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By rmattiola

This last week was writing week. A week full of headaches and confusion and maybe even some tears if I’m being completely honest. My roommate told me the other day, “This is like finals but a month long instead of a week long”. Thank god for roommates.

This week I was finally able to listen to music while working since I’m no longer transcribing interviews. Often when I listen to music I get a little caught up in the beats or the lyrics and go on song investigation sprees. On one of these youtube browsing-npr podcast searching-consequence of sound-reading expeditions on Bon Iver’s new album, I found a press conference where he answered questions about song titles and lyric inspiration.

He described a soul-searching traveling experience that landed him on Greek islands, stranded and helpless. He started to sing a line to himself, “this might be over soon”. He recorded the verse one night and apparently didn’t make any more music until the next year. So he had this one verse to keep listening to over and over again. Eventually he said, a part of his voice sounded like he was saying 2, 2. This number 22 represented duality for him, and he eventually applied this concept of duality to the line “it might be over soon”. One could be saying, “Thank god, it might be over soon” or “Geez, I can’t believe it, how sad, it might be over soon”.

...continue reading "It might be over soon"

Recently, I went to what might be my favorite place in Vietnam. Đà Lạt is a city north of Ho Chi Minh City by roughly 300 kilometers. The city boomed during French colonization as a vacation spot because, due to it’s elevation, it has a fairly mild climate compared to the other cities in Vietnam.

Đà Lạt is in what is called the “Central Highlands” of Vietnam. The region, as implied by the name, occupy the inner provinces of Vietnam that border Cambodia and Laos. It is also up in the mountains and offers a very different view than one might typically see in Ho Chi Minh City. Rolling hills and french architecture dominant the scape and everything is beautiful.


There are many, many reasons why I loved Đà Lạt and my time there.

To start, the French were right—the temperature is so nice. While there, it was between 70 to 80 which is a treat considering that a normal day in Ho Chi Minh is in the low 90s. There was a slight breeze at all times coming from the lake in the center of town. And, once the sun came down, it dipped into the 60s. It was a TREAT.

Also, Đà Lạt is a major coffee growing region. As I have mentioned before, coffee is my vice. I drink it regularly in Ho Chi Minh City and it is something that is a mandatory item of consumption in the US. I can’t walk through the doors of Gelman without some type of coffee. Well, the coffee in Đà Lạt was amazing as assumed. There was a place near our hostel called, “Maybe Blue.” It was a really nice interior—the “quaint coffee shop” look that Vietnam has perfected—and it overlooked the city. They served a delicious cinnamon coffee (cà phê sữa đá + cinnamon) and that simple spice added so much to the drink. However, I had the two best cups of coffee I’ve ever had (in Vietnam) at the Mê Linh Coffee Garden and La Viet.

...continue reading "I like Đà Lạt (d)a lot."

By rmattiola

It’s time to talk about this. I am perpetually congested here in the beautiful south. I returned from Puerto Saavedra to Temuco on Thursday to play field hockey. Once I arrived, I received a text telling me practice was cancelled due to “environmental emergency”. I asked, what does that mean? My friend explained that all the wood burning stoves and heaters in the towns and city produce so much smoke which gets trapped and can dangerously effect their health if they were to vigorously exercise outdoors for 2 hours. On the bus rides back during the evening, I noticed flumes of smoke hovering over the semi-suburban villages outside the city. I couldn’t help but think about Chile’s carbon footprint. Let’s start with excessive wood burning. Toss in acres and acres of cows—happy cows. Recall the constant tacos (traffic jams) throughout all the cities. Wrap it all up with the fact that recycling is essentially non-existent. Loads of plastic and glass get thrown in with food scraps. It’s infuriating. But remind yourself of the 20 or so wind turbines you saw in the desert to Atacama. And remind yourself that the people are just living the system put in place for them by their government. All this though is especially confusing when I listen to my indigenous interviewees teaching me about their strong connection to naturaleza, and how we are all born from mother earth. What’s even weirder is that plenty of people talk about climate change. Not only do they believe it, but they’re experiencing it. And yet they sit, subversive to their government that’s not mandating clean energy and providing extensive recycling services. I vowed to go back to the U.S. and live as environmentally clean as I can. I plan to go completely vegetarian again… nearly vegan due to my lactose intolerance. I plan to learn more than I already do about recycling and sorting. I’ll ride my bike around Coopersburg, like I did when I was a tween. I’ll eat local crops from my dad’s Co-op and the town farmer’s market. I’ll go out to all those rallies back in DC on the national mall, in front of the white house and congress building, and demand a transition to clean energy. If you know me, you’ve heard this before, so I’ll move on.

