Our Last Classes!

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!