First Few Days in Hanoi

Interesting first few "daze" in Hanoi. I have been working on getting my sleep/wake cycles reversed. Hanoi is exactly twelve hours time difference from Missouri and the midwest. So my mind and body want dinner and then sleep --but the clock says wake up and eat some breakfast! Typically what I do to adjust the first few days after arrival is to take a short nap - no longer than 30 minutes or so in the middle of the day and then stay up as long as I can in the evenings. Hanoi is an easy place to do the midday nap because this seems to be the standard procedure for many people. The issue I struggle with is waking early in the mornings. When I say early....I mean it. 2am and my body says "wake up" and I get angry because my mind clicks into gear and I can't get back to sleep. I usually end up splitting a sleeping pill into pieces and I take a "bit" which seems to shut off my mind and lets me get back to sleep. Last night I went to sleep at 9pm, woke at 2pm and then got up at 4:30am. So slowly I am moving into the Hanoi timezone.

The sleep disruption is partly the cause of my woe when I arrive here. But....the one thing that really lifts my spirits is the food. Ah, the glorious food of Hanoi!!! The photos that follow are the reason I am feeling much better.

Fish Sauce. This stuff smells horrible and when you cook with it, you better have a fan going or the windows open because it will stink up the whole house. But add garlic, sugar, water and a touch of chili and you have created something wonderful.



Add bun (rice noodles) to the fish sauce.......



Then some spring rolls and lettuce.


and finally some wonderful shrimp.

This is a simple meal that does wonders for one's spirit! My friends Duy and Nhung (much, much more about them later) had me over for lunch my first day. It was great to see them again and also wonderful to eat such tasty food.



Next.... Pho! Many Vietnamese eat this dish for breakfast. In fact, this was my breakfast yesterday. It consists of rice noodles in a very tasty broth filled with spices and vegetables. You can get it with either chicken or beef. Cost of a bowl is about $1. It is so cheap that few people make it in their homes. Rather they buy it at a restaurant or a sidewalk booth on their way to work. When I go to the market early in the morning, the Pho stands and restaurants are in full swing. People slurping noodles all over the place!!



I am trying to cut back on my weight and I thought I would be "good" and reduce my food intake. This is very difficult to do in Vietnam!!! I was at the market this morning buying food and met a colleague from last year. She invited me over for lunch today....so more GREAT food coming my way!

So, as you can see....things are looking up! I start teaching this week and am in a bit of a panic over my course. But this is typical too. I have moments of panic followed by good food and friends. Hopefully the panic moments will be fewer than the friends.