I returned from Vietnam 1 month ago. Find my new e-zine on pop culture, art, fashion, music, movies and traveling here –> TOO RUDE MAGAZINE. Vi ses!

Final blog assignment: Take-away or dine-in? Peace out

Poverty sucks. Income disparities in Vietnam are huge, and the rich-poor gap widens more and more each day. Vietnam is the 3rd most populous ASEAN country, and the 13th most populated country in the world.

I never realized how brutal development was until I witnessed it for 3 months straight. I’m talking about hours and hours of construction and loud drilling noises, for HOURS on end. I never experienced this constant hammering in my head before, but when you think about it, this is how development started. This is how Western countries got their metropolises going and their dollars rolling. And it just really fucks with my head. I grew up in quiet, already modern places with minimal construction. Being in Vietnam has helped me visualize how we all started from scratch somewhere in this world. I envision Toronto like this 60 years ago.

Every day I think about the impact of this development on Vietnam. As I mentioned before, a lot of it is “building stuff for the sake of building” but the problem I have is that it’s pretty likely that none of it is beneficial to the environment. A country like Vietnam could really learn from the mistakes that Western countries have made in regards to unsustainable buildings and standards, which is why you see more architecture plans incorporating recycled material, organic cotton or ecological wood in the West (but still, not enough). It’s all about sustainability, and when I’m in Vietnam, I feel nothing but instability. I don’t believe this country is sustainable at all, and it freaks me out.

So. Living in Asia! It was great, and I want to come back here over and over again, but after getting sick three weeks in a row, I’m not sure I could live in a developing country for an extended period of time again. I value my health too much, and I value free healthcare. However, I’m not afraid to try new places and things, so I’ll continue on that route. I crave Cambodia, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and most importantly, Japan. I will make my way back here.

The fact that several ex-pats relocate to Vietnam is a special thing. It’s one of the things that made me curious about coming to Vietnam. I expected awesome dance parties, cheap food, cheap accommodation, and using taxis instead of public transport. It lived to my expectations (except for Apocalypse Now – the only club open after 12am with the exact. same. playlist. every week.) But why do so many freaking foreigners live here?! Well, simply put, it’s cheap. And if you’re a guy, a Western guy, then chances are you will be flocked by women.

There are opportunities in Vietnam where you can be anyone you want, without the paperwork and the cost in comparison to the West. But I think this cheap living can sometimes do more harm than good. AsiaLife had an article about it – what kind of impact are foreigners really making in Vietnam? They have more services catered to them and Vietnam thus becomes further westernized. The impacts also come from international business and the rising middle-class.

I don’t want to type too much about self-realizations because it’s personal and deals a lot with comfort zones. Basically I need to open up more. I do not consider myself a very shy person but being here has made me feel more shy than usual. Afraid to talk and ask for things. I think this happens when I go to live in new places – I completely shut down, but I open up at the same time. I just don’t like attention and it’s all I seemed to get in Vietnam, which was expected.

However, I have made awesome friends that I won’t forget, even though I am just another temporary person in their lives. It’s worth coming back here to see how it will change in 10 years, 5 years or even 1 year. I think being here has given me a clearer idea about what I want to do with my life. It sounds cheesy but it happens!

Crucial life lessons learned: be yourself always, be a bit more confrontational (it’s ok to ask!), be more open about talking, take initiative in starting conversations, realize that life is a struggle for a loooot of people, relax, be creative when the need arises, and forgive.

Forgiveness. Think of all the war that Vietnam has been through. But Vietnamese people don’t seem to hold grudges against the French or Americans. I like this about Vietnamese people. It’s about moving into the future and accepting that the past is now gone.

