Post Summaries- Summer Journal

Ethical Issues in My Profession:

I am in favor of outsourcing United States companies in Vietnam. The raw definition of outsourcing is to obtain (goods or a service) from an outside or foreign supplier, esp. in place of an internal source (New Oxford American Dictionary). With that being said, the best way to maximize costs is to find a way to manufacture the product at a cheap cost with some fixed costs including labor. I spoke with a man at 5 in the morning at the Ho Chi Minh City airport on the last leg of the trip. I briefly spoke about our trip and company visits and he told me how we are so lucky to experience this at such a young age. I proceeded to ask him what he was doing in Vietnam and he explained to me how he owns a business that makes equipment for hunting and that he is moving 100% of his manufacturing from China to Vietnam because of the price difference and laws that they have. He told me how most companies are leaving China for Vietnam and the Philippines; also, Asians see money and profit and will strike a deal the day that it is offered, unlike westerners who play around with deals for months or years. In Vietnam, labor is very cheap for Americans to gather many employees and make them work hard grueling hours to make a worthwhile product. There are many things that would not be allowed in the US because of our labor laws that provide employees benefits and laws to protect them. For instance, when we visited II-VI we learned a lot about the labor laws. The Vietnamese are allowed five days off a month without a request or a prior warning, they simply do not have to show up on some days. Companies of course need to maximize their time and profit so it is bad that the people sometimes do not show up. We learned that II-VI treats their employees well and tries their best to provide incentives to make sure the employees do come to work everyday. The wages are completely different than in America. The GDP per capita is roughly $1500 a year, which is close to 25 cents an hour and not to forget they work more hours than we do a day. The prices are of course more relative in the native country but still extremely low, like a meal does not cost the same here as it does there but relatively speaking it may for the workers. The United States is too far developed to lose the labor laws and would net make more money or do more business with the same kind of labor that the Vietnamese do. A really interesting difference that I will end this with is the land ownership. The communist government owns all of the land and therefore the companies lease their land which is not only more costly but can hurt if for some odd reason the government wants to take it back.

Educational Breadth as Professional Development:

There is certainly a need for a broader education in Vietnam especially with their rapidly growing economy and more global companies settling in Vietnam. After studying for two weeks in Vietnam, I have learned that there is a need for foreign interaction in the business world. As a business major, it is important to have some focus on foreign affairs and understand. Language barriers are always difficult and I am not saying I should study the main languages of the world but if I can gather a better sense of each continent and their business, I can further my quest to success. Also, if the education was stronger and the workforces were becoming more skilled and knowledgeable the entire country and companies can only grow and help stable the country. Like I mentioned before, with many global companies settling in Vietnam, the country should include more culture and language classes for the students because Vietnam is becoming a vital piece to the global economy and has major potential to succeed. When we visited EIU we saw in person how well these kids spoke English and studied. Many of their classes are hands on activities to prepare them for the best future. They are becoming more skilled than other students, which calls for competition, which then helps everyone, try to get better. I myself learned a lot about understanding culture and how important it is. Vietnam and the US have a major historical event that we each share and being an American, we have a different perspective on Vietnam then the rest of the world. Since we took classes there about the culture and language, the locals see that we are trying to use the language in our every day life and appreciate it more. I will never forget how many smiles I saw when I would ask how someone is or talk about prices in the market. They appreciate Americans coming to visit their country that was once in a brutal war with us and we are trying to learn their culture and language. Another vital part to educating everyone is when a business is entering a different country to for instance outsource; they need to be aware of the history, what kind of people, how business is handled in the country, and many laws such as how the government is operated. Obviously, the companies that become global are assumed to be intelligent but they need to obey the laws of the host country and make sure they cooperate with the people.

Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development:

The education of the current workers seems to be diverse like the United States workers. The difference is the job market is very open in Vietnam. Jobs are everywhere and unlike University students, the people are less concerned with how well it pays and how many hours a week, the Vietnamese work because they need to survive. There is less luxury in the country and more working to put meals on the plate. Of course, this happens in America but the people that are in my environment at home and school for the most part have more white-collar jobs. Many jobs are taught at work and the workers could have been farmers with a low education. Obviously, there are jobs that they need skilled workers and because of that, the schools teach them the necessary skills for the job. For many of the companies we visited, I saw a trend of the CEO and foreigners who bring in the unskilled workers for labor operate other authoritative positions. However, Vietnam is becoming more competitive and when competition arises people strive to get better and in turn will help increase the amount of skilled workers like engineers and business students. In the near future, workers will be more prepared and will boost the economy because the companies will not have to waste money on training and other needs to make sure the employees are producing the product correctly. As for technology, it is always rapidly improving but the workers are rapidly improving with it so there will be a time when everyone is caught up and the workers are supplying companies with a worthwhile skill unlike the workers now.

