Today, we had our final culture and language classes. Our
culture class was very interesting; we learned a lot about the religion in
Vietnam. Even religions back home, like Christianity and Judaism, are integrated
in the beliefs of many Vietnamese people. There are even Christian churches in
Vietnam, but they look a lot like pagodas, except they have a cross on the top.
When class concluded, we thanked our professor and gave him a few gifts from
America.
Our language class began with a few games, in which we were
put in groups of four and received some help from the Vietnamese students. The
final “exam” was just a conversation in which one person in the group spoke
about himself or herself in front of the class. I was ‘volunteered’ to be my
group’s representative. There was no actual grade for the exam, but I think I
did a pretty good job anyway. At the conclusion of class, we all thanked our
professor and gave her some more gifts. I also gave her a mug just to remind
her that I’m the best student!
During lunch, Mike and Dr. Berman announced that we would
not be going on a company visit because the Vietnamese people are protesting
against China’s government, and the industrial park that we were going to go to
was a potential area for protest, as many industrial parks are. In fact, a few
Korean companies in VSIP, the industrial park that we visited last week, faced
vandalism because people thought that they were Chinese companies. Although I
haven’t seen any protesting, it’s a pretty big deal that these protests are
going on because these are the first government-supported protests since the
Vietnam/American War.
Anyway, I used my free afternoon and evening to relax, as usual.
A few of us went back to the Ben Thanh market, and I bought a few more gifts
for my family. I'm starting to realize how close we are to leaving, and it definitely makes me a little sad. I'll just try to make the most of what time is left!