This was definitely one of my favorite days. In the morning the group had more culture and language classes, which were once again very interesting. Then after a quick lunch, we visited the U.S. Consulate, a very historic site. First, foreign service officers gave us a short presentation on the work done by the consulate. I thought that it was interesting to hear how they handle American citizens’ affairs in Vietnam and their opinions of the country. They couldn't stress enough how pro-American the population is, a big surprise to me given that before this program the only things I knew about this country regarded a long, controversial war. The grounds, lost in 1975 but regained 20 years later by the US, were the site of the famous Tet Offensive assault on the U.S. Embassy. We got the chance to stand in the courtyard of the battle, and took a group picture next to an infamous flower bed. The flower bed previously made the cover of Time Magazine in a picture with dead soldiers from the embassy's firefight. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I really liked seeing this famous site. Only 1 very large downside to the visit; business casual attire, 104 degree weather, and tired students do not mix well. I would have loved to stay there longer if not for that fact.
Next we did what is so far my favorite part of the trip. The consulate runs an American Center that promotes American culture in Vietnam. It is located in the same building as the U.S. commercial service and is very popular with Vietnamese students. The consulate invited students to come to the American Center to meet and talk with us. About 60 people came to meet us with ages ranging from 18 to one 60 year old woman who was there for her nephew. Everyone split off into small circles to talk, and I absolutely loved it. The consulate stressed how pro-American the population here is and now I see what they were talking about. The students were so happy to meet us, and I really enjoyed answering their questions. There was one kid Tai Pham who I especially liked talking to. He is a 27 year old from a small village in the Mekong Delta who moved to the city to perfect his English and eventually become a teacher. His English currently is excellent and he was a very nice person. At the end of the event, he even gave me a business card with his information on it. In the Mekong Delta he worked as a tour guide, and .....offered to give me a tour if I ever was in the area. The Mekong Delta was an area that I definitely wanted to see on this trip and unfortunately could not. I think that gives me a perfect reason to come back to Vietnam some day, and then I'll even have a personal guide.
At night, the boys and girls decided to split up rather than go out as a large group. My friend Bo took all of the guys to a restaurant called 404. This was the most interesting meal that I have ever eaten, I loved it. First, most of the group tried a quail egg, but it wasn't your typical egg. It was fertilized and had a very developed bird on the inside. Bo showed us to crack open the egg and plop the whole bird in your mouth at the same time. It wasn't At home, I've always been a very picky eater who won't even eat broccoli. But here, might as well eat anything, what the hell! Then the real interesting dish came out when the waitresses brought out the hot pot for cooking. Pig brains, yes actual pig brains. We put it in the hot pot and cooked it ourselves. I have to say, it was pretty good. It had the weirdest consistently where it felt like it melted in my mouth and it tasted like the rest of the ingredients from the broth. I have to say that I never expected to eat brains in my entire life. Damn, what a country.
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