Thursday, May 14, 2009

Day 12

Dear Blog,

Yesterday we went to the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange to learn more about how Vietnam's stock market. It was not very big and many people do not money in stocks because they are fearful of the banks. The stock exchange only allows 49% of its stocks go to foreign investors.

After the stock exchange we went to the war memorial museum. It was hard to be there because they made the American soldiers look terrible. There were lots of pictures of Americans killing women and children and torturing the Vietnamese soldiers. Also, they were selling American dog tags. While they most likely were not real, I just could not believe they would sell something like that as a souvenir.

I had made plans of go out with Vietnamese students for the afternoon. About 4 Up student and 8 UEF students went out. The UEF students drove us to different places on their motorbikes. We first went to Saigon Square for shopping. I bought a few souvenirs for my family, but I still need to buy more. After that we went to a drink place. Huyen and I got lost on our motorbike. we eventually made it to the place. They make a drink called tea milk. It was very good. After we finished they drove us home. Since I have talked to Huyen more than any other Vietnamese student and she is the one that set up us going out, I decided to give her the gift that I bought in Philadelphia. She was very excited to get it.

We went to dinner with the daughter of the chairman of UEF. We got to grill out own food right in front of us and it was very good. I believe we had beef, goat, shrimp and frog legs. The shrimp was scary because they literally just killed it. Some shrimp were still moving while we were grilling them. After the dinner they took us to the Acoustic Bar and paid for all of our drinks. I got the soda and strawberry which was very different and very good. We stayed for a while to watch the live music perform. The singers were very good. I was once again too tired to go out so I just went to bed.

Only one more blog entry coming

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Day 11

Hello everyone,

Yesterday we had class in the morning as usual. First we had business class. It was about the issues in the Vietnamese economy today. One of the biggest issues is the corruption surrounding the country. I was talking to some Vietnamese students about what they do everyday and what they think of Vietnam. They were asking me what I think of the United States. After business class we had language class. One again the language is getting easier, but there was one word I just could not say no matter what. The person attempting to help me was named Yen and she must have said it a hundred times and I still just could not say it.

We did not have a site visit to go to, but we did meet with the English club to play games. The games were very interactive between UEF and UP. The first game played involved a boy and a girl standing on a piece of newspaper and dancing. If you fell off the paper you lost. After a few minutes the paper would be folded in half. The next game involved a boy and a girl attempting to pop a balloon on there back. The next game was musical chairs and the final game was limbo. After playing games we had a short dance party in the classroom. It was very interesting.

Right after the meeting we had a soccer game. We got to play the UEF soccer team. To my surprise we were only down 3-0 at the half. After they sub in some students and we sub in a womens player from the Vietnamese Nation Team, the game got close. We ended up tying 5-5 and i was exhausted. I am not meant to play soccer at all. It was a neat experience though, especially because we actually played with a national player.

For dinner we went back to the burger place for American food. One again it was delicious. I did not do anything at night because I was so tired. I ended up staying up late anyway because I was talking to some of the Vietnamese students on yahoo messenger. I have plans to go out with some students to the Saigon Square market. I do not know if we are walking or if they are giving us rides on motorbikes. I still really want to get one when I get home. Only 2 more days till I leave 'Nam

see ya blog blog

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Day 10

Dear blog,

Yesterday morning we had classes once again. We had business class and Vietnamese language class. The business class was boring. We talked about the economy of Vietnam. After business class we had language class. The language continues to become easier as days go by. I can have a simple conversation with people. I can say my name, where I am from, where I live and what I do. Some pronunciations are still very difficult. After language class we went to lunch at the University. WE had chicken and pork. It was very good.

