I'm on a Boat

I could not have thought of a better way to spend last night than how we chose to. Dinner was great. Reggie, Ricky, and I sat with our Vietnamese language teacher and continued to practice our skills, but we also sat with administrators that we had not been given much chance to interact with over the past two weeks. We got to share a little about Pittsburgh with them. I showed pictures of the Cathedral of Learning, and we talked about baseball, hockey, and American football with everyone.

The view was incredible, and I found myself thinking how much I will miss it here. If given the opportunity, I will definitely return. I really can’t talk up Plus3 Vietnam enough. It was an experience unlike any other.

After dinner, the UEF students met us at our hotel to hang out one last time. They came up and had lots of gifts for us…hand stitched key chains, bracelets, and more! We really could not thank them enough for everything they have done for us, and I will miss everyone so much! I wish that we had more to give them in return.

We hung out until 2:15 when the UEF students headed out to the airport (before us so that they could say goodbye). During that time, I learned some new massage techniques, and Tuan read my palm. Apparently I’m going to die of sickness, but I will have a great impact on others. And two wives!

We finally made it to the airport at around 3:10 AM and had to say goodbye. It was so hard to do, and I cried a bit. Hope to see them again in the future. 

After a flight to Hong Kong, Reggie and I are sitting in the airport waiting for our (of course, delayed) flight to Newark. Home’s not that far off!

P.S. Hopefully no TSA agent reads this, but Tran is currently checked in my suitcase. We brought her home with us. Stay still, Tran!

tạm biệt!

Blog from Friday...same kind of deal

Last day here in Ho Chi Minh City, and I am going to miss it here so much! We woke up this morning and went to UEF for the last time for a lecture and then Vietnamese language class.  Our lecture was from a trade representative who was in charge of mediating trade with Pennsylvania and Vietnam. It was interesting to find out that Pennsylvania is the only state with a person in such a position. She seemed to know a lot, and she would be very helpful if I were to try to find an internship abroad next summer, as everyone seems to contemplating.

The last language class summed up all that we have learned in the past two weeks, and today I realized for the first time that we are actually able say a lot! We had an exam, and I was given a 9 out of the perfect score of 10. I am so glad to have been given the opportunity to learn the language, though, and I feel like the trip would have been lacking without it. During class, Ngan gave me a gift: a bike helmet engraved with my name, the date, her name, and “Saigon.” It looks so cool, and that was so nice of her!

We had our last lunch at UEF and then prepared for our match with the UEF soccer team. I was really excited to play, and it was time to see if all the practice I got during the second semester at midnight soccer with my friends would pay off. Unfortunately, I didn’t, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself too bad. We did win, however, 3-2!

We played some games and then had a bit of an ending ceremony. I was paired with a UEF student, and we came in third place in the potato sac race that we had…not too bad, and I even got a duck trophy for winning. We were given lots of dragon fruit and other food for winning. I said goodbye to some of the UEF students, as we won’t be seeing them any more. Then we headed to the Co-Op one last time and packed. We had a bit of a surprise when we logged in and checked our flights, but we can worry about that in the morning. We still need to have our farewell dinner!

Cu Chi and Tay Ninh Day Trip

Blog from Thursday...I wrote never had time to post until now!

We had to get up bright and early on Thursday to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Luckily, the hour and a half drive out of the city into the countryside wasn’t all that bad at all; I immediately fell asleep on the bus on the way there. When we arrived, we sun-screened and bug sprayed up and walked up to the area reserved for tourists. The tour started with a short video about the history of the tunnels in regard to the war in Vietnam. It was not something that I was expecting fully, but it was still interesting to see, once again providing a second side to the history that was made.

The tour progressed with a few of us trying one of the entrances to the tunnels from the ground. It was basically a trap door that you could climb into and slide a rock over top of you when you were inside. It was so incredibly small! We next saw another entrance, this one a bit bigger. It allowed us to see down inside. The tour continued with a weapons display. There was an on site shooting range that you could fire at and an American tank on display. These made me a bit uncomfortable.

