Sai Gon. March 4, 2001.
Things are continuing to go well, and I’m learning lots day by day. There is a lot about VN that I like, and there are things I don’t like. For one thing, people don’t always say what they mean. They also avoid saying things that will make them lose face with outsiders – the Vietnamese care much about what other people think about themselves, and I find this a rather annoying. I let it go, but I also think, “who cares what other people think?” I guess I just have to accept that it’s something they do. Another thing is that the Vietnamese do not have mind for personal space. You are often bumped and pushed around and in restaurants, waiters lean across and into you without mind. The American in me takes note. The Vietnamese in me discounts the invasion.

The most bothersome trait is that the Vietnamese take things personally. Mom says I have to be careful of what I say because people interpret my comments regarding a dislike for something as an insult to themselves – in the sense that I am playing a superiority card against them. So I have to keep my mouth shut when I don’t like something because I might hurt someone’s feelings. I have come to realize how American I am in that I say what I think, and feel that my voice is restricted here.

There is another thing about Vietnam that is not easy to see, and it is the incredibly large number of people who roam the streets with missing limbs and people whose bodies are completely deformed, born after the war and now adults, whose defects are the result of chemical warfare. They find innovative ways to be mobile, though they have little by way of self sufficiency and no work.

Despite all this, the Vietnamese have an incredible joy and passion for life and living. They understand it deep into their souls, and they love sharing this love of life with others. They enjoy simple things, good food, music, and dancing. In the evenings when the temperatures are cooler, the streets are packed with Hondas because the locals are out driving aimlessy about for the joy of riding. They park around the numerous traffic circles and landscaped squares to converse and kiss and sometimes stop into clubs (where there is live music) and glance around for a few minutes before continuing on to the next entertaining site. I find that the locals I’ve met, no matter what their social status or background, are happy people.