The site visit was to the manager of the foreign commercial services in Vietnam. He was the guy that helped American companies export their goods in Vietnam. He was a very strict person to us. This was not one of the interesting visit we went to. After the site visit we had dinner at the Hollywood Cafe. We got to watch a movie when we eat. This place had a lot of American food. The food their was so good. The movie playing was Charlie's Angels. After dinner, we decided to go to the Bounce club followed by Lush, another club.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Day 9

Dear Blog,

Today we went to school again for the first time since Friday. We had Vietnamese culture class and Vietnamese language class. The culture class was difficult to pay attention to because the teacher was very hard to understand. We learned about the modern history of Vietnam during that class. After the culture class we had the language class. I thought Vietnamese was getting easier to speak, but it was difficult today. The different tones to say words are very confusing because they all sound the same to me. I have a very difficult time hearing the different tones of voice. I have been getting good at hearing simple questions and responding to them.

The site visit today was to a real estate firm. The lady we talked to was named Patti and she was in the marketing section. She talked about how the Vietnamese never put their money into banks and pay with all cash. The carry large sums of money around when they make big purchases. She also described the way companies are helping the Vietnamese pay for the expensive condo's being built. After the talk, she than discussed restaurants to eat at.

After that, Sean realized he left his phone at the firm. We decided for cultural experiences to ride a motorbike back to the company to get. My driver got lost and drop me off on a street nearby. I used my knowledge of 3 Vietnamese words to ask how to get to the company and arrived there shortly after the rest had already arrived. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed. I really want to get one now. After arriving back at the company building, Patti came down with Sean's phone and told us of a place to eat called Blackcat. It was an American food place. I had a burger and it felt good to have American food again.

At 8 we went to the top of the Rex Hotel with Krysta and Dr. Burman. We enjoyed the view and the live music. The fries there were really good. They tasted like American fries. After the Rex, Krysta and Dr. Burman went back to the hotel and we went to the Apocalypse Now club. It was an interesting night. It was extremely fun and I had a good time.

bye blog

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Day 6, 7, and 8

Hi,

Sorry I have not bloged in a while I have been very busy.

Day 6


In the morning we went to class again. We had Vietnamese Business class. I was very bored during it. We were talking about Vietnamese banking and the economy. Most Vietnamese people do not trust the banks and rather have all of their money in gold and cash. After Business class we had Vietnamese language class again. The language is getting a little easier, but not much. I can say "My name is Jim", "I am American" and "I am a student." Their are some words that are still very difficult to say.

The site visit we went to was an engineering firm called Ascenx. The firm provided engineering services to people and companies around the world. The chairman was born in Vietnam, but went to the United States till he was nine before returning to Vietnam. He escaped Vietnam on a boat with his Uncle and Aunt. He later met up with his mother, but his father was lost at sea. Afterwards we got a tour of the company and talked to workers. I was talking to an Electrical Engineer name Tung. He was showing me the programs he uses and how he tests a circuit board. It was interesting learning about what he did because I hope some day to be doing the same thing as him. After that the chairman bought us all coffee from Highland Coffee. I got a Vanilla Cafe Freeze and it was delicious.

After the visit we went to eat dinner at a local house. The house was big and extremely nice looking. The owners were also the owners of a restaurant. They had a beautiful view of the river. After the dinner we had a sip of banana wine. It was very strong and had no taste of banana in it. After dinner we decided to stay in and play games instead of going out. It was extremely fun and relaxing.

Day 7


Today we went to the Mekong Delta. It was a 3 hour bus ride from the hotel so we had to be up early, thus the reason I have not been blogging. We stopped at a soldiers memorial. There were about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers buried there. All of the coffins were above ground and there were signs to honor all of them. After that we visited caodi, a religious institution. It was very beautiful and we had to take our shoes off before entering. It was a combination religion, that combined multiple religions into one. Than we stopped at one more rest stop on the way to get drinks. This rest stop was very nice looking and had many ponds of fish.

