I want to share Vietnam with you. I'm starting to like it more. It's really fun being led around town by our host, she can explain cultural traditions very well in English and can order us anything. She's always smiling and joking with the locals - she comes off as smart and well liked, even though she's not especially beautiful. She reminds me of my French host mom to a t actually because of her tone when she speaks English. She had the exact same voice.
Today we were followed and harassed by a crazy guy, which was no fun. If I had to give a diagnosis I'd say it would be that disorder where ( usually a guy) does things that are socially unacceptable. He walked up to a table and drank peoples water. He kept on touching us and asking for money. Then the shop owner where we ended up at just stared at him - literally gave him an evil eye but just in stare form until he was walking off the property and down the road. It is crazy how that got through to the guy and worked wonders. So suddle and so powerful.
It's odd though because people over here stare a lot in general. But I suppose different stares can e interpreted differently. I just wouldn't wnt a guy like that following me around while I travel alone.
I road my first motorbike today. It was incredible! By far the most fun I've had
Since being here! And for no specific reason. You get to see everything and blend in for once as a white person (we use that term a lot now to describe ourselves). I loved not being in control! Anything could happen! I saw so many different sites: eating sugar cane while driving, the old man who I see drive the bike where you shove the steering wheel up and back to move.. Large open air cages on bayous with hammocks. It's nothing short of incredible to ride around without your camera and think of all the picturesque things you see daily.
I road the motorbike on the way to my first course. It was interesting. I taught for over an hour. Told them about where I'm from, the history of me :), the US, and then they asked some questions about my family and how i liked Vietnam so far.
Overall they were a very passive bunch. I had them individually introduce one another two me. Most spoke softly and said they liked to eat bananas or noodles. Some with better accents - the boys mostly - said they enjoyed pizza and hamburgers. Lol. The only spot to get pizza is at coop mart (like a mix of walmart and the mall). We played some fun games together: hangman (played in triple with a picture - I invented it myself), some tongue twisters and pronunciation games. They liked the hangman and tongue twisters because we got to really see the nuance of how to pronounce words in English in a way that they can hear.
I went out for coffee after class, which lasted about three hours, and we discussed cultural differences. It's so sad to me to see individuals who want so badly to travel out of the country so that they can learn another language; they think americans travel not to lounge and drink but to experience other cultures. This is only really the second time when a trip, I wouldn't say, was catered to my precise comfort and the first time I've been in a third world country. When money is spent in quarters and dimes instead of fives and tens, it makes mr realize the opulence that we live in at home. Opulence and laziness. We have hobbies. We don't work on the weekends. People here admit to few hobbies. Maybe ping pong. Maybe socializing. But time is spent walking to work. Weekends are spent working. Traveling does not exist. Families work so that they may enjoy one another's livelihood in a healthy condition.
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