no appropriate title

Yesterday, my roommate and I were pondering the meaning of being a Believer in this country. We probably think about it every day, but I've been needing to vocalize it because it seems to be becoming more and more relevant.

What does it look like to be a Believer in Vietnam?

Does being a believer here mean fitting in? Assimilating? And only the good things, right? Or does it mean I can push to get on the bus? Does it mean that I say, "maybe," even when I know the answer is "NO"? Can I argue until I get the price I want?

Or does being a Believer here mean that I MUST argue to get a good price? That I MUST use the Vietnamese word meaning 'no-yes' to be more polite then to say the truth: 'no way jose.' And that I SHOULDN'T be a push-over, or I'll work too many hours, never eat, and never get a seat on a bus.

There are just so many grey areas about what a believer would do in these situations. A few specifically have to do with our school, but I won't talk about them on my public blog. But also, do I forgive a taxi driver his transgressions, and pay him the full price? Do I smile at the saleswoman I just heard talk about me in Vietnamese to her friend? I just don't know how much to accept, how much to complain about, and whether i've accepted too much for too long.

Just some food for thought. And now, in a completely unrelated way-- except that, like Jillann, I believe all posts should have pictures if possible-- here's what else is going on:

Our friend Tính, pictured below, had a birthday party at the school the other day. He doesn't work at our schoo, but he might as well because he's there all the time. He is a student there 3 days a week, but he's often the social coordinator with our friends there.



We all sat outside next to the street and ate crab and shrimp. The guys drank a LOT of beer and we all toasted Tính. We had cake, toasted him again, and they drank more beer.

It's always fun to hang out with our school's staff in a non-school setting. There was so much food and it was after midnight. We toasted Tính again, and more beers were passed around.

They told us we must finish the food before anyone can leave, but that turned out to be a joke. Then we toasted Tính, "Mọt Hai Ba Vô! (one, two, three, cheers!)"

Tú is my favorite.

We had a great time. The boys drank enough to where it looked like one guy might fall over. Then we got on their motorbikes and they drove us home. I'm not kidding at all, but I think they have a lot of practice at doing this. No problems. I'm trying to make wise choices (like a Believer should do?).