History meets Dehydration

Our day started out with an early but short flight from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to our next location, Da Nang.

This kid cracked me up "Dad Pose" at the airport 

 After an hour long flight, we landed in Da Nang. This coastal city was a popular R&R location for soldiers and other military members during the war. The Americans nicknamed the beach “China Beach” and was also used as the basis for the tv show China Beach in the 1980s which focused on the experience of female nurses in the Vietnam War.

The first stop we made was to the Cham Museum which was full of statues from the ancient times of Vietnamese History. They were displayed much like museums in the states display these kinds of artifacts. I would qualify it as an art show, the various statues and relief pieces were installed on columns or the walls depending on the pieces. They were given a very basic label which just said what the piece was in both Vietnamese and English. While one could learn a lot by reading some of the introductory labels and other panels strategically placed around the museum, there were also handouts about the pieces which a visitor could utilize for greater interpretation of the pieces if they desired.

Melissa and I, it was so bright outside you can barely see the top of what we think is a monastery from the second floor of the museum. 

 After spending some time in the museum we headed to Hoi An for lunch, which included a pit stop at the beach and since we were in the Marble Mountain area we also stopped at a marble shop. On the way to the shop we learned that the marble industry is literally ruining the landscape of Vietnam. It is a very popular commodity and in the past 3 years 2 entire mountains have been destroyed.

Da Nang Beach, part of "China Beach" 

Best beach view ever! 

The gorgeous mountains with a partial shot of a marble lion statue 

 Hoi An is known as the cultural heritage town in Vietnam. The government has passed laws and statues to enforce historic preservation of the city, which caters specifically to tourists. After consuming a delicious multi-course lunch (as most of our meals are here) we headed on a 1 ½ hour walk about the city. It was blistering hot and I was not feeling well, but trekked through. We learned that Hoi An was a major port city in Vietnam, and that was apparent through the collision of cultures between Chinese and Japanese. This is very evident through the architectural styles and the town was lovely to stroll through. I just kept focusing on how pretty it was.

This is the Japanese covered bridge it separates the Japanese and Chinese sections of town

Entrance to the Japanese Bridge

 Probably the weirdest part of our day was at the so called "Oldest House in Hoi An." We thought it was going to be your basic tour, and then it turned into a QVC special. We moved from our starting point to a back room where you could purchase embroidered table cloths and napkins. Upstairs our tour continued and so did the selling pitch. We were invited to "tea" where a woman proceeded to try and sell us coasters, other odds and ends, and the best was the opium pipe. We all were a bit uncomfortable, and I gave a small donation so that I didn't seem like a total jerk. It was hilarious.

Interior of the oldest house in Hoi An 

A fisherman, when the tide comes up he lowers a giant net into the water and then back up in the hopes of catching some fish, it was fascinating to watch.

We then checked into our hotel which ended up being a lovely resort. What a surprise! Melissa and I could barely contain ourselves. After an exhausting and very hot day we were in a beautiful relaxing resort with a spa! We had free time so we decided to go get manicures. After a nap we headed into town for dinner which was entirely to delicious. I had lost a lot of electrolytes that day so I drank an entire coconut which fun fact has loads of natural electrolytes. A cautionary tale for anyone traveling to Vietnam during the summer months it is brutally hot and humid thus very very easy to become dehydrated so water is key to survival.

Manicure View 

The Coconut! Yay for electrolytes

Preparing for the 'Nam

Tuesday I'm leaving on a very long journey to Vietnam. I have the amazing opportunity to go on a Vietnam War study abroad trip to Vietnam with my lovely undergrad institution and my favorite history professor who I went to Europe with 3 years ago.
Many people are shocked when I tell them that I am going to Vietnam. They look at me and wonder why in the world I am going all the way to this southeast Asia country. Well because I have done most of my undergraduate and a lot of graduate school research and projects related to the Vietnam War. My first project examined the roles of women in the Vietnam War from nurses, to the women's army corp, red cross workers, and other civilian organizations. In addition I continued to further examine this War and women's place in it throughout grad school.