The Social Environment of Professional Life:

There are definitely connections to the social and professional life in Vietnam. First off, the culture is much more relaxed and less metropolitan. Patience is a virtue and is shown in the work place because most companies that we went to were more relaxed and easier to approach. I feel like if we were to do the same company visits in the US we would be much more intimidated with the environment and the people. The labor laws reflect the relaxed social life because of the amount of days off one gets and there is no such thing as a two-week notice. Also, many companies have good luck charms like a Buddha or certain number of steps, always odd, little things like that connect the social life and professional life. As for the locals staying on top of US news, they are pretty updated, mostly about sports. When I told several people I was from Philadelphia they knew all the teams I root for and the major players besides the American sports like baseball and hockey. They mostly knew about basketball and could recite to me several entire teams and how the playoffs were. Some students have been to the US particularly New York City and I was able to connect with them and discuss American topics with them. I will say it myself, I am not good at staying updated in even my own country so to say that I read newspapers and articles about Vietnam daily is certainly not true but since I have been back I have been reading and watching the history channel to further understand the war. I will say that because Vietnam’s businesses are from around the world, it is important to stay on top of the local news in different countries to understand the economy and politics in the country. As a communist country like Vietnam, our government is operated completely different so when there is business being done, it is sometimes difficult to come to an agreement because the government does and owns everything.

Functioning on Multi-Disciplinary Teams:

Communication is one of the core sources to success in the business world. One needs to be able to understand everyone’s input, the best solution that pleases everyone and also to finish each step of success, things always need to be spoken about. During the trip, I felt a lot more comfortable with the engineer students because I did not know a lot about engineering. I grew up with a dad who was an attorney and an older brother who went into accounting. Engineering was never spoken about in my house and because of that, I really did not have a sense of what an engineer does until the trip. I was excited to learn with these students and show them the business aspects of the companies while they share with me the technical understanding of a product. I was offered a new perspective of the business world through the engineer students because like the business school says, business majors think differently, its always maximizing success and the engineers think differently. They think about how one thing gets to another and a step-by-step process. It was neat to hear what they had to say about how business is very complicated with the relationships of the buyer and seller and different ways to distribute the product. Also, as a business student group projects occur all the time so working with kids from different backgrounds was a challenge but one that I endured and liked. A specific time during the trip when the engineers were most confused probably occurred when we visited the port because it was strictly business and trying to wrap their minds around supply, demand, costs, fixed costs, variable costs and other distribution techniques can be complicated and I was glad to help explain the different ways of doing business with ports. I thought we both helped each other very well and it was nice to have them for back up on confusing visits like II-VI.

When I returned home from the trip was when everything came together. It was almost like a revelation. I appreciated every second of the trip and knew that I was doing something that is once in a lifetime opportunity but when I landed in America and I spoke about the trip to my family was when I seriously loved this trip. The fact that I was able to interact with giant cooperation in Vietnam, study the language and culture, visit historical sights, and meet friends from school is unbelievable. I’ve been abroad a few times in my life in group settings but never had the time I had in Vietnam. It was the greatest experience and one that I will carry forever and I know will help me for my future. I would like to thank the people who organized the trip, the companies and university, and of course the individuals who were with me on the trip. 