I’ve learned a lot about my values..again. I have pretty high standards for the cities I will choose as living spaces in the future. Wherever I choose to settle down must have amazing public transportation and bike lanes. I value this in a city very, very much, which is why I am so attached to Scandinavia. The things I value about life are policies in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and other European countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany. I value public space and artistic freedom. I value the environment and environmental technological innovation so very much. Living in Vietnam was a total challenge because it is the opposite of everything I seem to want in life, but I think it’s a good thing to be here. This is life for a lot of people.

Vietnam has inspired me. It has made me feel like many things are possible in this life. From the DJ nights to the budding art galleries, HCMC appeals to me a lot. In some ways, it’s a place to look out for new talent and cutting edge innovation. I was happy in Vietnam because I had a very comfortable living standard, but at the expense of others. I’m sad to go, but I’m glad to go. I need a change already. I need my cat. I need my boyfriend. I need my bicycle. I need fresh air.

Notes/things I like that I don’t want to forget about:
-Vasco’s
-Lunches and dinners with newfangled, quite random Vietnamese friends
-Cake cravings with Nita
-Watching countless hours of teley with Adam
-San Art Gallery
-The Vietnamese fortune teller
-$3 massage at the Blind Institute
-A lot of sweet restaurants, especially French ones. I’m definitely coming back to eat!

Overall, I am so stoked to go back to Toronto – a city that is easy to hate, but comfortable for now.

Northern Vietnam

Oh man, I don’t have much to say about Northern Vietnam except that it is stunning. My mom arrived last Wednesday (?) night and we went to Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sa Pa and Lao Cai which is at the border of China. Sa Pa is easily one of the best places I have ever seen with my own eyes. I was just speechless the entire time. I could spend weeks up there in the mountains. Seriously one of the most beautiful, epic, Lord-of-the-Rings-esque moments of my life. If you asked me to write an article about Sa Pa, I would have major difficulty.

Sa Pa/Lao Chai Village

Lao Chai village of Sa Pa, where the ethnic minorities Black Hmong live. The girls were super-nice and they learned English from tourists. Amazing! Their English was really, really good, and super-conversational. They showed us around Sa Pa town and followed us on our trek to their village. At the end they asked for some money for handicrafts, but we had already bought some. Still, the Black Hmong people were generally very nice, sweet and helpful.

Halong Bay

Halong Bay is another amazing sight. We booked a cruise trip, slept on the boat, and in the morning, we awoke to the most beautiful scenery ever surrounding us. We swam in the water. My mom got bit by a jellyfish…haha…so it goes in Vietnam. Halong Bay is a contender for the new seventh wonder of the world.

Hanoi, capital of Vietnam

Hanoi city was quite beautiful, although we stayed in the backpackers area which was brutal after a while. I don’t like the Saigon backpackers area really, and the Hanoi one was even more confusing. The city is more French-influenced, but luckily it has a lot of open historical space, and a sweet Museum of Ethnology. I love tribes so I got to learn about all 56 of them in Vietnam in this beautiful & modern French-built space.

Lao Cai, border between Vietnam and China

Lao Cai is the train station closest to Sa Pa. It’s RIGHT on the border of China. Omg, so exciting. I totally saw China across the river! Chinese script and all! So tempted to jump in, swim to the other side, and get caught by the cops. I mean…

Oh wow…

So, since my last hospital adventure I wasn’t sure how well I had progressed but I’d say I was doing pretty well. Until yesterday. I went out for lunch with two of my roomies and started feeling sick after, like terrible awful sour cramps in my stomach. It hurt so much that tears were rolling down my pale face whether I wanted them or not.

It was perfect timing because we were having a house party that night! And I was supposed to DJ. But instead? I went to the hospital with an IV stuck in my arm and got poked with a needle 3 times for a blood test. My veins were feeling shy? Apparently I had a fever (ray) too. Luckily my roommate Adam came with me and chilled with me for about 45 minutes which was super nice of him. I sat in the hospital until all the IV liquid dripped into me, then I was prescribed buscopan for cramps, and then I bounced. I got home, put my black dress on and pretended like nothing happened in the midst of Bob Marley and a bunch of people I didn’t know. My arms were all bandaged up – it was hot.