The best part of the day trip was going down inside of the tunnels, though. I was surprised at how big the tunnels were; I was expecting much smaller, though I still did have to crouch significantly. The tunnels made me a bit closterphobic, but not uncomfortably so. Soon after, however, I was told that the tunnels we had explored had been made bigger so that people could actually go inside (about two times the size of the actual tunnels). I would have never fit!

Jackie going down into the tunnel

We left Cu Chi and made our way to a Caoist temple at Tay Ninh. I was a little bit disappointed that we could not stay here longer, but I found it very interesting regardless. We got to see the beginning of a ceremony right around noon. Caoism combines the best of the major religions of the world all into one. It was interesting to see the French influence; Victor Hugo is one of their three major saints. Also, the presence of the all-seeing eye was an interesting addition.

Temple at Tay Ninh

We stopped for lunch on the way home. When I wasn’t dozing off on the bus, I was looking out at the countryside. It was a completely different view than from that I have been accustomed to here. Rice paddy fields stretched to the horizon, and it was almost like beholding an entirely different country.

As soon as we got back home, we rushed to the Ben Than market to get some last minute souvenir shopping finished. I did not buy all that much this time, but it was still fun to go. We finished up there at around 5:15 and headed over to a t-shirt selling graphic tees with Vietnamese slogans. Some people wanted to head over to the Adidas store, but I stayed outside the shop and tried iced tea sweetened with sugar cane before walking to the European place for dinner.

Rockin' the Ray Bans

Beefsteak for dinner was awesome, and I was surprised that I could get so much food for only about 60,000 dong.  I sure will be cheap with my money when I get back home to the United States! We all paid for the UEF students. The most random part of the night has to be either eating ostrich or getting crème brulee for dessert…in Vietnam!

We headed back to the hotel and after much contemplation, we decided to go to Lush one last time. When we arrived, it was practically empty, so we posted up on the couches that are normally otherwise reserved before heading back home shortly after.

The Lemon Tree

Also: just wanted to take this time to post Team Yolo's new favorite song. It plays on the bus, without fail, every day.

Street Vendor Challenge: Complete

Last night was such a great time. We went to dinner and tried street food, sticky rice with chicken. Street vendor challenge: accepted and complete. The food was delicious, more so I would say than some of the restaurants we have tried here. I felt like I was really experiencing Vietnamese culture. Some Westerners even walked by while we were sitting there, and they gave us a funny look.

After, we went to New York Dessert Company for more food! This was a polar opposite experience. The menu was completely in English, and the food was clearly all American. I had some garlic bread and cheesecake and was stuffed afterward. We had to walk that off, so we ended up going to the mall nearby just to check it out for a bit. It was actually pretty pricey there, but maybe that’s because it was mainly all upscale stores like Aldo Shoes, Armani, and more.

We took a taxi home, and then we went straight to Lush. Immediately when we arrived, we were taken to a table and couch upstairs. It was overall a good time.

After an early rise this morning, we had two companies to see throughout the day. We started at Saigon Newport International, an inland port owned and maintained by the Navy. It was really interesting to see the complexity of the port and how such a complex system was manipulated—takes some impressive industrial engineering skills. We got to see the control room with incoming shipments, exports, and a record of trucks that were currently in the port. It reminded me of a scene straight out of the movie “Contraband.”

Afterward, we all ate lunch at UEF and had some time to hang out there. The majority of us remained in the canteen. I took a short nap here and then on the bus later in the day; everyone including myself seemed really tired today. We did, however, have another company visit at two that we had to be ready for.

We drove on over from UEF to an industrial (software) park known as QTSC. This company visit seemed to be a bit less organized, but after a short presentation we walked around the property a bit to get our bearings. It was a lot like Phu My Hung in that it also had a school (even a University), apartments, and more. It was interesting to see a group practicing Kung Fu back behind the school.

A visit to TMA solutions, a software outsourcing company located within QTSC, ended our company visit for the day. To begin the tour, we got to see the development rooms where applications and more for Apple, Android, and more are currently being developed. This was cool because we could see the screens of the programmers. I was proud to have recognized code such as C++ and general loops and if statements, so I now feel that my work in Engineering Analysis last semester has been more worthwhile than I had expected. The vice-president of the company spoke with us shortly afterward, giving a short presentation and then answering our questions. He was a good guy. From this part of the visit, I was able to recognize certain patterns from every company we visited regarding treatment of workers, worker productivity, and more.

