“Very Vietnamese”
My Basic Vietnamese professor, Mister Truc, uses this phrase to describe his “beautiful” American students, whenever our pronunciations are on point. He praises our attempts at speaking the language with the biggest smile on his face, saying, “Ah, you sound very Vietnamese! So lovely!” It’s hilarious, because in truth we sound quite awful, but the compliments are nice regardless. Anyway, after a weekend spent exploring the city’s culture more deeply and getting to know several new friends, I felt “very Vietnamese.” That’s kind of the point of studying abroad, I guess. I feel like a local … and I absolutely love it.
I went into this weekend with a simple plan to relax and unwind, as this was our last free period until late November … we are traveling so much! On Friday, a few of the other students on the program left for Malaysia, and others for a home-stay in the Mekong Delta–I just wanted to sleep and read my book. However, I quickly realized that (1) I get bored easily and (2) there is so much more of Saigon that I want to experience before I run out of time. So, with that in mind, my friend Ashley and I kicked off our “homestay in Saigon,” with a goal to experience the city like the local students do. We never could have known what a funny, wonderful time we would have!
After class on Friday, Ash and I had lunch in the canteen, or the school cafeteria. It’s cheap, quick, and really freaking good–my favorite dish to get there is mi xao, or stir-fried noodles with veggies and a fried egg. Ash had rice and pork because she’s goofy and doesn’t like noodles … crazy girl! I’m obsessed with them. We soon embarked for District 1, with the intent to go shopping, but it started to downpour (what a shocker) so we planted ourselves in a coffee shop, drank really good (and expensive!) tea, and talked about life for like two hours. I adore little friend dates like this one.
Anyway, once the rain stopped, we spent a few hours shopping and exploring District 1. We got tired eventually (shopping is just exhausting … sigh) and tried to find a way home. Ash was all for taking the bus, but I was already negotiating with a xe om driver to take us both home (it’s so much more fun!). We ended up smooshed together, three people on one bike, Ash’s legs wrapped around mine and me without a helmet. It was hilarious and dangerous and incredible all at the same time. But we got home. Somehow.
We had a pretty chill Friday night, but while I was eating noodles (and Ash was eating broth, of course) we met a huge group of Vietnamese boys who live in our dorm. Their English wasn’t great, but they insisted on taking us to find sweet soup (Ash is forever on a quest to find this dessert, kind of like coconut milk with yummy jelly stuff in it). We ended up sitting with them for a few hours, drinking iced coffee and mango smoothies, and attempting to navigate our blatant language barriers. It was so much fun, and they were so excited to have new American friends. Ash later said that the evening made her whole semester … I wholeheartedly agree!
Saturday was a pretty laid back day … I slept for almost 12 hours, and it was delightful. Later, Ash and I explored a mall near our dorm, and we had peanut butter and good strawberry jam on a baguette for lunch … while blasting Anaconda in my room. Typical college (even halfway around the world). That evening we took our host students, Hannah and Thao, to dinner–our treat. They spoil us both rotten and take us everywhere on their motorbikes, so we wanted to take them out on our own terms! We ate banh xeo (my favorite vegetarian Vietnamese dish) and it was absolutely delicious, of course. Then we took them to Dairy Queen, which just opened in Vietnam. It was so funny–Hannah and Thao both got Blizzards, and they were so excited to flip them upside down! Over brownie sundaes and banana splits, Ash and I were a little homesick, but it was so lovely to be able to share our culture with our host students. Hot fudge, M&Ms, and soft-serve ice cream are just about as American as you can get!!
Then, Thao and Hannah drove us to the main park near Diamond Plaza and Reunification Palace, where we sat on slips of old newspaper with other young people and listened to live music. The four of us talked about life and culture and Disney and prom and all sorts of things. It was so much fun … I just kept thinking, I’m in Vietnam right now. I am just so in love with this city and this country and with life. I’m can’t stop smiling as I write!
On Sunday, I went shopping with a new friend of mine, miss Soo. We met at DRD, where the Loyola students help with English tutoring. She’s super sweet and adorable, and she’s moving to the United States in a few months! Her husband currently lives in Virginia, and she’s both excited and nervous to leave her home country. She’s led an incredible life and I just love getting to know her more. We went out to eat, shop, drink iced coffee, and chat … and five hours later, I felt like I had just spent the day with one of my dear friends back home! She’s totally my cup of tea, and I can’t wait to have her visit Chicago when she arrives in the States. #friendsforlife
Last night, we had dinner at Chris’s house (our program director). He’s so kind to have us all over; he made us buttery mashed potatoes, garlicky green beans, hot fried chicken, and moist chocolate cake–we were all slightly homesick and so wonderfully full. It’s crazy how much I miss American food. Then we watched The Killing Fields, a movie about the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide … it was so good, and I am very interested to keep learning about the atrocities there, which occurred so recently. We leave for Cambodia early Wednesday morning, and I am so excited to see the temples, cities, and genocide museums and memorials. I still cannot believe that I’m here, in Southeast Asia, experiencing so many things and traveling my heart out.
Life is pretty amazing sometimes.
Stay posted!!
