Every night, my host cousin and my host mom watch a specific soap opera on the television. The soap opera is dubbed into Vietnamese. However, the dubbing isn't particularly good. In fact, you can still faintly hear the original voices (or at least what I thought were the original voices) under the dub. At first, I thought this was an American soap opera because I would hear English voices under the Vietnamese dub. But the English voices sounded strange. They sounded like they were also dubbed. Also, the situations in the soap opera were pretty ridiculous, even for a soap opera. Finally, after a scene where a mariachi band appeared at a wedding, I realized that this was a Mexican soap opera dubbed into English and then poorly dubbed again into Vietnamese. The telenovela is called "El Cuerpo del Deseo" and after doing some research I found out that it is actually filmed in Miami. So. I am watching a Mexican soap opera filmed in America that has been dubbed into English and then dubbed again into Vietnamese.
It's things like this that make me realize how much our world interacts with each other, albeit inderectly. I can only imagine what Vietnamese watchers of that show think of life in Mexico. I couldn't even tell that the actors in the show were Mexican. They all have very light complexions and live in enormous mansions. In the same way, Vietnam is very different than the American perception. Mention Vietnam to an American and they'll automatically think of Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket. The Vietnam I'm living in is much different. Also, the Vietnamese perception of the war is different. The typical American view of the Vietnam War was that it was a terrible tragedy. However, in Vietnam the war is seen as a victory. Lots of people died, yes, but the Vietnamese mindset is that they kicked out colonialism once and for all.
Anyway, thats enough stream of conscience ramblings for now. I'm off to eat food that was actually grown within the country in which I'm living.
...Although some of it may have come from China.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mid Autumn Festival
So I've been here for about one month. In many ways, it doesn't feel like I've been here that long. Whenever I meet another foreigner, they always ask if I've checked out a certain bar or park or cinema. I always I reply that I haven't. I guess my situation is different than many other foreigners. Living with a host family means less time for exploration. But at the same time, I believe that it causes me to have more contact with the culture.
Slowly but surely, I've been getting better at Vietnamese. My host brother helps me study most every night. However, at times it is frustrating how little I know. Yesterday, a friend of my brother's invited me to go to a small gathering at his house for Mid Autumn Festival. There were four girls and one other guy. We sat on outside on the balcony, lit candles, played with sparklers, and ate moon cake, yogurt, fruit, chips, and fruit jelly type snacks that looked like otter pops.
While my brother's friend was away getting something, I tried talking to one of the girls in English but her replies were very short. At first I thought she was just being curt with me and I sat in silence while the other girls around me talked with each other. But as I began concentrating on what they were saying I picked out the work "English". I began to realise that they just didn't know English very well. They were discussing what to say in English. In Vietnamese, I asked one of the girls where she lived. She seemed to light up when I spoke in the familiar language. She replied that she lived near there. She gave me a yogurt and asked how it was. I replied "ngon" (tasty). The other girls giggled at this reply. But then I blanked. I couldn't remember the other Vietnamese questions that I had learned. The conversation that had sparked up died and I sat in silence again. When my brother's friend returned, I spoke with him in English and had some funny conversations. It was a fun time, but I felt somewhat detached from the group and I know that they biggest reason for this was the language barrier.
Two days ago, I went with my father and my youngest brother to a festival, in celebration of the Mid-Autumn holiday, put on at the place where my father works. Like most everyone on the other side of the Red River, my father works for the Vietnamese airlines. Driving by the office buildings, I glimpsed many of these festivals being held for each airline department. For example, there was a festival thrown by the cabin crew and a festival thrown by the mechanics. My father works for corporate. The festivals are geared towards children. There were booths where kids could play games or eat moon cake. There was also a stage where kid dance groups and singer were performing. My father introduced me to one of his colleagues. I began speaking to him slowly and carefully but he replied in perfect relaxed English. It turns out that he had lived in San Francisco and Toronto for eight years. I told him I was from Washington State and was relieved that I did not have to explain to him the difference between Washington State and Washington D.C. (which I've had to do a lot). He introduced his two children. He had a daughter who was 11 and a son who was 8. While the son was shy, the daughter was very talkative. She spoke English fluently and only knew a little Vietnamese. As she and I talked, the son began to talk more as well. I think they both very glad to talk to a native English speaker. We talked about the random things that kids talk about such as the time she accidental punched her brother in the nose, the time their friend ran into a tree, their favourite TV shows and bands, and what they dressed up as for Halloween. They were actually pretty smart kids. They told me that their dad follows the stock exchange and they seemed to know a lot about different U.S. cities. Even though they were about half my age, it was rewarding to just talk in English about what ever I wanted. The problem when speaking with most English speakers that I meet here is that it always comes down to the same conversation. What are you doing here? Where are you from? How do you like it so far? With kids, you can jump right into a funny story that happened to you three years ago.