Well, the night was pretty fun and I didn’t feel a lot of pain when I joined the party. I got to DJ and even dance a little, pain-free! The next morning I had issues and went to the doctors for a few hours again for an ultrasound, blood test and a urine test. YAY. At the end of the day, I was diagnosed with a UTI, which makes nooooooooooooooo sense because it sure as hell didn’t feel like a UTI. I showed no symptoms but my bladder was going all crazy according to the ultrasound and urine test. I’ve had a UTI before so I definitely know what it feels like, and it doesn’t feel like this.

Now I’m chilling at home with some antibiotics. I still ache when I move. This must be my lucky year for health issues! Last year it was financial issues. What will 2010 bring for me?

Other than that, my weekend was really great. I met two Vietnamese friends for dinner. Tina was one of them (I wrote about her before). We did our usual pagoda run except we went to a pagoda we’ve never visited before in district 10, which was huge. I really like Tina and I hope I can meet up with her in Finland/Europe next year which is where she studies. I met with Phuc who works at the Canadian consulate too. She’s coming to Toronto and/or Ottawa in February!

I didn’t mention it before but we have a new roommate from Poland. Her name is Maria. So now it’s a Filipino, Polish, Vietnamese, Swedish and Canadian household…until I move, then an Aussie Viet Kieu (“Vietnamese overseas”) will come. I’m gonna miss everyone. Three weeks until I come home. My dad has the same flight time as me from Chicago to Toronto (he lives in Texas) so we will meet in the O’Hare airport, which will be seriously jokes.

AND my mom is visiting on Wednesday. We are going up North next weekend.

Well, those are all my health problems for now! Ciao.

Seriously? Seriously?!?!

If this doesn’t feel like death and dying, then I don’t know what does.

I have officially been diagnosed with gastroenteritis. Thanks Vietnam!!!! It’s basically a bacteria/toxic/parasitic overgrowth in my intestines.

It all started last night after my swimming session when I started shivering on the inside but felt hot on the outside. I felt little punches in my stomach. The next morning I woke up and I started to feel teeth and claws. I rushed to Family Medical Practice and the best part is, the taxi tried to take the wrong way. What a jerk. People like this ruin Vietnam, I’m sorry. If I had a very serious emergency and some asshole decided to take a wrong turn, I would seriously punch him in the face (ok, maybe not, cos you don’t wanna get into fights with Vietnamese people. Ever). I started SCREAMING at him to turn the proper direction because *every single* taxi driver in Saigon knows where this place is – it’s attached to the gigantic Diamond Plaza Korean shopping mall. I asked for a receipt and he scurried fearfully. Good, he should be afraid of my intense yelling skills. I didn’t listen to Saetia for five years for nothing.

I get into the doctor’s office and I am just bawling my face off because the stomach pains are brutal beyond belief. Imagine something clawing inside of your stomach and sucking up your juices. That’s an understatement. I stayed at the doctor’s office for a few hours, not knowing that each hour would cost me money. Better to be safe than sorry, though.

Am I the only one who finds it *incredibly weird* paying for medical services? As a Canadian, it is the most foreign thing ever. Last week when I had a cold, I went to the doctor’s office. Thanks for insurance because to see the doctor for 15 minutes was $56 USD. Pardon me? God, I love Canada (and Scandinavia). I guess you have to pay for private treatment and naturopaths and stuff, but to see a doctor – it should be free. No questions asked!

Anyways, I have to take the next 1-2 days off work again. Being in an underdeveloped country past the 2-month mark is leading to some (fairly common) health problems. I guess it is expected. I am gonna go get ripped on Cipro now.

