Last weekend we had a delightful time with a group of our young Vietnamese friends.
Quan is a very friendly guy whom we first met at a restaurant, he was our waiter. His thirst for expanding his English has powered a friendship that we cherish. It was with a group of his friends, three young girls also learning English, that we spent our evening.
We started with the girls, arriving later, joining in our game of Scrabble. I might say, considering they had never sighted the game before and English is their new language, they had quite a store of words to put down. Of course, we won but they weren't far behind.
Quan, knowing that James likes wine, gave us a gift. It was a sort of DIY wine vat. A big ceramic pot carried in a woven basket. We had to add water to the pot which contained a substance that looked like sphagnum moss. This had to sit for about 20 minutes to ferment before we ceremoniously carried it into the lounge and placed it on the coffee table. Four bamboo straws pierced the plastic covering and we all took a sip. It tasted a little like port, rather raw, but heck, it was only 20 minutes. We looked like a group of hippies sitting around a communal pipe and sharing the fun.
Pizza arrived, again a new experience for the girls. They were very worried that it would make them fat but seemed to enjoy every bit. I gave them knives and forks but they didn't know how to use them. We talked and laughed into the night, the conversation disjointed at times and bizarre answers given to simple questions but a great night had by all. Especially Quan who, after three drinks, ended up asleep from too much alcohol.
Ha, one of the girls was off to New Zealand the following Thursday to commence a course in hospitality. When I asked her what time her flight was, she said she hadn't booked it yet, her plan was to do that on Tuesday. She was shocked when I said she may not get a flight at such short notice. "But why" was her response.
The naivety of these young people set me to thinking. The young people here embrace the Western way of life, they try to imitate it in most of the things they do. I guess young people are the same everywhere, influenced by their peers and fashion. There are those who are very modern in their dress. They wear the low rider jeans but modesty prevails and there is no belly button hanging out. T-shirts seem to be longer, just so that they meet the jeans. I have seen the Vietnamese equivalent to Emo (I think that's how you spell it) The advantage being, they don't have to dye their hair. But there are those who do dye their hair, the Vietnamese attempt at bleached blonde is not good. They congregate in groups, hang out in coffee shops, manage to terrorize traffic with three on a push bike, but deep down they are all still nice kids.
Fashion plays a bit part in trying to emulate the western world. I wish I was quick enough with my camera to capture some of the things I've seen. But somewhere out there is an enterprising non-English speaking Vietnamese person, printing slogans onto clothing. Some of the ones that have made me smile have been...
Slippery Slope...not good on a pretty young Viet girl.
Below Freezing Wear...on a jacket, but when does it get below freezing here.
Demilitarized Zone...I should hope so.
Peace, Love, Greed...pick the odd one out.
Fucing....thank heaven they can't spell.
Armani Exchange It Here...now, if I had Armani, I wouldn't exchange it.
It's All Mine, Want Some...inappropriately on a little girl's T-shirt.
I wish I could remember them all. It is a use of a language that can't be understood by many, but it is English, something they all aspire to.
I have to think, what is it they all want. Is it to be out in the Western world, to fit in with what capitalism heralds as the greatest, or is it to make it easier to abandon the one they have. Whatever it is, it gives me a good giggle.
