Research Time: Habitat, Women & Housing

Women's Build Research Team!

            In the time-span of two months, I’ve accumulated well over 100 e-mails which includes something along the lines of ‘Women’s Build’ in it. I have a heightened level of respect for people who’s daily work is logistic centered, as it is time-consuming, requires a lot of patience, and willingness to make multiple corrections to ‘final versions’ of things. All to make sure things run as smoothly as possible. I was in charge of facilitating most of the logistics pertaining to the research and this was a broad range of things. I ended up doing budgeting—detail all our expenses for the trip, finalizing copies of our research agenda to send to government officials and collecting base-line data from some of our staff at our offices across the country.  For a lot of the logistics work, I could not hesitate to ask for help because of the language barrier. I don’t know how I would have gotten everything done without willing, helpful hands. I felt in over my head at several points, but had to remind myself to do the best I could and when in doubt to ask for help.

            After my passport forgetting fiasco, I was able to join the team in ‘conducting’ research.  ‘Conducting’ research was quite interesting as we had 7 local authorities accompany us everywhere we went. Foreigners are not allowed to conduct research in Vietnam without government approval. This includes providing them with the rationale for the research, a research agenda/protocol detailing where you will visit and the exact times, as well as how many people will be coming to do the research. We were only expecting 1 authority—two at most, but were really surprised that this much came. Only the head researcher from the US, a local translator and government officials were allowed to enter the room, which made for an interesting dynamic.  While waiting for the interviews to be completed—anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour, we sat, wherever we could. My Tho was so much hotter than the city, so finding shelter from the sun was a priority.

Most of the places we sat and waited were at people's homes: This was my favourite!

            During the waiting time, my supervisor suggested I interviewed the female local authorities to get their opinions on the work and how its been helping women. I had no questions written down, but thanks to learning so much about the projects before arriving, I was able to think of good questions to ask! I definitely had a social worker ‘thrill’ moment, and had to try really hard to mask my excitement about such hands on experience. We sat mostly on the ground or on stools, so this made things feel less formal, and one of my co-workers translated for me. When I had asked all of my questions pertaining to the projects, I put into practice something I observed while assisting Professor Delaney- a dear professor from undergrad, with research in East Timor. At the end of every interview, Professor Delaney would make it a point to ask whoever she interviewed—whether a single individual or a community of 50 people, if they had any questions for and about her. People’s faces would lit up at this offer! We often rush to get information from people for the sake of research, without even given them the option of having a glimpse into our reality. 

          Reminded of this, I asked the two women I had interviewed if they had any questions for me, about me, to which they smiled and then responded with several questions! Where are you from? Barbados—Where is that? How old are you? Are you married? What are you studying? By the end of our exchange; through asking more questions, I got to learn about how they got into this field of work, where they were from in Vietnam, and about their families. I also received the translation: ‘They say you tell you: You are cute!’ to which I responded ‘Cam on!’ (Thank you!); received big smiles and the both literally started to pinch my cheeks! AKWARD and FUNNY?= YES! As much as I HATE having my larger-than life cheeks being pulled at, I was glad that it served to ‘break the ice’, as we were all laughing by the end of it. Later that week, the government officials gave us rides to the remote places. I received a ride from one of the female authorities who had a black and white polka-dot motorcycle helmet. One day she showed up in a shirt that matched it perfectly!

Rice Paddies & the ever-stylish local authority who gave me rides to interviewees' homes

            Although I wish I could hear firsthand the women’s experiences, I still got a lot out of the experience! I got to see the full houses and house repairs Habitat has done over the years. We went to about 15 of them, and each neighborhood or ‘hem’—alleyway, was different. 

Scenes from the neighbourhoods:
 The first two pictures at the top and the house at the bottom right are examples of  Habitat full houses

            The contrast between extreme poverty and increasing wealth was evident in the range of homes. Sometimes, side-by side or across the way, you’d find a low-income or  a near or fully dilapidated home, opposite a house of epic proportions considering the surroundings.  The physical locations also varied considerably. One was down a narrow--and noisy, alleyway at a home that faced an outdoor market. Another was more remote and we had to take a motorcycle to get there, which provided us with a view of the bluest of skies and lush green fields of rice.  

