2005年07月24日
Institutionalized
The one problem with blogs is that we do not revise and correct what we write. An idea comes into our head, and we write it down, without being able to correct, revise or find faults with the idea. But then again, that takes a lot of time and perhaps, it is beneficial to not revise so we can gauge the true thinking of those around us since most peoples opinions and ideas are not as well thought out as they should be and blogs act as a meter of mass mentality.
Today I'd like to examine the subject of being institutionalized. Most people associate this word with prisoners who cannot adapt to society since they have become too accustomed to life in jail. In the dictionary, Institutionalized as an adjective is defined as, "Given the character of an institution or incorporated into a structured and usually well-established system."
Therefore, are not most people inherently institutionalized if they have not spent much time outside of their own city, culture, or nation? It is very difficult for most people to adapt to a new culture and country if they have spent most of their life in only one culture. They are accustomed to the structure and mentality of their native land and therefore, couldn't we say that this is a limitation which impedes most people from becoming a true intellectual since they can only understand, or see one side? ......
Perhaps, the most valuable aspect of living abroad is the freedom which comes of breaking out of the institution of our native society. We become too accustomed to the standard and have not even conceived that our standard might not be the most optimal. For example, most people have credit cards and rack up huge debts due to their own greed. Now that President Bush is trying to do away with declaring bankrupcy and perhaps the return of "debtors prison" people are outraged. I do not like this new plan, but shouldn't people not get themselves too far into debt in the first place due to overuse of the credit card? They should have been aware that credit card interest is exuberant but got themselves into it anyway because it is normal in Western society to have credit cards and they have been institutionalized but cannot see the harm credit cards can cause.
Another example is the war in Iraq. About half of Americans support the war even though the justification for the war was dishonest. The President stated that there might be WMD in Iraq based on information from the CIA. When this proved to be untrue the people still placed their faith in the president and said he simply got bad information. This is very naive in my opinion and their understanding of just how vast and powerful the CIA is. They should give the CIA more credit and understand that if the CIA wants information they will find it. For something as dire as invading another country the information should be spot on, or "a slam dunk." Yet even as the justification proved to be untrue, people are so institutionalized which causes too much faith to be put in the President that they will defend his decision when all evidence points to the contrary. Also, the President tried to say that Iraq was tied to Al-Queda which has been refuted by top officials and eventually proven false, yet people still hold their faith. The truth is, people must simply guess as to who is telling the truth and neither side really knows and most simply take a leap of faith in believing one side or the other.
A common justification that most of the disillusioned offer is "We have to fight terrorism abroad then fight it at home." This again is simply repeating a catch-phrase from one they have put all their faith in. In my opinion, it should be restated, "We have to fight poverty abroad, before we have to fight the effects at home."
For the first time, I saw students in "Madrassas" (spelling?) reading their texts obsessively bowing, becoming brainwashed and indoctrinated with the religious teachings. Instead of bombing these places, assassinating their leaders and so forth, we should help these counties become economically stable so that they can attend state schools and not learn to blow themselves up. Since they have no alternative for schooling, extremist religion has filled this void, and teach these otherwise innocent people to become terrorists. What we are seeing today in the form of terrorism, is in fact the result of western colonialism and the plundering of poor countries for their own benefit. These countries were left impoverished and there is no way for the population to get an education. The extremists have taken advantage of this and have turned these places into terrorist mills.
