Finding New Opportunities...!
Door: Marijn Sprokkereef
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marijn
28 Februari 2013 | Vietnam, Hanoi
Dear friends and family, a warm “Xin Chao” from Hanoi, Vietnam!
More than two months have passed since my last update on this travel blog. Although I wrote it from exactly the same desk at my father’s apartment in Hanoi, enough has happened to tell you about :-)
…Let me take you back to one early morning in mid-December…, it was 0500AM and still dark. My father gently knocked on the window of a Vietnamese taxi that was parked at the end of the small alley where we live. The taxi driver who had agreed to take us to Noi Bai Airport woke up and a few minutes later, we were on our way… Both my parents had managed to get a three weeks' Christmas holiday and my mother was coming over to spend the end of the year with us in the South-East. As my parents had not seen each other for about five months, all of us had been looking forward to this reunion for quite some time… :-)
After acclimatising a few days in and around Hanoi, we booked a night train to the beautiful mountains of Sapa in the far North of Vietnam. Hiking through minority villages, going off-road with our rented scooters, enjoying the stunning mountain scenery and taking pictures all along…, Sapa was quite impressive. Before we would start our longer journey to the South of Vietnam, we made a short pit-stop at base camp Hanoi. The first place to visit was centrally located Hue, the former capital of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Here, we visited the impressive Imperial Citadel and a few pagodas before we moved further on to nearby Hoi An. Adored by some because of its picturesque and historical Old Town, disliked by others because of the many tourists it attracts, we spent a few very relaxing days here. Highlight of our stay in Hoi An was perhaps the trip we made to the ancient "Cham-ruins" in the jungles of My Son. Going there by bus and getting back by boat, we especially enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers and our compassionate guide ("Please call me King Tiger..., Mr. King Tiger!!").
As distances in Vietnam are quite far, we had decided to “cheat” a little to reach our next destination by taking a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City. "HCM" as it is often abbreviated, used to be the capital of South Vietnam and was known for a long time by its more romantic name "Saigon". From here, we explored the beautiful Mekong Delta. Even though the area is a labyrinth of waterways in all sizes, it is a densely populated region and it is also nicknamed the "rice bowl" of Vietnam. Not surprisingly, the biggest part of daily life takes place on the water and we enjoyed a boat trip with a local guide who took us from beautiful green villages to bustling floating markets. A few days later and just before New Year's we were on our way to a country which I know well...., Cambodia! Visiting the magnificent temples of Angkor and showing my parents around the surprisingly relaxed Phnom Penh turned out to be a great end of our three weeks family reunion…
In Phnom Penh, we split up: my mother went back to the Netherlands, my father returned to his work in Vietnam and I stayed for another week in the city where I did my internship a few years before. It was great to be back and to recognise so much. Over this week, I visited many familiar places, I met up with my former boss at the Cambodia Tribunal several times and I also spent time with a new friend of mine who I had only met in Brussels, the evening before I had started off this trip to Asia :-)
A few weeks before, while I was still in Hanoi, a friend of my father had introduced me to a French/Vietnamese law firm. As you may know, I was eagerly looking for an international working opportunity and for a new challenge. After meeting the two partners (bosses) of the law firm, they had offered me to do a one-month internship with them. I thought it would be a nice opportunity for me to experience the kind of work that they were doing and at the same time, they could see me “in action” :-) Before leaving Phnon Penh, I made sure to visit a tailor who could make me some nice looking office clothes. A few days later, I was back in Hanoi and determined to make a good start…
As the days of my internship passed, the little scepticism I had about working for a commercial law firm slowly passed too and I was starting to see the opportunities… This was a young and expanding law firm, ran by ambitious French and English lawyers, here I could work with wonderful Vietnamese colleagues on cases for international clients. And if that was not enough, the office was located in the very historical centre of perhaps the most charming city in the region where my father was living and working as well….! When, at the end of my third week, the partners asked me whether we could discuss the conditions under which I would stay in Hanoi to strengthen their team, you could see me broadly smiling from a lóóóóng distance :-)
However, before my internship could be converted into a working contract, first the whole of Vietnam came to an almost complete stop. Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese live according to the lunar calendar and around mid-February, the only thing people were talking about on the streets was the upcoming “Tet-holiday”. Full with traditions and very much an event to celebrate with friends and family, it was a pleasure to watch a whole country prepare for the main event of their (lunar) year. My father and I had decided to use our short holiday to further explore the region: HCM, Singapore and Malaysia!
