Freshgreen MIGRATION & travel BLOG

There’s not too many here, but so far, I met a Japanese fellow who teaches at the uni and speaks very good VNese. Same goes for a Dutchman who communicates with my coworkers much better than I do. (He’s doing a solar energy research project here.) There’s a white (I dunno his origin) businessman who’s in charge of the new condos that are going up riverside (now, that’s where I’d like to own property!) that I keep bumping into at the hotel.

Today I met an Amercian couple who are here for 3 years or so and teach Western business practices to VNese business owners. I’m going to sit in on some of their classes and hopefully, they’ll introduce me to some foreigners. (I need friends!)

Yesterday, I went back to Hoi An with a coworker Hong Ngoc (which translates to Ruby) where she participated in a Norwegian study abroad program. I met the current students (all Scandinavian) and chitchatted with the field manager. Her assistant is a Vietnamese Norwegian whose VNese is pretty darn good. (Everyday, I seem to meet s/o who can make me feel pretty crappy, language-wise. I must really be from one of the few VN families who isn’t perfectly fluent in this world!)

Their study site is super sweet (so VNese countryside!) and the focus is on internationalization in developing countries. I wish I could’ve done an exchange like this when I was in uni. www.kulturstudier.no

I met one of their young and nice instructors as well. He’s Philipino and studying in the UK.

Oh yes, and then there’s this American M.Ed who started up Bread for Life, a bakery run by deaf VNese. I haven’t talked to her yet, but I will support her project and get me some German brekkie while I’m at it!

Anyway, then there’s this Canadian foreigner who’s the strangest of them all. She thinks she’s VNese, tries to fit in, speak the language and be part of the culture etc., but she keeps failing. Who will help her find her place in this interesting part of Vietnam?