After a long bus ride home from QTSC, we were in for a great rest of the day (hence why I am blogging later than usual today). In the rain, Elliot, Tim, Ricky, Nino, Kathy, and I made our way to the store/ATM and eventually to KFC, as some of us were craving American food. Bad decision because there was a lot of food left to be had tonight.

The UEF students took us to a street vendor for Vietnamese ice cream. It was absolutely delicious: vanilla ice cream with peanuts and fruit. The best part was the fact that it only cost us about fifty cents each.

It had been raining kind of hard, but that had stopped, and I took a taxi over to the Hot Pot. It was really, really fun. The concept was similar to Benihauna, as your food cooks in front of you. There was one difference: we cooked our own food. We were given a broth as the ingredients circled around the tables on a conveyer belt to be cooked. A great experience, though I don’t know if food codes would let that fly back home.

We got home around 10 PM. I’m getting ready for bed soon, though. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. On the bus at 7AM (thanks, Tran).

Street Vendor Challenge: Accepted

Let this be known: yesterday afternoon I went upstairs with Ricky and Nino to get a massage from the clients in the hotel. For only about 15 USD, I was able to get a package that included a steam bath, time in the sauna, and a full body massage. It was the first time that I had ever done anything like this, so I was, of course, a bit lost during the entire process. The massage was nice, though. We were able to talk to Brice about the experience afterward, as he got one earlier in the week. A Vietnamese woman walked up and down my legs and somehow perched herself against my back using my arms as support. Enough said.

Last night, the UEF crew took us out to dinner at Tokyo Deli for Japanese food. We ate a lot of sushi, including tuna rolls, sushi rolls, and more. The highlight of the meal had to have been trying squid with Reggie and Ricky, though; although I was reluctant to try it, it turned out tasting great. For dessert, we ate what looked like soup but what turned out to be egg. Afterward, we went out for ice cream at the same Swiss place as before. Overall, it was interesting to experience yet another type of culture while abroad tonight. I even asked for the check in Vietnamese at dinner.

After dinner, we hung out for a while. We hung out and soon went to bed.

Up early for class this morning, we got on the bus at around 8:15 AM. In the morning, we had culture class from a guest lecturer. He talked for the majority of the time about Vietnamese beliefs, including fertility worship, polytheism, and the eventual arrival of Buddhism. We also talked about normal practices and traditions surrounding weddings and funerals. As we talked about in past classes, it was interesting to see how the yin and the yang (and other cognitive culture) continue to play a role.

In language class today, we learned how to converse further, talking about what we do, where we go, our nationalities, and where we are from. I found out that we are going to have a language test on Friday, but I am not too worried. The UEF students have taught us very well!

We ate lunch at the UEF canteen as usual, and it was enjoyable as always. After lunch, we visited Glass Egg Digital Media, a leading developer for characters and graphics for well-known video games. This company visit seemed to benefit engineering students more, which I liked. It was cool to see each car or character or backdrop being created as we walked by computer screens. What was even more surprising to me was how much time and money had to go into each game and design. Many cars and characters must be created from scratch, even for the same character for the same game but for a different console. This is patience that I really don’t have.

Glass Egg, from the business side, is a completely different company to any that we have witnessed thus far. Its business comes completely from jobs that are outsourced from large companies like Microsoft, Sony, and more. They create the graphics but have no reward or punishment as to whether or not a game is successful. If it is not, then, they don’t lose any money. Clever business strategy. Also, they have started an online company for an online game that is free to play but makes money from gamers buying add-ons. I am interested to see where this company goes.

View from the Glass Egg Digital Media Office

We have since returned to the hotel for the afternoon as usual. I’m taking this time to blog then nap, but I am really excited for tonight. The UEF students are taking us for street food and then for coffee at New York Dessert Coffee. We checked it out online, and it looks delicious. After, the owners of Glass Egg happen to also own Lush, a club that was built in an old French villa. Interestingly enough, upon “renovation,” gold was discovered underneath. They have invited us (hopefully for VIP treatment) tonight.

