After my lovely breakfast at the hotel, we went to a different UEF campus to practice our Vietnamese. This school, if I understood right, was for students who were taking their first year classes, where the other campus, the one we spend most of our time at, is for the upperclassman. We had a little quiz today in preparation for the markets. I aced my quiz which consisted of three questions which we went over multiple times as a class. It was a good feeling, though, realizing a lot of what I have learned has sunk in.
After language class we went on a tour of Ho Chi Minh City. We drove around a bit and then went to the Reunification Palace, aka the old "white house." It was an elaborately decorated 4 story building with a beautiful view of the city. My favorite parts of it were the two air conditioners we found in the basement of the building and stood in front of for a solid 10/15 minutes. But in all seriousness it was an incredibly impressive building. I preferred it to our White House. The rooms were much more beautiful and yet so simple.
After the palace, we went back to the hotel to rest and have lunch. Lunch was a ZOO. Some local school uses our hotel as a cafeteria for their students and oh my lanta was it crowded. When I first showed up you had to throw elbows to get anywhere near the buffet table, and when you finally got there there was no food left! After a few minutes though, the students cleared out and the food was delicious. One thing I have learned about the Asian culture is that there is a complete disregard for lines. In America, if you cut in line you get yelled at, thrown out or chanted at (No cuts, not butts, no coconuts). Well my time in Asia, whether it have been the airport in Japan or the lunch line at the Victory Hotel, there is no sense of order or lines. It is a large free for all.
After a nice rest break in the hotel room, some UEF students met us in the lobby and we headed for China town. We first stopped at this beautiful pagoda. It was definitely older, but was nonetheless one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture we have seen yet.
Finally we headed to the market. This; however, is not the market I almost died in. The market in China town was more authentic, less touristy. They had everything from every kind of flip flop imaginable, to hooker bras to industrial pots and pans. They had lots of bags and purses and foods. It was a very interesting place to explore.
Next a few of us students, with the help of the UEF students made our way to the market near our hotel, the tourist attraction market. This was a complete different experience. Everything they were selling was aimed at tourists. They had all kinds of clothing, foods and souvenirs. Everyone seemed to speak English and they were much more in your face. Que how I almost died....
My friend Clarissa and I wandered off on our own hoping to make some great deals. We had learned our best weapon was to walk away. Most of these people were very inclined to lower the price whenever you threatened to walk away. Well we made our way to the handbag section and found some fake Tory Burch handbags we both really liked. We figured buying two would help get us a good deal. Well this lady seemed very unwilling to haggle so we said no thank you and tried walking away. Well that didn't go over too hot. She agreed to lower the price, but just a little. Well each and every time she turned to walk away, she lowered the price more. Well neither of us actually had enough money to pay for these bags so we attempted to explain we would come back after getting more money. Well she did not like that. As i walked away she grabbed my arm. After I shook her grip she grabbed my bag and pulled me back to her stand. Again we tried leaving only this time she grabbed Clarissa's arm and clamped on. I was trying my hardest to pull her away but this lady wasn't letting go and was digging her nails in. Finally, Clarissa got free and we booked it away from there. All we heard was the lady yelling after us, "you crazy girls! you crazy!" After that we were done for the day.
We went to a little restaurant called Ti Ti for dinner and had more beef. It was delicious. The cab ride out was suspiciously longer than the cab ride back though. Oh well.
Upon arriving at the hotel, it was time for my fitting of my custom made suit. For 90 dollars, I got a custom made suit jacket with pants. This man came and measured us last Thursday. Today (Monday) he brought back the near finished pieces for us to try on and he made the more minor adjustments. The material was so nice. And the suit seemed to fit like a gem. I'm so excited to see the final product!
Well, hope all is well for all my loyal followers and I will be talking to you from the states very soon.
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