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August 31, 2008
Lazy Student: Part II
I finally feel like learning to speak Vietnamese is possible. What a relief...After four weeks of lessons from my tough yet compassionate teacher, Ha, I can speak and understand the basics of the language.
This morning, I greeted the family I am living with, asked them how they are, and let them know that I was going swimming and then meeting my teacher for a lesson. Last night at the Irish pub, I had a basic - yet productive - conversation in Vietnamese with some people my age. We shared with each other our names, ages, what we like to do, and how long we have been living in Saigon.
I still have trouble pronouncing the "nga" sounds that seem to come from somewhere down in the throat, and my vocabulary is limited to simple and practical words. However, I feel like I have a good command of the alphabet and sentence construction. While I am sure that Vietnamese will continue to challenge me, being able to understand others and express myself in this new language makes every day exciting.
At work during the past two weeks, I have had meetings with government officials and businesspeople who only speak Vietnamese. Thankfully, my colleague Hoang was there to explain the conversation to me. However, I am seeing how valuable a good grasp of business Vietnamese is here. It sets one apart from the other expats and opens up a host of opportunities - excellent reason to not be a lazy student...
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August 27, 2008
Why Do You Want to Join PiA?
To have the kind of experience that I had earlier tonight. I just moved into a new room a few days ago, and the young couple I am renting my room friends had some friends over for dinner. I had stayed late at the office, and arrived at home hungry and worn out. As I struggled to wheel my motobike up the ramp into the house, they immediately invited me to sit with them in the kitchen.
I joined the men in taking shots of something from a plastic bottle that tasted sort of like cheap Port wine. I soon had a bowl of noodles and meat in front of me - one of the tastiest meals that I have enjoyed so far in Vietnam.
We spent the next half hour communicating in broken English, Vietnamese, and sign language. Yes, making friends like this is one of the reasons that I joined PiA. Getting international business experience is another reason, however, and I need to get some sleep if I am going to make it to work on time in the morning. This wine is making me drowsy...
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August 23, 2008
Goodbye, Se Om
Here are some thoughts from an Australian friend who is part of my Saigon expat motorbike posse...He sums up the motorbike experience in a more concise way than I ever could...
My observations after one day on the road...
1. It's great fun and a thrill
2. There is safety in numbers, at intersections and roundabouts stick with the pack
3. If it's bigger than you best give it way
4. There's a lot of sh!t that gets blown in your eyes (mental note: buy some sunglasses)
5. Expect a few weird looks from the locals when they see a westerner cruising along on his scooter
6. When you see the cops on the corner keep your head down and don't look at them.
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August 19, 2008
"I Don't Like Lazy Students"
No, that quote is not a flashback of me admonishing my 8th grade history students for not reading the chapter on Alexander the Great. I usually tried to be more diplomatic than accusing them of being lazy for failing to do their homework.
My role has been reversed, and in this case, I am the lazy student. I had two full days to fit in thirty minutes of listening to my CDs of the Vietnamese alphabet and practice out loud. I procrastinated over the weekend, and promised myself to finish on Monday morning before the meeting with my teacher at lunch. However, important tasks at work commanded my attention, and I arrived at our meeting homeworkless.
In addition to the verbal lashing in English and Vietnamese, my teacher threatened that the next time I did not do my homework, she would not work with me. Instead, I would spend the lesson completing the exercises I failed to finish.
I completely understand her point - without reviewing on my own what we had learned the previous lesson, I was wasting her time and my time. I spent the past two years explaining that to my students at Bishop's...
Motivated to learn Vietnamese - and afraid to disappoint my teacher - I stayed in tonight to listen and repeat the alphabet over and over. I am still lamenting the fact that I was much better at it in Kindergarten...
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August 17, 2008
The Saigon Hash House Harriers
A friend of mine from La Jolla who was in Saigon in the mid-1990s suggested that I connect with the "Hash House Harriers" when I got to town. He described this association as a "drinking group with a running problem." Anyway, I figured that it was worth a try...
I spent my second Sunday of "hashing" in the rainforest outside Saigon, running around and looking for bits of paper that the "hares" had left the day before. After then 9km run, the real fun began...However I feel constrained by an unspoken rule that "what happens at the hash stays at the hash."
With thousands of chapters of the hash across the world, it is relatively easy to find out what happens in the hash circle. One lesson learned by a poor soul last week - don't wear brand new pink converse hi-tops to a hash - they will most likely get dirty running on the difficult terrain. Moreover, someone might even challenge you to use those beautiful kicks as a mug in front of everyone else...