These two homes were side-by side: The 1st is a repair by Habitat and across the street was this huge house

            My Tho was so different in pace, size and economic status from Ho Chi Minh City—at least what I’ve seen of it. Nestled around the Mekong Delta, instead of the continuous buzz of motorcycles and traffic and skyscrapers, modestly sized buildings and daring structures on stilts were found. I could see the sun setting clearly and the air was full of sounds of boats of various sizes, chugging through the water, and people carrying on selling an array of trades.

Sights from My Tho

           

            

Accidental Passport Woes in My Tho

      Dear Passport, it would have been nice if I had remembered you

           After months of planning, the time came for us to head out to where we would be conducting the research. I was so excited to see first-hand the projects I’ve been learning so much about and to meet the people in the communities who either received full houses or home-repairs through Habitat. Our research took us to a city along the Mekong Delta called My Tho (pronounced something like ‘Mi Tha’) in Tien Giang (pronounced something like ‘Tien Ziang’). Unfortunately, after driving two hours and arriving at our hotel, I realized that I forgot my passport back in Ho Chi Minh City, and even with copies of it, I was told I couldn’t check-in. We had a meeting with the local government authorities to attend soon after we arrived, and hoped we’d have a better chance that I could stay without it. However, we resolved before leaving that if their answer was ‘no’, I would take a bus to the city and back to pick it up…As I dreaded, I was told I couldn’t stay without it and had to make my way back to the city alone—seeing my supervisor and co-worker on the trip had to stay to ensure things ran smoothly. I was not looking forward to this especially after a conversation about the multiple buses I would have to take and transfers that needed to be made. Anxiety was in high gear and I left the government office with several pieces of paper that detailed all the steps I needed to take, complete with questions written in Vietnamese such as ‘Where do I take the express bus from District 6 to District 10?’ 

The steps: My Tho-HCMC-My Tho complete with questions in Vietnamese( to the top)

            The heat was sweltering as I waited at the small Mai Linh Bus station in My Tho, and the bus arrived 30 minutes behind ‘schedule’.  They provided all of us with bottles of water and pre-packed refreshing wipes. I was secretly wishing that snacks would magically appear from the container, as I forgot all of my snacks in my bag that I left at the hotel will my co-workers. I had with me an abundance of citrus fruit—oranges and tangerines given to me by one of the local authorities as I left. Considering— thanks to food-allergies my bodies low tolerance to anything highly acidic, I thought it best that now is not the time to experiment with eating oranges fruits for the first time in over two years. I managed to sleep for most of the ride for my first leg of the journey, and once arriving to District 6, I had to heavily rely on bus conductors pointing me in numerous directions. There wasn’t very much English happening besides ‘Yes’, ‘Wait’ or ‘Go, that one’—waving in a vague direction to a sea of buses. I found the Express Bus to take to District 10, where I the needed to by my ticket back to My Tho, but before hailing a taxi to go back to my place to pick up my passport. 

 Bus Ticket & Bus Transfers which I mostly did not understand

            After retrieving my passport I thought it best to grab a quick lunch and make it back to the station, as I was given conflicting times about when the bus would leave. I was first told the schedule said 3:30pm, but then it was written down as 2:30pm on the ticket. I got there around 2pm, and I didn’t sit long before a bus came and was put on the bus. Now, I was told that unlike the multiple transfers like last time, I would just need to get on the bus which left from District 10 and it would be a straight journey to My Tho. Within 15 minutes, I found myself back at District 6, everyone had to get off the bus, and ended up being told to ‘Come’ and ‘Sit here’ in front of the bus I needed to take company’s desk waiting over 30 minutes.

