Little Things

You know what they say, "It's the little things that matter."  Here's some examples....

• After unpacking my bags, I realized that I should have bought toothpaste in Vietnam.  Quite messy, but fragrant.
• I've found a restaurant where I can get a fruit smoothie for $1 (eat your heart out).
• Don't drink the water!  And that applies to brushing your teeth - no swishing or rinsing.  If you take a sip or two, there will be dire consequences.  So I keep lot's of bottled water in the dorm.
• Facebook is not available in Vietnam (Big Brother).  Not a problem for me, but it would cause great anguish for some of you junkies.
• Some electrical devices are made for 220 volts and others are not.  If you were to plug in something over here, such as an electric razor, it will get fried.  In other words, 110 volts is not the same as 220 volts.  Of course, such a thing would never happen to me - just hypothetically speaking.  The day after I arrived I started using a stick razor.  What the heck, water on the bathroom floor already!
• Don't cross the road in Vietnam - something bad will happen to you (haven't tried this yet).
• There is no sales tax or tipping in Vietnam.
• Vietnam is actually two words, not one (Viet Nam).
• In the U.S., we call it the Vietnam war.  In Viet Nam, they call it the American war.
• One faculty member took me shopping the other day.  I had several things to purchase, including groceries (I eat breakfast in my room).  I asked about paper towels and she looked really puzzled.  It took her and another store clerk several minutes to find them.  I was shocked.  They were not on a roll, but in a rectangular package.  No choice, except for one style.
• A team of seven undergraduate students have volunteered to assist me - answering questions, taking me sightseeing, helping me with food choices, etc.  Sweet.
• The other evening after dinner, I heard a lot of music coming from across campus, so I walked over to check it out.  There is a High School on my campus, so many young people were packed into a fairly small auditorium.  It was fun to watch them singing and dancing with those glow sticks.  And you know what?  They were singing American songs!  I had some mixed felings - proud because they were learning English, but shamed because most American students are not so interested in learning about other cultures.