...continue reading "Wood Burning Stoves and Anthropological Woes"

By dylanmaric

I'm nearing the end of my time in Ho Chi Minh City, but I just recently finished what is my "spring break." I will say, it was a little weird traveling around while everyone I know back home was studying for finals but, hey, a breaks a break. So, my friend on the program, Erica, and I headed to both Phuket and Singapore. The prior was where we spent a majority of our stay, while we only spent roughly 30 hours in the latter.

So, Phuket!

Now, I feel like I have heard a lot about Phuket in my lifetime as being this magnificent, beautiful haven along the water. A destination where people from across the globe flock to spend their time and money. I would say that both of those statements rang true. Upon landing, it was very clear that effort was put into the Phuket airport and, while driving towards our hotel, that Western influence was very apparent.

We stayed in an area of the island known as Patong. Patong is a hub of sorts for all the more "hip" travelers and backpackers making it much more appealing for a younger clientele. It's about a 30 minute drive from Old Phuket Town resting on the Eastern side of the island. Truthfully, Patong was incredibly overwhelming. The food was fantastic because everywhere you looked both Thai and Indian cuisine was offered (both of which are my favorites). On the other hand, it was very crowded, littered, and loud. There is a street, Bangla, that has some notoriety and it was one of the most insane places I've ever been. It was packed with people and was home to a lot more particular oddities that people may know of if they've heard of Thailand.

...continue reading "On An Island in the Sun"

By rmattiola

My first week in Temuco has flown by too quickly. I am conducting my independent research project here in the south, with the city of Temuco as my basepoint and the towns of Makewe, Puerto Saavedra and Nuevo Imperial as the study centers. The three SIT girls in Temuco are the first group to stay within the city. One girl opted for a cheap hostel as her monthly residence. Sarah and I took up an offer to stay with the family of our friendly bus driver from when we traveled the south a month ago. This is my fourth host family. Originally, I was hoping to rent an apartment on airbnb with the other girls in order to have the most independence and be able to cook for myself, but I figured if given the opportunity to speak more Spanish, I should take it. Also the bus driver, don Pepe was probably the nicest, coolest gentleman we’ve traveled with. I struck gold with this decision. The living situation is perfect. Sarah and I are staying in a gorgeous new apartment in the University district of Temuco. Our host mom, Cecilia, don Pepe’s sister, is a statistician and a math professor at 3 different universities (there are 5 all within a 10 minute drive of the apartment). She is obviously a successful woman, but clearly works hard for her success. I arrived Tuesday evening and did not meet her until Saturday morning. She leaves the apartment by 7am and does not return until of after 11pm. I awoke with a congested head Wednesday morning, and was asleep before 10:30pm the rest of the week. On Saturday I kicked the worst of the cold and was eager to meet Cecilia.

...continue reading "Temuco: Home away from Home"

As I have mentioned before, my professor is very much “in the know” on local events that may be of interest to young people like me. Well, this past week he out did himself.

This past Tuesday, I had a truly incredible experience. I observed a Vietnamese break dancing competition. But, really, it was so much more than that. To start, it was in the back of this art space/bar  that housed some really interesting pieces done by local artists. All not the proper size to ship back, but one can dream.

But, as assumed, the main attraction was the break dancing. We walked in during the preliminaries and stayed all the way through the finals. Everyone that danced was incredibly talented and each contestant could put me to shame. That being said, there were several things that I wanted to share with you all (a.k.a. my reader).

...continue reading "Dance Battle Party"

By rmattiola

When I came back to Arica 2 weeks ago, I felt like I was seeing it for the first time, free of judgment, with eyes wide open. When I left over a month ago, I was tired of the depressed desert, eager to escape the sand and wind. But now, I’m beginning to feel like I don’t want to leave. Of course, at the end of the journey I am finally comfortable. Today I attended the last group meeting before we travel off to our independent investigation locations. Some of my friends are leaving today to hike the W in Patagonia before starting their project. I’m incredibly surprised they pulled it off. I’ll be even more surprised to hear their stories when we return together. I’m heading out tomorrow on a night bus to the town of San Pedro de Atacama, a desert oasis and geological haven. Also home to some of the largest telescopes/ satellites in the world called ALMA. I expect the sights in both the day and the night to be spectacular.

