McKenzie Nagle

St. George's School- Newport, Rhode Island
SYA Vietnam 2011-2012

Journey to Pottery Paradise

Waking up at 7am was too early especially on a Saturday morning. I needed my beauty sleep! Nonetheless, my little brother em Ti woke me up, so I would be on time for my “field trip” to Bat Trung—the pottery village. I begrudgingly got out of my wooden bed, and my host mother Chi Linh served me some variation of ramen noodle for breakfast. I headed out and arrived at meeting spot somewhere on the eastern side of the city. At 9:30, the School Year Abroad students and faculty piled into a crowded, public bus headed to Bat Trung—the bus was pushing its capacity, to say the least. There were no seats unoccupied, so we awkwardly squished among random Vietnamese people standing in the middle of the congested bus; I am surprised no one was pick-pocketed! The ride was the longest 15 kilometers I’ve ever traveled, and I was sweating bullets like never before. Honestly, I thought Thay Vuong, our resident director, would’ve chartered a bus, but I guess he wanted us to experience Hanoi’s discombobulated, crowded public buses.

When we arrived in the modest village of Bat Trung, we learned that the town has specialized in handmade pottery since the 14^th Century—it’s the heart of commerce in the village. My friend Sarah and I explored the market which had an unimaginable array of pottery at an inexpensive price. The craftsmanship and ceramics were beautiful. I bought an intricately painted vase for my mother and an orange and green painted teacup set for my grandmother. After the shopping extravaganza, we toured the most renowned ceramics family’s house and workshop. They were building huge urns (imagine massive tubs) to honor a former leader. Finally, we had a tasty lunch of ramen-like noodles and beef and other Vietnamese favorites, and the restaurant was air conditioned luckily.

Following our meal, we headed to a pottery studio to create our own masterpieces; we used the wheel to create bowls and other ceramic creations. Everyone messed up, so the nice Vietnamese women, who were professional potters, helped us center and improve our pieces. Making pottery is exhausting and messy; everyone had clay all over themselves by the end of this ceramic-making escapade. Bat Trung was a magnificent adventure; I came to appreciate the villagers’ work ethic and the sheer brilliance of their ceramic creations.