My first full day in Hanoi was a Sunday and I went to the Aeon Mall, a 3-story mega mall. I went there as I really needed to find an ATM to get some Vietnamese currency and I was told they have the largest grocery store in the city and I wanted to stock my 1 bedroom apartment with some essentials. That they do! However, large does not mean diverse in terms of types of products. After three different trips there, I have determined that the grocery store does not carry pancake (or Bisquick) mix nor syrup. Aisle after aisle after aisle of Vietnamese foods makes sense as only Vietnamese people were shopping there…. and me.
Picture: $6 for 9 brussel sprouts. They are considered an "exotic food". Will wait 'till I get home to eat those again! :-)
That same Sunday was Mother’s Day. I had been in-country less than 24 hours and I was on sensory overload. Thousands and upon thousands of people were jammed into the mall. During the week, it is slightly less crowded, but I braved the crowds again on Sunday, and once again noticed just how alone I was and the looks that I appeared to garner as I walked about. Last Sunday, I passed a woman who was white and this Sunday, I passed a man who was white. Otherwise, no other races nor cultures (including other SE Asian countries), were evident aside from the locals amidst the mobs of people. I thought to myself that Oaks Mall management would give their eye teeth for just 15% of the traffic I passed!
Picture: L- Just a very small slice of the busy AEON Mall, and not the busiest corner. R- Just a portion of a food court with probably 50 different offerings.
I know that there is a good sized ex-pat community in the West Lake area of Hanoi, so I suspect there are neighborhood stores which cater more to the international community, but that is not the purpose of this journal. It has to do with interactions between people different from one another- relationships between different races. I know, seriously touchy subject. While there is much, we the people of the US, can work on to improve communications and relationships among ourselves, this challenge is not isolated to the US. Now, this is not a lecture! No way do I live a mistake-free life! I’m simply sharing experiences encountered and pondering the take home lessons from each.
I needed to purchase a pair of pants for a field trip that I went on last Saturday. I went to the mall in the area that I am staying. The neighborhood mall is good sized though the number of people actively purchasing items is relatively small, particularly in comparison to the mega mall. I went into a store and began to look through the racks when a young salesclerk came up to me and said, “I’m sorry but we are closed.” Now, the lights were on, the doors were open, and there were other shoppers in this store. I looked around puzzled and the young woman lightly took my elbow and again said, “I am sorry. Our store is closed.” Whoa! Was it because I am white? Older? Full figured? Did not meet their desired customer profile?
Now, I did not get upset. I told the salesclerk to have a good day, smiled and went on to another store, where I found the pants that I needed. However, I was curious if I was reading into the situation or what the issue might have been. So, I circled back past the store about 20 minutes later and nothing appeared unchanged from before... except, I was on the outside.
I am sure there are those who would quickly say, “Well, the shoe is on the other foot.” Again, I was not upset, but chose to use the experience to self-reflect on how others have been unkindly profiled and treated.
Saturday, I saw something that was well worth feeling upset about and since then, I have discussed it with one of the faculty members. Vin University’s nursing program has several international students from Nigeria and three are in the nursing program. The two young women and the young man are all a delight but the young man… if you were to put him in a historical novel, he could be a warrior. He is very tall and carries himself with a dignity the belies his years. I enjoyed our brief conversations as we went about the tours. We were in line to get our tickets for the Ho Chi Minh Museum along with hundreds of Vietnamese school children on their end of the year field trips. (The numbers of children were mind- boggling and neuron jangling.) Probably wasn’t the best day to go to the museum but none of us knew it would be that crowded.
We were in line, and a group of school children, all dressed in their tidy school uniforms walked by us. Two little boys, probably 9-10 years old, jumped out of line and grabbed the male Nigerian nursing student by the arm and did a quick quirky pose so a peer could take a picture, as if my student was an oddity at a carnival. Whoa. Before I could react, our student simply pulled his arm away and turned towards our group. The boys showed no dismay but rather giggled, pointed, and jumped back into their straight line. It is experiences such as this one that reminds me how much more work remains in promoting understanding between people- cultures- races- countries as well as the responsibility we have in raising the next generation as they will be global leaders, even within their local communities.
While some days have their challenges, I am so very grateful to be here. This opportunity allows me to live out the Fulbright purpose- Diplomacy through Education. I am using every occasion to educate myself and find ways to foster a personal connection with the people that I meet.
Postcards from Hanoi May 28, 2023
Karen
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