Taking the Long Way Home

That day we made the pleasantly straightforward bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We were unsure of what to expect- we had heard from many travellers that Cambodia is the epitome of "roughing it," and that the country still exhibits many scars from its horrific history in the '70's under the Khmer Rouge. What we found was nicer than what we anticipated, and wonderfully hospitable and friendly locals. Phnom Penh has some very quaint parts, although it is still streets behind Vietnam in terms of infrastructure, garbage disposal, etc. Cambodia also uses the US dollar (it even dispenses from ATMs,) which makes for another Lao-style confusion when changing money or paying for anything. The Cambodian currency is the riel, and at the time of our visit in November, the exchange rate was roughly $1 to 4,000 riel.

There are many beautiful examples of traditional and classical Cambodian architecture in Phnom Penh, most notably the impressive Royal Palace, but undoubtedly the most famous sites to visit are the Killing Fields and the S-21 (or Tuol Sleng) Prison. These place are horrific and chilling to visit, but necessary to truly comprehend the damage and destruction wrought on this small country in the name of revolution from 1975- 1979.

We ended up staying at a brand new guesthouse called "Fancy Guesthouse" a few blocks off of the waterfront. The streets on our walk were clogged with garbage and had a bit of a rotting smell. The guesthouse itself, though, was run by a very friendly guy named Joe, and the rooms were spotless. They had never even been used before, as we were the first guests. We settled into a great triple, and headed to the waterfront for some dinner.

Signs of the Khmer Rouge period and Pol Pot's brutal regime are everywhere in Phnom Penh. Everyone you meet lost friends and relatives during those terrifying years. Because it was Pol Pot's aim, specifically, to destroy urbanites and the educated class, this is especially felt in the city, which was famously completely evacuated in the '70s when he turned the year back to "Year Zero" and closed all hospitals, post offices, and schools in the aim to transform the society into an agrarian collective. Cham people in particular and also other members from ethnic minority groups suffered greatly under Pol Pot's rule. Here is a quick historical blurb regarding the city, although there are doubtless many fascinating books you can pick up on the subject:

Phnom Penh first became the capital of Cambodia after Ponhea Yat, king of the Khmer Empire, moved the capital from Angkor Thom after it was captured by Siam a few years earlier. There are stupa behind Wat Phnom that house the remains of Ponhea Yat and the royal family as well as the remaining Buddhist statues from the Angkorean era. There is a legend that tells how Phnom Penh was created.

It was not until 1866, under the reign of King Norodom I, that Phnom Penh became the permanent seat of government, and the Royal Palace (pictured) was built. This marked the beginning of the transformation of what was essentially a village into a great city with the French Colonialists expanding the canal system to control the wetlands, constructing roads and building a port.

By the 1920s, Phnom Penh was known as the Pearl of Asia, and over the next four decades continued to experience growth with the building of a railway to Sihanoukville and the Pochentong International Airport.
The exterior of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh
The exterior of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh

During the Vietnam War, Cambodia was used as a base by the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, and thousands of refugees from across the country flooded the city to escape the fighting between their own government troops, the NVA/NLF, the South Vietnamese and its allies and the Khmer Rouge. By 1975, the population was 2,000,000, the bulk of them refugees from the fighting. The city fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17. Many of its residents, those who were wealthy and educated, were forced to do labor on rural farms as "new people". Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's forces and was turned into the S-21 prison camp, where Cambodians were detained and tortured. Pol Pot sought a return to an agrarian economy and therefore killed many people percieved as educated, "lazy" or political enemies. Many others starved to death as a result of failure of the agrarian society and the sale of Cambodia's rice to China in exchange for bullets and weaponry. Tuol Svay Prey High School is now the Tuol Sleng Museum in which Khmer Rouge torture devices and photos of their victims are displayed. Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), 15 kilometres (9 mi) away, where the Khmer Rouge marched prisoners from Tuol Sleng to be murdered and buried in shallow pits, is also now a memorial to those who were killed by the regime.

The Khmer Rouge were driven out of Phnom Penh by the Vietnamese in 1979 and people began to return to the city. Vietnam is historically a state with which Cambodia has had many conflicts, therefore this liberation was and is viewed with mixed emotions by the Cambodians. A period of reconstruction began, spurred by continuing stability of government, attracting new foreign investment and aid by countries including France, Australia, and Japan. Loans were made from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank to reinstate a clean water supply, roads and other infrastructure. The 1998 Census put Phnom Penh's population at 862,000;[3] by 2001 it was estimated at slightly over 1 million.