A tourist in your own town

I’ve been asked to expand on being a tourist vs. being a foreigner who lives in Vietnam. For starters, I do not consider myself a tourist in Saigon. I live in Saigon temporarily, ergo I am automatically not a tourist. I have activities, hobbies, local friends, co-workers and a routine that doesn’t come with being a tourist. When I take my weekend trips, only then will I admit to being a full-fledged tourist.

Tourists are scattered and don’t have to go to work the next morning. Tourists may not have local friends. Tourists may not know their way around the city. And so on. But some tourists might have a connection with a country; perhaps their family emigrated from there and they are just visiting relatives. Some tourists have international friends, or have been to the city numerous times.

I’m not afraid of being a tourist either. A “responsible” tourist. So maybe that makes me a “traveler” instead of a “tourist”? I try to be mindful of my actions and am willing to try new things. Sometimes tourists visit other countries only to hang out with their own kind. There is no communication with the local culture. No culture shock except “Oh, this tour guide has an accent” or “Oh, this road is not paved”. And so it goes.

I remember the first time I went to Cayo Coco. It was the biggest disappointment ever, and also the worst vacation ever despite it being a really sweet present from my boyfriend. While I was there I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, this is NOT Cuba”. It could have been anywhere in the world!!! It’s a large resort – homogenous, internationally owned, and let’s not forget the swimming pool (UGH). I’ve been to other resorts and had never felt so disconnected from a country in my life. But this is what a cheap budget vacation entails for a lot of people. This disconnected feeling. It’s easy to become a tourist oblivious to your surroundings. You’re just there for a vacation. It doesn’t matter what other people’s living conditions are, or does it?

Locals might look at me as a tourist, and others might see me as an “expat”. Maybe it depends on what I am wearing, or how I carry myself, or my confidence about navigating through District 1, my neighbourhood. It’s only 3 months that I am spending here; I might as well get used to it. Tourists don’t spend 3 months in a country; they might spend 3 days, or 3 weeks. I came here with a purpose, as I do with all of my independent travels.

Even when I talk to my roommates, it’s like they know that I am here temporarily, but would they outright call me a tourist or a traveler? Would they have a problem warming up to me because I am so short-term? My roommate Vy puts it well: “People come and go. You just get used to it”. They know I will go back “home” soon, but they are still awesome and amazing enough to count me in their lives for the time that I am here. It’s a little discouraging sometimes because Vietnam is known to have many short-term Western expats living within its borders. They work, maybe teach English, make friends, booze out, travel Southeast Asia, and then go back home. It sounds a little betraying, right? It’s almost like nobody is guaranteed to stay here unless they truly love it and can tolerate the madness of the city. So I guess it comes down to tolerance.

It’s really important to keep in touch with the friends you make. It makes things a little less painful. Plus, you’ll be able to visit them and they’ll hopefully visit you. Long-distance relationships are tough but rewarding like that. I know the heartache of having to leave a place and people that I love. I know what it’s like to desire living in another country yet being away from all of your closest friends. My heart hurts when I think about Malmö, Sweden – I wish I could go back all the time or yet, I wish I could bring it to Toronto.

Or maybe I’m just meant to be a traveler for the rest of my life. I’ll be the one who always leaves but is never left.

Fight or flight?

Sometimes I think I have “adapted” to life here, but I know that adapting takes several months. In addition to that, there are so many things that I will never get used to in Asia it seems, and I am okay with that. Adaptation means not carrying a map around with you everywhere. It means finding shortcuts, knowing the best restaurant on your street, or knowing when to feel comfortable and when to be cautious. Adaptation requires a specific expertise that will come with time. And adaptation leads to a minor or major change of personality. I won’t really notice the changes that Vietnam brings to me until I come back to Canada, but for now here’s what I can say.

