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
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).
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!
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