Yet, the current administration in America has indoctrinated half of the population into believing that we must blow up these places to stop terrorism which is flawed thinking. If I were born in one of these countries, and the only school to attend was an extremist one, then I would have to option but to attend this school in hopes of bettering myself. Then I might get drafted into "terrorism" get killed, and my siblings would then hate America and become terrorists themselves. Why is it that half of America cannot see this? It is becaused they are institutionalized into putting too much faith in their leaders. They are like children following their teachers who teach bad material. They chant, "Support America!" Yet, what is America? It is supposed to be a democracy where all points of view are welcome and should have room to be debated. Yet what the Bush administration has done is vilify all ideas or information contrary to their agenda. In a way, they resemble communist China in suppressing all other points of view. America is an ensemble of people from different cultures and different ideas. Bush does not constitute America, he simply has the control of the reigns of power at present. Should all out war come about in America, many will have to fight not because they believe in the cause, but simply because the institution called America has declared war and America being the only institution they know will have to fight weather it is right or wrong. Living in Vietnam has taught me this lesson. I have learned the history of Vietnam and read from books from both sides. What I learned is that the poor Vietnamese have been conquered so many times throughout history, and kept weak and impoverished by the Chinese and French. Americas involvement is stated that it was fighting "Communism" but most people do not understand what "Communism" is. If one reads the teachings of Ho Chi Minh and take a look at the constitution of Vietnam it is ironic to see that it was modeled after the American one and states that people should be free. From what I have read, Ho Chi Minh was not out to enslave his people but set them free from the foreign invaders, to unify them and make them strong. After the defeat of the colonialist French, Vietnam was supposed to be reunited but America did not want this for fear of "Communism." Perhaps, it is true that the political classes and elite in America did have a true fear of communism since it would not come in the form of a big monster or invading forces, but from the people if it were to take hold. The people in America were brainwashed or "institutionalized" to simply see communism as a dirty word. Yet, as I examine the political landscape of America and Vietnam, I see America as a place where two competing factions Republicans and Democrats vie for power. Perhaps this keeps a balance and a balance is good, although it is extremely unbalanced at present. In the communist country, only one party holds power and can use it for bad (China, Soviet Union) or good which Vietnam is currently doing in opening their economy. Vietnam still has a long way to go, but does a plurality of political parties, instead of only one ensure a better society and that parties and the people that make up these parties will not abuse power? Is it true two parties are better than only one? There are so many questions and my understanding is still very limited and I can say that I really do not know. I can say however, that a student from any country will believe the teachings of whatever school of thought they come from and therefore become indoctrinated or institutionalized.
Switching gears and going back to the idea of Institutionalim, it is very hard to break out of the mold if one has been in it too long. The only way to get out is to travel and live abroad. But still, simply living abroad does not break the bonds of institutionalism. Most ex-pats, simply move abroad, but slip into another institution within the ex-pat community. Most of them have not learned the language which is the door to understanding a culture. They also associate only with other ex-pats and never really come to truly understand their host culture. Most are simply an indoctrinated person who refuses to honestly examine and ponder the teachings in the foreign land. They are like a prisoner who has been released, but still prefers the comfort the walls of prison provide. Without them they feel vulnerable, weak, and exposed. It is the same for people on the extreme right and left in America. They have put their faith in an ideology, and should they even consider the other side, they will feel un-intelligent, weak, and wrong, which humans are not developed enough to tread a path of uncertainty even if it would enlighten them.
Posted by Mateo at 14:22 | Comments (0) | TrackBack
2005年07月18日
Influences
Tonight I watched a movie about delinquent high schoolers who were taken to an "Enlightenment" session where the evil principal put in brain implants to make them "good" students.
This got me thinking about influences or perhaps the more disparaging word called brain washing. We grow up surrounded most likely by a group of people that have the same ideas/values/norms and we become like them due to the environment. For example, we are taught to be patriotic to our country without question. If we read the history of the United States and learn about Benedict Arnold, he will be called a traitor and we will think of him as such due to the teachings. However, as we become more critical in our literary analysis we learn that he could also be a "patriot" for Great Britian. He is even defined as a "traitor" in the dictionary. Since he is defined as such the opinions of those around us are supported by the information that surrounds us in a specific place which perpetuates our current thinking about the person in question. If the situation were reversed and Benedict Arnold was first on the British side who defected to the Americans, then he might be even called a "hero" in American dictionaries.
All information is thus filtered to fit the dogma, or idealism of the nation / religion to suit their teachings and it is very hard to see a situation from all sides since we lack a more complete source of information. Noam Chomsky also states that we ourselves filter information and are thus hurting ourselves. We will read newspapers and written materials that already support our view and even if we do read the opposite opinion it will not be with an open mind and we become actually incapable of considering that point of view....