 Some of the sights as I sat waiting in front of the Mai-Linh Bus/Taxi kiosk

           Situations like these I can tolerate a lot more when I have company. Being on my own, that’s a whole different story. Not having a clue what was happening, when I would actually leave, wondering if I got the right bus ticket in the first place; disgusted by the strong waft of urine that greeted my every time the wind-blew and having a group of men smoke around me was albeit too much. It didn’t help that I was obviously a rare sighting as several persons would walk by, backtrack and stop and stare. If a song were to play out of thin-air like it does on TV, the song would be from ‘One of these Things is not like the other’ from Sesame Street. Eventually, I was told to ‘Come, follow’ and was lead past some vendors along the back of a long row of parked buses. I was pointed to the one I was supposed to take, and seeing all of them are the same colour, I tried to confirm this was it asking the man who led me there ‘MY THO? MY THO?’ and then the two ladies who sat beside me. We waited for close to an hour before we left, and without knowing when, I fell asleep. I’m grateful that the bus driver made it a point to wake me up 5 minutes before my stop in My Tho, as this bus was making its way to multiple-destinations.

            I called the others to let them know I made it back to My Tho and to see if they were already back at the hotel.  Once I found out they were there and finished with interviews for the day, I took a taxi compliments of Mai Linh back to our hotel. My mistake of forgetting my passport resulted in 6+ hours of travel time back and forth. I returned tired, in a deplorable mood and fully embodied the phrase ‘a hot mess’. After a quick rest, I joined the rest for dinner and my mood was soon lifted thanks to good conversation and laughs. While I would not want to repeat this experience, I can definitely say I can file this one down as one of my ‘unforgettable’ travel moments. I was glad that amongst what little I did have with me in my backpack, I found my journal. Printed with the words ‘Embrace Possibility. Live Your Dream’ and a slightly toned-down lime-green colour, recently I have mostly been unmotivated to write in it. I was grateful to have it in that moment to able to document my reactions to the experience in the moment and capture the sights and sounds as vividly as I could.

Cambodia Dreamin'

(Possiblity of Visit: Signs at the Angkor Wat like this were found everywhere and caused a good laugh)

Cambodia, a dream come true is the best way to describe it. Cambodia has been on my list of places to travel ever since I studied abroad in Thailand in 2008.  Now that I’m back in South-East Asia, I was hoping I could visit at least one other country in this region I hadn’t before. Thanks to Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, which renders everything in the city closed for a week, I got to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a full week. I arrived and it was surprisingly stress-free going through immigration. The immigration officer simply asked where Barbados was, smiled and said ‘Welcome to Cambodia!’. I was spending the first few days in Cambodia with my friend Alissa, my sister Jamila’s friend, who is currently running an Ngo there.

            Alissa was at work when I arrived, but we had planned for me to take a cab to the central part of town and she’d meet me there after work. I was hoping I’d have roaming with my Vietnamese number, but it didn’t, which turned out to not be a huge hassle as once you got out to arrivals, there were booths advertising sim-cards for sale. I got a sim for $3US and was the owner of a Cambodia cell-phone number within my first 15 minutes of being there! I was able to call Alissa, make sure I wasn’t being cheated for the price of the cab, and met her at The Blue Pumpkin. On my drive from the airport to meet Alissa at The Blue Pumpkin, I was so in awe of the difference and pace of life here in Siem Reap, versus Ho Chi Minh City. The traffic was bare to none and most of the vehicles on the roads were tuk-tuks, a few cars and trucks and lots of bicycles. School had just ended and there were droves of boys and girls laughing and talking as the cycled their way home in big groups. Along The National Road—the major highway we took, there were dozens of hotels, many of which where large in stature and were designed to resemble a Wat—temple.

            I arrived at the Blue Pumpkin—which I later referred to as ‘Blue Watermelon’ to Sayaka, and I didn’t live that moment down anytime soon!  It was a glorious café/restaurant with the best fresh sorbet, desserts and a fun upstairs lounge with long white couches with big comfy pillows. I am sure I visited here at least once each day I was there. They had good internet reception and I was able to video Skype with my sister Jams—which is a luxury because video Skype seems to hate working in Vietnam! What good timing it was as Alissa showed up and we were all able to chat for a few minutes!