Malaysia was probably the country we enjoyed most. Three years before, we had already been to its capital: Kuala Lumpur and we had visited Penang, an island on the West-Coast. This time, we arrived from Singapore, in the South-East of the country. Reading our Lonely Planet while waiting at the airport, we decided to visit Pulau Tioman, an island off the East-Coast of Malaysia, first. Tioman immediately lived up to our expectations as we were hiking through a dense jungle from the touristy side to the other, almost deserted, part of the island. We stayed in a beach hut for a few days and we enjoyed delicious Malaysian food at a pristine beach: welcome to the good life!! :-) A few days later, on our way to Kuala Lumpur (from where we would fly back to Hanoi) we made a last stop in quaint Melakka. There, we enjoyed the so-called “Straits-culture” and we took some history lessons on this settlement which was once on a very important trade route.
Going from one holiday destination to the other…, I already warned you that I would have a lot to share with you? ;-) Hope you are still with me! Alright, let’s cut things short here: about a week and a half ago, we came back from Malaysia. Fortunately, the partners at the law firm had not changed their minds and last Wednesday, I signed the contract!! And then, all of a sudden, I went from having all options open to knowing exactly where I will spend (at least) the next year……, here in Hanoi! Our short holiday had given me some time to reflect on the opportunity that I had been offered and when I was back in Hanoi to sign the contract, I was convinced: let’s go for it!!
Dear friends, that will be all for now. Next time, I will probably write to you about my new experiences of working in Hanoi and about my younger brother’s visit to Vietnam. In fact, he arrived yesterday morning and I’m writing this update while he is trying to sleep off his jet lag :-) Over the next three weeks, we will give him a “grand tour” of Hanoi and its surroundings! After reading this update, you know where to find me the coming year and it will be my great pleasure to welcome you in Hanoi too ;-)
“Tam Biet” and see you soon….!
Marijn
More than two months have passed since my last update on this travel blog. Although I wrote it from exactly the same desk at my father’s apartment in Hanoi, enough has happened to tell you about :-)
…Let me take you back to one early morning in mid-December…, it was 0500AM and still dark. My father gently knocked on the window of a Vietnamese taxi that was parked at the end of the small alley where we live. The taxi driver who had agreed to take us to Noi Bai Airport woke up and a few minutes later, we were on our way… Both my parents had managed to get a three weeks' Christmas holiday and my mother was coming over to spend the end of the year with us in the South-East. As my parents had not seen each other for about five months, all of us had been looking forward to this reunion for quite some time… :-)
After acclimatising a few days in and around Hanoi, we booked a night train to the beautiful mountains of Sapa in the far North of Vietnam. Hiking through minority villages, going off-road with our rented scooters, enjoying the stunning mountain scenery and taking pictures all along…, Sapa was quite impressive. Before we would start our longer journey to the South of Vietnam, we made a short pit-stop at base camp Hanoi. The first place to visit was centrally located Hue, the former capital of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Here, we visited the impressive Imperial Citadel and a few pagodas before we moved further on to nearby Hoi An. Adored by some because of its picturesque and historical Old Town, disliked by others because of the many tourists it attracts, we spent a few very relaxing days here. Highlight of our stay in Hoi An was perhaps the trip we made to the ancient "Cham-ruins" in the jungles of My Son. Going there by bus and getting back by boat, we especially enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers and our compassionate guide ("Please call me King Tiger..., Mr. King Tiger!!").