Language is a huge deal when it comes to adaptation. Vietnam isn’t the first country I’ve lived in where I did not speak the national language, but back when I lived in Denmark, I actually took Danish for a month. The structure of Asian languages are completely different from the majority of Western languages, so I can’t even attempt to pick up on certain phrases or words – unlike Danish – because they don’t sound remotely anything like English. I speak broken English a lot in Vietnam and whenever I am around non-native English speakers in general. For example, I will say “We go to market” instead of “We are going to the market”. I actually like this broken English much better. It’s minimalistic. I use hand gestures and body language a lot too (Look mom, I’m a drama major now!). If I am in a situation where I can’t use body language (i.e. a cab ride), I will type words and numbers on my cell phone for the driver to see.

I’d like to think that there is a difference between a tourist and a (temporary) ex-pat. Some people will look at me on the street and automatically think “tourist” but perhaps with my Poise, Grace, Elegance and Street Smarts, I feel distinguished from those who are merely on vacation. It’s not a big deal what people think in the end, but sometimes tourists are just so obvious. And sometimes ex-pats are just so obvious. My roommate Aivy puts it succinctly, “This is Asia. People are different. You just never know…” :)

I think because I am only here for 3 months, there’s almost like a limitation on how much I can adapt. Three months is not a long time to really live in a country and know your city inside and out. At the same time, I personally think it’s enough for me because I think I’d go crazy here with the traffic, smog, general craziness, going to the exact. same. clubs every single weekend, and overall living in a somewhat risky city where you have to watch your back more than what you’re used to at home.

There are a lot of frustrating things that happen here in Vietnam. I just want to say that I have no fear in flipping perverted guys off and I have no shame in ignoring beggars and con artists. I am a fierce city girl – I am not interested in strangers-with-candy talking to me and I like it that way. In terms of pervy guys, they’re almost asking to be flipped off. If I ignore them, they start to laugh at me. Like, WHAT AM I???

At first I was deathly afraid of the traffic and I still am occasionally. I get road rage just walking down the street because god knows how many cement mixers and construction trucks are blocking my walking path. But now it’s like, I get physically angry that it has to be like this. In the beginning I was somewhat accepting of the traffic and now I am not afraid to yell profanities at idiot drivers who don’t understand things like “RIGHT OF WAY”, “RED LIGHT” and “LANE”. If you want your country to develop and prosper, you’re gonna have to learn one day, right? I have totally backlashed against many things in this city. At the same time, anger can sometimes be funny. When I think about being angry over such small things in life, it makes me go hohoho a little. It’s not a big deal…until I get run over by a vehicle. C’est la vie.

Then there’s adapting to work. Let me tell you how impossible and un-enjoyable it is for me to wake up before the ripe hour of 9:00am. I wake up at 7:30am and it kills me! I’m not sure how I am supposed to handle the real world. I don’t want weekends to be my only saving grace nor am I interested in beginning a love affair with coffee.

I’m very quiet and shy at work. I am willing to communicate cross-culturally, but if the other party is not willing, then WTF is the point? I barely speak at work. I am not understood most of the time. If I ask a question, like, “Where is the stapler?” I will receive a smile and a nod in return. There ain’t nothing special about work wardrobe either. We walk around barefoot or in flip flops in the office unless a client comes in. I think Vietnamese girls look very cute when they go to work, whereas I almost wear the same rotating items every day. I actually change into my clothes at work because the walk is so sweaty. Case in point, wardrobe versatility is definitely a privilege that I am not partaking in this summer.

There are certain mannerisms at work that are totally different for me, too. In Vietnam I have gathered that it’s not normal to say a friendly morning “Hello!” to your co-workers. But I say it anyways, because I would feel rude if I didn’t. I wear headphones at work occasionally. I feel pretty comfortable doing this, because my co-workers don’t talk to me anyways. Not to mention, every day there is some ear-piercing hammering and/or drilling noise in the building. Vietnam is in that stage of development where “noise pollution” is not a big deal…yet.

Sigh. You can only adapt so much, but at some point, you gotta either sit down or you gotta go to bed. Peace.