            My stay in Siem Reap was amazing in so many ways, and if I were to go into every detail, this blog entry would be several pages long. So instead, here’s the best of my best moments and pictures to speak for them! :)

Alissa & Kinal introducing me to the best of Siem Reap: from a secluded restaurant rated by travel experts as the best restaurant in Siem Reap, to The Blue Pumpkin café and inviting me to celebrate the Chinese New Year with Kinal’s family they gave my such a great introduction to Cambodia! I also got to help Alissa out at the Ngo she runs for a few hours, and it was fun to see the work up-close.

 (Offerings to Celebrate the Chinese New Year)

Reuniting with Sayaka:  I had the best treat in Siem Reap getting to meet my close friend and fellow student from Boston College Sayaka!!! She’s also doing an internship with Habitat for Humanity, but based about an hour away from Siem Reap.  From adventuring to Angkor Wat in the blazing sun; great conversation and countless jokes, to waking up at 4:30am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, ‘Always Awesome’ Sayaka made a great travel partner! Our reunion at the hotel when we first met up was apparently memorable as these two ladies who were staying at our hotel approached us while we were at the temples and remarked how cute it was watching our excitement.

 One of the amazing temples we visited!

 Many of the ancient temples had trees growing through them-beautiful!

 Always Awesome Sayaka & Joy Bear at Angkor Wat for the sunrise!

 (The most beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat!!!)

Wandering Siem Reap Town

            The town itself was small enough to walk around most of it easily. During the day I was usually on my own, and would take time exploring the shops, sitting and reading books during lunch. Also, on one of the days, I went on a free tour—tuk –tuk ride included at a workshop where they make organic products—from coffee and tea to candles and soaps. At the end I was given a discount on whatever I bought and a coupon for a free foot-massage at a reputable spa and it ended up being a good day of relaxing and pampering.

 Favourite Street in Siem Reap Town! 

Senteurs d'Angkor Workshop: freshly made incense sticks drying in the sun

            I LOVED Cambodia, and I could go on and on about how amazing it was, but that would be never ending. I don’t think I’ll make it back to Siem Reap again—its 12 hours by bus from there to Ho Chi Minh City, and I was glad I flew there and back for the first trip. I’ll definitely visit again soon, but to Phnom Penh instead, which is only 6 hours away by bus! I’m excited to see another part of Cambodia, and other friends/classmates who are there—Shauna and Jennie!

Happy! :)

Thanks for a great week Siem Reap, Cambodia!

The Funny, Absurd & Unwanted: Times in HCMC

 (A visit to the park to see floral displays celebrating Tet, there was a fun section with detailed art work made from fruits, vegetables etc- this one was paying tribute to Ho Chi Minh)

I’ve had some interesting moments being here so far, and I thought I would share some of them with you: the absurd, the funny, and the not so great.

Playing a Mouse: Yes people, in my earlier days of being here, once I moved into my apartment, there was a big gap at the bottom of the door. Ever since a horrific experience of rats crawling into my sleeping bag with me in it on a service trip I went on, I am literally petrified—if I wasn’t enough before, of rats and mice. On my last day at the first hotel I stayed at here, I was walking towards my room and saw a mouse trying to get through the door. I literally went into a state of panic on the stairs and ran away for a bit until I couldn’t see it anymore. Not knowing any Vietnamese I HAD TO find a way to communicate that the door needed to be fixed. So yes, I turned to charades and imitated a mouse, including the ‘squeezing’ action of it trying to get under the door. After several tries, my point came across. Non-verbal communication, I love you most in times like these.

Morning Conversations: Every morning I engage in a conversation of sorts with the lady at the front desk. It involves saying ‘Xin Chao-hello!’, ‘Good morning!!’ *insert smiles*, a compliment on each others choice of clothing for the day and my earring collection has been a great hit with her. She then speaks Vietnamese to me—most of which I don’t understand so insert lots of smiles*, I respond in English and 5 minutes later, we say goodbye. For the majority of our conversation we do not understand each other, but it’s always great to have this as my first exchange with a person each day.

