markets
Feb 11th
Went to Dong Xuan market today and ate buon (rice vermicelli noodles) and fried prawn cakes very cheaply indeed. A glass of tea was 1000 dong (ten cents) and buon was 5000 dong. This was way off the tourist track and we were the only foreigners there sitting on little plastic seats. Tomorrow am off to Hue and Hoi An where web access may be limited- so blogging may wait until I return to Hanoi. It is exciting being here in the lead up to new year, lots of xe oms carrying peach blossom trees and persimmon trees, and people in a mad rush to buy hampers and New Year cards. Last night was kitchen god day so lots of burning votive offerings and people releasing fish into the water for luck (and sometimes the plastic bags that the fish came in).
gestating
Feb 10th
Reading Thay’s book on anger- and about how doing other things mindfully creates writing. I totally agree- call it artistic dates a la Julia Cameron or a necessary gestation period- that’s my idea- it is fertiliser for works of art.
I’m realising that I have a lot of anger and fear, and it will take me a while to overcome. I feel that buddhist practice like my writing is a life time practice and I’m happy with that.
impressions of sapa
Feb 10th
mountain ranges shadowed by the mist, girls in indigo skirts large silver hoop earrings and bracelets hassling you to buy from them, terraced rice fields, water pumps pounding rice, colorful costumes, incredible scenic poverty.
I was very conscious of being a tourist here- we found out that each woman only got one outfit a year- at Tet which is incredible. Our tour guide learnt English from tourists and was the only one whom graduated from high school in his village. He is getting married and he has to pay for 4 water buffalo and 2000 litres of rice wine for a three day feast- and pay a dowry of 600,000 dong. If he doesn’t pay the dowry he has to work for his in laws until the debt is paid off! However my family has pumped lots of money into the local economy- by buying lots of clothes.
more ma
Feb 7th
Had dinner last night with Andrea Kauser a german anthropologist investigating spirituality in Hanoi and Doug Jardine an American academic teaching at Hanoi university. Andrea had some interesting things to say about ghosts and beliefs in spirits- she finds my belief that ghosts can appear during the 49 day transition period interesting- and she asked me if I had considered talking to my deceased grandparents by spirit medium. My first reaction was it was spooky, then that I hadn’t thought of it- followed by my skepticism that mediums actually communicate with spirits. Andrea does not believe that a medium would speak to her in German from her grandfather- and she wonders whether spirits can travel over water. I personally think that ghosts and spirits do exist, that the chance encounters that people do have has built up a series of complex beliefs in when spirits materialise- and some of it is true and some of it is wishful thinking.
Andrea thinks for herself that it is more important for her as an anthropologist to investigate how these practices form community and spiritual economy.
another Vietnamese author
Feb 6th
Just met with another established Vietnamese author whom was quite honest with me about what is allowed and what isn’t allowed for writers to write about. In Vietnam you cannot write against the government, incite violence, have too much sex in your story and something about you cannot write against the unity of ethnic diversity (huh???) I think he means against ethnic minorities. He has waited six years for a book to be published- a very patient man methinks. He also commented that the literature conference I went to was not a very intellectual one which concurs with my American colleagues conclusions about it. His opinion of the Vietnamese writing scene is that many writers write for themselves rather than for the audience.
Here is a picture of people exercising near Hoan Kiem Lake I have on the occassion been awake and about to see this early in the morning- around 6 am.
Natalie Goldberg
Feb 4th
Just picked up Writing Down the Bones again- and the little tidbits I read started me thinking. First of all what I took away from my re reading was that I have the write to write badly. This helps me let go of the censor and the expectations of my work. The second thing which I have been mulling over is that both she and Julia Cameron say that writing is therepeutic but not therapy. I can see where they are coming from- yet narrative therapy is about people recognising their own narrattives and rewriting them to a degree. Being able to transform yourself from victim to survivor in your own story is a most powerful therapy. Natalie goes on to say that writing transforms bitter experiences into something sweeter to be savoured (I’m paraphrasing badly again). That art can transform life experiences. I think that life is chaotic and random, we humans create story and narrattive to make sense of it all. What I like about what Natalie says is that we can take our writing into our wider lives- a bit like taking mindfulness into your wider life.
meeting up with Y Ban
Jan 31st
I met up with Y Ban and her translator yesterday. She commented that my work was good and could get published here, and that what I wrote would have me thrown in jail 30 years ago (lol)! She also offered to get Vixen translated for $3000 US which upon consideration I don’t think it’s worth it unless I get a grant to do so. We had an interesting conversation about ghosts, she said that ghosts are living with us every day in Vietnam and that writers have too much freedom and not enough experience nowadays! I also went to a lecture by Huu Ngoc the author of “Wandering through Vietnamese Culture”. It was very interesting and entertaining- though the Americans in the audience asked some really grating questions.
anger
Jan 31st
Last night had a meditation on anger and a reading about anger from Thay’s book the Heart of the Buddha’s teaching. It made me realise that I can transform the anger I have towards the government and towards some situations that men create into something else- and it needn’t be a barrier to me practising psychology. Anger does cause suffering and to act out of anger sometimes just waters the anger further. Taking responsibility for your anger though a hard thing maybe a necessary thing.
crickets and the southern flag
Jan 30th
Last night went to Highway 4 and ate crickets! They were barbequed and were crunchy and nutty. We also had samplers of fruit rice wine in apricot cranberry passionfruit and apple which was gorgeous. Talked to Cynthia whom is an accomplished networker whom ran into me at the Bookworm- we did Vietnamese classes together in Australia.
Today had a talk with Huu Ngoc the author of Wandering through Vietnamese Culture. He was doing a lecture on Vietnamese culture and was very entertaining.
I’ve been thinking about the Vietnamese Southern flag (yellow with three red stripes) and its use at home. At Vietnamese festivals you will see it displayed, and the Vietnamese Community Association has it in its emblem. It’s being used as a symbol of resistance against the Communists- however it is problematic in that Diem’s regime in the South was oppressive as well. Buddhists immolated themselves in order to protest against his oppression of the religion. I acknowledge that many Southern people fought, suffered and died for that flag. But soon it might be time to find another symbol to identify with- like the Australian flag it has problematic connatations and can be divisive. Something to think about anyway.
Yann Martel and process
Jan 26th
Just read an interview with Yann Martel author of Life of Pi and a series of notes he has written for his next novel. It is very revealing about his process for writing. He says that art takes from life and gives it meaning- which I agree with. He does a lot of research for his novels and explores concepts which fascinate him. It took him four years to write Life of Pi (which I love!). You can find the notes and his interview with a collection called “the notebooks”. With my own process I’m still trying to work this out. With Vixen I discovered her character first- then put her in history as a backdrop. With my short stories I write by concept- things that fascinate me that i want to explore. I am trying to build a new novel and at the moment I have the characters but not the narrattive framework to put them in. It will come- I have faith if they want their stories told in a certain way they will let me know.