#YOLO

Last night, we all ventured to the Black Cat for dinner in District 1. Stepping into the restaurant felt like returning to America for those few hours that we spent there. Other Westerners surrounded us, and the menu was completely in English. There was ketchup (unfortunately not Heinz), silverware, and full-sized napkins on the table. I ordered a burger. It was Australian meat, so it tasted gamier but still delicious. The most interesting part of the Black Cat had to be their 1.5 kilo burger that has been on TV. CNN named the Black Cat one of the top ten worldwide must-eats. After, we took a taxi to Go2, another restaurant, and we chilled on the roof there for a while.

We woke up today for our company visit to Viet Thai (Highlands Coffee and Hard Rock Café). Viet Thai is a large company with outlets including Highlands, that Hard Rock location, Aldo shoes, and more. We met at the main Highlands office for Ho Chi Minh, which also serves as the training center for new employees. We talked a lot about the business side of the company and less about the engineering side, but it was still interesting to hear about their plans to expand overseas, compete with international companies coming here, and create a “winning culture.” I never realized how relevant a (mainly coffee) company could be within a country, but when I learned that Vietnam is the largest (Robusta) coffee exporter in the world, I soon learned otherwise.

We visited the Hard Rock afterward. Among the memorabilia were Adam Levine’s jeans and a jacket from Rod Steward. It was just as American as the Black Cat, and lunch was awfully delicious yet awfully unhealthy. We had onion rings, French fries, potato skins, and ribs. My favorite part of the meal was watching Tran eat. She discovered how delicious honey mustard was and got dirty eating ribs. We all left so full, but before we left, we took a #YOLO group photo. Looks really cool.

We arrived back to the hotel and had some time before going to the War Remnants museum down the road. I found it really hard to walk through the museum without comparing what I have learned about the war to what was being taught there. As Tran identified, no matter what either side has been taught, the situation is not simple.

At the museum, it was also interesting to see all of the weaponry that was used in war. I thought of The Things They Carried once again and the physical baggage that the soldiers (on both sides) were carrying. I definitely think that I will write to O’Brien when I return home.

View from outside the War Remnants Museum 

A sign on the side of the building of the museum

We have the afternoon to relax, sleep a little bit, catch up on our blogs, and more before heading to dinner at 7 PM with the UEF crew. Having had my American food fix twice in the past few days, I am ready to see where they take us! I think that we will be trying Korean food.

Son of a Beach

Busy weekend! Missed blogging yesterday, but here’s a rundown of my weekend.

Dominos was great, though I found that it made me a little sick to my stomach to eat. I guess I am getting used to Vietnamese food where everything is incredibly fresh and much less greasy. Nevertheless, it was nice to have American food and get a little reminder of home.

After Dominos, we rode over to the light bridge in South Saigon (Phu My Hung). Reggie, Jackie, and I took the taxi over so we arrived first and walked around a little bit. It was really cool to see, but being there came with a few surprises. First, the number of couples there and the PDA was outrageous when considering traditional cultural rules surrounding couples (no holding hands even).  Also, I find it interesting how we are such celebrities to everyone. This is the first time that I really noticed this, probably because this was the first time we were really surrounded by that volume of people. A couple even came up to us and asked to take a picture with them.

We got home Friday night and hung out in Jackie and Kathy’s room for a bit.

We got to sleep in a little bit on Saturday morning, and after, we took a tour of Ho Chi Minh. Our first stop was Reunification Hall. When we arrived, we took pictures outside of the building and then made our way into the building. As the tour guide gave the history of the building, it occurred to me just how different our countries view the Vietnam War, or to them, the War of American Aggression. Of all subjects, one would never think history could be biased toward one side, but other factors make this simply not the case.

During the tour, all I could think about was my reading of The Things They Carried, probably because I had spoken with Dr. Berman about it outside. It was dreadfully hot inside, but I was still interested. This was where history was made for Vietnam and where Americans fought. Cool to think about.

Outside Reunification Hall

So hot at Reunification Hall! 