What has helped me to see all sides came from my travels. I was able to escape an environment that taught specific ideas and during my stays in foreign countries I would immerse myself in the culture, language and thought. Yet, after taking the plunge there is no going back and becoming so immersed in the culture, my native one began to seem alien. Yet, the trick is to not far so fall in that we can no longer see the original side again.
For example, if one were to grow up in a religious atmosphere such as Catholicism, they will almost certainly be Catholic. They have never had the opportunity to open their minds or even genuinly consider the other religions. Therefore, the person in question will spend their entire life defending this faith since it is all they have ever known. The Church is a vast and great empire and should they go on to higher education it would be impossible to understand all the history, details, and origins of all they practice.
Some will go on to study another religion such as Islam and should they immerse themselves so thouroughly in it, they may even convert. They will feel as though their mind has been opened since they have escaped their original form of thinking and adopted a new one. Yet, it is my opinion that they should not stop there and continue along learning and thinking. It is easy to fall in this trap of feeling one has an open mind since they have freed themselves from the bonds of their original form of thinking.
Another example is Communism. Most Americans will see it as a dirty word. But how many have understood the mentalities of all the communists who gave their lives in wars? Do we really think that they would have fought and died for something they did not think was true and right? The person who holds this opinion then places himself above all the millions who thought the contrary as more superior and of correct opinion. In other words, this "thinker" is right and all the other billions are simply "wrong," end of story.
To drive the point home, the religious preach tolerance, yet ironically they cannot be so. They will think those of other faiths as simply "wrong" and themselves as "right." To them tolerance is not abusing the other faith but not accepting them either. To the Hindu, all other faiths are wrong and theirs is right. It is the same for the Catholics, Islamics and so on. In other words their mentality is "We are right, you are wrong."
By traveling out of my original environment and honestly opening my mind to other cultures and forms of thought the world has become so complicated that I have given up any hope of ever thoroughly understanding it. It is interesting that the most ignorant of people will have all the answers, yet those that are thoroughly learned, will not have any answers.
So going back to the kids in the movie that were "brainwashed," are we not all brainwashed in some form or another? We usually will be most patriotic to the place we are born, but for what reasons? We will usually follow the faith in which we are raised but why? A student of Communism will be Communist and a student of Capitalism will be Capitalist.
We are taught that it is a good thing to have an open mind, but to what extent? Surley once we question our teachers they will say we have opened our mind to far.
Finally, back to the filtering of information. As I have mentioned we all filter our own information from information which has already been filtered once due to the ideaology in which we live. The information is also filtered by the way we comprehend information which is in the form of language. The very language in which we think also is a big filter. For example, in Japanese, one must consciously choose which form of politeness he will use and pronouns are not needed as to convey harmony with the group. In English, most sentences start with "I" "We" or some other pronoun. Therefore, when the teacher, explains an idea, the idea originated from the teacher and we will say "He explained..." Yet in Japanese it is possible to simply say "The idea was explained," which thus makes it innately true. Perhaps this is a horrible example, but I feel as though I'm on to something here but cannot quite grasp the idea.
A current hot topic is the Japanese textbook in which they say the Japanese "advanced" instead of "invaded" China. This really makes the Chinese and Koreans unhappy. But are not all textbooks written in such a manner? Is it possible to write an unflitered textbook?
To come to a point, and I do believe it is time for a point; what I have learned by traveling abroad is to look at everything with a critical eye. To do so I must release all that I previously held true and start again.
The easiest thing to release is religion and start again. If I look at the Catholocism in which I was brought up, I find it odd that there are still "sacrifices" weekly albiet symbolic. The congregation eats flesh and drinks blood, albiet symbolically. Would we not look upon our ancestors as barbaric if they sacrificed something, ate the flesh and drank the blood? But we are unable to see ourselves with the same critical eye. The Pegans also wore colorful robes, made alters and tried to correct illnesses with prayer. Yet the Catholic looks at the pagan as a barbarian and considers the priest in the colorful robes as correct while the pagan is just silly, when they DO THE SAME THINGS! Of course the Catholic will defend his beliefs with arguments found in the Catholic Church!! Just like a Communist will defend his arguments which he learned in a Communist school. But of course these questions are all taboo and people who question have been put to the stake throughout history in the inquisition, the cultural revolution, the French revolution (We have no need for savants in the Republic!). Questioning and learning is seen as good and right until you stump the teacher and then OFF WITH HIS HEAD. (And don't get me started on this polorization in America with one "right" side fighting the other "right" side, were questioning is no longer acceptable "You're either with us or against us."
