Vietnam- A great family day!

Today was very different from a regular day of tour. Our host families were tasked with the job of taking us out and showing us the city and all it has to offer. Our wonderful family took me and Sam to breakfast and then to see the Silk Village, an area of the city where Vietnamese silk is produced and sold. We saw the silkworm cases and the silk being spun into silk thread. We also saw the old wooden looms in action, being powered by motors and creating beautiful fabric. While we were walking in the streets of the Silk Village, we said hello to an elderly lady, and much to our surprise, when she responded and smiled, all of her teeth were black. It was unlike anything we had ever seen, and we later learned at a museum that it was because many of the older people in Vietnam still follow the old tradition of dying their teeth using a special nut called betel. It was once a common thing for many Vietnamese women to take part in, but it is now a dying tradition. The chewing of the betel nut is a ritual that is still done sometimes before conversations between elders and was once a part of many women's beauty rituals. We purchased a few silk scarves and then went to eat lunch at a very fancy restaurant. We had many dishes made of buffalo meat, a very tough but flavorful food. We also snacked on some jackfruit, which I highly recommend everyone try. It is so unlike any other American fruit, so I'm not even going to try to describe it, just try it!

We then visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, a place with many ancient relics and information about the old and new communities and traditions of Vietnam. It was very interesting and we were able to roam the grounds of the museum after and go into traditional Vietnamese houses, houses that could have once been found in villages long ago. During all these excursions, Sam and I became very close to our host sisters, Num and Mia. They are so sweet and eager to talk and learn from us, as well as teach us things about their country and culture. For dinner, we joined our host dad's parents in their home where I was able to try many new foods, such as a fisheye, a chicken foot and some durian cookies. Neither of his parents spoke any English, but through translations from the girls, we were able to talk to the grandparents about our lives and school a bit. They kept trying to feed us more and more food, and even hours later, I am still quite full! We then left and ended the night playing some Uno, watching DIY slime Youtube videos and drawing pictures of cats. Tomorrow will be another busy day, with a performance and some more sightseeing, but I am just feeling so blessed right now. I am getting such a truly authentic experience here in Vietnam. It really is priceless. I am so thankful for my host family and the experiences they are providing me and Sam. I had such a wonderful day!

-ECM