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August 16, 2008
The Almighty Motobike
This photo was in a Power Point presentation about investing in Vietnam. My colleague, Hoang, shared it with me, and it makes me smile every time that I see it. What ambition and ingenuity!
I have yet to see a load this heavy, but motobikes regularly transport families of four, four meter long steel rods, and multiple five gallon water jugs all over this city. I had a friend on the back of my ride the other day, and that challenged my balance. All the more reason to marvel at this logistical feat...
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Charlie Don't Surf
Ok...Ok...I apologize for using Vietnam War slang and exhuming all of the pain, prejudice, and tragedy of that period. However, the voice of the American general from the surf scene in Apocalypse Now was the leitmotif of my weekend at the beach. Much respect to the people who the people who suffered - on both sides.
After a visit to the Vietnamese seashore, I have confirmed that surfing is, indeed possible. While the waves were small (see photo above), I witnessed this guy ride a wave. To challenge myself, I opted to try windsurfing for the first time. That was quite a humbling experience - less surfing, more sailing.
Charlie might have even missed out on some epic waves, because I saw photos of head high, tubing beach break at Jibe's surf shop in Mui Nei. A quick Google Image search pulled up the image below. Finally, one of my friends here in Saigon told me that he visited Danang last December, and the surf was pounding. To the Hawaii and California boys - who's in for a surf trip to Vietnam?
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August 12, 2008
In the Dark
Well, kind of like Saigon at Night. Except, in the dark during the daytime. Today, we arrived at the office to find that the power was out. Judging from the confusion at the cafe where I went to get some tea before work, the outage affected the entire street.
Not to be discouraged by this setback, my colleagues and I spent the morning working remotely, at Highlands Coffee. Actually, it was nice to get out of the office. Apparently, outages happen relatively frequently here - a reminder that I am living in a country that is struggling to ensure that its infrastructure keeps pace with its rapid economic growth...
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August 10, 2008
Did You Come Here to Saigon with Your Family?
Please take a moment to consider that question from my perspective...
Obviously, the answer is no, but to whom does the word "family" refer? The first few times that Vietnamese people asked me that question, I figured that they guessed that I was here because my father works for one of the many multinational firms here in Saigon. Indeed, people have often accused me of looking "like you are twelve."
However, I now suspect that the family that they are referring to is one with me as the husband and father. In fact, people often ask me here whether I am married, and if I have children. While I hope to be blessed with that type of family some day, my plan is to wait until my mid-thirties, at least. Too much selfish fun to be had before I work to support other people.
I don't want to analyze this too deeply, but I figure that people ask whether I have a family because it is normal for people my age to already have settled down...
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August 9, 2008
Gangsta's Paradise
Last night, I sang karaoke for the first time. Rapping "Been spending most our lives living in a Gangsta's Paradise," brought me back to my 8th grade year at Kealakehe Intermediate School. However, without Coolio's smooth flow there to help, my rendition of the rap / pop hit must have sounded hilarious - or downright annoying.
With my idea of myself as a good singer crushed by this first ballad, I felt free to let go and have a good time. We spent the next two hours singing along to American hits from the 80s and 90s and Vietnamese love songs. Everyone got up to sing "I'm Too Sexy," together, and one of my male Vietnamese colleagues did a perfect rendition of "Boys, Boys, Boys." Hilarious...
Back to the theme of doing things that scare me, Karaoke certainly qualified. However, as with most of my fears, actually singing was much easier and less embarrassing than I expected. Count me in as a karaoke devotee...
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August 5, 2008
The Expat Life
I now see why Princeton in Asia sends many of its fellows to posts outside of the major metropolitan areas. Here in a major city like Saigon, it easy to live like I do back home - without immersing myself in the Vietnamese culture and language.
This afternoon is a good example of this insular expat life. After work, I went to a yoga class taught by a Californian instructor. I just finished eating dinner - a chicken and avocado salad at a French Restaurant called Au Parc. Although the staff was Vietnamese, I ordered my food in English.
Last Saturday night was similarly locationless - I went out with a group of Europeans to a club and danced to Techno and American pop music. Singing along to Canye West's "American Boy" comes to mind.
Life as an expat in Saigon is good. The expat crew is made up of fascinating people from across the world, working in real estate finance, teaching English, and searching for entrepreneurial opportunity. I feel like I have already made lifelong friends and business contacts.
I suppose that in rural areas of Asia, one is forced to spend time with Vietnamese people, speak the language, and live like a local. Because the expat life is so comfortable here in Saigon, I will need to make a conscious effort to get out of my cultural comfort zone and scare myself a bit. Tonight, dinner at this French restaurant - tomorrow, dinner at a busy sidewalk pho noodle stand...That's a start, at least...
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