Welcome!

A Saigonese, a late 7X generation, a novice learner,  I'm currently working on my PhD in Socio-cultural Anthropology at Cornell University.
My dissertation topic is "From Slum to Resettlement Site: Panorama of Involuntary Displacement and Urban Planning in Contemporary Vietnam" about which I know a tiny bit and am willing to learn more! 
I spent 15 months in Vietnam (2009 and part of 2010) to conduct fieldwork where I had quite a few cafe sữa đá (coffee with sweet condense milk), way too much bánh xèo (southern Vietnamese pancake), and cruised around Saigon on my little honda cup. While in the field, I taught 4 Anthro/Sociology courses for Council International Educational Exchange program and Vietnam National University - International University. I also survived my first international triathlon (Olympic distance) in Hoi An, Vietnam and ran my first half marathon around Angkor Wat, Siemriep, Cambodia. It was so much fun and life changing experience that I decided to run half marathon in each Southeast Asia country whenever i get a chance. I still have 9 more to go.

I went back to Ithaca, NY in the summer 2010, and for the precede academic year of 2010 - 2011, I tended an Anthro seminar, slowly worked on my dissertation, ventured to Entomology Department for a semester as a research assistant for the LLP project! During the Spring 2011 semester, I was a proud Teaching Assistant of Cornell's popular course The Anthropology of Food and Cuisine. One of the highlight of the course was the Phở and Bánh Mì night held at the Kahin center where students in my sections got a chance to taste                                                  Vietnamese beef noodle soup and prepared for themselves subways the Vietnamese style. To shake off the dissertation writing blue, I ran another 3 half marathons (Lake Placid - NY,                                              Rochester - NY, and San Francisco - California). Life is all about moving forward and willing to walk unfamiliar paths, so i heard.