Joe had offered for his brother to take us around to the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Prison the next day, so we decided to go for it. We visited the Killing Fields first. There is really nothing you can do to prepare yourself for a visit to a place like this. Over 17,000 people were killed here, usually by being forced to first dig their own graves, and then beaten to death by blunt objects. Bullets were viewed as expensive, and were "not to be wasted," so most were killed in beatings performed by poor young peasant men and women. Pol Pot sought to exterminate entire families, so babies and the elderly were killed here is well. Perhaps one of the most disgusting parts of the visit is a stop at the tree against which babies were killed. It's simply horrifying.

The Killing Fields have been maintained, though, as a reminder of what happened, and are pretty much in the same state they were before. Due to erosion, new skeletons and bodies are revealed each year from the many mass graves. As you walk around to the different mass graves, you can easily see human bones and remnants of clothing poking through the earth. At one point, our guide simply stooped down and pulled out a tooth. There is a Buddhist monument in the center that is filled with skulls of the victims. It is a very, very sobering spot.

Here are some pictures... not for the fainthearted:

Remains of human skulls at the Killing Fields

Monument at the Killing Fields... the inside is entirely filled with skulls... extremely sad

Bones and clothing coming through the earth as a result of erosion at the Killing Fields

Our tour guide at the Killing Fields

After our visit to the Killing Fields, we ventured back into Phnom Penh to visit S-21 Torture Prison, or Tuol Sleng Prison, which used to be a highschool before the Khmer Rouge regime. The building has been left largely as it was when the Khmer Rouge lost power in 1979, and knowledge of this fact makes the visit extremely eerie. Here is some history of this horrific, terrible place. It is the most disturbing spot we visited during our travels, but it is important to understand what happened here:

Formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School, named after a Royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk, the five buildings of the complex were converted in August 1975, four months after the Khmer Rouge won the civil war[2], into a prison and interrogation centre. The Khmer Rouge renamed the complex "Security Prison 21" (S-21) and construction began to adapt the prison to the inmates: the buildings were enclosed in electrified barbed wire, the classrooms converted into tiny prison and torture chambers, and all windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire to prevent escapes.

From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (some estimates suggest a number as high as 20,000, though the real number is unknown). The prisoners were selected from all around the country, and usually were former Khmer Rouge members and soldiers, accused of betraying the party or revolution.[1] Those arrested included some of the highest ranking communist politicians such as Khoy Thoun, Vorn Vet and Hu Nim. Although the official reason for their arrest was "espionage," these men may have been viewed by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot as potential leaders of a coup against him. Prisoners' families were often brought en masse to be interrogated and later murdered at the Choeung Ek extermination centre.

Upon arrival at the prison, prisoners were photographed and required to give detailed biographies, beginning with their childhood and ending with their arrest. After that, they were forced to strip to their underwear, and their possessions were confiscated. The prisoners were then taken to their cells. Those taken to the smaller cells were shackled to the walls or the concrete floor. Those who were held in the large mass cells were collectively shackled to long pieces of iron bar. The shackles were fixed to alternating bars; the prisoners slept with their heads in opposite directions. They slept on the floor without mats, mosquito nets, or blankets. They were forbidden to talk to each other.

The day in the prison began at 4:30 a.m. when prisoners were asked to strip for inspection. The guards checked to see if the shackles were loose or if the prisoners had hidden objects they could use to commit suicide. Over the years, several prisoners managed to kill themselves, so the guards were very careful in checking the shackles and cells. The prisoners received four small spoonfuls of rice porridge and watery soup of leaves twice a day. Drinking water without asking the guards for permission resulted in serious beatings. The inmates were hosed down every four days.[1]

The prison had very strict regulations, and severe beatings were inflicted upon any prisoner who tried to disobey.

Most prisoners at S-21 were held there for two to three months. However, several high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres were held longer. Within two or three days after they were brought to S-21, all prisoners were taken for interrogation[1]. The torture system at Tuol Sleng was designed to make prisoners confess to whatever crimes they were charged with by their captors. Prisoners were routinely beaten and tortured with electric shocks, searing hot metal instruments and hanging, as well as through the use of various other devices. Some prisoners were cut with knives or suffocated with plastic bags. Other methods for generating confessions included pulling out fingernails while pouring alcohol on the wounds, holding prisoners’ heads under water, and the use of the waterboarding technique (see picture). Females were sometimes raped by the interrogators, even though sexual abuse was against DK policy. The perpetrators who were found out were executed.[1] Although many prisoners died from this kind of abuse, killing them outright was discouraged, since the Khmer Rouge needed their confessions.