After leaving Reunification Hall, we took a bus down to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. The French built both buildings during colonization. They were cool to see but nothing new because our UEF friends had taken us a few nights ago. While there, though, I bought a few things to take back to the United States. We still had one more sight to see.

Outside Notre Dame Cathedral

That sight was a Buddhist temple like ones you would expect to see in China. The outside was really cool, but inside was a much more exciting experience. When we walked into the temple, we had to take off our shoes. Upon walking in, there was a huge relic of Buddha in the middle of the room. You could walk around the building and see tributes to the dead. Each had a picture and food/drink. According to Buddhism, one brings food and water to the dead because it is believed that that person still eats and drinks even in the afterlife. It’s comparable to us bringing flowers for graves, though I am not exactly sure why we do that (in fact, I am realizing more and more that I have no clue exactly why we do the things we do; Vietnamese have much more of a sense and purpose).

Jackie and me in the temple 

The thing that struck me as most interesting about the temple, though, was a sign on the Buddha’s chest that looked like a Swastika. I had never known until Ricky told me that that symbol had always been a symbol of peace. The Nazi party changed it slightly.

At that point, we were done for the day. We returned to our hotel and swam in the rain.  After, Tuan and company picked us up to go to the market. Apparently, I am a good bargainer, or at least that’s what the vendors told me. I was able to find a t-shirt, some things for my sisters, and more there. Even if I got ripped off a little bit, it was fun to interact with the vendors and practice my Vietnamese. Everyone is so excited when we speak it, even if we butcher the pronunciation.

We took a taxi back and were picked up shortly after for Karaoke. It seemed like Ricky and I were the only ones singing, so I can’t wait to see any embarrassing videos that may show up on Facebook! We got back shortly after and got ready to go out to a club. We soon arrived at Lush, apparently the most Western club in Ho Chi Minh city. It was a lot of fun.

Early this morning, we got up to go to the beach at Vung Tau. We looked like such tourists on the beach, especially Jackie with her traditional hat that she had bought at Ben Than market on Saturday.

Riding the boat was really cool because it allowed us to see the rural side of Vietnam. The tree cover was so incredibly thick that I find it hard to believe that anyone lives there or could ever fight there in war. Along the way, we saw some shacks by the river, and I was reminded of the poverty that some of the country faces. It was actually sad to think about; I think we often take pictures of the boats and shacks but think little of the people that live there.

Matching tanks to the beach, all from the market

After arriving, it was like a completely different world as compared to Ho Chi Minh. It was not nearly as crowded (proven by the fact that we were the only ones in the restaurant at lunch later that day) and it certainly had that “beach town” feel to it. We drove to the beach and chilled a little bit before playing games for team building. Kathy and I played a three-legged balloon pop game and lost terribly, but it was still fun to play. Everyone at the beach enjoyed watching us and taking pictures. As if we weren’t out of place already, dancing ridiculously or doing any other one of our activities had to provide entertainment for them.

After team building, we swam in the ocean. As the South China Sea is connected to the Pacific Ocean, I find it really cool to now be able to say that I have seen the Pacific from both sides. Additionally, we played some soccer; we have a match on Friday, so bring it on UEF!

We left the beach at around 12:30 and went to lunch. Our choices were mainly fish or fish, which I did not like so much. I did not feel like being adventurous today and trying squid. I ate a lot of rice and vegetables. They were still good, though.

We had to rehydrate before venturing up to the Jesus statue at the very top of the mountain of Van Tau. So many steps! We were all sweating really badly by the time we reached the top. Seeing it though was interesting, especially as I am Catholic. It is cool to know that religion connects people around the world; I felt connected to the Vietnamese people praying there.

Again, we were celebrities during this entire adventure. Jackie, Elliot, Reggie, and I had a group of about 20 Vietnamese come up to us, and they took pictures with us for five minutes straight. A little girl really liked Jackie and came up to talk to her after. It was funny to see because she must of thought that we knew more Vietnamese than we actually did. None of us understood what she was saying, and when Jackie asked for her name, the girl’s face was priceless. The funniest part about it all had to have been when she left with the group. She said goodbye in perfect English.