One last post-last day

I forgot to include the last day of the trip simply because I was so tired from it that I needed it to wait and then I forgot I had to do it. We woke up in the morning and I attempted to enjoy my last amazing Vietnamese coffee and food. I say attempt because I was getting tired of the food but knew I had to stick it out for one more day. I had some pho and beef and a little rice and two cups of what will now be my favorite coffee that I have ever had. After a long breakfast with a bunch of the students reminiscing about the trip, we headed over to a soccer field for a friendly against the UEF club soccer team. I played soccer in high school and I was pretty good but wow did I lose my skill. I could not dribble, shoot, or really do anything. I was a little embarrassed but it was fine. The UEF club was really good and it was awesome to see them pass and shoot with such fluidity. I am not use to playing with foreigners and they play a lot faster. Not to mention, it was the hottest day that we have seen so running around was not that easy. We ended up tying the club but I think they sort of let us tie. It was really fun!  We then headed to the basketball court which has become my sport because I still play competitively at home and they were pretty good! It was really fun to see kids playing basketball, which is predominately American. I can tell they love the game and loved to play against us. Score was not really kept and I actually thought I was going to faint. Everyone got a chance to play and Jake was putting on a show because he is really good. We then had to say our goodbyes to the students. Many of them said such nice things to us and of course we returned the nice gestures. I certainly miss the students a lot and still keep in touch through Facebook. We got to relax and reminisce more about the trip. We ate lunch at the hotel and began to get last minute gifts, pack, and pay our bills. This was a bittersweet moment because I thought to myself I will probably never get back to Vietnam and I have to live up these next few hours. After doing all that, we got ready for the farewell dinner on a boat with our staff, UEF staff, and pitt students. The food was delicious, the ambiance was awesome with live music and dancers, and we were moving on a boat. A perfect way to end the trip and something I will remember forever. After the dinner, we stayed up all night and enjoyed each others company and then headed to the airport. I was honestly so tired so I do not remember much of the airport but what an amazing time I had in Vietnam. I think I learned more through the companies and listening and asking questions than I do in the classroom. A first had experience is always the best and it is when you learn the most. We covered all of Ho Chi Minh city and all the famous sites. We drove to the beach, we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, we did everything we could to get a feel of the country. I still teach my family some Vietnamese because I rememeber it, mainly because our teacher was wonderful. I teach the culture and tell everyone I can about the trip. I can not wait to advertise it to the incoming freshman because this trip changed my perspective on life and helped me grow as an individual. The lessons I learned will never be forgotten. Thank you Plus3 Vietnam for the best time ever! I will miss you and hope to reunite next semester.

final post

The days are getting shorter and more free as we wind down this trip. Dr. Berman planned today perfectly and his explanation was very clear. We started this trip at the US consultant which was explaining how the two countries, America and Vietnam have made peace and now partake in diplomatic operations after a long brutal aggression between the two sides. We still have a day left but today was our last touring day and it was ended with the war remnants museum which shows the Vietnamese opinion or view on the war. It was certainly an eye opening experience. Before I continue let me rewind and say we all passed our oral Vietnamese language test. Okay so the museum...Dr. Berman briefed and essentially gave us a warning that all the writings and different sections In the museum is from the government. Of course we needed to be respectful but also know that there are two sides to the story and this was one. I studied a little bit on the war but learned most about the war on this trip. The museum was filled with brutal images of Americans torturing and going on killing sprees against the Vietnamese. The museum never mentions why or how the war started, it really just bashes America which is so hard to go through. The first floor is all about the world protesting America's invasion into Vietnam. They have just about all the nations in the world. Dr. Berman added that the museum used to be more "in your face" and when you first entered, the graphic pictures and such were instantly in your face, as if you were entering the battle field. The second floor though, hits you hard. The first sign is America's constitution talking about the equal rights that every human should have and then you turn right and see people on fire and a bunch of readings that say the Americans did this and here is a little boy eating his last meal. It was extremely disturbing and I instantly thought about the time I went to the Washington Holocaust Museum. Being Jewish, the holocaust is a very hard subject to talk or study about. I remember when I went to it in 7th grade, it was so hard to walk through and read about it. I finished the museum is 10 minutes because it was too hard because I am a Jew. My people were tortured and put through hell. As an American and being portrayed like that and also seeing facts about what we did in the war, I felt similar. It is hard to put into words but first I was sad because my religion was prosecuted and now my nation, my home, were prosecuting other people and fighting a terrible war. The deformed babies and people that agent orange caused is terrible, I ask myself, was it really necessary to spray chemicals that would do that much damage to people. Obviously, I was not alive during the war which is difficult to relate to especially because the musuem that I was seeing pictures at and reading about were bias. Coming back to the coutnry where we fought a massive and intense war is amazing. The way history and politics play out to allow us back here and then do tons of business with each other is really cool. We were able to learn and interact from and with these people which helps show that as a human race, there is still plenty of good in the world. 