In their confessions, the prisoners were asked to describe their personal background. If they were party members, they had to say when they joined the revolution and describe their work assignments in DK. Then the prisoners would relate their supposed treasonous activities in chronological order. The third section of the confession text described prisoners’ thwarted conspiracies and supposed treasonous conversations. At the end, the confessions would list a string of traitors who were the prisoners’ friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. Some lists contained over a hundred names. People whose names were in the confession list were often called in for interrogation.

Typical confessions ran into thousands of words in which the prisoner would interweave true events in their lives with imaginary accounts of their espionage activities for either the CIA or KGB. The confession of Hu Nim ended with the words "I am not a human being, I'm an animal". A young Englishman named John Dawson Dewhirst who was arrested in August 1978 claimed to have joined the CIA at age 12 upon his father receiving a substantial bribe from a work colleague, also an agent. Physical torture was combined with sleep deprivation and deliberate neglect of the prisoners. The torture implements are on display in the museum. The vast majority of prisoners were innocent of the charges against them and their confessions produced by torture.

Tuol Sleng Prison from the outside

Rules sign at Tuol Sleng Torture Prison

Pictures of victims at Tuol Sleng. May they rest in peace...

After our sobering morning, we decided to visit some of Phnom Penh's beautiful spots. The Royal Palace was our choice. The kings of Cambodia have occupied this complex of buildings since it was built in 1866 (except for during the Khmer Rouge Period.) It is a beautifully constructed, atmospheric spot:

Kate and Meg at the Royal Palace

Royal Palace grounds in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Acting silly

Catt and Meg at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Catt and Kate at the Royal Palace

Meg and Catt reviewing our pictures at the Royal Palace. Hey, that's a good one!

We also checked out a great place to eat in Phnom Penh, called "Friends Cafe." This is an awesome place to grab a bite to eat, not only because the food is delicious, but because it is for a great cause, too. You can check out their website here: http://www.streetfriends.org/. Phnom Penh, and Cambodia in general has a huge, sad problem of street children, small children begging, working, and homeless on the streets. Street Friends is an organization that strives to protect, care for, and empower young people and children through training programs and education. The servers and hosts at the Friends restaurant are all being trained through this great organization. Did I mention that the food (and smoothies) are also phenomenal?

We love Cambodia!

In a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh

After spending the night at the atmospheric street market in Phnom Penh and doing some shopping, we arranged to continue by road onto the hub of Siem Reap the next day, and the awe-inspiring temples of Angkor Wat.

After we finished up our last Friday in Ben Tre, we jumped on a local minibus back to Saigon to meet up with our dear friend, Kate, who was flying in to travel with us for a few weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangkok. This would be the first time we'd see a familiar face from home in four months, and to say that we were thrilled would be an understatement.

The minibus trip from the Delta back to Saigon was a real adventure. As thanks to us for our time in Ben Tre, the school had generously loaded us up with six HUGE boxes of coconut candy. We can only eat so much of it, so decided to share it with everyone on our bus. We didn't realize that this act of generosity looped us into the overall food exchange of the entire minibus. This was great when the grandma behind us gave us some sheets of fruit-rollup textured coconut sweets. It was not-so-ideal, though, when the vinegar-smelling, warm-fishy rolls were produced from the back seat. The grandma had been chowing down on them, when she passed some to us with an encouraging, toothless smile on her face, we couldn't say no. In truth? They were absolutely, hands-down, the most disgusting things we had ever eaten. Under her watchful eye, we (gaggingly) got down a few bites. I had to really take one for the team, because Catterson was turning green and couldn't go on. They smelled like rotten, sugared, vomitfish. That's the only way I can describe it. They were neon orange in color, and humidly sticky and warm to the touch. Just thinking about it makes me a little nauseous. Anyway, we rode along in the crazy Saigon-bound traffic, watching Vietnamese karaoke vids on the flip-down screen in the van, choking down chunks of rancid fish and coconut when dear old grannie began throwing up all over the van (right behind us.) The rest of the journey pretty much went on like this. The smells and sounds were overpowering. It was just one of those Travel Moments.

