When work collides with play
I have to admit that my job has perks. For example, this week, I had two dinner “obligations” with our Aussie group, and I accompanied them on a countryside visit where I got to see rural Vietnam with its water buffalo and endless rice paddies.
With this group, what’s really great is that they’re all around my age, so we have lots in common and we can talk about academics (you know I have that geeky side) and VNese and Aussie social customs. I actually took some of them to the local club to observe VNese gender dynamics!
I’ve picked up lots of AussieSpeak from them, and I actually really like it b/c they like to abbreviate everything (uni[versity], kindi[garten]) or give nicknames to all things and ppl. And of course to me, they have a very pleasant accent, and there’s definitely a strong Aussie presence in VN.
But I’m not sure I have the “best” job in Danang, because one of my friends trains VNese lifeguards so for him, life is a beach and the beach is warm! (Just remember though, Canada is cold and it has no bugs that want to eat me so I consider that a very good thing!)