March 10 & 11: Last day in Hoi An, My Son, and Marble Mountain

March 10th: Last day in Hoi An:
Our last lesson in Hoi An was fishing. After a beautiful bike ride along the river road, we met our fishermen.

Mrs. Kien, my "Vietnamese wife"

This is the 4th time I have fished with Mrs. Kien. The first time she saw me, in 2008, she requested I ride in her boat. While she fished and her husband paddled, she joked with me about becoming my "second wife," while her husband and all the other fishermen just laughed and laughed. This was all done without any common language. Of course, I played along, and the romance has continued all these years. Two years ago she sang me songs of her broken heart each time I left. Of all the people I have met in Vietnam over the years, it seems to me that the fishermen are the happiest. Their joy in the most simple things is a powerful lesson for me.

I have printed photos of us together for her, including two years ago with my younger son, Natan, who was an 8th grade student at Evergreen that year. This year I showed her my photo album with updated photos of my family, and she brought three laminated photos, two of which were with me and her from past trips, and one was of herself and her husband. She carried them in a plastic bag. It was touching that she would bring them.

Fisherman showing us how to through the net

Jack's attempt with the net

Noah's attempt - it is much harder than it looks!

My attempt

My response after the applause from the fishermen

Max with an eel

My students showing off the snails they had caught.

After the fishing lesson, Mrs. Kien invited us into her house for green tea. She took us up stairs to the alter room, where there are photos of her deceased parents. We lit incense and said a prayer.

One of the fishermen was a veteran of the war against the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot in Cambodia. He lost a leg to a land mind. The students asked questions and our guide translated. This year we have added another assignment for the students. After brainstorming and researching global issues, the students organized themselves into NGO groups to research issues relevant to Vietnam. They will gather data while on the trip and them continue their research when they return to Seattle, culminating in a school presentation of their findings and possible solutions. Two groups are looking at "Legacy of War," so this interview was particularly significant to their research.

"Goodbye" to Mrs. Kien

Ha arranged a soccer game with the local 10th grade students. They had never seen girls playing. When one of our girls kicked the ball across the fields, all the Vietnamese students stopped and applauded.

Sam, very tired after the soccer game

March 12th: travel day to Hue

We left Hoi An early in the morning for a 75 minute drive to My Son, the ancient Cham ruins. The Cham civilization lasted from the 4th to the 16th century, when they were defeated by the Kinh people of Vietnam.

But before we visited the ruins, we saw a Apsara dance performance. The Cham followed the Hindu religion, and the movements of the Apsara dance portray the statues of women at the erotic temples of ancient India.

Buddha statue

Christian and Omar

Kami and Kyle

Liz, one of the chaperones, with a security guard

Cham temple

Christian and Buddha

Alicia, one of the teacher trip leaders, and her banh my, Vietnamese sandwich. Alicia is in love with Ban My, especially when she tried the "real thing" in Vietnam. She is afraid she will never be able to eat banh my in Seattle again.

Banh My

On the way to Hue we stopped at Marble Mountains

Temple at Marble Mountain

The caves at Marble Mountain were used as hinding places by the Viet Cong during the American war. This cave is 30 meters tall (about 100 feet).

Banh Beo, a specialty of Hue

After a 3 to 4 hour bus ride, we arrived in Hue, the ancient capitol of Vietnam. I took the chaperones to this restaraunt that only served banh beo, a specialty of Hue.