Karaoke & Jack Hammer Terrors:

The Karaoke bar nearby has a booming business, as at any time of the day or night, there are people singing, and of course it is terrible. The record time was someone singing at 2:30am. The funny thing is the volume on the microphone comes and goes, so just as I think it dies down, it suddenly raises to the loudest volume possible, and the person might as well be serenading to me in my room. Yes that loud.

            Also, having someone in the building upstairs decide to do repairs from 12:00am past 2:00am with a jackhammer made for a delightful time. The entire bed was shaking and I eventually ended up bursting into a fit of laughter because I couldn’t think of anything else to do.

Building a Friendship: Across from the office, there is one family who’s daughter- I’m guessing is almost 2 yrs old, is too adorable for me to cope with! Usually on seeing me or any foreigner she runs to her mother and tries to scale her mother’s legs in fright. However, lots of smiles and waves to her have paid off, as I now get kisses blown to me as I leave work and she will always wave goodbye! The cutest!!

Lock-Out: While going to get dinner a few nights ago, I forgot to pick up my keys. Who tell me to do that? The end result was I had to wait 3 hours to be let in, seeing the landlord does not leave the keys with security. I had no cutlery to eat the food I just purchased—and the rice I had to put with it was in my fridge and I was so hungry. After attempting to pick the lock and failing terribly, I accepted defeat, and thank goodness for the coffee shop next door. My mood soon lifted thanks to a dessert I shouldn’t have eaten-thanks to food allergies, and my favorite thing to order ‘Vanilla Ceylon tea, with a honey stick’ YUM!

The Art Scene: This past weekend, I went to an arts and craft fair that displayed works ranging from jewelry, handmade cards, to hand made soaps. I ended up buying vanilla and coconut soaps from a couple that recently started their business and chatting with them quite a bit.

Valentine’s Day, Vietnam Edition: I was invited to a ‘girls night out’ by a new friend I met through my supervisor, at an Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. Most of us didn’t know each other—they were all friends with the one person who planned it, but it turned out to be a really fun night! We were greeted which champagne and the house appetizer and spent the time chatting away. Everyone was doing really amazing things here in Vietnam, from working as teachers and graphic designers to development work and managing the sales of luxury brands. We made quite an eclectic group and by the end of the night, everyone was happy they came. Also, the restaurant gave us all roses as we left, a nice way to end the night!

Things to come: I’m really excited to be going out to conduct the research next week! We’ll be in a province a few hours away, and many of the clients are in somewhat remote areas. It’ll be a big contrast to the city, and I’m looking forward to observing a different side to Vietnam.

Until my next bout of unplanned absurd, hilarious and not so pleasant stand-out moments!

-Joy 

Finding Peace

(Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia)

Peace. Not the life topic or lesson I anticipated learning, but it bore its promising self and was essential to find hope in a work week full of unexpected challenges, frustrations and questions. There was one barrier being presented after the next for us working on the project, whether other people were causing it or just how life unfolds at times. Regardless of the source of conflict, there are a few lessons I’ll hold on to and some things I was reminded to be grateful for:

Motivation: Based on the events of this past week, I’ve been rethinking how important one’s motives are to be in this field. Are you here to help not hinder? Are you here because you care or because it’s just a job? Personally, such questions have been repeating thoughts of mine. Am I doing this for the right reasons? Do I truly want to commit my life to working in a field where problems often seem to outweigh the solutions? Do I have the capacity to balance seeing may negative situations people live with daily and take the immense frustration I feel because of it and use it for something good? How much can I withstand balancing being culturally relative—acknowledging how social norms and values impact a society in an unbiased manner, and knowing when its time to challenge things which can compromise the goals and vision of the work at hand? I haven’t felt this bombarded with questions about my existence and how the world or a different culture functions in a long time.