Anyway, in a nutshell: language is important, those kids were cool, and Mid Autumn Festival was interesting. I have to head out now. On the next episode I'll discuss my observations on the globalisation of soap operas.
Chao tạm biệt.
Slowly but surely, I've been getting better at Vietnamese. My host brother helps me study most every night. However, at times it is frustrating how little I know. Yesterday, a friend of my brother's invited me to go to a small gathering at his house for Mid Autumn Festival. There were four girls and one other guy. We sat on outside on the balcony, lit candles, played with sparklers, and ate moon cake, yogurt, fruit, chips, and fruit jelly type snacks that looked like otter pops.
While my brother's friend was away getting something, I tried talking to one of the girls in English but her replies were very short. At first I thought she was just being curt with me and I sat in silence while the other girls around me talked with each other. But as I began concentrating on what they were saying I picked out the work "English". I began to realise that they just didn't know English very well. They were discussing what to say in English. In Vietnamese, I asked one of the girls where she lived. She seemed to light up when I spoke in the familiar language. She replied that she lived near there. She gave me a yogurt and asked how it was. I replied "ngon" (tasty). The other girls giggled at this reply. But then I blanked. I couldn't remember the other Vietnamese questions that I had learned. The conversation that had sparked up died and I sat in silence again. When my brother's friend returned, I spoke with him in English and had some funny conversations. It was a fun time, but I felt somewhat detached from the group and I know that they biggest reason for this was the language barrier.
Two days ago, I went with my father and my youngest brother to a festival, in celebration of the Mid-Autumn holiday, put on at the place where my father works. Like most everyone on the other side of the Red River, my father works for the Vietnamese airlines. Driving by the office buildings, I glimpsed many of these festivals being held for each airline department. For example, there was a festival thrown by the cabin crew and a festival thrown by the mechanics. My father works for corporate. The festivals are geared towards children. There were booths where kids could play games or eat moon cake. There was also a stage where kid dance groups and singer were performing. My father introduced me to one of his colleagues. I began speaking to him slowly and carefully but he replied in perfect relaxed English. It turns out that he had lived in San Francisco and Toronto for eight years. I told him I was from Washington State and was relieved that I did not have to explain to him the difference between Washington State and Washington D.C. (which I've had to do a lot). He introduced his two children. He had a daughter who was 11 and a son who was 8. While the son was shy, the daughter was very talkative. She spoke English fluently and only knew a little Vietnamese. As she and I talked, the son began to talk more as well. I think they both very glad to talk to a native English speaker. We talked about the random things that kids talk about such as the time she accidental punched her brother in the nose, the time their friend ran into a tree, their favourite TV shows and bands, and what they dressed up as for Halloween. They were actually pretty smart kids. They told me that their dad follows the stock exchange and they seemed to know a lot about different U.S. cities. Even though they were about half my age, it was rewarding to just talk in English about what ever I wanted. The problem when speaking with most English speakers that I meet here is that it always comes down to the same conversation. What are you doing here? Where are you from? How do you like it so far? With kids, you can jump right into a funny story that happened to you three years ago.
Anyway, in a nutshell: language is important, those kids were cool, and Mid Autumn Festival was interesting. I have to head out now. On the next episode I'll discuss my observations on the globalisation of soap operas.
Chao tạm biệt.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
How Many Innocent Guests Have Undergone the Vicissitudes?
That is a line from a Vietnamese poem that I had to edit at The Gioi, the publishing company I'm working for. Not only does it somewhat apply to my current situation but it also just sounds cool.
I am happy with my new host family. At first, it was a little hard. Although I had been there for only a short time, I had grown attached to my previous host family and the location that I was at. But I like my new situation. I have a host brother closer to my age (19) who has been helping me practice Vietnamese. My host dad and mom are very nice. My host dad is always full of smiles and is very eager to learn English and teach Vietnamese. Those seem to be common characteristics with host dads of mine. Living in the house is also another brother who is 15 and a girl, who I think is a cousin, who is 23.
On Sunday, I will be playing music at church. I'll be taking over the duties of another man named Nathan who recently left for the states. I'm pretty excited to pick up the guitar again.