Tour de Pagoda

I had a wonderful evening with Tiina last night, a Vietnamese friend I met at a party. She is taking an MBA program in Finland, and will be returning there in September to conclude some of her research. I find her to be very brave to live in a cold, dark country like Finland, but Lahti University gave her a full scholarship, so she couldn’t say no. A Vietnamese girl in Finland of all places! I love free education.

In the rainy night, we visited two Pagodas: Vinh Nghiem and Xai Loi. The first pagoda was closed, and the second one was nothing but open! I got to watch part of a Buddhist prayer, which I have never seen before. I do not follow any religion but I have read a lot about Buddhism as a tool to reducing life’s general anxieties, so I felt pretty good about being there. We lit some incense to pray for her grandfather who suffered from a recent stroke. I felt very honored to do this with her. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

Afterwards, we went for noodles and bean desserts and talked about life. Tiina is very fortunate to live in Europe and travel around Asia. I found that we were very similar. Not only do we have the same purse/wallet from Sa Pa, and we fly out of Vietnam on the same day (September 4), but we want to live everywhere. We share the same values. We are both independent women. It was really nice to talk to somebody who understood. Of course, there are many hardships that come with wanting to live a freakishly international lifestyle, and we talked about those, too. Tiina appears as a 24 years old, but she is older. Many Vietnamese women are deceptively young when it comes to looks. She has a five-year-old child that she would like to raise in Europe one day, and I found this to be very inspiring and becoming. She has a very youthful and fun spirit which I see in many of my 30-something friends here (who, honestly, will remain 22 years old to me).

To top off our night out, I was walking down my street when I saw the neighbourhood kitty eating a pile of rice from a plate. For some reason I felt very sad, so I started petting it. It rubbed against my legs and started purring. At first, it was very distant and afraid. I reached my arm towards it but it backed away and I think this may go to show that animals aren’t treated very well by humans for the most part. It made me miss my cat at home sooo much! (What up Murphy?) Petting the kitty was a HUGE deal to me because I avoid animals like the plague in Vietnam – irrational yet reasonable fear of rabies, particularly in dogs. Speaking of which, I was chased by six small dogs (doberman-chihuahua-types) on the way to work the next day in front of a large group of people, which was hilarious.

That night, I came home and I felt really happy with myself. I don’t know why. I listened to my favourite album ever, “Dear You” by Jawbreaker while scraping candle wax off my wall. I learned to never leave candles out when there is an open window. Candle in the wind = not a good look for my room, sorry Mr. Elton John.

Tiina told me that I look very French, and I thought that was super-cute of her. I don’t think I look French at all, but she told me it’s in my eyes. I had a very Ameliesque haircut in high school, but that’s all I can say about that. Okay, maybe I could pass for a Mediterranean girl from southern France. And I’m definitely quasi-Portuguese/Spanish. Either way, what a compliment to tell me I look French! That totally made my day. French people are so stylish. Je ne sais quoi?

P.S. In lieu of all things French, I bought a large baguette for $0.30. So much respect.

Hoi An, I’m your man

One day prior to the CEC drama, I had booked a trip to Hoi An for a solid four days. When I heard about the office closing, I was not cancelling my trip. Anything I’d have to deal with, I would face on Monday. The people at my office are very understanding, which I am thankful for. Hoi An turned out to be fantastische!

I spent my days wandering around the small town of Hoi An which is filled with ancient Chinese culture, silk tailors and dressmakers, and a nice beach about 15 minutes away by biking. I also visited ancient the Cham ruins called “My Son”. I LOOOOOVE RUINS of any sort! So it was very exciting for me. Cham people came from Java in Indonesia and these people practised Hinduism, which was apparent in the architecture. Many of the ruins were damaged by the Vietnam War, yet Hoi An town miraculously maintains its charm of old Chinese assembly halls and houses.