The trek down was much more enjoyable and less strenuous. We enjoyed the view of the ocean and had some time to stop before we had to “Home Alone” it to make it to the boat before it took off. The hour and a half home went by quick, though the water made my stomach a bit uneasy while sitting in the dock. We made plans to go out to dinner tonight.

P.S. Happy Mothers' Day, Mom!

Tôi Vui!

I rode with Ngan last night to finally try pho. Seeing as it is one of the only Vietnamese words that we all knew coming here, it was interesting to finally try it, as it is a very popular food in Vietnamese culture.  Basically, it is a soup that consists of noodles, some greens, beef, and a few other ingredients. One extra ingredient in the pho that I tried was cow skin! Though the pho was good, I did not really like the skin, as it was much too textured. I did, however, like the coffee that I had to drink (coffee sua da), a sweetened ice coffee that we learned about in Vietnamese class yesterday.

At dinner, I showed everyone American money and gave out a few dollar bills for everyone to have. They were so appreciative when I gave them the bill and coins as a token from the United States, and I was happy to share a bit of my culture. I felt like it was my turn after everything they have done for us thus far this week.

After dinner, I took a taxi back to the hotel with Nino, Jackie, and Elliot. We had plans to go out! The others stayed and rode around Ho Chi Minh City for a while. We decided to check out another restaurant and took a cab there.

The restaurant had a nice atmosphere. We could have sat on the street but chose to sit on the roof. The four of us chilled on the roof, observing the tallest building in Vietnam in the distance. After, we were going to walk around a bit but decided to take a cab home right away instead. The cab drivers all night wanted our money, and we were convinced they were driving in circles. It’s cool…we got a tour of the city!

Today was another great day. We woke up early once again, and unfortunately, I dropped my camera and it won’t turn on right now! I am going to search online to see if it can be saved, but if not, I’ll be relying on others for pictures from here on out!

Culture class was really interesting today. We talked about dualism in Vietnamese culture and the concept of the yin and the yang. I never realized how much a school of thought could influence a culture. In Vietnam, the yin and the yang dominate weddings, housing, and more. It made me start to think how we as Americans are influenced by Western thinking.

Language class was, as always, very interesting. Today, we learned basic adjectives like tired, happy, good, and more. We can now describe how we are feeling. Toi vui! After class, we had lunch at UEF again. We had omelets, soup, and pork. I really enjoyed it.

After lunch, we traveled to a company visit at ASCENX technologies where we talked the majority of the time about the company’s expansion. I find the role of outsourcing particularly interesting, especially in finding a middleman. I never thought that a supply chain could be so popular (US outsources to Singapore who outsources to Vietnam), but I am seeing this trend more and more today. I also found it interesting how ASCENX uses engineers in Vietnam as part of the “India Model,” outsourcing the easy engineering jobs from the United States so that engineers at home can do the more advanced work.

More interesting, though, was Tung Bach’s story. He was, as he said, SOB (straight off the boat). A boat person, he left the country and entered the United States as a refugee at only nine years old. He also told us about his family: his father’s death, his uncle’s time at a reeducation camp, and his grandfather’s refusal to leave the country. Learning about the events following the war affected me greatly. It reminded me of reading first hand accounts from The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien. O’Brien has quickly become one of my favorite authors and was pivotal in my decision to visit Vietnam in the first place.

After the company visit, Tung Bach took us out for coffee. He is a really nice guy, and he showed genuine interest in our program and allowing us to get as much as we could from the experience. We told him that we would gladly stay after the two weeks were up because we all really enjoy it here; I definitely would come back to Vietnam if given another chance in my life. I may even want to take language classes at home. Hopefully it’s not the travel bug; that could get expensive!

After getting stuck in a little bit of rush hour traffic, we are back at the hotel safely before Tuan and friends pick us up for dinner. On our way home, though, there were few things that struck me. We saw a few children begging in the middle of a busy intersection for the second time today (same kids, same spot); this made me a bit upset to see. An older man on a bike who smiled big and waved soon cheered me up, though. This reminded me of South Vietnam’s friendliness and openness to foreigners. I feel welcome here, despite a language and cultural barrier.

We are eating Dominos pizza tonight, and I am excited to see what American food is really like in Vietnam. We’ll have to see if it compares to pizza at home!