You might have lived in Vietnam...

In my own head, my reentry into American culture was flawless, but I've been told otherwise. Yesterday, Francois grabbed me quickly and told me that he thought I was going to run into the lady I just passed. I hadn't noticed her being close to me at all. I hadn't noticed my getting used to the lack of personal space. Too bad I never drove a car over there!

I solicited some help from my teammates to compile this list. There might be a teensy handful of people who might actually relate to some of these. Here they are, in no specific order:


You know you've lived in Vietnam if you come to America and....

• Your enunciation skills have improved tremendously, grammar and spleling- worse


• Automatic peace signs in every picture (what else would you do with your hands?)


• PORTION SIZE, WOAH. Since when does food come out all at once anyway?


• No one tells you everyday how tall you are and how beautiful your nose is :(


• You want a motorbike, and a ramp into your house.


• You know all of the words to My Heart Will Go On, and almost every popular boyband song ever


• It's light outside at like, 9pm. What's going on?


• You write your nine's like lowercase g's


• 6-3... March 6th or June 3rd??


• Wearing shoes inside seems very very wrong.


• The grocery store is cold, the movie theater is cold, Target is freezing. Don't even get me started on restaurants.


• You're gone for a few days and only have 3 new notices on facebook and 37 new chats started on yahoo


• You pass a sign for Hardee's and wonder why they use the Vietnamese flag on their logo


• What's a free refill?


• Roaches are smaller and don't fly through the air to assault you


• You notice fat people everywhere


• You own lots and lots of shiny jewelry, cell phone charms and little trinkets that you aren't even sure what they are for


• Your family has to tell you to stop staring


• You are surprised when menus have less than 30 pages


• Clothes, shoes, and bras everywhere actually fit you and you want to buy everything you see!! ...but you can't. Because you are no longer a millionaire...


• You are upset about public transportation, or lack thereof


• You are hungry for icecream and no one rides their bike down the street selling any


• You are hungry at 8 pm and no one is waiting across the street with a tasty drink to sell to you


• You've become much more agressive with getting help for yourself. If the waitress can't hear you clearly from across the room, you'll just yell louder


• You can't wait to go drop 30 bucks to get your nails done, just to speak Vietnamese


• You try to bargain in stores


• You realize you can no longer afford a taxi


• You forget that most people around you understand English. Oopsy


• You unconsciously prepare for power outages-- making sure things are recharged, headlamp next to the bed, candle in the bathroom


• some of your clothing has mispelled English words on it


• "When you almost pee your pants in a moment of confused bliss when the faucet water out of the kitchen sink is hot" -direct quote from Steph Cossa


• Paying bills, writing contracts, interactions of any kind can now take place in English and that is wonderful news!


• You would woop some booty in charades


• Bạn có thề viết và dọc tiếng việt


• You've actually told someone recently that something is "better" for their health. Not "good," or "bad," for their health. Just better.


• 90.000 seems like a steal for a house. Then you see that it's in U.S. dollars...


• Somebody please come wash my hair for me!


• You are in shock when you see food that has been left out for 5 minutes and isn't covered in ants. How is that possible?

I'm going to sleep, but I just realized that I could keep writing these for a long time! I didn't realize I had become accustomed to so many things in just 2 years.

Signing off in America

Sad Goodbye

I met Phượng around September of 2009. She is my landlady's daughter and we met the night I ran back from class to give her our rent money. She had just had a baby and I quoted her on here about how she said she was so fat, and when I said, well you're smaller than me, she replied, "Of course! You are American. It's normal for you."

She has been one of my closest friends since then. We've had our ups and downs, misunderstandings, all of that. But I think we're closer for it.

She's one of the most perceptive people I've ever known. We're both sentimental and keep special things. And despite only living 3 floors apart, we write each other notes and postcards to stay in touch often. She's very special to me.

I met her for lunch the day before I flew out. We saw each other a little after this, but this was our last meal together. we used to have lunch together every couple of weeks: crab soup, but we haven't been able to do it so much this year with her changing jobs and going to night school, and me doing various things. This was a special last time together.

We are Bún Bò Huế (noodle soup with beef) and snails, and different congealed rice things wrapped in banana leaves. An excellent meal.

I gave her the childrens' book that Francois and I bought her and her daughter in March and a small hair pin. She gave me some pearls a few nights before that she bought for me to wear in my wedding. She said she saw them and she knew they were fit for me.

Out of every Vietnamese person, even Selena, I will miss Phượng the most.

SAVE THE DATE

September 10th, 2011

We're getting MARRIED.

Don't forget.

Griffin, Georgia USA

Saying Goodbye

I am sitting on the couch in Griffin, Georgia as I type this. I'll write more about that later...

Two days before flying out, we decided to have a night for students to come by our apartment and say good-bye. I wanted to see them all again, and we were ready for them to come, but I was in one of those moods where I kind of hoped all of them were busy and wouldn't come.

Fortunately they did come, and I got over it, and it was a LOT of fun. Some of my students from my level 8 class even skipped their class that night to come! Since I'm not their teacher anymore, I might have told them it was a good decision...

This is "Bell," when we were making pancakes. She made one in the shape of a panda. She is hilarious. Class clown, so quotable. One of my favorites.

Here are the 3 who skipped, "Mic" "Bell" and "CAT." A couple more called to say goodbye.
This is "Windy". She is from my level 3 class. So sweet and beautiful.

"Raymond," "Jennifer," and "Ricky." Ricky reminds me a lot of Russell, maybe from around middle school. They have the same darting eyes and quiet funny personality.

Jennifer is shorter than she looks. She talks SO MUCH in class. But we still like each other, which is good.

"Sunny" showed up from my former level 3. We met to hang out the other day and have coffee. She is a lot of fun and very honest. I think we'll keep in touch for a long time. (Her idea on the pose. Not mine) Some more of my level 3 class eating my golden graham bars, which were a total fail, but they liked anyway. They kept trying to ask the name of them, since most things like that in Vietnamese have a very literal name: sandwhich= bánh mì (bread), sandwich with egg= bánh mì trương (bread egg), my favorite soup with lettuce, meats, unidentified other things, noodles, and a crispy fried biscuit with shrimp in it= mì nước lèo (noodle soup)

Anyway, they liked the golden graham stuff.

They brought a cake. "Miss you so much. Good luck."

I'm so glad they came and said good-bye. I'm going to miss this class a lot. They had been asking to hear me speak Vietnamese for a long time and I would refuse to ever speak in class. I gave them a little bit.

We played B.S. together. I called it, "Liar" and we said it in Vietnamese too. It took a solid 10 minutes to give directions, start playing, realize that no one really understood, try again, someone doesn't understand, repeat, got it. And it was worth it. When they finally got it, they were great at it.

I think I will miss my students the most out of everything in Vietnam.