As distances in Vietnam are quite far, we had decided to “cheat” a little to reach our next destination by taking a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City. "HCM" as it is often abbreviated, used to be the capital of South Vietnam and was known for a long time by its more romantic name "Saigon". From here, we explored the beautiful Mekong Delta. Even though the area is a labyrinth of waterways in all sizes, it is a densely populated region and it is also nicknamed the "rice bowl" of Vietnam. Not surprisingly, the biggest part of daily life takes place on the water and we enjoyed a boat trip with a local guide who took us from beautiful green villages to bustling floating markets. A few days later and just before New Year's we were on our way to a country which I know well...., Cambodia! Visiting the magnificent temples of Angkor and showing my parents around the surprisingly relaxed Phnom Penh turned out to be a great end of our three weeks family reunion…
In Phnom Penh, we split up: my mother went back to the Netherlands, my father returned to his work in Vietnam and I stayed for another week in the city where I did my internship a few years before. It was great to be back and to recognise so much. Over this week, I visited many familiar places, I met up with my former boss at the Cambodia Tribunal several times and I also spent time with a new friend of mine who I had only met in Brussels, the evening before I had started off this trip to Asia :-)
A few weeks before, while I was still in Hanoi, a friend of my father had introduced me to a French/Vietnamese law firm. As you may know, I was eagerly looking for an international working opportunity and for a new challenge. After meeting the two partners (bosses) of the law firm, they had offered me to do a one-month internship with them. I thought it would be a nice opportunity for me to experience the kind of work that they were doing and at the same time, they could see me “in action” :-) Before leaving Phnon Penh, I made sure to visit a tailor who could make me some nice looking office clothes. A few days later, I was back in Hanoi and determined to make a good start…
As the days of my internship passed, the little scepticism I had about working for a commercial law firm slowly passed too and I was starting to see the opportunities… This was a young and expanding law firm, ran by ambitious French and English lawyers, here I could work with wonderful Vietnamese colleagues on cases for international clients. And if that was not enough, the office was located in the very historical centre of perhaps the most charming city in the region where my father was living and working as well….! When, at the end of my third week, the partners asked me whether we could discuss the conditions under which I would stay in Hanoi to strengthen their team, you could see me broadly smiling from a lóóóóng distance :-)
However, before my internship could be converted into a working contract, first the whole of Vietnam came to an almost complete stop. Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese live according to the lunar calendar and around mid-February, the only thing people were talking about on the streets was the upcoming “Tet-holiday”. Full with traditions and very much an event to celebrate with friends and family, it was a pleasure to watch a whole country prepare for the main event of their (lunar) year. My father and I had decided to use our short holiday to further explore the region: HCM, Singapore and Malaysia!
Malaysia was probably the country we enjoyed most. Three years before, we had already been to its capital: Kuala Lumpur and we had visited Penang, an island on the West-Coast. This time, we arrived from Singapore, in the South-East of the country. Reading our Lonely Planet while waiting at the airport, we decided to visit Pulau Tioman, an island off the East-Coast of Malaysia, first. Tioman immediately lived up to our expectations as we were hiking through a dense jungle from the touristy side to the other, almost deserted, part of the island. We stayed in a beach hut for a few days and we enjoyed delicious Malaysian food at a pristine beach: welcome to the good life!! :-) A few days later, on our way to Kuala Lumpur (from where we would fly back to Hanoi) we made a last stop in quaint Melakka. There, we enjoyed the so-called “Straits-culture” and we took some history lessons on this settlement which was once on a very important trade route.
Going from one holiday destination to the other…, I already warned you that I would have a lot to share with you? ;-) Hope you are still with me! Alright, let’s cut things short here: about a week and a half ago, we came back from Malaysia. Fortunately, the partners at the law firm had not changed their minds and last Wednesday, I signed the contract!! And then, all of a sudden, I went from having all options open to knowing exactly where I will spend (at least) the next year……, here in Hanoi! Our short holiday had given me some time to reflect on the opportunity that I had been offered and when I was back in Hanoi to sign the contract, I was convinced: let’s go for it!!
Dear friends, that will be all for now. Next time, I will probably write to you about my new experiences of working in Hanoi and about my younger brother’s visit to Vietnam. In fact, he arrived yesterday morning and I’m writing this update while he is trying to sleep off his jet lag :-) Over the next three weeks, we will give him a “grand tour” of Hanoi and its surroundings! After reading this update, you know where to find me the coming year and it will be my great pleasure to welcome you in Hanoi too ;-)
“Tam Biet” and see you soon….!
Marijn
-
28 Februari 2013 - 17:21
Hilde:
Waauw Marijn,
Ik heb net je hele verhaal gelezen (ik zei toch dat ik het bij zou houden ;)) en wat heb jij het toch goed voor elkaar daar! Geweldig dat je aan een nieuwe uitdaging kan beginnen en ik wens je er bij dezen heel veel plezier en succes mee! Hier in Utrecht gaat ook alles zo zijn gangetje, inmiddels zijn er alweer veel nieuwe huisgenoten in Casa Willem gekomen en is onze prachtige tuin onder handen genomen (nu liggen er alleen nog maar stenen) :P.
Het allerbeste nog daar!
xx Je vroegere huisgenoot, Hilde -
28 Februari 2013 - 17:22
Monique Bourquin:
He Marijn,
ik heb genoten van je verslag. Wat maak jij een boel gave dingen mee daar zeg!
