basically a vantage point for tours to the surroundings. We were spoiled by raining the whole three days and we couldn’t see much of southern Laos. As a result, we enjoyed sauna and massage, tested the drinking capability of the fellow Lao men and returned wasted to Viet Nam.

We took the night coach and crossed the border almost trouble free. The voyage lasted seventeen hours. Yann picked us up in Đà Nẵng. He showed us around his city. We envy him a little bit. His project is classy and he lives only five minutes off the beach. The children in his orphanage are friendly and cute. Playing and spending time with them is great fun. We remained four days in Đà Nẵng. We have had enough of the long lasting bus rides; we took the plane back home.

We had wonderful three weeks apart Ha Noi. Laos is much quieter and more relaxed than Viet Nam. The people are calm and don’t annoy me permanently buying stupid things. Despite the fact that Laos is more expensive than Viet Nam, bargaining at the market is delightful and discounts are (still) easy to get. Laos is definitely worth it to visit again. I want to travel there alone next time to get to know clearer the Lao mentality.