Arriving in Saigon, glad as heck to be out of that bus, we made our way to the guesthouse we had booked, Madame Cuc's 127. This guesthouse would turn out to be the best guesthouse we'd stay at in the whole of SE Asia. Madame Cuc's staff will go completely out of their way to make you feel at home. The price includes warmly made-up rooms, ensuite, breakfast, free fresh fruit juice all day, and some munchies for dinner. We arrived, vegged out for a few hours in front of the TV, and waited for our journey to the airport to pick up Kate. It was heaven.

When we got to the airport later that night, we met up with Kristy, a girl who works with Hong for the Degenhardt Foundation in Saigon. Kate was doing us a HUGE favor by bringing donated music stands from the U.S. for the Ben Tre and Danang music programs and Kristy was meeting us to pick up the stands. We had a nice coffee together and enjoyed hearing about Kristy's family in the U.S. and her experience growing up in Vietnam. Kate's flight got in around 11:00 PM and we saw her coming through to baggage pick up. We made a huge commotion, waving our arms and screaming her name (even though she probably couldn't hear us through the glass.) I'd like to think our display made her feel relieved instead of embarrassed

We had a million things to catch up on for that evening, and it just felt great to be with a familiar friend again and hear about home. We went to sleep really, really late that night and had a much-anticipated restful next morning before heading out to some of Saigon's sites and celebrating Catterson's 28th birthday!! the next day, November 10th. We followed a route recommended by, who else, Lonely Planet, visiting the famous Binh Thanh market, Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, and some other historical buildings along the way. Saigon isn't extremely aesthetically pleasing, but it has a wonderful buzz to it, and the locals are very friendly. Here are some pictures from our first day as tourists in Saigon with Kate:

View from our balcony at Madame Cuc's Guesthouse

Reunification Palace from the outside

Interior of Reunification Palace

View of the beautiful Hotel de Ville, now a government building

Lonely Planet showing us the way...

Binh Thanh Market, Saigon

Meg and Kate in front of City Hall

Kate and Meg at the flashy icecream shop... New Zealand icecream!

The three of us in front of Reunification Palace

Catt rocking out on the nose flute we bought in Borneo at Madame Cuc's

Kate about to tuck into a steaming bowl of Vietnamese Pho

That evening, we had originally thought about checking out some of the French restaurants (Catt's favorite,) in celebration of his big birthday. Our dear friends from Saigon, though, the Le family, had different plans. Hoan had given me a ring earlier that day asking if they could possibly meet us for dinner. We took a taxi out to their neighborhood and met Hoa (cousin) there. Soon, the entire family showed up in a van and took us out for a delicious meal of lobster at a local restaurant. The entire meal consisted of lobster, prepared in unique ways. The first course was lobster blood soup, which was incredible, followed by a meal of sashimi-grade lobster, raw. All of this was accompanied by generous helpings of 333 beer, side dishes of greens and nuts, and great conversation. Catt, Kate and I left feeling completely satiated. What an unforgettable birthday!

Pinky swearing to meet again one day in Vietnam or the States

That night we returned to our neck of the woods back at Madame Cuc's quite late. We made a detour to a club across the street to check out the local dance scene. It was a really high-tech production- lasers flashing everywhere, and Vietnamese clubbers in their finest. As soon as we got there, the bouncers escorted us to our own little area on the dancefloor. It was really orderly like that. No cameras were allowed, though. Odd.

We decided to return to the guesthouse after about an hour of dancing. When we entered, the staff was acting extremely suspiciously. They told us that we couldn't go up to our room, but didn't really offer an explanation why. We started probing them a little further, and they claimed there was some sort of electricity shortage. Then, the lights started going out in the foyer. We're like, alright, this is really weird, when we see the familiar flicker of candlelight coming from the back staff room. Out come about eight Madame Cuc employees holding a cheerful, huge birthday cake, complete with "28" candles. Catt looked completely incredulous, and then shot us a look like, "did you guys plan this?" Unfortunately (for us,) we hadn't- Madame Cuc's had apparently checked the birthdays on our passports when we left them to register when we arrived, and took note of the fact that Catt would be celebrating his birthday while we were staying with them. They then went out and got a cake for us! It was so, so thoughtful. The entire foyer was like a party scene, with random guests toasting to Catt and buying him beers. Thank you, Madame Cuc's for such a lovely surprise. We will never forget it!