En van harte gefeliciteerd met je jaarcontract! Wat een kans! Welk rechtsgebied wordt je specialisatie? dan zet ik je op mijn lijstje van doorverwijzers in dat gebied. Niet dat ik nou dagelijk werk voor Vietnam binnen krijg, maar je weet maar nooit ;-)
Geneit van het prachtige land en de mooie ervaring! maar volgens mij doe je dat al volop, dus hoef ik je dat niet toe te wensen ;-)
groet,
Monique -
28 Februari 2013 - 17:23
Erik A. Sprokkereef:
Beste Marijn,
als vaderkan ik alleen maar vaststellen dat jij alle mogelijkheden aangrijpt en goed gebruikt om je leven met de wereld te vullen. "Wie goed doet, goed ontmoet", is een zegwijze die bij jou past.
Take care of your life and live with whole your heart. Enjoy it..................together with me !!!!
Your father
Erik/Hanoi -
28 Februari 2013 - 17:53
Andre En Ans:
Lieve Marijn,
Van een geweldig verslag weer en dito foto, s!
Vanuit een zonnig Arnhem een dikke knuffel voor jou van ons en natuurlijk de groetjes aan je vader en Sander.
Andre en Ans xxx -
28 Februari 2013 - 21:17
Peter Janet:
Lieve Marijn,
Van harte gefeliciteerd met je nieuwe baan super man.
Wij zijn wel heel trots op jou.
En prachtige foto's zeg.
Heerlijk dat jullie het zo fijn hebben.
Ook zo leuk om te lezen en te zien wat jullie allemaal doen.
Hier is het nog steeds heel koud.
Heel veel plezier met Sander en heel veel groetjes uit Arnhem.
Dikke knuffel voor jullie allemaal van ons xxxxxxxx.
Peter Janet. -
01 Maart 2013 - 08:54
Kees:
Ha Marinus!
Leuk om weer eens iets van je te lezen, altijd interessant je verhaaltjes, goed geschreven ook.
Heel veel succes en plezier met je nieuwe baan!
Groeten,
Kees -
01 Maart 2013 - 13:00
Max S.:
Heya Marijn,
I always enjoy reading your latest news and updates! Thumps for posting everything in English, otherwise I'd really miss out...
Wish you all the best for your time in Hanoi and I'm sure you'll make loads of rememberable experiences! There's a tiny chance of me visiting Vietnam beginning of next year, I'll keep you posted and would love to meet up in Hanoi in case I really make my way to SEA!
Cheers from Munich!
Max -
04 Maart 2013 - 12:56
Eddie:
Hey Marijn,
Van harte gefeliciteerd met je nieuwe baan! Geweldig dat je je verblijf in Hanoi kan verlengen!
Ik heb weer genoten van je verhaal. Lijkt me te gek om Vietnam te bezoeken en jou daar te ontmoeten.
Succes met je nieuwe baan!
Eddie -
06 Maart 2013 - 14:51
Josine:
NEEEEEEEEE......!!!! :'-(
Ok.. ik ben ook wel een heel klein beetje blij voor jou, maar tegelijkertijd betekent dit goeie nieuws dat wij hier in nederland jou WEER een jaar moeten missen! En deze keer ben ik bang dat ik niet zomaar even langs kan komen..
Maargoed, ik vind het heerlijk voor je dat je daar lekker aan het genieten bent en ook dat je nu de ideale baan gevonden hebt! Ik wens jou, en je vader natuurlijk ook, nog heel veel plezier daar.
Dikke knuffel -
11 Maart 2013 - 00:25
Femke Jansen:
Wow Marijn, wat een gave verhalen! En wat goed dat je zo snel een mooie carrièrekans hebt gecreëerd. Spannend hoor! Veel succes de komende tijd. En blijf ons op de hoogte houden. -
16 Maart 2013 - 16:21
Philip En Henny.:
Hoi Marijn,
Je reisverslag te lezen was heel leuk. Proficiat met je nieuwe baan.
Heel veel succes en het is natuurlijk ook leuk voor je vader om je daar te hebben.
Groetjes uit venray. -
14 Mei 2013 - 23:15
Lisenke:
He Marijn,
lees nu pas je verslag, op mn gemakje mn mail aan t bijwerken in Chili...
Gefeliciteerd met je nu al niet meer zo nieuwe baan!! hoop dat het nog steeds zo goed bevalt.
las weer heerlijk weg je verhaal
groetjes Lisenke
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