...Because if you're not in Asia, you're in yesterday


Friday, February 25, 2011

February Roommate

Reasons I'm thankful for my rommate, Jenni:

  • She has a never ending supply of energy. Now, along with her weekly (or twice weekly) trips to the orphanage, she is now going to a homeless shelter for young girls. She's open to doing anything where she can make a difference, where they might need her.

  • She's superfriendly. I never have to worry about Jenni being rude or letting someone down. Even if she has already eaten, she'll eat whatever it takes to please the cook. She'll give her phone number away to anyone who asks (creepers on buses) and do anything for her friends (even if they don't reciprocate the kindness).
  • We're alike in a lot of ways. However, sometimes we're almost complete opposites (total coincidence that I'm writing this after the 'superfriendly' remark). I think it helps us live together.

  • She's a lot of fun. Just ask anyone who's met her.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Have it your way


According to my research, Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in November of 2006. I'm sure the effects of that are all over, but I tend to see them in one specific area: Food. We have Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken and various restuarants that I'm not so familiar with-- Carl's Jr., Lotteria, Bud's Icecream.

Thailand, on the other hand, has been a member of the WTO since 1995. Huge difference!


They have KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, you name it. They have McDonalds! They have Dunkin Donuts! They have Dairy Queen! They have Starbucks--I don't want to go there-- I just find it interesting. They have Subway! They have Häagen-Dazs! I even heard tell of a Krispy Kreme in the Bangkok airport! It wasn't anywhere near my terminal though, trust me...


I love to see the slightly altered menus. I remember in the airport in Dubai, the McDonald's had the McArabia, whatever that is. Mom said the Dunkin Donuts coffee wasn't exactly what she was used to. The KFC in Thailand had these fried egg pies that looked pretty good. A guy on the train next to me had them and offered me one when he saw me staring. I declined though; those were his egg pies.


Here I am on our double decker bus with my coconut covered chocolate doughnut. First real doughnut I've had in... a long time. Very tasty.



I got my picture with the Thai Ronald McDonald, but it's on my mom's camera. Stay tuned.


Happy New Year again and some ranting

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới=Happy Lunar New Year!

It's 2011 and the Tết, or Lunar New Year festivities are (supposedly) officially over. Lights and decorations have been taken down (except ours, we intend to leave up the Christmas tree until June, since we have no where to store it). I told a woman happy new year in Vietnamese and she responded with a quick, "Hết Rồi!" =Everything is over!

Stores and restaurants are reopening, people are returning from their hometowns, and we have been teaching for 3 days already!



During Tết, real flowers are replaced with these fake ones for decorations. I have no idea why, except that it's probably just tradition. Some of them are pretty, but no one need buy me any.

I love Tết. I do. I love the decorations and the holiday from work, and all of the traditions that are so uniquely Vietnamese. It can, however, be very stressful as we are invited to various homes where our behavior may, traditionally, bring them good luck or bad luck for the entire next year. Children expect red envelopes filled with money, and even my colleauges asked for them this year. The traditional Tết cake (congealed rice filled with bananas or pork) is often given as gifts and last year I ate more than my fill. I love Tết. But I didn't expect to suffer from missing it either.



I did escape Tết in Thailand this year (pictures to follow), but they just call their Lunar New Year celebrations 'สวัสดีปีใหม่' so I actually wasn't missing out at all (I just couldn't read that).



I'm not sure what it did for my culture shock to be in Thailand, but I found myself pretty ticked off that everyone in Thailand speaks Thai. I just hadn't considered that fact. Surely somone would speak Vietnamese or exchange my Vietnamese money (nope). When did I lose all of my common sense? It was a completely different country with a completely different culture. I should NOT have been shocked by this.



Flying back into the Sài Gòn airport made me feel back in my element, like I knew what was going on again, and everything would be better. I was welcomed back by several aggressive families cutting in front of me for a taxi, and I felt reassured that I hadn't become too pushy from living here, and disappointed that I'm still not pushy enough to get the best taxi company (obviously mixed feelings).



I walked a ways a caught a xe ôm, or matorbike taxi, who charged me nearly double for the ride home with the excuse that it was the new year. He asked me to give him a red envelope with lucky money, told me that at 25 I should have 2 kids by now, and said that coincidently he doesn't have a girlfriend. Welcome back to a New Lunar New Year, where everything is still the same, except the prices.



At the risk of coming off complainy again, I do still love Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. I am sick and moderately upset at how bad Vietnamese cough drops taste (they were made in Thailand though). So now is a good time to blog, while I drink tea and eat tangerines like it's my job.

It's the year of the Cat here and the decorations were elaborate and incredible. It is definitely one of their talents here (along with landscaping). These trees with yellow buds were everywhere and the red envelopes for lucky money hung from them.




Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Class visit on Christmas Eve

These are the same girls who came for the birthday party last week. They came on Christmas Eve and cooked egg rolls and noodles. They are always fun to have around.
This is Kim, Victory, Ginny, Gloria, Kelly, and Selena.