Yep. It's here in Asia, too. Along with MTVAsia(Gwen Stefani comes to Dubai soon!), Vietnam Idol (think Sanjaya Malakar times a gazillion), KFC (here's the menu, coleslaw and all), Pizza Hut, Pepsi, and Facebook.
One doesn't have to look very far to find Western influence in Saigon.
Here you've got Rob and one of our new Vietnamese roommates tackling a puzzle featuring three Asian women reading Vietnamese newspapers as a Communist flag flies overhead. Today Samson, Kevin and I snagged lunch at a panini bar with espresso, croissants and panini sandwiches. After classes today most of the U.S. students dined at Lotteria, a knock-off McDonald's boasting double cheeseburgers, shrimp balls, Pepsis and the popular Vietnamese strawberry shake.
My watch battery broke today, which is a major point of panic for me. (This morning: Hey Kevin, what time is it? *2 min later* Hey Samson, what's the time? *5 min later* Hey guys, are we late? What time is it?) Unable to find my link to the fourth dimension on the street, I went to Diamond Plaza. In keeping with today's theme of multicultural influences, I was torn between an adorably gaudy Hello Kitty watch, a little pink plaid Casio, and a snazzy blue Baby G. Finally went with the Casio, if you were wondering--the band is thinner, cuter, and easier to keep clean than the Baby G (and possessing a nicer pricetag), and the face has fewer alien cartoon animals than the Hello Kitty. Yep.
Tonight we celebrate Samson's 20th birthday. Not so surprisingly, he's never celebrated a birthday in Saigon, and so tonight we plan to surprise him (DON'T TELL! and Samson, I know you never read my blog) by taking him out for the local popular pastime of karaoke, kem (ice cream), ca phe (coffee) and bia (I think that's fairly obvious). Also happy to find that the Vietnamese employ birthday cakes in their celebrations too!
Anyhow, the similarities between American and Vietnamese popular culture have somewhat surprised me. I'm not just talking about obvious Western influence in the commercial arena; American culture has been plenty infiltrated by Asian cultures (think Toyota, Nokia, Samsung, Pokemon, and yeah, Hello Kitty). Behaviorally we aren't so alien to each other either, as we're finding as we befriend our Vietnamese roommates.
My roommate, an outgoing gal my age studying international business, is named Tram (kinda rhymes with "salaam"). She and I have already shared some pretty terrific laughs. There are a few very noticeable differences in our incipient friendship than one I'd share with a new American gal-pal. For instance, Vietnamese friends hold hands--girl with girl, boy with boy, whatever. Weeeeiiird. I'm not so into that, and I think (thankfully) that she's been prepped as to this peculiar American discomfort. However, we hug frequently and hi-five like it's our job. There is occasionally a break-down in communication, but Tram is one of the top students in her tieng Anh (English) class, and my Vietnamese, while rudimentary, is coming along. I think it helps to listen to Viet TV, translate everything I can, and chat with vendors even when there is a fatal level of awkwardness.
I happen to find religious studies even more interesting than foreign languages; hence, I visited the Nha Thu Duc Ba (Saigon Notre Dame Catholic church) recently. Here's one of the stained glass windows I adore--the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mother/Mary) reaching out to people wearing the traditional Vietnamese rice hats (non lo). Also pictured here are cars festooned with ribbons in honor of a Korean wedding held at the cathedral--kinda familiar to me, kinda not. Our program director, Rylan, tells us that most of the couples who come to the cathedral for wedding photos are not married on-site and aren't particularly religious; instead, the cathedral is just a lovely backdrop which adds an air of special significance. I find that very interesting--no educated opinion beyond that yet.
Just for kicks, here's a photo of a few of my fellow university students (sinh vien) in Vietnamese class--yay!
2 comments:
Who ever heard of Sweet Buns at KFC? (ref. your pic) Where are the biscuits? I leave it to you, Susie, to correct this injustice and get that country on the right track ;)
Hope all is well.
- Sam
Add some more pictures of yourself in the next couple of days. I need to see you smiling and enjoying all that weird food. Shealy's may want to add to their menu when you return so take careful note of the preparations as well.
Aunt Mary
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