On Friday night, I had my first Vietnamese Karaoke experience which was so different than anything I've seen before but really fun! I went with a bunch of friends, but Son (my host dad) told Marian (my room mate) and I that he will definitely come with us in the future.
On Saturday morning, we got to sleep in (until 9:30) and then went to breakfast with Son and Thao to their favorite weekend eatery, where they go every week to eat Thao's favorite dish, fried eel and noodle soup! We rode their motor bikes there and showed up at a little hole in the wall restaurant, all got bowls of soup, and devoured it all. It tasted much better than it sounded to me when they first proposed the idea of fried eel for breakfast. We then went shopping in areas where all of the products are 'made in Vietnam.' 
In the afternoon, they took Marian and I to a silk village where there are tons of small market shops where silk products are sold. Son snuck us into the back area where we saw the silk worms, their borrows, and how the women turned this into fibers and wove silk products together. After seeing the process, I knew I had to buy something, so I got a fun dress that Son helped me choose. We then continued on to outskirts of Hanoi to meet Son's grandparents who are 94 and fully functional! They were so cute and old and it was so amazing to meet them. I have never wanted to speak Vietnamese more in my life than in the moments with the great grandparents because I am sure they have so many stories to share and have seen complete transformation of Vietnam and Hanoi. They truly welcomed us into their home as the first foreigners to enter their house ever. Fun fact: the great grandpa rode his bicycle until last year (at 93) when his daughter, the grandma I live with, made him stop! For dinner, we went to Thao's mothers home for their typical Saturday night dinner. We met Thao's sister and her children, her mother, and younger brother. 
While the women prepared the dinner, Marian and I joined Son for Hanoi draft beers at a local street side stand. For dinner, we ate their family's special food: noodle soup with pork, chicken, shrimp powder, vegetables, and salty egg yolk. Marian and I ate the vegetarian version of this dish, but this was my first exposure to shrimp! Trying new foods :) We joined some friends to walk around in the night market, and made sure to be home by our 10:30 curfew (which is late for our group!). Sunday morning, M and I accompanied Thao to the big market to buy all of the meat, fish, and vegetables for the week. We headed out at 8 am, which Thao told us was late for the market.
This excursion ended up taking a whole hour and a half, and by the time we got back, we were all exhausted from carrying bags and bags of food. 
Most of the produce comes from either the South or the country side and is so cheap! Watching all of the animals being killed, chopped and sold was a little too much for me to handle. This past week's theme was "Intro to Vietnam and Environmental Issues." I have learned a lot about Vietnam's history, the past wars, and how Chinese and French colonialism and globalization have shaped the nation today. Hanoi is way more modern and high tech than I expected! In regards to environmental issues in Vietnam, we discussed topics ranging from nutrition, water safety, soil contamination, pollution, and the affects Agent Orange, the herbicide sprayed by the US during the war in the 60s, has had on the nation.
As a group this week, we visited the Ministry of Health, the National Traditional Medicine Hospital, and a Hanoi land fill. All three of these sight visits were really fascinating. I loved visiting the Traditional Medicine Hospital and seeing how traditional medicine and modern medicine are used together to treat patients depending on what their condition is. I also really enjoyed visiting the land fill, because I have never seen one before, and now feel that it is something everyone one should see at least once to know what happens to all of our waste. 
Other funny event: as I mentioned in my last post, Son has a large alcohol collection, all of which he brews himself from sticky rice. Most of them have an extremely high proof. Last night, Son poured Marian and I two shots of his different alcohols. The first tasted like wine and was sweet, but the second tasted more like wisky - which was too much for me to have at dinner!
Next weekend, I am planning a trip to Sapa, a region in the northern most mountains for a fun get away, and cant wait to breathe fresh air again! All of the pollution and constant hustle and bustle of the city is still feeling quite overwhelming.
Well, until next time!!
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