Catt's birthday cake at Madame Cuc's

Catt with his cake

Catt celebrating his birthday with the Madame Cuc staff

The next morning we had booked a tour to check out the Cu Chi tunnels, about an hour's drive west of Saigon. Here is a little bit of history on the Cu Chi tunnels, thanks to Wikipedia:

The district of Củ Chi is located 70 kilometers to the northwest of Saigon near the so-called "Iron Triangle". Both the Saigon River and Route 1 pass through the region which served as major supply routes in and out of Saigon during the war. This area was also the termination of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Because of this, the Củ Chi and the nearby Ben Cat districts had immense strategic value for the NLF (National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam). Mai Chi Tho, a political commissar stationed in Củ Chi describes the region as a “springboard for attacking Saigon.” He goes on to say: “We used the area for infiltrating Saigon-intelligence agents, part cadres, sabotage teams. The Tết Offensive of 1968 was prepared the necessary troops and supplies assembled in the Củ Chi tunnels.”

In the beginning, there was never a direct order to build the tunnels; instead, they developed in response to a number of different circumstances, most importantly the military tactics of the French and U.S. The tunnels began in 1948 so that the Viet Minh could hide from French air and ground sweeps. Each hamlet built their own underground communications route through the hard clay, and over the years, the separate tunnels were slowly and meticulously connected and fortified. By 1965, there were over 200 kilometers of connected tunnel. As the tunnel system grew, so did its complexity. Sleeping chambers, kitchens and wells were built to house and feed the growing number of residents and rudimentary hospitals created to treat the wounded. Most of the supplies used to build and maintain the tunnels were stolen or scavenged from U.S. bases or troops.

By the early 1960’s, the NLF had created a relatively self-sufficient community that was able to house hundreds of people and for the most part, go undetected by large numbers of American troops based, literally, right on top of the tunnels.

American soldiers used the term "Black echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the NLF, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels; especially malaria, which accounted for the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. A captured NLF report suggests that at any given time half of a PLAF unit had malaria and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance.” In spite of these hardships, the NLF managed to wage successful campaigns against a conscripted army that was technologically far superior.

Today, the 75-mile-long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi have been preserved by the government of Vietnam, and turned into a war memorial park. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. Some tunnels have been made larger to accommodate the larger size of western tourists, while low-power lights have been installed in several of them to make traveling through them easier and booby traps have been clearly marked. Underground conference rooms where campaigns such as the Tết Offensive were planned in 1968 have been restored, and visitors may enjoy a simple meal of food that NLF fighters would have eaten.

Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys, tourist trap vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range where visitors can fire an assault rifle.

Our guide for the trip to the Cu Chi tunnels was crazy. There's no other way around it. He had worked for the U.S. Navy during the war (in fact, he would sporadically refer to himself as "American,") and had been caught and forced into four years of hard life in a re-education camp by the communists after the war. As a result, his entire concept of self-identity and nationhood was skewed and splintered. He would randomly burst into a tourette's style diatribe peppered with expletives about issues ranging from Vietnamese people, to his mother, to the American government (but not John Kerry- for some weird reason, he loved John Kerry) to Oliver Stone. Everyone in the group was sort of amused and alarmed by this guy. He definitely delivered an interesting tour, though. Kate and I kept trying to get a good video clip of him during a particularly heated moment, but we struck out... oh, well.

Our guide- keep your distance!

The tunnels themselves were absolutely fascinating. For a start, they were way more narrow than we had anticipated. At one point, they gave us the opportunity to crawl through a section of them ourselves. The claustrophobia was overwhelming, crawling on your hands and knees meters under ground, and we bailed out at first chance. It really does give you a respect for the fighters who lived and fought this way for months at a time.

Megan in the Cu Chi tunnels- get me out!

Our guide was quite knowledgeable, though, and taught us all about the different traps and ways that the fighters would trick the South Vietnamese and the Americans. One example was that they would wear their shoes backwards into the forest, so the enemy would track back to where they came from that morning, instead of where they had gone (since the footsteps were pointing backwards.)

A trap in the Cu Chi tunnels

After the tour, there was an opportunity to shoot an AK-47. We declined, but our friend Corinne had done it on a trip she did to Vietnam earlier this year and it sounds like it was a pretty wild experience.

After the visit we headed back to the guesthouse, grabbed some pho, and prepared for our journey to Cambodia the next morning!

one of our star students is learning dance steps in Ben Tre, Vietnam

(For background information on the origins of our Ben Tre trip, check out the previous blog entry on Saigon.)

