2008 Blogs

Art and poetry in everyday life

02/14/2009

The recent thefts in our dormitory have left me feeling a bit down, and less reluctant to venture out into the city.  The reality is that we Americans (and the Australians, British, Germans, and Russians who visit here) have so much more than most Vietnamese, and it is little wonder that we might occasionally be targets of theft.  After all, we can afford to replace the things we lose.  Still, as you readers know, I would be lost without my laptop--it is my work and my connection to the outside world.

But I refuse to let fear of the actions of a small group of people ruin my experience here.  So I set out this morning with a new destination in mind--the Long Thanh Gallery.  Long Thanh is an award winning Vietnamese photographer who captures the art and poetry of everyday life.  I've read that most of his pictures are shot with an old Leica camera in and around Nha Trang.  Check out his work at: http://www.longthanhart.com/01default.htm

As I walked downtown I realized that I am becoming quite fascinated with photography (even though I know nothing of lighting and shadows and framing)--I just know what I like.  There are many images I would love to take of Vietnam if I didn't feel it was intruding too much into people's lives.  On the way to the gallery I stopped at a Vietnamese bookstore staffed by clerks in pink ao dais.  When I inquired about English-language books I was directed to a section that had some cookbooks and condensed versions of books like The Moonstone, Sherlock Holmes, My Antonia, etc.  As I was exiting the store I noticed a shelf of books about the area.  My favorite, which I hope to buy before I leave here, is Bikes of Burden, a picture book featuring the countless and unbelievable things Vietnamese people haul on bicycles.  Today, however, I chose a book called Single Women in Vietnam, the closest thing to a women's studies text that I have seen since arriving here.

  

My next stop was the Long Thanh Gallery, which is located on a very ordinary street, full of family shops, cafes, and places to eat.  I skirted the motorcycles, bicycles, people throwing water out onto the sidewalk, plastic chairs, and street vendors, and then arrived at a very neat-looking door.  The sign said "Open, ring bell."  As I was searching for the bell, the door opened and a gracious woman invited me to enter (of course after slipping off my shoes).  The gallery, which consists of three rooms, has beautiful hardwood floors and is the perfect setting for viewing the black & white images.  I was quite taken with how simple, yet perfect, his captions are for each image.  One of my favorites is LTA011, but many resonate with me because of what I have seen in just one month.

 

I had class this afternoon--yes, that's right, on Saturday from 2:45-4:35 p.m.  Our subject today was--you guessed it--Love.  We continued our lesson on the O. Henry story, "The Gift of the Magi," and then we discussed Valentine's Day, read the Robert Burns' poem, "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose," and then tried our hand at writing some Valentine's poetry.  Some were very sweet, and here are two that stuck in my mind:  Roses are red, Violets are blue, Bamboo is straight, Will your love be true?  AND Roses are red, Violets are blue, Bird flu is scarey, And so are you.

 

At the end of class I gave the students individually wrapped Life Savers.  From the shrieks when I pulled them out of my bag, you would have thought I was giving them $100 bills.

 

Happy Valentine's Day to you too!