I've been a little exhausted these past few days. The combination of moving and having to get up at 6:00am is beginning to take its toll. I look forward to sleeping in this Saturday.
Oh yeah. Teaching last Sunday went well for the most part. The first class I taught was made up of only three girls around the age of 11. I taught them present progressive sentences such as "I am wearing a hat," and "I am throwing a box." I brought a box and a paper hat to class and them the wear the hat and throw the box. I felt like I had actually accomplished teaching them something.
The second class was terrible. Is was made up of 15 students from age 8 to 13 and they would not sit still or pay attention. Finally, I just went up to each individual student and practiced a sentence with them.
The third class was much better. There were nine students. We went over numbers and body parts. I would ask "how many hands are in this room?" I also made more paper hats for students to wear. I would then ask "how many hats are in this room?" We did other similar activities.
I told the teachers that I would be able to teach on occasion but could not teach every Sunday.
So that's what has been happening so far. Today I drove a motorbike for the first time. Since Bryn and I now live near each other, we can bike pool to work and language class. I've also been going to the gym every day with my brother. I'm not a big gym person, but it has been good so far.
I am happy with my new host family. At first, it was a little hard. Although I had been there for only a short time, I had grown attached to my previous host family and the location that I was at. But I like my new situation. I have a host brother closer to my age (19) who has been helping me practice Vietnamese. My host dad and mom are very nice. My host dad is always full of smiles and is very eager to learn English and teach Vietnamese. Those seem to be common characteristics with host dads of mine. Living in the house is also another brother who is 15 and a girl, who I think is a cousin, who is 23.
On Sunday, I will be playing music at church. I'll be taking over the duties of another man named Nathan who recently left for the states. I'm pretty excited to pick up the guitar again.
I've been a little exhausted these past few days. The combination of moving and having to get up at 6:00am is beginning to take its toll. I look forward to sleeping in this Saturday.
Oh yeah. Teaching last Sunday went well for the most part. The first class I taught was made up of only three girls around the age of 11. I taught them present progressive sentences such as "I am wearing a hat," and "I am throwing a box." I brought a box and a paper hat to class and them the wear the hat and throw the box. I felt like I had actually accomplished teaching them something.
The second class was terrible. Is was made up of 15 students from age 8 to 13 and they would not sit still or pay attention. Finally, I just went up to each individual student and practiced a sentence with them.
The third class was much better. There were nine students. We went over numbers and body parts. I would ask "how many hands are in this room?" I also made more paper hats for students to wear. I would then ask "how many hats are in this room?" We did other similar activities.
I told the teachers that I would be able to teach on occasion but could not teach every Sunday.
So that's what has been happening so far. Today I drove a motorbike for the first time. Since Bryn and I now live near each other, we can bike pool to work and language class. I've also been going to the gym every day with my brother. I'm not a big gym person, but it has been good so far.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Quick Updates
--Last week on Saturday I moved in with my new host family. They are very nice. They have two sons. One is around 9 and the other is 16 and is doing a foreign exchange program in Philadelphia. At night I would watch HBO with my host dad and teach him random English words that were spoken on screen. He would teach me Vietnamese in return. I also helped teach give my host brother an English lesson.
--On Monday I found out that I couldn't stay with them. Turns out the police were suspicious of the fact that they had a son in the US and an American in their home. So the registration fell through.
--On Tuesday I moved back in with Derek and Ana, the MCC coordinator and his wife.
--Two days ago I got a call from someone who had gotten my number from the language school asking if I could teach English at a school on Sunday.
--Today I met with them. They offered me a salary to teach English every Sunday for three months. I was pretty sure there was some MCC policy against getting a salary from another job and I didn't want to commit myself to three months of teaching. Therefore, I told them that I would teach one time, tomorrow, for free. Also, today I found out that MCC has found a new host family. I will move in on Monday.
--Tomorrow I guess I'm teaching three half hour classes to students aged 10-14. We will see how that goes. I'm also going to meet with my ex-host family for lunch. They said that they still would like to invite me over and take me out for picnics on occasions.
Here are some more pics. I took these from the top floor at the building where I work.
--On Monday I found out that I couldn't stay with them. Turns out the police were suspicious of the fact that they had a son in the US and an American in their home. So the registration fell through.
--On Tuesday I moved back in with Derek and Ana, the MCC coordinator and his wife.
--Two days ago I got a call from someone who had gotten my number from the language school asking if I could teach English at a school on Sunday.
