Trời ơi: Impressions of Hanoi.

It’s here, the life I’ve been wanting for years. I dropped everything and moved to Hanoi, Vietnam. At the moment, I’m sitting in my living room, drinking instant coffee and trying to drown out the noisy construction next-door while occasionally glancing up at my Vietnamese housemates, who are comparing nail polish samples and chatting in that sing-songy language I’ve grown so accustomed to, but can’t yet comprehend.

My first week in Vietnam has been a whirlwind, and I’d be lying if I said it’s been all fun and phở. For background: I accepted a one-year media fellowship through the program Princeton in Asia, and I will be copy editing for an English-language newspaper starting Monday.

Sounds great, right? It is, but getting here wasn’t easy. I quit my job — a job that was rewarding, with great coworkers and a decent salary/benefits. My new job will pay less than half of what I was earning monthly. I had to file for a student loan deferment, and I sold my car for extra cash. I ended a relationship with someone I loved. I had to say goodbye to my family, including my 90-year-old grandmother, who is not in good health. While I’m thousands of miles away, my dad will be having surgery in mid-September. I carried a heavy sense of guilt in the weeks leading up to my departure.

So why did I leave? Well, the idea is that the payoff will be worth it (and I don’t mean $$). By the end of one year, I hope to be driving a motorbike around Hanoi and haggling over fruit prices in Vietnamese like a pro. I will be smarter, tougher and more resourceful. My views will be different. I’ll be different. At least that’s the goal.

But right now I’m a big, helpless baby relearning how to walk and talk. Traffic is crazy here. There are some traffic signals at intersections, and sometimes people even abide by them, but usually it’s a free-for-all. The key to crossing the street is to just….go. Don’t run, don’t hesitate. Just keep a steady pace and hope for the best. As for transportation, it’s nearly impossible to get anywhere without a motorbike. I guess there’s a bus system, but it’s an enigma to me because I seldom see buses on the roads. Soon enough, I will be learning how to drive a scooter around Hanoi. Trời ơi! (Oh my god…)

During my first few days here, I skipped several meals because I was afraid of embarrassing myself, of ordering something weird, of getting lost finding my way back home. I’m not proud to admit that. Fewer people speak English than I expected (which is ultimately good, because it will force me to learn Vietnamese), but it makes it challenging to order food. There are no markets or grocery stories within walking distance of my house, so right now my meal options (street food!) include rice, rice noodles, differently-shaped rice noodles and rice wine. (I’m starting to feel like Bubba here…)

It’s slowly getting easier, though. My surroundings are starting to look familiar. I now have bacon, cheese and butter in my fridge, and today I successfully bought eggs from a street vendor by pointing at said item and indicating I wanted 12 by holding up 10 fingers, then 2 fingers. She gave me 20… #eggzfordayz

Hanoi is a beautiful city with lots of charm. My house is near two lakes, and I’m within walking distance of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where you can actually see his body on display. I believe it’s closed at the moment, but I’ll see you soon, Uncle Ho. According to Lonely Planet, “The mausoleum is closed for about two months each year while his embalmed body goes to Russia for maintenance.” I guess when you’ve been dead for 46 years, you need a bit of TLC.

I’ve started taking Vietnamese lessons with a wonderful teacher, and I’m sorta, kinda, almost getting the hang of vowels! Baby steps.

The language is definitely challenging. There are 11 vowels, some of which require you to utter these strange grunting sounds. And then you get to link them together in fun combinations like ươi and ươu. It’s great for your abs.

There are six tones in Vietnamese, and you have to say them perfectly to be understood. Ba, bà, bá, bả, bã and bạ all sound different, yay! My teacher tells me the first three, said in unison, mean “three omnipotent grandmas.”

Vietnamese is also a lot of fun. The phrase for goodnight literally translates to “sleep deliciously.” A whale is literally an elephant fish, a dolphin is a pig fish and a shark is a fat fish. Seriously, sharks, try eating a salad.

I also had the chance to visit some lovely sites in the city, such as the Temple of Literature, Trấn Quốc Pagoda and Ngoc Son Temple. Photos to follow!