Contrast of home

Today was pretty fast, culture lecture, language class, and a company visit. The culture lecture was about the food and transportation here, he spoke briefly about how they live like in huts and the architecture behind it. Language class was really fun, I sat with two girls who thought I was so funny because I have trouble pronouncing the words and when you pronounce the same word wrong, it had a different meaning. Apparently, I was saying the funniest stuff but they didn't want to tell me what it was because it was inappropriate. After class, we went to the same lunch. I didn't have my sidekick for yesterday and half of today. I'm talking about Liebersohn, he's been sick. However, Greg, Corey, and I had a blast in the back of the bus. We always make each other crack up, I'm so glad I've met these kids.
The company visit put many things in perspective. We visited a joint stock company bank called navi bank and it was difficult to understand the people, in fact we needed a translator. There weren't too many eventful parts to the day so I'm going to discuss the language barrier here and the struggle to be a tourist in a county like this one. The company visit was interesting. I found it difficult to stay engaged because there was not much English to hear. It made it hard to understand the company as well as asking questions. The business students obviously had interest in the bank and wanted to know more but the questions were not fully answered because of this barrier. Do not get me wrong, seeing and learning as much as possible about the bank was really cool and worthwhile. The barrier is so hard to break. When we go into a cab, we need to have the address at hand and cannot tell the guy if he is riding around to get more money. We can't say to him to stop short of change the place. We once had to go somewhere else and get out of the one cab to get another which is costly of our time. None of the maintence people speak English and at restauraunt, it may take 3 or 4 waiters until they understand what we want. Last night we went to a French place which was phenomenal but they used 5 different waitresses and each waitresses English got progressively better. Communicating is the source of knowledge and basically how anyone can interact and here, it is just so difficult to get thoughts across. We are all starting to feel homesick, not like crying about missing our mommy but we just miss talking to people and being comfortable walking around. It creates such a dilemma eveytme we want customer service and such. The cleanliness here is obviously different and I sometimes just wish I can be home. My expectations are definitely met on this trip. I do not want to steer you in to the wrong direction that my time is here is average, the trip, the country, it's all incredible. Just coming from across the world is a giant culture shock, one that I handled well but it is starting to get a bit old. I see plenty of people peeing on the street and lots of unclean things like cooking on the ground. It is a sight to see, one that I will never experience again but I just sometimes feel like I want to be back in America. I know the quality of my food, water, and service. We are all managing really well and helping each other it is just difficult. You should always do this everywhere  but keeping my hands in my pocket and thinking everyone is out to get me is a pain. We can't stick up for ourselves so if someone is staring for whatever reason, it is nearly impossible to tell them to stop. I am always always holding my wallet and iPhone and the anxiety is becoming annoying. This blog was basically contrasting how a tourist lives here then say going to Europe where most people can understand broken English. The wallet worry is in Europe but I just get more scared here because people need the money here more for the most part. I am honestly loving it I just wanted to vent about being a tourist here.

