Lost in an elevator (day two)

When I last left off, I was about to go grab dinner. Well we went to a restaurant called Wrap and Roll. It was kind of like our welcome dinner and it was good. They just kept bringing out more and more food and there reached a point when the new plates would just sit there untouched. 

After dinner we went back to the hotel and met some students who took us out on their motorbikes. They were so cool. The driving is so different in Vietnam. Its a sort of organized chaos. There is really no such thing as driving in a lane. Motorbikes tend to just kind of go when they want. It seems so dangerous and it's shocking you don't constantly witness accidents. However, the drivers seem to have a sort of rhythm to the road or something. It is truly impressive. I also had some of the best ice cream I have ever had and even learned to call for the waiter and the bill.  

After we came back to the dorm, all hung out for a bit and crashed.

Today has been very busy. We started the morning with a lesson from a guest lecturer from the HCMC institute for development studies on urban planning and development. He told us all about the history of infrastructure, especially urban infrastructure, the problems currently facing Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh specifically and some plans for the future. A really interesting part of this trip is going with business students. They offer a unique viewpoint and have different interests as the engineering students. Because of this there were a wide variety of questions asked today. One of the biggest and most optimistic plans is that by putting in metro and better bus system, the congestion will decrease. As great as that sounds, its never that simple and definitely will be interesting to see how their plan works out.

After he left, we took a quick tour of UEF while sipping on Vietnamese drinks. I just can't get enough cafe sua da. Basically what it is is a very strong drip coffee, almost like a shot of espresso mixed with condensed milk. It is amazing!!! Also very good are these cinnamon buns near the co-op. They are perfectly crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside with some kind of filling. 

Next up was language class which was much more successful today. After today I can say a larger variety of sentences, like "what is your name?" and "How are you?" I feel foolish at times speaking Vietnamese because I feel like I am so far from saying things right. Because of the accents being the only difference between some words, I worry I may something to offend someone. 

Lunch came after and again ate at this outdoor restaurant near the restaurant. The food was delicious though it was difficult eating some of it with chopsticks. 

Students then met our bus and we all drove out to Phu My Hung, an industrial park. The bus ride itself was one of the best parts of the day. We got to spend a bunch of time talking to students and learning more about them, their culture and their language. With the assistance of Tin, our guide, and two of the students, I learned all kinds of new words and phrases. One of the funniest was one of the boys taught me to tell him that he was very handsome. At the site, we learned all about the industrial park. Phu My Hung built this amazing community on government land with the assistance of foreign investors. It definitely doesn't feel like you're in Vietnam when you're driving through it. It's almost like this Utopian community for foreigners and Vietnamese citizens. Looking around you say a large collection of American fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut and Popeyes. Restaurants like this are clearly for foreigners living on the land. The man who spoke with us was wonderful. He actually attended a small school called Oakland University in Alabama and moved back. He was very knowledgeable about the company.

We finally got a bit of a break when we returned. Many of us on the program hung out in rooms, talking and getting to know each other better. After a bit of rest we then headed up to the pool to relax, enjoy the sun and swim. The pool was very crowded. One thing is for sure, swimsuits here for men do not cover a whole lot. 

Finally it was dinner time. Some students from UEF met up with all of us and we went to a Vietnamese barbecue  place. At each table were grills on which we, and by we I mean the very nice UEF students, prepared various meats including goat and beef. Both were delicious. Next up was the shrimp. And thus ended my adventurous eating habits. On plates were still living shrimp which had been skewered. Their little legs were going crazy. When they were placed on the grills, the legs began twitching even more and faster. I could not watch, or try it for that matter. When my food has a face or I have to watch it die I just can't bring myself to eat it. After dinner we wandered to a very upscale mall, having stores like Gucci, Ralph Lauren and many places I couldn't even pronounce. Other people enjoyed a refreshing ice cream. I just couldn't bring myself to eat still so i enjoyed a nice bottle of water.

Now as for the title of this blog post, it was actually one of the funniest moments. So a bit of a set up.... The elevator doors here are very aggressive. The releases are not quick, so it's hard to reopen the door after it has started to close. A small group of us students were in an elevator and right before one of the employees could get in with us to show us where to go, the door dramatically and nearly slammed on his arm. Well we then proceeded to stop on about 5 more floors before we decided to go back down to the lobby and ask for help. But instead of going to the lobby we ended up in the basement. When we finally made it upstairs, everyone laughed at us cause we managed to get lost in an elevator. 

But for the most part I haven't embarrassed myself to badly. Only a few minor trips here or there. Lets hope I didn't just jinx my part. You will be the first to know!

Until next time,

Chao Ban.