Top Ten

Now that we're reflecting on Vietnam and preparing for another year, let's discuss my top 10 favorite things about Vietnam. Well... actually, let's do my top five least favorites first. But let's be optimistic and call them Challenges:

5) Pollution- I really don't notice for the most part, except for my bloodshot eyes at night. It can't be healthy though

4) People not understanding my Vietnamese- Right when I'm feeling confident, someone looks at me like I'm dressed like bigfoot.

3) Comparisons/Bluntness- She is more beautiful, you are fatter, you look pregnant, you are so tall, your face is so splotchy, his vietnamese is better. Sometimes there are compliments, but it's a gamble.

2)Durian- I wish I could describe this fruit to you. It smells so bad that people wear gloves when they eat it so their hands won't smell. It's prohibited in most closed-in public places.

1)Bargaining- gosh I hate it. I'd rather pay more then have to deal with it, except that I can tell they don't respect me when i do that. And I feel good about a good price. Just hate gettin there.

I've had an ongoing list of my favorites throughout the year. I have lost that list. I'm just pulling these out of the air right now. It's so easy! The order is really not that important:

10) Old Women- they're just so darn cute. I usually can't understand them, but they will pat or squeeze me on the face, the stomach, the butt, whatever they want. They ride motorbikes, and sit on the floor. They wear what they want, go where they want, do what they want. I want to be Vietnamese when I get old.

9)Low expectations -Many people have never spoken with a foreigner and often they don't expect me to even try to speak their language. So, frequently the compliments begin flowing as soon as I say Xin Chào.

8) Coffee. Coffee shops. Coffee with milk. Coffee with mint. Coffee with friends.-I'm back in America now and I don't like coffee here. And my friends don't come pick me up on their motorbikes to take me to get it.

7)Hailing the Bus- I want to wave buses down forever. I love it. I wave and they pull over. Genius. Granted, sometimes they don't, but it's still fun and makes me feel like a local.

6)Strawberry Juice- oooh and pomelo and apple and pineapple, and any smoothie I've ever had here

5)Fish sauce- Apparently most foreigners don't like it. I can't really describe the taste. It smells terrible though. But if you have just the right amount of chili (and sometimes garlic), it makes any meal better (but don't overdo it).

4)Phở -Noodle soup with beef. Sounds boring. But it's not. MMmmm.......

3)People speaking to me in Vietnamese- I love it. Even if I don't understand, or accidently agree to marry someone's tall cousin who lives in the mountains, I always like when people speak to me in Vietnamese

2) Getting my hair washed- they scratch your head and massage your neck for 20 minutes.

1) Motorbike taxis- anyone riding a motorbike with an extra helmet might pull over and ask you. And they'll take you anywhere you'd like, and they'll take you fast

Dang, I have a lot more...