Fun fact of the day: I wrote this 3 days ago but forgot to post it

Miss home

Today we got to sleep in later than usual. We had to be ready at 9 30 when our usual ready time is between 8 15 and 8 45. I was not aware that breakfast ended at 9 and I got ready later than 9 so that was not good. Liebersohn kept me from getting ready because he is still sick and woke up with a rash that he was worried about. Carly was so generous and gave me two granola bars. Our last company visit was today. We first went to the Saigon Newport Corportion and learned about the porting industry and different pricing options when importing and exporting. The man who briefed us and showed us around was so personable and funny. He was very entertaining and it was easy to stay focused. That man is definitely going to be successful because of his personality and what kind of vibe he brings into a room. We then ate lunch at a restauraunt nearby the port. At every lunch, I barely eat anything except rice with sky sauce because the food is either pork or seafood, two dishes I can't have. The waiter caught on to the fact that I wasn't eating and he kept bringing me rice and peanuts. He also saw that eating with chopsticks is not my expertise and brought me a fork. I didn't ask for any of the things. After lunch we visited a real estate company and toured their newest project. It was an apartment building with all the basic amenities needed to live. There are four giant complexes with a courtyard in the middle with a giant luxurious pool. They called it the garden. Finally, we got back to the hotel and me and Liebersohn took a 5 hour nap, I needed it so badly. I've been so tired. I also was dehydrated today and did not sleep well last night. Jake and I went on a date tonight to a burger restaurant. It was a really delicious burger and the owner was American, the fact that we were able to speak English was gratifying to say the least.  Our cab ride there was 33,000 and back was 50,000, that's how they do it around here. If they see that you're American they drive around aimlessly to get the price higher, another struggle.
As the days wind down, I am definitely ready to leave. My stay has been amazing, I've met so many people, saw very unusual thing, and simply experienced a different way of life, one that I'm not used to. Seeing the opposite side of the world and learning about their culture and customs allows me to appreciate how I live in America. The food and variety here is better than home and I will miss it for sure. I don't know how my life will pan out but I think that seeing Asia will get harder and harder and so the fact that I got to see it makes me so happy and appreciative. Not many people get this chance and I think I took advantage of this. I cruised around and saw all my surroundings, I explored cuisines of the  world, and interacted with the locals as much as possible. Again, my stay was amazing but I am very excited to go home. Good night my readers. More stories tomorrow.

Fun fact: my laundry was over four loads and they did it in one day. Mom can you do that?

Miss home

Today we got to sleep in later than usual. We had to be ready at 9 30 when our usual ready time is between 8 15 and 8 45. I was not aware that breakfast ended at 9 and I got ready later than 9 so that was not good. Liebersohn kept me from getting ready because he is still sick and woke up with a rash that he was worried about. Carly was so generous and gave me two granola bars. Our last company visit was today. We first went to the Saigon Newport Corportion and learned about the porting industry and different pricing options when importing and exporting. The man who briefed us and showed us around was so personable and funny. He was very entertaining and it was easy to stay focused. That man is definitely going to be successful because of his personality and what kind of vibe he brings into a room. We then ate lunch at a restauraunt nearby the port. At every lunch, I barely eat anything except rice with sky sauce because the food is either pork or seafood, two dishes I can't have. The waiter caught on to the fact that I wasn't eating and he kept bringing me rice and peanuts. He also saw that eating with chopsticks is not my expertise and brought me a fork. I didn't ask for any of the things. After lunch we visited a real estate company and toured their newest project. It was an apartment building with all the basic amenities needed to live. There are four giant complexes with a courtyard in the middle with a giant luxurious pool. They called it the garden. Finally, we got back to the hotel and me and Liebersohn took a 5 hour nap, I needed it so badly. I've been so tired. I also was dehydrated today and did not sleep well last night. Jake and I went on a date tonight to a burger restaurant. It was a really delicious burger and the owner was American, the fact that we were able to speak English was gratifying to say the least.  Our cab ride there was 33,000 and back was 50,000, that's how they do it around here. If they see that you're American they drive around aimlessly to get the price higher, another struggle.
As the days wind down, I am definitely ready to leave. My stay has been amazing, I've met so many people, saw very unusual thing, and simply experienced a different way of life, one that I'm not used to. Seeing the opposite side of the world and learning about their culture and customs allows me to appreciate how I live in America. The food and variety here is better than home and I will miss it for sure. I don't know how my life will pan out but I think that seeing Asia will get harder and harder and so the fact that I got to see it makes me so happy and appreciative. Not many people get this chance and I think I took advantage of this. I cruised around and saw all my surroundings, I explored cuisines of the  world, and interacted with the locals as much as possible. Again, my stay was amazing but I am very excited to go home. Good night my readers. More stories tomorrow.

Fun fact: my laundry was over four loads and they did it in one day. Mom can you do that?

