May 12, 2011
Today was a good day. They’re all good days. So. This morning was a really informative Vietnamese culture class, where we learned about the Duality of the Vietnamese people. Traditionally, the Vietnamese are a “love based” culture, essentially meaning that they are very friendly and hospitable to their friends and guests. However, outsiders are treated with a kind indifference/distance. However, when Confucianism was introduced, it brought with it rigid social structure and hierarchical order. This created the difference in pronouns seen in most Asian countries, and also is the reason behind the conflicting attitude Vietnamese may present when talking to strangers versus friends. Most of the concepts are difficult to reiterate concisely, so I apologize for how unclear this probably seems. However, we also learned our numbers in language class today, in order to aid our pursuits in Ben Thanh Market. We also made plans with the UEF students to attend a dancing class, which I will discuss later. Today’s company visit was to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is housed in a branch of the U.S. Consulate located in Diamond Plaza (a short walk from the hotel). Here we met a man who will not be named, who is among the most well-spoken and intelligent people I have ever known. Officially he is meant to be concerned with facilitating the export of American goods in to Vietnam. However, in the two years that he has been in country, he has apparently systematically analyzed most aspects of the economy and the Vietnamese people’s relationship with it. It was more than just impressive. He just knew. He had knowledge, and gave it to us willingly. I really don’t know what else I can say about the matter. At any rate, this trip was followed up by a romp in the pool before dance lessons. The lessons were awesome. Really basic steps, but I rocked them. Me and Nikki destroyed the… whatever dance we did. Just saying. Laura sucks. We then headed out to dinner at Xao Gi, which was interesting, just like all Vietnamese food and restaurants that exist. Last thing, we walked around and found… Kem Banh Dang? I think? Ice cream. It was good. It was topped with star fruit and dates. I like dates.
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