Today, and only today, did I realize that I made some incredible friends on this journey—without trying. I did not seek out friends; rather I allowed relationships to form organically, almost accidentally. Of course I am going to miss everyone over the next month, but I will be eagerly awaiting my reunion with Catherine, Madeline, Rosie and Minerva. Yes, the Rosie/ Rosie issue developed quite early on, so I decided to go exclusively by Rosalie during my time in Chile. Madeline and Rosie are funny Midwestern runners. Catherine is an upstate New York sweetheart with witty, dry sarcasm. Minerva is a sassy, tranquil, Mexican partier. All are great company one on one or together.

The trip to San Pedro was the most relaxing and exciting trip thus far. Well worth the time and money. I took in spectacular sights with 4 other girls, learned a surprisingly large amount of geographical and cultural information, and met tourists from all over the world. On our second day trip, we formed lovely and all too brief friendships with our tour guide, a 22 year old girl named Andrea from Santiago, and the other 5 tourists.

...continue reading "Vacationing but still Learning"

When applying for study abroad programs, I really wanted to have a “once in a lifetime” experience. This aspiration is what drew me to Southeast Asia and, subsequently, my program with CET. Aside from living with local roommates and taking fairly high-quality Vietnamese lessons, CET’s program was so desirable because they arranged intern opportunities.

During our first week in Vietnam, we met with different representatives from several organizations that would all introduce us to different subcultures within Ho Chi Minh City. After hearing from them all, myself and another student, Erica, decided to intern under a woman named Trang who operates The Maker Concept cafe and boutique. Despite the market of The Maker Concept, the goal of our internship is not to sell clothes or make lattes, but rather we have been tasked with documenting development within Ho Chi Minh City.

...continue reading "Me & The Maker Concept"

I did it. I can finally say I have experienced the full Chilean culture. Last Saturday, I came home from a night out at 5am, like a true joven chilena. It was the most fun I’ve had yet. The key is to not arrive at the discotec until 1am or even 1:30am when the DJ starts to play the good reggaeton and the dancing gets serious. After that, the hours fly by dancing and laughing with old and new friends. I would have been especially proud of myself if I made it home after my host brothers, but alas, they arrived raucously sometime after 6am from their own carretes (house parties).

Although this weekend was serious fun, this week is serious business. I have been working furiously to complete written assignments, group essays, project proposals and Spanish exams. At the same time I am planning trips to San Pedro de Atacama and Pucón, finding housing and transportation in the Temuco region, and communicating with advisors and other contacts to set up interviews and observations. Oh and I selected courses for next semester and confirmed a summer subletter for life back in DC.

This is a busy, yet exciting time. The “classroom” based portion of the program has ended and the independent research project portion has begun. Although it is still in the process of development, I can explain what I hope I will be investigating. I am interested in the adaptation and modernization of traditional treatments.

...continue reading "Dancing Away my Responsibilities"

By dylanmaric

The one topic of conversation that I never get sick of talking about is how much I enjoy the food in Saigon—and greater Vietnam. I was pretty unaware of Vietnamese cuisine coming into this experience and didn’t know much past the very well known Phở and Bánh mì. Well, let me tell you, there are so many other dishes that should get greater recognition. Truthfully, of all the food I’ve eaten so far, the two mentioned are decent at best.

Well, I have now taken the liberty to outline the most noteworthy Vietnamese dishes that will *hopefully* get the global notoriety they deserve.

Bánh Khoái & Bánh Xèo

These two pancake-like dishes are delicious. These dishes are regionally popular, the latter being a Southern variant—Bánh xèo. Bánh xèo is a much thinner pancake and Bánh khoái is a little thicker and uses a much fluffier dough. These pancakes are typically filled with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp. They are typically paired with fish sauce which is collected from the fermentation of dead fish. Not an ideal way to get your condiments, but it works. These pancakes are perfect meals and it is easy to find one for less than 50,000 dong ($2.50).

...continue reading "Vietnam: #EatzEdition"