I have come to understand that religion fills a void. We as humans need to feel that there is a divine being protecting us for if there were not, the vast emptiness of space would be truly terrifying. We would not know where we would go when we die and be again, terrified. So we look to comfort ourselves and reassure ourselves that we have meaning. We exault ourselves and say that this divine being created ourselves in his image. We call our bodies and the heavens perfect! If our bodies were perfect, then why do men have nipples, and wisdom teeth that cause excrutiating pain? Space is also a place of extreme violence and chaos. Planets and stars collide and there is much destruction and rebirth. But when we put these questions to a religious academic and have him stumped, they can always fall back on "It's a mystery." Well ain't that a relief. We can go back to bed feeling safe in the fact that "It's a mystery."
To fill this void we have created religion and from all the religions that have been created there can be only a few winners. Therefore, we look to these few winners as the correct ones since they have survived. Yet, a few must survive eventually but this survival does not mean they are correct, simply that they survived. In the book "Sermon on the Mount" the philosopher states that Jesus Christ is the most influential man in history which might be quite true and people use this argument to support their belief. Yet, one can also argue that again, a few people should be the most influential in history since everyone cannot be the most influential. This argument of simply being the most influential does not make it correct.
So once we have stumped the religious scholar, they will reply with, "Then what is the true answer?" and since there one cannot come up with the supreme truth the religious scholar will simply be comforted in the belief that his is correct like a baby nestling back into a crib, afraid of going out and on with life since the unknown is too scary a proposition for him.
In traveling abroad, I have taught myself to not be afraid of the unknown and what a ride it has been. I have gone into an unknown country and made it my home. The experience has been enlightening yet, the answers simply get further and further away the more I learn and experience.
Posted by Mateo at 21:18 | Comments (0) | TrackBack
2005年07月17日
Food Posion
Here in Saigon the food is excellent but one must be careful where one eats! A lot of foods have natural bacteria and most westerners are not accustomed to certain types of bacteria found in the food here. It sounds disgusting but every six months foreigners have to take some medicine to "de-worm" themselves because almost everyone will suffer from diarrhea. I took my medicine not more than a month ago but yesterday ate at the greasy spoon restaurant around the corner and I caught something fierce. I have felt like hell for the past two days and am hoping that it will go away. At least 30 times a day my stomach cramps up and it is really painful! But if it keeps up then I will have to get myself to the hospital once again.
Speaking of sicknesses the bird flu has made headlines once again. The papers love the statistic that it could become a pandemic and up to 7 million could die if the disease spreads. But this is a bit misleading and sensationalist. Thousands die every year of common colds and the flu and since there is no vaccination for this new type, the mortality rate could be worse from this flu than normal. I'm not worried in the least though because those that do not survive are usually those with weak immune systems or are very young or old.
Anyway, since I'm feeling like crap, I think I'll spend the day at the pool relaxing, catching some rays and studying Japanese. The Sofitel has one of the nicest pools on the 18th floor and the views of the city are fantastic.
Posted by Mateo at 10:29 | Comments (0) | TrackBack
2005年07月15日
Annoyances
Living in Saigon isn't all flowers and fuzzy bunnies. Sometimes there are annoyances as well. Overall though, there is no violence and it is very peaceful here. But I'd like to list some of the things that can be annoying.
1. Police raids on bars - Sometimes the police will enter a bar and all the lights turn on and music stops. The police are checking the liquor licenses to see if they have the right papers to sell hard alcohol. The beer and wine industries have tailored the law to favor them and it's very difficult for the spirits companies. However, there is a demand for spirits, so sometimes bars sell them anyway. It is ususally for spirits that the police raid bars. I experienced my first one during one of our darts league matches and the lights came on and two police came in. We continued play while the manager tried to get things sorted out. Our score keeper girls are provided by Johnny Walker and they were also questioned.