We finally arrived at the delta and went on a boat trip. We went on a walk to a historic house. The locals were very nice to us and all of them said Hello to us. We took pictures with them and than continued to walk toward the house. The house was huge and very interesting. After the house we went back on the boat to go to another local house. This time the house was home to a home company, that manufactured coconut candy. It was very good and you could not taste the coconut. We got stuck in a monsoon. IT WAS AWESOME!! Parts of the roof blew away and we just sat their waiting for the storm to stop so we could go back to the boat. After the rain had stopped we went to dinner. We were on the boat for about 1 hour to go to lunch. The place we ate at served a Fish on stick and we were suppose to pick meat off of it and make a roll with it. After finishing dinner we finally started our trip home. We hit bad traffic and arrived home 2 hours late. We had plans of going to a night club with Khoa and Chi.

Day 8


HAPPY MOTHERS DAY


Yesterday we went to a cooking class and learned how to make shrimp rolls, fresh shrimp rolls, and a couple of other dishes. We went to the market to buy the food. The Vietnamese make very Unique food, that taste good. It was fun to make the foods and I hope to make the shrimp rolls at home.

After the cooking class we went top the water park with an orphanage. I have never met kids with such energy. We ran to different rides. I like the zipper ride because every time you did it something else happened. The kids were so excited to be their and I am glad to have had that experience with them.

We went to the MTV cafe. It was a terrible idea. We were there for 3 hours and they brought out different dishes at different times. The food was very good and cheap. IT is not a place to go when you are hungry though and thats what made it so bad. After the restaurant we went to get ice cream. I got vanilla ice cream on a cone. It was so good, but it does not taste the same as American ice cream. Than we finally went back to the hotel. We decided to not go out tonight, but to stay in and play games again.

see ya blog

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Day 5

Dear Blog,

Yesterday we did not go to school for the first time since we have been here. Instead we visited one of the most prestigious high schools in the country. The high school was very big and very nice. The classrooms were mot modern though and very hot. There was no air condition in any of the rooms. The student do not do much outside of studying because they are trying to get into colleges around the world. The students have to take difficult entrance exams to get into the high school. After the visit we went out to lunch on our own. We went to Lotteria, a fast food place. I got a chicken sandwich and french fires. It was very good.

The company we went to visit was a lawyer firm that helps make financial decisions. The guy that was talking to us was from London and was brilliant. He knew so much about the world economy. He was talking about the credit crash around the world and how Vietnam is affected. He also discussed his involvement int helping to consult the Vietnamese about building a wind power plant to help with the power crisis. After the visit we went to the MTV cafe for dinner. The food was cheep and very good.

After the cafe we went shopping with a few Vietnamese students. Everything is cheep and the price can always be bartered. I bought a couple of T-shirts for now. I plan on going back later for more shopping (if you want anything let me know). After shopping we went to the Highland Coffee. I got a Vanilla Cafe Freeze. It was delicious. After the coffee we did work. When I say work I mean sit in little chairs with the Vietnamese people and have a little to drink. It was pretty awesome to look at the traffic going by and all of the people walk past. The people who owned the little outside shop were very nice to us.

I will talk to you later blog.

P.S. check out photos on the website!!!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Day 4

Hi everybody,

Yesterday morning we had Vietnamese Culture and History class. The instructor was very into it and explained to us the basics of Vietnamese History and Culture. He did not go into great detail, but he did explain some of the basics, such as Vietnam was under China's rule for 1000 years. After Vietnamese History and Culture we had Vietnamese Language. The student helped me really helped a lot because some of the word we were learning were really difficult. The accents on the words are difficult to say. The girl spoke very good English and could understand all of the questions I asked her. After class we had lunch. The lunch was very good. There was chicken, ribs, and beef with green beans.

The site visit we went to was very interesting. We learned about the modernization plans of south Saigon. The plans are amazing. The building structures and houses are going to look great when it is all completed. I want to come back and see it it in 10 years because of how different it already looks in such a short period of time. The model look amazing and the buildings up. They also are planning for the traffic problems they expect. After the site visit we went to the the top of the Rex Hotel. Afterwords, we went to the BB club to dance and than back to the hotel.

see ya later blog.