Second  Lieutenant Kathleen Sullivan treating a Vietnamese child 

All of this research was spurred by a conversation that I was fortunate to stumble upon in undergrad. I was conducting oral history interviews with woman veterans when I found a woman who had been a nurse in the Vietnam War. Since that day I have essentially become obsessed with finding out more about this war and time period.
Enter this lovely study abroad trip with my favorite professor from my undergrad, Flagler College. It will be a fast paced trip through a country that is comparable to the size of New Mexico in land area.

Our Itinerary has us in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) and surrounding area for about 3 days. We will explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, and a floating market. 

Tour guide demonstrates a secret entrance into the Cu Chi Tunnels 

From there we will begin our journey north stopping in Da Nang and the Cham Museum, followed by Hoi An where we will visit the iconic and famous My Khe beach which was nicknamed "China Beach" by the English, and the Marble Mountains.

My Khe Beach aka "China Beach"

 In addition to these we will get a change to explore Hoi An including a bicycle excursion into the countryside. (I haven't ridden a bike in a couple years so this will be interesting). After a full day of exploring we will begin our journey to Hue which was a former capital of Vietnam and full of the ancient history of Vietnam. We are scheduled to explore the Tomb of Tu Doc, Khai Dinh, and Minh Mang. That afternoon we will get to ride down the perfume river exploring the 200-year-old Citadel and Imperial City.

Imperial City 

 Our final stop in our tour through the country will be in Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam during the war. Our major stops will be the Ho Chi Minh Complex and the Hoa Lo Prison, aka the "Hanoi Hilton" which became famous when American POWs were held there. This trip will be eventful and amazing. I cannot wait to see all that Vietnam has and visit the first and only Starbucks located in Ho Chi Minh! 

(all pictures come from Wikipedia) 

Mount Vernon

This semester I am taking a class at the Mount Vernon Estate. The class is entitled George Washington and His World. I really enjoy it, and I'm really excited to research and write my paper for the class! A couple of weeks ago we were able to actually tour the house! Mount Vernon is the nation's first house museum, so it's kinda considered the mecca of house museums. Many other house museums strive to be like Mount Vernon in their areas.
Because I am in the class, we were given a special tour by one of the curators. We were able to go into the basement, spend a little bit longer in 'the new room', and also go up to the third floor! The third floor is rarely seen because logistically you just can't get a lot of people up there, and it would really block the flow of traffic for a sight that gets millions of visitors a year. The third floor is pretty special though. It's where Martha Washington moved her bedroom to after the death of George, and also allows access to the coupola. The curator at Mount Vernon said there isn't anything that indicated that a ladder was stationed at the coupola like there is now, but it definetly provided light and air flow for the house. Regardless I got to go up into it and I took a few pictures of the grounds from that great vantage point! I appoligize in advance, these are from my phone so they of course are not the best quality.

The Mount Vernon website is full of information about the house and I would consider it one of the premier museum websites out there. There are all sorts of education information, trip planners, and even a virtual tour of the mansion. Check it out at http://www.mountvernon.org/

Secret Santa

As a history major at a small liberal arts college it is really easy to have a bunch of classes with certain people. Well there is a core group of 5 that have become really close especially this past semester so we decided to have a secret santa since we can't afford to buy everyone a gift! We exchanged gifts tonight and I got the best gift from my good friend Melissa. Out of the 5 we have spent the most time together and know each other really well. As a history major and future museum curator I love old stuff! In fact last weekend we all went antiquing together. I have always wanted kitchen type stuff, but since I don't have my own kitchen I really didn't want to buy kitchen stuff. So instead Melisssa got me some for Christmas and it's all so cute I love it!!

The best thing are these milk bottles in the crate! They are sitting on my bedside table cubes and I am planning to go out and get some sort of flowers to stick in them! They are my favorite part.

I also got this sign that tells you how to make a lattice top cherry pie which I think is just so adorable. It is also pink which as everyone should know I love!!

A vintage potato masher that although i never intend to use will look adorable hanging on the wall one day.

And finally this vintage dish towel which is so cute!

I will be spending the rest of my evening chugging some Diet Coke and studying this.

The lovely GRE which I will be retaking on Monday. Although I am dreading it, I do feel slightly more prepared this time, hopefully my score will reflect that!