2. Police raids on houses - Sometimes the police will come to a private residence in the middle of the night to check foreigners papers to see if they have overstayed their visa. This may sound strange and it's never happend to me but I've also been told that the police in America do this as well in minority neighborhoods to check for those who have overstayed their visas.
3. Passport to use the library - I was able to get in with my drivers licenses but the girl asked for my passport when I tried to get in. I had also brought my Japanese Kanji book to study and was told that you are not allowed to bring your own books to the library. I guess the reason is they have no security system there and thus can only verify that the books are theirs if nobody brings in their own books.
4. Electricity - There is a double standared in pricing between foreigners and Vietnamese. Health, Utilities and other things are more expensive for foreigners because they have the ability to pay more. When I first heard this I was appalled, but when I thought about it, foreigners do make so much more than Vietnamese so it is kind of fair and I think I would implement the same thing. Our electricity bill is outrageous though and I put off paying it for just under a month when some people came to my house and turned off our power. They simply flipped the switch and put a notice on our utility box. I had pondered just flipping the switch back on but thought this might be a bad idea. So I went and payed the bill and our power came back on.
Posted by Mateo at 11:46 | Comments (1) | TrackBack
2005年07月14日
Thoughts on Poverty
For most of my life I had defined poverty as having little monetary means. I would look at how the "poor" lived in the ghettos and slums and the violence that raged there.
However, speaking with a good Vietnamese friend yesterday at an extremely modest, (those in the west would say poor) beer hoi I came to a different conclusion.
In the West I saw the violence that went on and thought that most people who lived in the poor neighborhoods were unhappy. In the west this might actually be the case. They look up to the middle and upperclass and see what they have and consider themselves poor. If one were to lose most of the material possessions they have they might also consider themselves poor since they have lost something..... I recall Sally Struthers plea on T.V. to give money to those that "earn less than a dollar a day."
In Vietnam, a majority of the population does live on less than a dollar a day. Yet not a day goes by when the majority of these people don't smile. Perhaps there are not enough Westerners here yet to tell them that they are poor and shouldn't smile. Perhaps there are not enough westerners to tell them that they need more money to be happy.
The conclusion I came to yesterday is that "poverty" is actually a state of mind and has no bearing on monetery means at all. If one considers themselves "poor" then they will be poor. If one considers themselves rich then they will be rich! It is a fallacy to bring money into the equation.
When we are young we are taught that "money is the root of all evil" and that people can be rich in other ways excluding money which might be rich in mind, family, or mentally. Yet this is form of thought is rarely put into practice as much as it is in Vietnam.
I look at those in America driving their cars to work everyday and who's sole existence is to earn more money and a feeling of sadness envelopes me. They continually look to what they don't have instead of what they already do have. It is unfortunate that this is the most prevelant form of thought in most "developed" countries.
When I compare the "poor" in America, they have very nice housing, cable t.v., air conditioning yet still consider themselves "poor." If by some chance they were to all be given a mountain of money, yet others had more, I'm sure they would still consider themselves poor. Therefore, the only way to escape "poverty" is to simply stop thinking ones self as poor. Education is often quoted as the key to escape poverty and this is valid. But the problem is that most people see education as a way to make more money when they should really think that education is valuable in itself. One could have absolutely nothing yet be so profound mentally that they could wile the day away changing the world. A few historical figures come to mind that lived this sort of life: Jesus Christ, Buddha, Ghandi etc.
