Day 5: When in 'Nam

     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.

 

Day 4: Pagodas, Suits, and Eggs Oh My

     On today's schedule: an early visit to the Jade Emperor Temple, a Vietnamese culture class at UEF, company visit to Glass Egg Digital Media, and a group measuring session for some fancy suits. The group had to wake up slightly earlier today for the visit to the pagoda, but it was well worth the time. It is a Taoist temple nestled within the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City. We took a short tour, and it was gorgeous. My favorite part of it was this turtle pond entirely filled with turtles of all sizes. There were many beautiful, hand carved statues and decorations that I could go on for a long time describing in detail. However, I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

   
In the afternoon, we took a visit to Glass Egg Digital Media Company. They specialize in making artwork for video games, especially cars. Most of the cars made in the Forza Motorsports series of games are designed and drawm by Glass Egg. When we got to the building, we were given a tour by the CEO, Phil Tran. Phil actually lived in the United States for a long time after his family evacuated from Saigon at the end of the war. He cam back to Vietnam and basically started this company from the ground up with his partners Steve Reid and Guillaume Monier. Glass Egg's office was very nice, with a Google style feel. We got a chance to watch the company artists design their projects firsthand, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to take any pictures, as intellectual property theft is a large issue in the video game industry. We did however get a nice pic of the view.

    Back at the hotel, the next task was to get measured for a suit. The price to get a tailored suit here is significantly cheaper than back at home, so over half of the kids on the trip are getting one. Bryan Shultz is even getting four; wow I'm kinda jealous of that. We'll get the finished suits on Thursday before we leave, and i can't wait to see how it looks.

Day 3: The Chicken Dance, Catfish, and the Circle of Life

     Another successful day of classes, a visit to the U.S. Commercial Service, and another tour of the city from our new Vietnamese friends. Today the two classes were another language class and one about rural development of the Mekong Delta. The language classes are starting to get better as I improve in remembering some key phrases. Today in class I was assisted by a boy named Bo, who was very helpful and friendly. He gave me the names of some food that I should try while I am still in Vietnam and wrote down the name of everything in Vietnamese and English. One dish in particular that he told me about a dish with noodles with duck meat in it. That sounds delicious, and Bo will be taking me to get that later in the week. The lecture on the Mekong Delta was another interesting talk. Our speaker went in depth on the history and culture of the region while also describing its current economy. A funny anecdote that he mentioned was about catfish farming in the region. The United States actually has a law that catfish imported from Vietnam may not be classified as such in America because the catfish farming industry in Alabama cannot compete with their prices. Instead, the imported catfish are classified as basa fish or bocourti. Roll Tide!

     Following lunch, the group took a visit to the U.S. Commercial Service. The Principal Commercial Officer, Patrick Wall, spoke to us about how they help American industries conduct their business in Vietnam. The U.S. Commercial Service acts a consultant for American businesses abroad for finding dependable legal help, making initial contact with investors, and trying to make business transactions run smoothly. Patrick Wall has been stationed at offices throughout the world for the past 30 years, including the past four years in Vietnam. Through his work, he has come into contact with some very high ranking business leaders and government officials.

     At night, Kate from UEF took about half of the group out to a restaurant for dinner. The food was great, but my favorite part of the dinner was the cat that I assume lives in the restaurant. This little guy was just a small kitten, and he kept walking around our table in search of food. Was this slightly concerning regarding the sanitation of the restaurant, yeah kind of. At least he probably took care of any rat problems. Just to be safe, I thoroughly washed my hands after holding him. After dinner, we then went to probably the coolest coffee shop I have ever eaten in. Kate brought us some baked goods for dessert, and I fell into a lovely food coma by the end of the meal. Another great night. 

Day 2: No Sleep Till Pittsburgh

         I started day number 2 with the same morning routine; workout, swim, awesome breakfast. On today's schedule are two classes, a visit to the Phu My Hung Corporation, and some quality time with the Vietnamese students. With a full schedule, today was a long but very enjoyable day. 

     The first class of the day was a lecture of urban development in Ho Chi Minh City. As a prospective civil engineer, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and was very interested in the source material. Ho Chi Minh City has come a long way in the past twenty years since the Doi Moi economic restoration, but it still has a long way to go. After class ended, the teachers gave us a short break where we could explore right off the campus. A large group of students and I found a small shop where we got to try Vietnamese iced coffee. It was excellent, and I'll definitely be drinking that every day on the trip. Then we had a second language class where we learned introductions from our new Vietnamese friends. I'm having some trouble with the language, especially the tones, but it is still very fun to learn. By the end of these next two weeks, I'm hoping to have fully learned some basic phrases. 

    Following class, we went out for a nice lunch and then visited the Phu My Hung Corporation. They are an urban planning company who are currently undertaking a huge construction project in South Saigon that is 20 years in the making. They gave us a pretty impressive presentation and the urban center they are creating is beautiful. The goal of Phu My Hung is to create an urban environment that is not as crowded as the majority of Ho Chi Minh City while also placing a heavy emphasis on maintaining the environment. I thought very highly of the company's efforts, and I was highly impressed by the extensiveness of the planned city. I think that the corporation's project is going to be to represent the future of construction in that green construction takes center stage and urban areas are extensively planned for multiple situations. Dr. Berman brought up an interesting point however on the initial start-up of the development. The corporation portrayed the lands as a wasteland before, but it was actually farmland used by a small population. The government took control of the land, as land is not owned by individuals in Vietnam's communist system, and let Phu My Hung take over control. It brought up an intriguing dilemma, where one must decide the benefit of urbanization in a economically undeveloped country to the moral problem of taking over an individual's property. I appreciate how so far in two days, there were already two major philosophical points that were brought up, one about Vietnamese higher education on the first day and consequences of urban development on the second. The program definitely offers more than I expected in terms of critical thinking, and I very much like the challenge. 

  

  The group arrived back at the hotel at around 6 o'clock and we met up with the Vietnamese students shortly afterward. They took us to a restaurant where we had pho, a traditional noodle dish in this country. It was fantastic, my initial picky eater worries have been more than overcome. The students took us to a local hangout in the city next to a church and we explored more downtown. One girl Kate, who is the primary Vietnamese student in charge of our activities, offered to take students back to the church Saturday evening for mass. I am very curious as to how their mass will be presented, so I think I will take her up on that offer. Tomorrow the Vietnamese students offered to take us out again, and I am very excited for that opportunity. Other than that, I'm pretty tired, goodnight!

P.S. The pictures don't do the city justice

P.P.S. This baby was staring at our group of Americans, and I thought he was adorable. His mom thankfully said I could take this picture. 

P.P.P.S. This picture is for my dad, an avid Popeye's fried chicken lover. They are everywhere around here, and one was even three stories tall. WOW!

P.P.P.P.S. The reason for the lateness is that I have been having trouble with the Internet. 

Day 1: Good Morning, Vietnam!

     Successful first day in Ho Chi Minh City. I started off the day by waking up at 6, followed by a quick morning workout and swim. The workout room felt like a sauna but the pool was extremely refreshing. I think that it will be a good morning routine with my friend Dan as it was a very helpful wake-up. Then breakfast was amazing. Fresh fruit, good sausage, and delicious coffee. Vietnamese style coffee uses condensed milk as a sweetener, which is very good. I look forward to eating these breakfasts for the next two weeks.
     Our first group activity was going to the school to meet the students of the University of Economics and Finance. The students were very excited to meet all of us visitors from Pitt and greeted us with leis as we got off of the bus. I felt like an MVP. All of the Vietnamese students rushed up to meet us and introduce themselves. Some of the host students prepared dance routines for us, and they were very impressive. The rest of the Pittsburgh students and I received gifts including some books for our upcoming classes and matching shirts (very nice polo shirts I might add). The guys also received nice ties while the girls were fitted for traditional Vietnamese dresses that they will receive later. I feel so welcome to the country and can't wait to get to know my student counterparts.
     After the introduction ceremony, my group took a nice lunch break. As a picky eater, I was initially worried about what I would eat in a foreign country. So far, my worries have been for not, the two meals I had were fantastic. Following lunch, the group took a tour of HUTECH University. It is one of few private universities in this country. Our speaker, Dr. Nam, offered a great perspective at the state of secondary education in Vietnam. Overall, the visit definitely improved my knowledge of Vietnamese society.
     The rest of the day was interesting, highlighted by a visit to a supermarket and a good dinner. The only problem so far that I've encountered is the heat. Thankfully a second visit to the hotel pool solved that problem. Now it's time for bed because tomorrow is a big day with our first company visit. My first impression of the country is great, and there is still more for me in store in the following two weeks.

Travel Day

After 34 long hours of traveling, we finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Even though I have been on a large number of flights, each takeoff is still thrilling to me. That 16 hour flight was awful, but at least now we are here. I can't wait to see what this trip has in store for me. Tomorrow we get to meet our Vietnamese student counterparts, who will be our guides for the rest of the trip. On the bus ride from the airport to the hotel, I got to catch my first glimpses of Ho Chi Minh City. It looks pretty interesting, and I'm looking forward to exploring it with my new Vietnamese friends.