It sounds like my dream town, people. I need culture, fashion, beaches, nature, bicycles and cheap food to sustain myself. However, Hoi An was far from sustainable. Not gonna lie, I spent a lot of $$$ getting beautiful freaking amazing clothes made because that is what the town is renowned for. In Canada, how much does it cost to get a dress made? My mom is a tailor, so maybe $200-500 depending on the fabric and elaboration. In Hoi An, it’s about $25-40 USD for a very nice dress, with the option of having it in silk. It costs more for details. Well, I’m a huge sucker for details, elaboration, and quality. So you can imagine me in a town like Hoi An where all the tailors and dressmakers are lining the streets like crazy. They are almost impossible to escape. Not sure if I was in heaven or in hell. Oh, and for the men, it’s about $80-$150 to get a suit made for you. A SUIT. How many hundreds of dollars does that cost in Canada?!?

Despite the fun times in Hoi An, I felt lonely yet again, but this is a feeling I am getting used to. I kept myself very busy and I chilled out at night by the television. Highlight of Hoi An television: MTV Asia, which played Michael Jackson videos for about 1 hour <3

Other highlights included: the singing garbage truck. Every day, the garbage truck comes by and it sings some sort of ancient Vietnamese tune in midi-format. I thought it was hilarious. Unfortunately, I could not get a video of it, but the tune will forever remain in my heart.

Hoi An sounds like a town of dreams, of course, but some unfortunate things did happen. I won’t go into too much detail about this, but I basically printed out pictures of garments I wanted to get made. I came prepared. I showed many high-end tailors and they were charging $60-80 for one detailed outfit I wanted. I find one (sketchy) place and they said they would do it for $40. I should have known, ohhhh, I should have known…

This is where I learned my biggest lesson: If it’s not expensive, it’s SHIT. It’s absolute shit.

Surprised by the low price, I paid the deposit all dumbfounded. I came in the next day for a fitting, and I almost cried. The outfit looked nothing like the picture. I was fuming. The tailor came up with many excuses. “My machine cannot do that kind of detail”, and “The fabric you chose was too difficult”.

YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE, WOMAN!!!!!!

I would have known to avoid your unprofessional “business”.

*Deep breath*. Lesson learned in the tailoring world: Go to high-end places. ALWAYS. I lost $10 deposit and I ended up paying $20 for a skirt that wasn’t even what I wanted, but I thought, whatever. I am going to ask my mom to fix it.

After that, the days started to improve!!! Not. I went to an Agribank ATM to take out some cash. Ten minutes later, I go into a store to pick something up, I looked into my wallet and I see 1.4 million VND missing (around $90 CDN). Yes, I start bawling my eyes out. I ask for help – people in Hoi An speak very good English – but no one could do anything for me. Reporting it to the police wasn’t even an option because nobody knows “who” took the money.

You don’t understand. I guard my bag like a HAWK. A hawwwwwwwwk! How could this happen to me of all people? A poor, blundering yet cautious student loses 1 month worth of food, or almost 1 month’s rent.

I returned back to Saigon and I was happier than ever to come home and just chill. I could have used more days in the beautiful beach in Hoi An, but I just needed to get away from that scheming yet lovely hole. I created some budgeting goals to make up for the lost money. Erin = not a person who is good at extreme budgeting and intense self-control. Let me repeat in different words: I lack a lot of willpower. I am not good at restraints. I do what I feel is natural. I AM ANIMAL.

Now I’m back at work and I’m just procrastinating.

Disregard my last post…

My internship with the CEC is back in action. The CEC is pressuring the government to keep offices running globally, and is also looking for alternative funding. I think it’s an awkward situation, but hey, at least I have my internship back and I don’t have to worry about looking for a new one.

So sketchy, though. One day I hear that the CEC is permanently closed, and the next day I hear that the international offices are still running.

PROFESSIONAL, NO?

Now I have to apologize to everyone I asked in regards to looking for a new internship. “So yeah, remember when I told you my office closed? Never mind! It’s back! Thanks anyways!”