Posted by Mateo at 11:32 | Comments (1) | TrackBack
2005年07月12日
Viet Kieu
Most recently there have been so many Viet Kieu or "Overseas Vietnamese" coming back to Vietnam. For the Tet holiday I think was the biggest single time of returning Vietnamese coming to visit their birthplace. I met so many of them going out and seeing people I know with Vietnamese I had never seen before (You get to know the faces in the ex-pat bars). I would introduce myself and upon hearing their accent would know they are American. They told would tell me that it was the first time back for them in 30 or so odd years!! Also, about how the place changed so much and how it was strange to see so many foreigners now living in HCMC. I was talking with one who I became good friends with and she told me that Arizona was home now but she felt guilty because Vietnam should feel more like home. I answered that in this day and age, there is no reason that we should only have to pick one home. For me, I feel comfortable and at home just as much in Tokyo, HCMC and Madrid as I do in Columbus.
But it got me thinking. What exactly defines a nationality? When I was a child I thought an American was either white or black and spoke the English perfectly. As I got a little older, I began to think it was anyone who spoke American English flawlessly. But now, I know it is anyone who holds an American passport. Restrictions aside, it is possible for anyone to go to American and call themselves American if they can get a passport. However, it is only a one way street.
With the ease of air travel, the popularity of studying languages abroad, and less governmental restriction there is a large amount of people leaving their native lands and taking on new nationalities in Europe and America. But this has not happened the other way around. I can never be a Vietnamese or Japanese no matter how well I learn the language or adapt to the culture. I also read an article in "Let's Go Vietnam entitled Going Home....
Excerpt from Let's Go Vietnam's "Coming Home" by Quang Tran a Vietnamese American
-------------
A few years ago, while watching television I was struck by images of a marketplace in Vietnam crowded with vendors selling live crabs and colorful fruits, part of a documentary about an American woman's backpacking journey through the country. Watching that documentary was disorientating in the extreme, not because it was about a foreign place outside of my reality, but because it was in fact all too familiar. As a young Vietnamese immigrant growing up in America, I had learned to separate out a public "American" life and a private "Vietnamese" life at home. Seeing a Vietnamese market on American television blurred this distinction. I was both fascinated by the beautiful images and confused by how public they were. I thought that Vietnamese immigrants were the only people in the U.S. who knew about Vietnam. How could this American woman have seen more of my country than I have?
(further on)
Indeed, I used to wonder at international travelers who romanticized and exoticized Vietnam; where did they get such silly ideas? I resented that some came for adventure and left with souvenirs and believed that they understood Vietnamese culture or could talk about Vietnam as if they were now the experts. I wanted them to understand that their fascination with Vietnamese crafts as so much more beautiful than "dull" modern life is so incongruous when juxtaposed with millions of Vietnamese childrens' dreams to have a house with a concrete floor.
(finally)
Reflecting on that TV documentary, I realize that if that American woman saw more of my country that I did, it was a threat to my belief that I could still claim Vietnam to be my country, and with it, the idea that Vietnam can belong to anyone at all.
---------------
This is a dilemma that people like myself face. I have been abroad now for about 6 years and have found that I can fit into society quite easily in Spain, France and even Mexico, but the Asian countries will always see me as a foreigner. I try very hard to adapt their local customs and learn the langauge which is my passion but will always be treated as an outsider, or if I speak the language than a novelty. As the website "Japan - A Primer of Newcomers" states, when a white person speaks the asian language fluently, it is often perceived in a "look mom the horse can do math problems" sort of way. But I believe over time and as more foreigners come to live in Asia than this perception might have a chance to change. Here in Vietnam, the returning Vietnamese often make comments just like the Japanese which convey their surprise that a white person can use chopsticks, enjoy Vietnamese food and have made the city their home (or one of their homes). But in America it would be extremely rude to tell an asian person that they use a fork and knife very well.
So my point is, people of any nationality can call themselves American with a passport, but will it ever work the other way? It's always interesting when I meet a Viet Kieu and they ask me where I'm from to which my reply is "Ohio." But then I turn the question on them and they say they "Well, I'm Vietnamese but I live in California." regardless of if they were born in Vietnam or not. Would it not be the same if I said "Well, I'm Irish, Celtic, Polish with perhaps a few barbarian, nomad clans thrown in, but I now live in Ohio." Therefore, the question of how to define a nationality or better yet, the person we define ourselves to be, becomes a more difficult question.
