Happy Valentine's Day from Vietnam!
02/13/2009
American holidays seem to have taken this country by storm. When I arrived in early January I was surprised at the prevalence of Christmas trees and lights, and now I'm seeing Valentines decorations and gifts. I understand that birthday parties also have become quite popular, and I often see bridal couples posing on the beach for wedding photos. It is a lovely spot, although the hem of the bride's dress suffers from walking on the beach. Since wedding dresses are rented, perhaps that isn't a concern.
Today I've worked on a couple of things--preparing for tomorrow's reading class, determining what information I need from the library staff about their current condition and sending my questions to the translator, continuing to work on a workshop about administrative aspects of higher education, and two meetings. It is interesting and challenging trying to explain concepts like "work study," "merit-based scholarships," and more. Given the difference in our two cultures, I'm curious to know what aspects of American higher education will be effective here. If a student fails and is asked to leave the university, the consequences are dire. Families place such high expectations on students who go to college that they could not return home because of the loss of face for everyone concerned. Perhaps that person would end up on the street, turning to a life of crime.
Speaking of crime, I have not written about the problem we're having in the dormitory with theft. Last week someone climbed up a tree to a balcony, somehow got through a window, and took two laptops from a room. Overnight someone took three bicycles from the first floor. I've seen them parked there before, with cable locks, but that did not deter the thief who, we hear, came in through a window on the ground floor. Today the dormitory manager installed a lock on a cabinet in my room, but at best, it would just slow someone down. Theft is more of a problem here than bodily harm (if you don't count being hit by motorcycles when attempting to cross the street). Unfortunately, things like bicycles and laptops can be so easily sold on the street and are so difficult to trace.
To take my mind off the theft, I took a walk along the beach. The water was a lovely turquoise today, and the fresh air felt so good. Then I walked to a photocopy shop to make some handouts for tomorrow's class--since it's Valentine's Day our subject is Love. On the way to the copy shop, I passed the place where I bought rice and stir-fried vegetables several days ago. The woman who sells it gave me a broad smile of recognition, so of course I stopped there for some of her tasty food. That, plus a little mung bean pastry, made my day. And now, back to the workshop preparation!
