May said to me, “I think it’s so funny. You have all these questions for me about Vietnam, but I don’t have any questions for you about America. I’ve seen all the tv shows and the movies. I know all about America. I’m moving there one day”. There are a lot of things that don’t translate, and then there are real facts of life in America that sometimes she doesn’t want to understand.
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| May at her family's store |
I went home with May today to see her house. Her parents own a little store, they were very nice. Her dad doesn’t speak English so he was pretty quiet. Her mother on the other hand loves to talk, even if I don’t understand too much of what she’s saying. She was once a famous singer, and has the most incredible voice. She sang “Let it Be” by the Beatles (she has no idea what it means, but oh my goodness she can sing!).
I also met May’s uncle and grandmother, who
live next door. He owns a… there’s not an English word for it. I’ll try to
describe it instead. They serve coffee and lots
of different drinks (non-alcoholic) and sometimes food and sweets. You can play
billiards and ping pong or just sit and relax by the pond, under the Havana
huts, or in the tree houses. An outdoor lounge perhaps is the best way to put
it.
Chris, the director of our program is more like a dad than
anything else. (If you’ve ever seen and/or read “Holes” by Louis Sachar, think
of “Mom” from camp). He invited us over to his apartment, which overlooks all
of Saigon, for an exotic fruit tasting. There was a TON of fruit, and as a
treat he ordered pizza. I (along with all the other American students) were
sadly relieved that we were getting pizza. This, however, did not last long as
Vietnamese pizza is only slightly reminiscent of American pizza. However, the
Vietnamese students were crazy about it. One tiny girl (think about the size of
an 8 year old) put away an entire pizza. I kid you not, it was truly incredible.
Things I learned (among other things):
- There are crosses on top of every Catholic church in Vietnam. If Jesus is on the cross, then they worship him. If instead it is just a plain cross, they worship Mary. (The details of this were unclear)
- Ketchup is not the tomato-y substance we know in the United States, but rather a combination of hot sauce and tomatoes and spices
- Toilet paper isn’t a thing here.
- The only reason people here know of Seattle is because it’s where all their relatives go to get a fake beauty (manicure/pedicure) certificate
We also watched Top Gear: Vietnam. It’s pretty great if you have time to kill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zfuBgCUqY
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