It would be very interesting to be able to define one's self as an "International." For me, I sometimes catch myself slightly bowing when I meet myself which is a characterisitic of the Japanese. I adore the Spanish siesta and their relaxed attitudes. My favorite foods are Japanese and Vietnamese. I prefer that people take their shoes off when coming in my house. I speak moderate Japanese, Spanish and French, but when I'm asked what I am, the answer that comes out is always "American," to which they will think I'm incapable of speaking another language or using chopsticks. Unfortunately, it seems that only in the west do we give the passport instead of skin color more of a priority when determining what or who someone is.
Will Asia ever be the same way?
Posted by Mateo at 14:09 | Comments (3) | TrackBack
2005年07月09日
Ah Vietnam
The President of Vietnam recently made the first visit to the United States since the end of the war. It was really big news here among the business community and we all hoped that the trip would spark a more definate answer about when Vietnam would join the WTO. It seems the trip went very well and Vietnam is on it's way to finally joining hopefully by the end of this year or more likely sometime next year. Right now HCMC is booming and there are new businesses opening up everywhere. It seems my initial feeling about this place was correct and HCMC is really a great place to live once you get past the third world surface. The people are really friendly and it is a very relaxed lifestyle. However, during the President's visit there was a small group of protesters holding signs such as "Stop the Oppression" and other such nonsense. We in the ex-pat community wondered exactly what "oppression" these protesters might be refering to. Now without divulging into politics too much, I don't see, feel or have heard of any "oppression" what so ever in this country. In China there is definately a feeling of big brother but I don't feel this at all and definately think Vietnam is a wonderful place to live.
During his visit, President Bush also promised to come visit Vietnam at the end of the year which is huge news. I really think he might make some sort of statement when he is here about exactly when Vietnam will join the WTO and after that the country should take off economically.
Posted by Mateo at 16:43 | Comments (0) | TrackBack
2005年07月08日
Saigon Fashion
Every morning I ride my motorbike to work and it never ceases to be an adventure. Here in Saigon most inhabitants use a motorbike to get around which creates a lot of pollution. After 8 months of breathing in burning fossil fuels I finally decided to go with a mask no matter how ridiculous I might look. Most of the ladies on motorbikes here also cover themselves although they prefer that no skin is visible since white skin is seen as beautiful. It really has nothing to do with Europeans I would think but rather they don't want to be seen as manual laborors who work in the sun and who's skin turns almost black. They cover themselves so well that they almost look like a million terrorists riding around in hat, sunglasses and scarf covering all of their face as well as shoulder length gloves.
Traffic rules here are also mostly a suggestion. The traffic lights are a relatively new feature in the city and people usually revert to their country habits when crossing an intersection which is to beep frantically, reduce speed and continue right through even if the light is red. Here in the city there is a ton of traffic so people are getting used to the red lights but as in the West they too get tired of waiting for it to change even if there is a ton of on coming traffic. Therefore, they all tend to slowly push halfway out into the intersection until the oncoming traffic has no choice but to stop.
As you might imagine there are also a lot of traffic accidents. Even if you are able to look in all 16 directions when driving there still will be people crossing the street at the worst possible times. To cross a street here in Saigon, you simply step off the curb and proceed at a very slow pace until you reach the other side. The traffic will swerve around you like a school of fish and come within inches.
But it really is not as dangerous in the city as it might seem. The Vietnamese have a very inate sense of traffic and the motorbikes remind me of a school of fish which avoids collisions.... usually. Even if you get in a crash the speeds are not very high and everyone is usually alright. The true danger lies on the freeways when there are accidents at high speeds and the fatalities are pretty high. So if your thinking about driving across Vietnam on a motorbike you should probably not, and chose the bus. Even though most understand traffic there are a few who do not and those are the ones you have to watch out for.
Posted by Mateo at 21:18 | Comments (2) | TrackBack
2005年07月04日
New Month
Apparently, I have to post every month or my entries get archived. I've been pretty lazy about posting recently but will get back on track soon. Lots going on recently in HCMC.
Posted by Mateo at 21:17 | Comments (0) | TrackBack