Our Ben Tre adventure began very early in the morning. Catt, Hong and I were picked up by a large, people-mover styled van at 5:00 AM on Monday morning, November 5, 2007 from Hoa and Yoon's still-slumbering home. The sun was just peeking over the concrete blocks of Saigon as we made our way through the eerily silent streets towards the main southbound road. We each lay down across a row of unoccupied seats and slept, despite the freezing cold of the van- unaccustomed to the luxury of air conditioning, we were quite chilly! The driver woke us up at the halfway point; a dilapidated, road-side rest-stop with steaming bowls of pho on offer, served amid clouds of cigarette smoke in the early morning air. Continuing on, we made the ferry crossing and soon found ourselves in the Delta.

The small, sleepy town of Ben Tre and its friendly locals and relaxed pace belies a turbulent history of conflict. Sadly, the town found itself at the heart of some of the bloodiest fighting during the Vietnam War- specifically during the Tet Offensive. Many of the people in Ben Tre (and later, as we would learn, families of children who would be our students at the school where we taught) also suffered birth defects and illnesses as a result of exposure to Agent Orange, or dioxin, the defoliant sprayed by American planes to deny cover to Viet Cong guerrillas. The result of this poisonous and horrific practice is well documented at the Museum of War Crimes in Saigon as well, with plenty of accompanying grisly photographs. We would visit the museum after our week in the Delta, on return to Saigon for a few days.

Here are a few links with some interesting tidbits of history on Ben Tre:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/03/23/edpringle_ed3__1.php
Article from the Herald Tribune on the sad fate of Ben Tre during the Vietnam War, written by James Pringle, who covered the war for three years as a correspondent for Routers

http://www.rfa.org/english/features/blogs/vietnamblog/2005/08/26/blog6_vietnam_southerland/
Diary entry from Radio Free Asia on Ben Tre

http://www.nhe.net/BenTreVietnam/
"We had to destroy Ben Tre in order to save it."

Now, though, the town of Ben Tre is a friendly and industrious town, displaying few signs of the wounds of its past, worlds away from the tourist trail of neighboring My Tho. Among Vietnamese, it is perhaps most famous for its local production of coconut candy, made in factories surrounding the city. The Vietnamese, indeed, refer to the province as "coconut island" and the saccharine scent of candy hangs heavy in the humid air.

We arrived at the Ben Tre School for Special Students early that Monday morning, and immediately were escorted to a small room for a morning tea and a meeting with the school's principal, the vice principal, Ms. Ho Thi Thu Thuy, Ms. Thu, our friendly, extremely helpful and energetic interpreter, and Hong. It was at this first meeting that we most clearly were made aware of the expectations of our teaching in Ben Tre. Originally the foundation sponsoring our visit had hoped that we would be able to teach violin, but the violins had yet to be delivered to the school when we arrived, so we would teach the children the basics of piano, guitar, and singing (the request for singing, specifically, was "singing American folk songs." I later would interpret this as teaching them Beatles songs... I figured as long as it was in English that was okay, right?) The majority of our students in music class were blind, but (as we would find out,) extremely eager to learn, attentive, and naturally musically gifted. I also learned from vice principal Ms. Thuy that many of the deaf students had made a special request to learn "disco dancing," as well as the basics of classical western dance. Unsure of exactly what that entailed (but hopeful to please in any way,) and lacking any formal training in dance instruction, I agreed that we would do my best to teach them.

After our morning tea, we were ushered into our music classroom, already filled with our students for music class. Almost all of the students were blind, and ranged in age from 8 to 25 years old. They began by making a formal introduction, delivered by a particularly talented guitarist and singer named Tho. He sang some Vietnamese classical and patriotic songs for us while accompanied by an exceptionally gifted guitarist. They then asked Catt and I to sing and play them a song. We obliged, even though we really didn't have anything prepared. They blew us out of the water, but I'd like to think that our rendition of Jack Johnson's cover of "Pirate Turns 40" set a good tone for the week's lessons.

Lacking any specific lesson plans or instructional resources, but blessed with plenty of time, eager students, and friendly and helpful staff, we got to work. Regular classes had been canceled all week for our teaching, so we had plenty of students and plenty of time. We began by playing a rhythm game with the blind class to try to illustrate the concept of a "steady beat" in music. They would tap their thighs and then clap to a beat established by us (up on the drum,) and then take turns chanting an introduction, followed by a list of each other's names. The staff urged us to teach them games and songs in English where possible, as they were all studying English as part of their daily curriculum. The game went well enough, but especially because the students were blind, it was a little bit challenging for them to recall the order in which everyone was seated around the circle. In time, though, even the young ones got it. We finished the morning by teaching them the classic hit, "Row, row, row your boat," first as a melody, and then in a round. The students had beautiful, clear voices, and despite the language barrier (I mean, can you imagine singing a round in Vietnamese in one hour?) learned the song quite well. We finished off the day by teaching them the basics of the "ABC" song. Here are some pictures from our singing class:

These two girls were start students and leaders among their classmates. Great voices, too.

The girl on the right was a great guitar student. The boy at left was learning to play piano, and had a very nice singing voice.

Throughout the week, we taught our blind students introductory lessons on guitar and piano as well. These lessons presented all sorts of new challenges and insights for us. Certainly we gained an appreciation for the extra determination and effort our blind students put into learning their instruments. Instead of teaching through visual imitation, we had to physically show the students the difference between black ("skinny") keys and white ("fat") keys, by guiding their fingers along the keyboard. During the guitar class, Catt, Ms. Tho and I were able to instruct almost nine students at one time, thanks to the many donations of guitars the Degenhardt Foundation had obtained for the school, but it took a little while to demonstrate the fingering to each student. They were very patient, though, and in time we were able to teach basic chords to everyone. Many of the guitars were in need of new strings and picks, though, so we are hoping to send some new ones over in the future. Also, the ability level of the students varied quite considerably. Most were beginners, but two or three were quite advanced. We hope to organize another trip in the future in which we can bring several music teachers to the school and give the students more individualized attention on their instruments.

This student in particular was very, very talented on the guitar. He could pick up almost anything by ear, immediately.

Performing "Imagine" with voice, piano, and guitar.

Further on in the week, we also taught the children "If You're Happy and You Know it," complete with all of the dance motions, and as the final, big song, "Imagine" by John Lennon. The lyrics were very difficult for the children, but with hard work and dedication, they learned it in its entirety. They each have portable braille devices, which they can use to transcribe the spoken lyrics into braille on paper, punching out each letter. Each student created their own sheet of "Imagine" lyrics. We spent a lot of time reviewing the lyrics, their pronunciation, and their meaning. There were not very many dry eyes in the house when they performed the song at the end of our time together.

The children reading braille lyrics

Our singing class, as we would sit each day.

Reading the lyrics.

Our music classroom

The next morning we had our first dance class. This time most of our students were deaf. This made things a little bit easier, mainly because even if they weren't deaf, we still wouldn't have been able to understand each other (given our lack of Vietnamese), and the students were extremely talented at deciphering body language, reading facial expressions, etc. The interpretation took a while, because first we had to interpret our English instructions to Vietnamese (via Ms. Tho,) then Ms. Tho had to interpret the Vietnamese to the sign-language interpreter, and finally, the sign language interpreter would sign to the students instructions. You can imagine the chaos that ensued once we tried to teach an eight count dance step. I never realized how much we use shouted instruction (and lack of eye contact) in dance class. Instead of counting off "1, 2, 3, 4..." etc, we had to remember to count off on our fingers, raised high above our heads, while performing dance steps for the class to mirror.

We started off by playing some ice breakers- charades, followed by a series of dance stretches and warm-ups. It was all giggles after that and we decided to break down the steps of the waltz for them. The kids, to their credit, were wonderfully patient, energetic, and fun over the course of our two and a half hour session that morning. We had such a blast teaching them the waltz- and got a work-out, too. We devised a system where we used the green and white checker pattern of the tile floor in our classroom to teach them the basic steps on their own, first. Later we would put it all together, matching them up in pairs. Once everyone paired up to dance, we would beat a drum in three-count on the floor so that some of them could feel the inner rhythm/vibrations and dance to the beat more easily. At the end of the lesson, we divided the class up into two groups so that they could perform for each other.

Our dance class was very special to us. During breaks, the students would give us hugs, play games with us, and teach us there own dialect of sign language. Unlike the States, where we have ASL, in Vietnam there is no "standardized" sign language. Thus, the sign language taught in the Mekong River Delta is a completely different dialect than, say, sign language in Danang or Hanoi. It even differs from the sign language of Saigon, just a two hour journey north. As a result of this lack of standardization, (and also, of course, because resources for deaf children in schools are expensive), our deaf students typically were far behind the blind children in their academic subjects. This is of no fault of their own, but a result of the need for more resources for them. The number of staff that could communicate to them in detail in sign language was a bit limited. That said, though, the teachers were extremely dedicated, and certainly did the absolute best they could, given their limited resources, materials and funding. One of our most treasured souvenirs from all of our travels is the care-worn sign language picture book one of our students presented to us at the end of our tenure in Ben Tre. When we come back to Ben Tre again, we should be able to communicate much more easily!

our dance class rehearsing the waltz

the waltz can be tricky when you're dancing it alone!

