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April 26, 2009
Badass Sensei
Yes, my karate instructor, Binh, is a bad dude. One time, after my training session, he lit up a cigarette while waiting for me to change into my work clothes. Fair enough - many men (and zero women) smoke here in Vietnam. The problem was that he was sitting in the locker room of my gym at the 5 star Sofitel hotel here in Saigon. The friendly Vietnamese guy who works for Procter and Gamble and the French investment fund manager did not say anything, but I could tell that they were not happy about getting smoked out in the tiny locker room after starting the day off with a vigorous workout.
"What are you doing, Binh?" I asked in Vietnamese. "You can't smoke in here!" He slowly put the cigarette out and saved the rest for later...
Anyway, why was he waiting for me in the locker room? Why didn't he just go on his way back to the community center where he normally teaches karate? Because he did not know how to use the elevator. In order to avoid breathing the dirty air in the outdoor studio where he normally teaches, I asked him to train me at my gym. He insisted in leaving with me, and when I asked him to give the elevator a try, he did not know which button to push.
Of course, knowing how to use an elevator has nothing to do with intelligence. Binh comes from a very poor family and his life experience does not include spending time in buildings with elevators. It was just a reminder that outside of the relatively wealthy and cosmopolitan Saigon, people have a different life experience.
Now that I think of it, Binh might have known that smoking in the locker room was a faux pas, and lit up anyway. If that is the case, I really do have a badass sensei.
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 6:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The Six Day Work Week
As evidenced by my waning blog, I have been busy at work - even on the nights and weekends. Dinner has often been right here at my cubicle, calling for information about industrial zones in India or researching the food service market in China.
At least I get to eat tasty salads from Au Parc when I dine at the desk...Anyway, I felt a tinge of anger about having to show up at the office last Saturday to complete an analysis of manufacturing investments for one of our clients. However, I realized that most people here in Vietnam were being productive as well. Here, working on Saturdays is the norm. When I am not feeling that tinge of anger for having to work on Saturday, I am feeling a tinge of guilt for having (in theory) a two day weekend. What a luxury!
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 6:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 12, 2009
The Report from Saigon
I found the image below on a Google search while looking for a photo of this city to use for a Facebook group that some friends and I created. I am not sure why Mr. Don Diva chose it as the same for his album. My only thought is that it has something to do with a reference to war. Looks to me like Brooklyn Bridge in the background rather than Saigon Bridge...
Anyway, I want to use this entry to comment on my own report from Saigon - this blog. For the past month, I have been busier at work than I ever have in my life...Late nights and weekends spent in front of the computer. While I love sharing my thoughts on this blog, sitting down to type for another 30 minutes to one hour is the last thing that I want to do after staring at this screen all day. As a result, this blog has suffered...
I will try to get back in the habit of making one entry a week in this report from Saigon - even if it is just to say that I am still living the dream here...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 7:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack