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Ho Chi Minh City = Saigon

After making my way through customs, withdrawing about 5 million Dong (Vietnamese currency… roughly equivalent to about $270), navigating the public bus transportation system (all without a translator) and arriving at my hostel, I was ready for some of the infamous Vietnamese food.  It had been reiterated to me time and time again that the cuisine in Vietnam is a gastronomic dream, but just get ready for your intestinal track to make steady unpleasant payments on your meal.  My take on the experience is always ‘You only live once’ so I went headlong into my bowl of Pho Bo (Beef, noodles and soup with greens and spices) and iced Vietnamese coffee.

Dining overseas is always an experience, reminding me of the truth Michael Pollan points to in his book In Defense of Food that for centuries our diet has been dictated by our culture (a fancy word for mother) rather than science (a fancy word for nutritionists).  I am all about going out on a limb and trying new things, but there are certain tastes that are truly acquired.  For instance, take a glance at this shot I took of the menu at this restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City:

I don’t think a Chicken Egg Soda will ever sound appetizing to me. (more…)

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Peace Train to North Vietnam

Interestingly enough, today, January 27, 2010, a day which I set aside for reflection specifically over my experiences in Vietnam, is the anniversary of the ending of one of the longest, most expensive wars in American History.  That’s right, on this day in 1973, North Vietnamese and American representatives signed an agreement in Paris.  37 years…  to think if I were just a generation older, my tour of Vietnam would have been quite different.

Of course this isn’t the first time this thought had occurred to me.  While in Vietnam, everywhere I went, I was asked four questions: What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? Are you married? Those exact four questions, and in that exact same order.  Like instinct, they asked me these questions, and equally instinctual, I’d be guessing their age and calculating in my head how old they were during the Vietnam war, considering whether I was in the North or the South, guessing their impressions of Americans… Might I be the first American they’d met without a camera or a gun?  A French woman I met in a market, who claimed to be ‘the first tourist to Vietnam’ exclaimed how good it was that finally, Americans were coming to visit Vietnam, and even now, there weren’t many of us.

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Saigon… a glimpse at the destructive side of Science

Mom always taught you to look both ways when crossing the road.  When crossing the road in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), it’s best to forget this advice. Ignore the mass of motorbikes whizzing towards you; they see you, and if you keep walking at a steady pace, they’ll navigate around you.  There was a chicken on the side of the road.  Of all the roads in the world for him to cross, I will never understand what was SO important that he had to get to the other side.

Across the narrow alleyway of the hostel, there were two women throwing colorful, feather light papers into a bin of burning fire.  Intrigued, I watched them, but my interest was not ignored.  Unable to speak English (like most Vietnamese) they offered me a stack of papers to join them.  Sitting by them, burning papers, as they would look at me, chat amongst themselves, offering me candy and packaged pastries, smiling often.  We sat together, just watching the papers burn, unable to speak, we communicated appreciation for the company of one another.  For the rest of my trip, I would always see them sitting on their small stoop, playing with babies, eating, painting each other’s nails, tiding up.  It wasn’t until I later saw the woman who had sat next to me sweeping that I noticed her severe limp.  Her impairment made me wonder… What happened? Was it a motorcycle accident? Was she born like that? Could this defect be a result of perhaps something my country was responsible for?

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Chris’s Video Blog: Munich Video Part 2

This summer I was blessed by being able to take the Marketing Study Abroad Program through Mays Business School. We traveled throughout Europe learning about local cultures, international business and the world we live in. This video blog documents our experience and gives you some insight into the adventures we had, the things we learned, and the relationships we formed.

Click here to watch it…Prost!

This video is part two while I was in Munich…all of the music used in these videos was local and recorded from various local musicians from each respective place.

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Taxation can be a Little Fishy

The first week of school is officially over. After going to each of my classes only twice, I have already concluded that this is going to be a very difficult semester. I am very proud to say that I have been accepted into the Professional Program in Accounting, but with acceptance comes a lot of extra work. It has only been a week, but I am already behind and in need of a pep talk.   (more…)

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Bye bye to Bali

When I went to study abroad in Southeast Asia, one of my parental convincing tactics was ‘Aside from the plane ticket, we can actually SAVE money; it’s super inexpensive! Plus, the value of the Singapore Dollar is 70% of the US Dollar!’ Ha. And to think that I even had myself fooled.

Of course, it was not near as bad as being in Europe when the exchange rate was at the most disadvantageous rates for Americans (see my blogs from May-August 2008) it is still not cheap.  So here I am to give you the TRUTH when it comes to studying abroad/traveling in Southeast Asia: DON’T LET THEM FOOL YOU- YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND A PRETTY PENNY WHILE YOU ARE HERE! I never got a plane ticket for a weekend trip for under $100 USD.  And yes, while you can bargain and get a ‘deal’ on certain marketplace items, you’re still going to have to pay what is known in Mexico as ‘the gringo price’.  You can’t hide your blonde hair, white skin or American dollars from the shop owners; even if you get a ‘good’ price, they’re still going to take you for a ride.  But you can’t let it get to you- you are having a cultural experience, so just get ready to pay it.

However, this financial frustration is solely felt by the student sans income international community.  Expats, especially in Singapore, especially those working for large oil companies like ExxonMobil, especially ones like my good friend Jacob, are very well taken care of.  And when they go out to have a little fun, poor students like me are just lucky to hang on to their coattails.  Which brings me to our next adventure, which was a private catamaran deep sea fishing trip that Jacob was going to go on with or without me… so I might as well just tag along. (more…)

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Banged up in Bali

The next morning, the fresh scent of dew and plumerias permeated the room and the early sunrise creeped through the mosquito netting to wake us up.  Eating a breakfast of coconut and banana crepes with a side of fresh cut fruit while overlooking a field of fluorescent green rice patties was the beginning of another typical Balinese morning.  Today Jacob and I were embarking on a ‘whitewater rafting’ adventure.  Walking across the street to climb into the van, our entire trip changed in a matter of seconds. Not two feet in front of Jacob, I still do not understand how the motorbike missed me; almost to the door, I heard a crash to turn around and find Jacob on the ground, the motorbike on its side and two of the barefoot Balinese men fallen at my feet.  Thank god they were wearing helmets unlike so many of the other riders we had seen.  The driver of the van and I rushed to Jacob’s side, but in a matter of minutes everyone was up and continued on their way.  With his other ankle already busted from a less-than-sober Halloween incident, he just transferred the brace and beckoned us to be on our way.  No exchange of information, insurance, names… We will never know what happened to those two men that day, nor will they ever know us from any other tourist that comes and goes daily on the island. (more…)

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Bringing it back to Bali…

The village of Ubud is known as the artistic, cultural center of Bali, where Kuta and some of the more coastal towns are more beach going, party central.  In my mind, you can have Maui or Miami anywhere, but when you can, seek out the truly unique.  As the only Hindu island in the multiple island country of Islamic Indonesia, there is an abundance of temples.  They seem to be everywhere, composed of aged chartreuse covered stones, emerging organically out of the landscape as if Mother Earth has put them there herself.  Walking around, one must be careful not to trip on the small offerings of flowers created out of banana leaves on the sidewalks, streets and doorways.  There are also slender stone carvings, about equal to a grown man in height, with what looks like an armchair for a doll on top.  These posts also house offerings, and almost every dwelling or place of business has one.  Along the streets, I had also noticed these skinny poles that looked like they were made of bamboo, taller than the buildings, that bent over toward the street like a fishing pole with another weaved basket-like offering.  Apparently these were from a festival a couple months back.  But ceremonies and festivals are not rare occasions; they happen almost daily.  There were a number of times traffic resembled Interstate 10 in Houston at 5pm on the narrow dirt roads between the rice fields due to parades and festivals.  A trip through the country that should only take ten minutes ends up taking an hour! But no one seems to mind… the Balinese are obviously a very reverent, spiritual people.

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Come Grow With Us

I lived in Rusk, Texas for about thirteen years. During that time I got to see the town install its first traffic light and build a Taco Bell, Sonic, and a new bank. There were also a couple of other less notable businesses that were formed and dissolved in a matter of months. Considering that this was a period that covered more than a decade, there was not much expansion. Ironically, the town’s motto was “come grow with us.” I have lived in College Station for about a year and a half and I can already tell that this city is on the move. (more…)

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YuJin vs. Spring 2010

I plan on conquering this semester.
I know I always say this in the beginning, but I’m starting this new thing where I try to be positive. Hmm … Who would have thought ?!
I sort of have my plate full, but I don’t think I would have it other way. As cookie monster would say, “NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM”

This semester will consist of:
Sorority stuff – recruitment team again and participating in Stomp Fest this year … (if I can survive they don’t laugh at my lack of hip hop dance skills),
Business Student Council,
Zale Scholars,
Student Retailing Association,
David Gardner’s student advisory council,
Horizons’ Consulting Guild,
Working as a graphic designer for A&M,
Getting a 4.0 (DAD ARE YOU READING THIS ?!),
Ground works for GMAT preparation,
College Bucketlist-  ’Typical Beach Spring Break’, Madi Gras, Chillifest, SKY DIVING?

(more…)

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