As an aside, the vagueness of this and other blogs from Vietnam is intentional, mostly because I'm not entirely sure what sort of censorship I should be expecting. So, if it seems like I'm leaving out information or being vague, it's on purpose, but I was told that a disclaimer explaining that I'm being vague and cryptic is perfectly okay.
At the moment, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Vietnam with my team. The month has been pretty uneventful so far, mostly because we're still finding our place within the city. We have been enjoying making new friends in Vietnam, and the conversations that we have are quite fruitful. The people we encounter, for the most part, are friendly are enjoy our company. However, it seems like the disposition toward white people is either one of friendliness or neglect. "Hellos" are responded to with a hello back or nothing at all, the people choosing to ignore us, instead.
The blocks on facebook (there are plenty of ways around it, but each seems to have their own limitations) make staying connected a little harder, but I've found that I've just been e-mailing a lot more. I haven't taken many pictures yet, so that's why I went ahead and placed what I have on this particular blog.
One of our favorite places to go is a restaurant that employs the deaf. It has been incredible to get to know the people that Vietnam chooses to ignore, and learn an entirely new language. I have found that sign language is incredibly intuitive, and thus easy to pick up. For instance, the sign for arguing is what you'd expect: two hands-as-mouths biting/talking hastily back and forth. The staff who is deaf is extremely appreciative of people who at least attempt to converse with them. The restuarant itself has been open for 14 years and is owned and operated by an American couple. It is also managed by an additional American couple, and the four of them are incredibly friendly. It's nice having a taste of home and be able to talk freely about whatever you want.
The other night we were on the boardwalk singing certain songs for our own enjoyment and we attracted a small, but curious crowd.
Ho Chi Minh, and other areas of Vietnam, are incredibly expensive because tourism is such a huge draw. The currency is Dong, and the conversion is about 20,300:1. Which means when you go to the ATM, you withdraw 1.5 million Dong, and you spend roughly 80,000 – 100,000D on a meal. It's pretty insane, and were the amount I spend not so gut-wrenching, the whole act would have a sort of play-money feel to it. As it stands, I anticipate spending, at the very least, double what I've been spending each month. The "worst" currency, but the one I'm going to spend the most of. Ugh!
For reference, the penalties for a local for [certain things] is persecution or imprisonment, and our contacts did not elaborate on either. For a non-local, you're deported from the country and your passport is effectively blacklisted. In other words, you'll never be able to walk into Vietnam again. So, while some of my peers may be speaking more freely, I am going to adhere to the crypticness of the whole ordeal for my contact's benefit instead of my own. If you are a fan of google, you can try and figure out where we are/the restaurant by the following clues! (It's like a scavenger hunt… get excited!!!)
1. Three words.
2. It's not aquatic, but it was multiplied in a Good Book.
3. Not death, but…
4. The country I'm in.
Put those three words in google and it will pop up (I've tested it)
As a closer, I'll share a short experience I had this morning that I found interesting.
We were walking to the coffee shop and one of my teammates jumped into the ATM booth to snag some money. I waited outside and a really old man came up to me and started talking in a friendly tone.
"You hello, we you come from?"
"USA."
"Oh oh! USA #1 always!"
"Heh, I guess so?"
He shook his head and grinned, leaned in and spoke more softly, "Not here… loser here."
Then he walked away, chuckling to himself.
"Feel like I'm gonna get whacked sitting here like this."
-Matt Damon as Mike McDermott (Rounders)
These pictures are for you, Mayes, figured you'd like them.
Gotta love dragons drawn into your coffee