Megan demonstrating the steps

sometimes everything would just break down into total hilarity

Megan keeping the beat for the deaf dance class by beating a drum on the floor

Dancers watching half of the class perform

On our last day of classes, we adjourned early for an assembly. All staff, students, and even the local Ben Tre press (complete with photographer!) came to take pictures and watch the fruits of our students efforts. Our dancers performed the waltz, followed by a modern dance we choreographed for them. Our singers and guitarists performed "Row your Boat," "ABCs," and last of all, "Imagine." They did a wonderful job. Here are some pictures:

Singers on stage at the assembly

Students having a laugh on break from the assembly.

This student was the star singer who sang to us when we first arrived. He also performs at tourist shows at local hotels. Hopefully he can get a scholarship to music school at university.

In the end, though, I was unable to get away from the request for "disco dancing." The staff insisted that I teach them, along with the students, a few hip-hop moves. It was one of those mortifying moments that somehow transformed into being completely hysterical, liberating and uplifting. We all danced around in a huge circle. It was great. Here are some pics of disco dancing, Vietnamese-style.

During the week, we were assisted greatly by the help of Ms. Tho, our interpreter, (and incidentally a guitarist,) who was instrumental (no pun intended) in assisting with instruction as well as interpretation. Ms. Tho and her husband love music, too- especially the Beatles- and she helps teach an English course at the local university. We want to give a big thanks to Ms. Tho from the bottom of our hearts. Hopefully we will meet again one day in Vietnam! We are searching for a good picture from Megan's camera to post of Ms. Tho. Hopefully we can do that in the future. We also want to say thank you to the kind members of the teaching staff that ushered us to and from lessons each day. Those motorcycle rides were unforgettable. I can now ride side-saddle on a motorbike, carrying bags, cameras, etc, in a dress, no problem. Catt can, too! Just kidding.

While in Ben Tre, we stayed at the Hung Vuong Hotel, set prominently on the riverside. Our outside-of-school routine was simple and sweet- each day we would wait for teachers from the school to pick us up on the backs of their motorbikes for the fifteen minute ride to work for the day. They would return us for an hour and a half lunch recess, and then we would return in the afternoons. In the evenings, we'd poke around the market, get several smoothies from the greatest fruit shake lady in Vietnam, check up on internet at the post office, and work tediously on our curriculum and lesson plans for the next day's classes.

Here are some pictures of our time, after school, in Ben Tre:

On the riverfront in Ben Tre

sunset over Ben Tre in the Mekong River Delta

The greatest fruit shake lady in the whole of Vietnam. We'd get a mixed shake (Vietnamese style, with condensed milk for sweetness) almost every night after work.

View from our hotel, the Hung Vuong Hotel, at night

One of our last nights in Ben Tre, Ms. Thuy (the vice principal,) Mr. Minh (a teacher at the school who speaks excellent English,) and another teacher took us out for white coffee and fresh fruit at the new, flash coffee shop on the Ben Tre riverfront. As the moon rose, and the music went on into the night, we had a wonderful conversation about music's ability to empower young people, and the importance of having a strong music program at the school. Most of the children live there, away from their families, because it is the only school in Ben Tre Province with staff and facilities specifically catering to deaf and blind students. Ms. Thuy explained to us that music can be a source of inspiration, creativity, community, and empowerment in the lives of these young people. We couldn't agree more. We want to say thank you to the staff and administrators of the Ben Tre School for making this inspiration a reality in the lives of the young students who call the dormitories of Ben Tre home. You have forever made a difference in their lives, and you certainly have forever made a difference in ours. We will see you again one day.

Us with Ms. Thuy, Vice Principal of Ben Tre School

Us with staff. Thank you, thank you for giving us a ride to work each day!!

Our faithful audience member and groupie for most of our lessons.

learning the waltz

Ben Tre students watching from the courtyard

practicing sign language with our deaf kids

Disco dancing

Sign for the school

Ben Tre school grounds

Megan and Catt... and cool motorcycle helmets... taking one last photo before we leave Ben Tre.