Support: Often, being this far away, where my morning is still yesterday for family and friends, feeling disconnected is almost inevitable at times.  There’s been a few times when I’ve come across a situation or experience something and I literally cannot have a conversation with someone because of the time difference. However, everything fell into place this week and in the moment I needed it the most, I felt surrounded by good thoughts and support. I was reminded of why I am here, and its how I respond to the challenges that makes the difference. I’m grateful for being surrounded by people who know when to listen, what I need to hear and when I need to hear it. You know who you are, and although you could do nothing to change the circumstances of this week, the level of care spoke volumes. THANK YOU!

Peace:

            In a field such as this, the term ‘peace’ is often linked to war or conflict and its many consequences. We pray for peace when we hear of people being terrorized, or when we hear atrocious stories of child-soldiers and victims of rape as a weapon of war. While this has its place, I think when people can’t find food to feed their families, when people are trafficked; when their human rights are violated to a point that makes them feel inferior, it is not only unjust. There is no peace in this. Yet, the fact that people can withstand more negativity and injustice than positive experiences and remain hopeful shows that peace begins in us. I’ll forever be grateful to my friend Alicia—one of my world-changing classmates, for sharing the quote at the end of this post that has challenged and inspired me.

I’ve received so much encouragement this past week, and although I’m somewhat anxious about what the up-coming week will hold, I have a sense of resolve that determination trumps challenge. The least I can do is to share this renewed sense of optimism. Wherever you are in life and whatever you may be experiencing in this moment, hope, pray; believe for peace to come into your life and others.

Peace.

It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.

It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

~ Unknown

A Brave Attempt?

(The classic I have no one but myself to take a photo of me shot: tuk-tuk ride in Siem Reap, Cambodia)

            Brave is not a term that usually comes to mind when describing myself, but recently, this label has been attributed to my persona more often than usual. I am told I am brave for doing this on my own. Being alone is not something that happens in this culture on a regular basis, so many people are concerned and find it hard to believe that someone would up-root themselves from family and friends, and not bring any of them with you—even for work. At the family-run hostel I stayed at in Cambodia, once they knew I was traveling solo, every time I left the hostel, I was asked  ‘Hello Lady! Where are you going?’. I've heard that this statement is linked to the time of Khmer Rouge, as during that time, it was a way to look out for others. Now, its engrained in the culture. Upon my return, I was meet by the mother who would smile, attach herself to my arm and ask how I was doing, and be sure to wish me to sleep well and have a good night. One evening one of the other family members even asked  ‘Hello Lady! Are you happy?!’

            I believe that at the heart of this lies concern in the fact that I’m not just a person travelling alone, but that  its largely to do with the fact that I’m a female. Acknowledging this as a drawback is a part of being ‘smart’ in my travels and living in a new country and region on my own. I think of how I worry about walking on my own when it gets dark, and have set an informal self-imposed curfew to ease this anxiety. While I might have had this concern in Boston or anywhere else I’ve lived, the language barrier and my still waning familiarity with streets and ‘good versus bad’ areas, makes this feeling escalate. With the many warnings I’ve received about bag snatching, I always make sure the zipper faces forward, and is on the side furthest away from on-coming traffic. Hearing stories of motorcyclists snatching purses and as a result persons being dragged into moving traffic that almost stops for no one is enough to make me stay as alert as possible. Although this gets tricky when walking sidewalks and motorcycles zoom by on either side. I don’t think any of these actions are brave in any way, but more exercises of safety precautions.

            On this weekend’s effort to make the most of the daylight, I was finally successful in finding cutlery and a mug and I did some basic shopping for the up-coming week. I also came across a small café within 10 minutes walk that serves delicious budget meals and plays the likes of The Temptations. Its walls lined with bamboo stalks and the space simply decorated with live plants serves as an escape from the world of cement that makes this city. The highlight has to be finding an amazing art gallery, my favourite so far! The artwork was by a French couple, and they used imagery from everyday Vietnamese life, combining and layering these images as sharp detailed graphics, with vibrant oil and acrylic paintings to set the backdrop. I was there long enough for the man and woman running the gallery to offer me a stool. There, I was happy, spending my time going through all the prints and climbing the three stories building to see all the art displayed.