--Today I met with them. They offered me a salary to teach English every Sunday for three months. I was pretty sure there was some MCC policy against getting a salary from another job and I didn't want to commit myself to three months of teaching. Therefore, I told them that I would teach one time, tomorrow, for free. Also, today I found out that MCC has found a new host family. I will move in on Monday.
--Tomorrow I guess I'm teaching three half hour classes to students aged 10-14. We will see how that goes. I'm also going to meet with my ex-host family for lunch. They said that they still would like to invite me over and take me out for picnics on occasions.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Updates and Unexpected Surprises
So I've realised that my blog's layout is somewhat bland. The title "Nathan's Year in Vietnam" is not much to write home about either. However, at this point I'm not quite sure what to name my experience yet. I could make some lame pun like "Making Some Hanoise" or try (and probably fail) to write something in Vietnamese, but I feel at this point it seems silly to title an experience I haven't had yet.
However, my Vietnamese experience will certainly be kicked up a couple notches tomorrow. Apparently my host family would like me to move in tomorrow instead of Sunday. Although unexpected, I'm pretty excited for the move.
Hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. I need a card reader for my camera. I will try to buy one as soon as I can.
However, my Vietnamese experience will certainly be kicked up a couple notches tomorrow. Apparently my host family would like me to move in tomorrow instead of Sunday. Although unexpected, I'm pretty excited for the move.
Hopefully I will get some pictures up soon. I need a card reader for my camera. I will try to buy one as soon as I can.
Independence Day
Today is Vietnam's Independence Day. It's the first time I've slept past eight in a while. I felt like 8:30 was pushing it, so I got up decided to get up this morning and take some pictures with my new Canon Rebel. I explored some back-alley ways and ended up in unfamiliar territory. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a map. I should have learned by now.
Bryn and I started language class and work on Tuesday. Language class is on one side of the city while work at Tha Gioi is on the other side. To get to either, we have to bike in congested traffic and heavy humidity. We both forgot to bring our maps on our first day. We made it to language class and work on time. Unfortunately, were very lost on the way home from work. What should have taken half an hour ended up taking an hour and a half.
Luckily, today I found a tourist station with a map. I made it back in time for lunch. Later, Bryn and I decided to explore Hanoi's Old Quarter. We looked at various shops and checked out a bootlegged DVD shop. I found tons of box sets (such as 40 Hitchcock films packaged together, and the entire collection of James Bond movies) for the price of 20 US dollars. However, I decided to hold off on buying films for the moment.
Language class and work at Tha Gioi has been going well. Our language teacher, Miss Linh, is very nice. We have been learning vowels, tones, and personal pronouns. Personal pronouns are very important in Vietnamese. You need to know which to use in order to show respect. Unfortunately there's more than a dozen or so different combinations. Learning vowels and tones is just as difficult. On the bright side, most any language after this will seem like a walk in the park. Work at Tha Gioi has been interesting. Our boss, Long, is a very cheerful fellow. I'm currently editing a document describing the different tourist attractions of Hanoi.
I'll move in with my host family on Sunday. Until next time, Happy Independence Day!
Bryn and I started language class and work on Tuesday. Language class is on one side of the city while work at Tha Gioi is on the other side. To get to either, we have to bike in congested traffic and heavy humidity. We both forgot to bring our maps on our first day. We made it to language class and work on time. Unfortunately, were very lost on the way home from work. What should have taken half an hour ended up taking an hour and a half.
Luckily, today I found a tourist station with a map. I made it back in time for lunch. Later, Bryn and I decided to explore Hanoi's Old Quarter. We looked at various shops and checked out a bootlegged DVD shop. I found tons of box sets (such as 40 Hitchcock films packaged together, and the entire collection of James Bond movies) for the price of 20 US dollars. However, I decided to hold off on buying films for the moment.
Language class and work at Tha Gioi has been going well. Our language teacher, Miss Linh, is very nice. We have been learning vowels, tones, and personal pronouns. Personal pronouns are very important in Vietnamese. You need to know which to use in order to show respect. Unfortunately there's more than a dozen or so different combinations. Learning vowels and tones is just as difficult. On the bright side, most any language after this will seem like a walk in the park. Work at Tha Gioi has been interesting. Our boss, Long, is a very cheerful fellow. I'm currently editing a document describing the different tourist attractions of Hanoi.
I'll move in with my host family on Sunday. Until next time, Happy Independence Day!
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