A Busy Second Week of Exploration and Games
I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t believe how busy we are and how little time there is to sit and reflect, in a good way. There is always something exciting going on and there is a lot of work to do and finding my normal balance of alone time and time experiencing everything around me is shifted.
So, this post will serve as a summary of a lot of different social events over the second week. I’m working on a post about the actual work that I am doing as well and will hopefully publish that soon.
On our first Saturday in Binh Duong, we got to go on a City Tour. None of us really knew what to expect, but pilled in the bus when asked to and began our tour with our English-speaking guide. Our first stop was a temple in the center of Thu Dau Mot. We learned a bit about the history of religion in Vietnam and observed the prayer and offering going on around us. We were all fascinated and saddened by the birds in cages outside the temples. It is a tradition to buy birds and set them free as an offering, however our guide warned us that many of the sellers capture the birds again before they are truly freed and they stay in a never-ending cycle.
We then were taken to a Lacquerware gift-shop and while it felt extremely touristy, we have since found that we were charged very reasonable prices and almost everyone found something to bring home for themselves or loved ones.
After a lunch stop, we began the less touristy part of the afternoon, a tour of a ceramics factory arranged by one of our clients. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but we were walked through the process of making various dinnerware. It was fascinating to see the people working with the machines on the factory floor. I was brought back to high school when I took summer school classes in wheel throwing and found it fascinating how they used machines to center and shape the clay. The entire process and how methodical they had made it was spell binding.
We also got to see all the pieces that did not make it. But, unlike most factories, these defects could often be recycled and made into new objects. When we went downstairs, we got to see how the handmade pieces were developed and the artists painting them. A single piece can take 4 months to build. It was amazing the artistry behind the painting and molding of these roses and vases.
From there, we went to the store and were graciously given our own Thu Dau Mot mugs to remind us of this place when we get home. It will be a prized possession. From there, we took a quick stop by the market, where Corey got a shirt for the night and the rest of us browsed and then back to the hotel to change for our evening activities.
That night, a festival was kicking off in the New City by the government building and we were VIP guests. We all got dressed up and headed over to the Music Festival. It was fascinating to hear the music and work with our translators to try and understand the stories that were being told. I brought my tripod and was invited to go and stand by the professional photographers for a photo.
Then we walked through the food tents from across Vietnam. We had amazing pancakes from Cambodia and tried some other weird foods while learning about the different regions of Vietnam. People graciously showed us what they were selling and showcasing in each tent before we had to head home. It was a long, but exciting day.
That Sunday, the team decided to relax by the pool in the morning before a group of us headed to Dia Nam Entertainment Center. When you google Binh Duong, this is one of the top attractions and there is an amusement park in addition to a Temple Complex so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect, but were excited.
It was a ghost town. It was very interesting, it was like showing up to Disney for the Half Marathon when the miles of parking lots were mostly empty and there were only people near the front. The amusement park side did not appear to be open, but we walked freely among the Temple Complex. One thing I have found fascinating here is that most of the Temples I have seen have been new, built since 2000. Yoshiko and I commented on how different that is than we are used to in this part of the world. It did not take away from their beauty though. The fake mountains in the background added to the allure of the place and our group took a leisurely stroll to explore it all.
I always enjoy looking at the various depictions of Buddha in all the Temples I go to. Buddha here tends to be fat and happy looking, whereas in Myanmar the Buddhas tended to have more normal proportions.
While it was a bit eerie at time, those of us who went were glad that we did. And, as always, it was an adventure to find a cab to take us back to Thu Dau Mot with the language barrier, but we made it! I was glad to have seen beyond the square of Thu Dau Mot that consists of my running path, the University, and the food in walking distance.
With the weekend over, we all became busy with work again, trying to get all the research for our projects done that we could, but we had one more social event, a Soccer (football) match against the Department of Science and Technology arranged by Oswaldo, our Peruvian team member.
Some girls had expressed an interest in playing and while I haven’t played consistently since I was 14, I decided to try it out. It ended up being more fun than I imagined. Those who chose not to play had whistles and costumes to cheer us on and came up with catch phrases such as Inca Power for Oswaldo, the Finnisher for Tommi, etc. My running definitely came to my rescue as I sped up and down the field as a mid-fielder and became the “Capitan” (with a Spanish accent). I even scored a triumphant goal. Our team surprised everyone by winning.
Afterwards we had an amazing buffet arranged by one of the client teams and consisting of far more food than we could ever eat. It was a great team bonding experience and a good way to shake up a Wednesday.
