On the road again... soon enough

I started this blog and decided to name it "musing on the road: here, there, and everywhere" right before I left France the summer of 2008. France was the official start of my traveling curse, which I was more than grateful to embrace. A couple of short trips, one to the Balearic islands, the other to Algeria, and at the end of my time in France, I knew that I didn't want to come back to the U.S. right away. I ended up in India. And after that, punctuated with semesters back in school were months in Peru, Mexico, and Cuba. I went as far as my time and finance would permit. The finale was 2 beautiful years in Hawaii. I was there for school so technically I can't call it traveling. But the islands are so beautiful I just have to brag about them.

I always thought that once i got back home i'd not be able to travel much again, that i'd have to settle down so to speak.

My prediction seemed to come true when i moved back. 4 months locked down in Hanoi. But now with this new job, half of my work time is on the road, here, there, and everywhere (but all within Vietnam of course). I think it'd suit me just fine. I'm excited to see parts of the country that I'm not at all familiar with. I'm excited that i don't work 9-5; i don't even have an office to work in for that matter. What more could a undisciplined soul ask for? I could already see a host of my friends nodding: Yeah you'd totally do something like that. I guess i'm just that predictable, people!

Tomorrow, the journey starts again. I'm nervous, almost like the first time I stepped out on the road, arm out thumb up, having absolutely no idea what was gonna happen. It might seem funny to people but I feel less safe in my own country than in other places (and yes, I traveled by myself to very conservative regions in Algeria and India). I'm Vietnamese, and have to play by the Vietnamese rules. Much less leeway than when I'm abroad and can fake ignorance to do what pleases me.

In a week, I'll know if I like the aftertaste.

"out of touch with the situation"

despite all the reading that i've done from newspapers (online and print) and economic blogs, i'm still pretty clueless as to how this economic crisis and possible collapse would affect me. A dimmer job prospective? Probably, but i've never thought it'd be easy to find one in my field anyways. And keep in mind that i'm attending [a wealthy] college in the U.S., come from a middle class family in hanoi [again, a.k.a. upper class in VN]. So while McCain may be "out of touch with the situation" of middle class America, i wonder if most of the world feel as disconnected to this big money talk as i am.

s'inquieter

Ahmedabad in shock after blasts

This is the city i'm going to for next semester. The organization i'll be working for focus their effort exactly on this kind of problem: the tension between the hindu and the muslim communities. Yes, i'm fascinated by their work and that's why i chose to work for them. But, to be honest, i'm scared, not sure if i'll be able to deal with all the complexity of the situation, and also for my own security. Except that i'm not saying any of these things to my parents lest they be worried.
That's how it is in my family. We deal with problems by ourselves because we don't want to trouble others. My parents try to encourage my sister and me to confide in them and consult with them, especially since we're away most of the time, but they always do exactly the opposite. This has been going on for so long that now i've ended up with this habit: either i don't talk about the problem, or i'd make it lighter and put on a bold front. This helps in another way since my parents don't seem to understand that i can be happy with my choice and be worried about what it might lead to at the same time. Like, i've been really stressed out about finding a job in Vietnam after i graduate. Let's face it, a degree in sociology doesn't mean much here. And all the NGO jobs i've been checking out requires years and years of experience which i don't have. I'm not at all confident that i'll be able to live out my idealistic life. My parents don't need to know this: they've always talked about why i should regret not majoring in something like economics. No, mom and dad.

On a different note, kinda related to the first news:
Israeli force kill two Palestinians on the West Bank city of Nablus; Islamic Jihad threatens retaliation
I almost stayed there as well, at An-Najah university where they had the camp. I don't think this even made to the headlines, a trite story probably.