Market and no not market central

Last night we had authentic sushi at a Japanese restaurant, it was phenomenal. Today was more of a relaxed one with very little time constraints. The schedule was language class , a city tour, and then china town. To start off the day was I would say eye opening. We were exposed to some majors cultural differences and lifestyles. I will talk more extensively about it further down. Language class was good ol language class. It Wes held at a different UEF location. Less kids joined us in class. I was wondering if the way our teacher teaches is a cultural thing or just because it is supposed to be a fun class. She is so energetic, she gets everyone involved and I would say the classroom environment is not only pumped up but ,cub different than what we are used to. If the other classes are like hers, I can see why they're literacy proficiency is very high. She asks everyone individually to practice and has a PowerPoint up plus the notebook so we get take notes. She guides us through everything starting off slow and picking the pace up so we practice more and more which I think is more efficient. Like I said, I'm not sure if the other classes are always like it. Next we visited the reunified palace. I loved this stop in the tour because it really was like a palace, very majestic everywhere. The grounds were kept so clean with a tennis court and lots of landscape. They also built it to feel like your royal when inside. The ceilings are massive and most of the ground is marble and the pillars are too. There are huge rooms which we didn't get to know about but it always awesome to see. There were four levels and at the top you can see lots of HCMC, you feel like a king or president when overlooking the city on top of the palace. Some neat notable things in the palace included a private helicopter pad, a gorgeous fountain, huge amazing meeting rooms, a private gambling room, and a theatre. We saw the gate where the viet cong barged through with a tank and told south Vietnam that Vietnam is there's, some awesome historical views. We also walked around the post office and were going to go to the cathedral but it was closed. After the tour, we ate lunch and chilled at the hotel.
Okay so now to the most interesting part of the day, we drove to Chinatown and went to the market there, we were supposed to eat there but we finished faster so we didn't. Markets in Asia are extremely small areas filled with overstocked goods and an endless amount of people. There is almost no place to walk. I do not want to disrespect the markets because this is there culture but between the cleanliness and smell p, it was hard to be in there long. The perspective that one gets out of the market is great to have. As an American, it is hard to understand that people can live and work in such filth and with little resources. The area was relatively poor with lots of people not wearing shoes, others eating food from the ground, many old people asking for money, and lots of other things that made me appreciate where I am from and how I need to be thankful. I saw a man with no legs and he was using a cane to move around, I felt so bad and it made me so upset to see that the healthcare system here can not provide him a wheelchair like America would have. These people are staring at us Americans, but there could be many reasons for this. First, we are white, we are also wealthier, and we looked a bit uncomfortable as we were shuffling around sleeping bodies and inhaling  a lot of exhaust from the motorcycles. I was tired there and uncomfortable but I was glad that I was able to experience how am Asian market is and how some of these people live on a day to day basis. I hope one day I can help them. So when I say today was difficult, it was emotionally and physically, there was a good amount of walking and tons of heat.

Fun fact of the day: Corey has beautiful chest hair

Lets go to beach beach lets go get away

I got so much sleep last night so waking up early was a breeze this morning. Last night we had a French meal at a place called bin appetite which was very average. The food in Vietnam was getting a little old so we had to switch it up. Breakfast and lunch is always Vietnamese so dinner is a perfect opportunity to explore other food cuisines. For an appetizer I ordered chicken In a basket but had no idea what to expect. While waiting, we all thought about what it could be because no one spoke English there and almost every got the same appetizer. Ohh rewind....we kept messing up our orders, everyone went from French fries to chicken in a basket and the waiter was overly confused. Lierbersohn was so frustrated from the language barriers that he stood up mid order and tried to rip the waiters paper, telling him to start over, we were all cracking up I actually started to tear from laughter. The waiter was so startled that he got some one else to take our order who spoke SOME English. Earlier, I said the place was average because my dinner was not comparable to my appetizer. The chicken in a basket were these homemade chicken strips that were actually the best chicken strips I have ever had. It was juicy succulent chicken and a tempura style fried crunchy outside. Okay, so for dinner I ordered deep fried seabass which was not cooked at all and it was horrible I didn't eat it. I shuffled the food up to make it look like I ate it. I ordered another chicken in a basket which was just unbelievable.
Who doesn't love the beach? We went to the beach today which was not only relaxing but fun. It was an hour long boat ride on an "Amtrak" boat thing. I know it's not specific but everyone had their own seat, air conditioned, obviously less quality then Amtrak. When we got to the town we went to a church and pagoda which was really nice. Both places were gorgeous and was always overlooking the blue shiny sea. Palm trees were everywhere and every sight was beautiful. Some people observed the Buddhist customs and participated in some prayer, I didnt want to but lots of people were really enjoying it. Liebersohn had some cool fortunes that were true, I was kind of creeped out in cool way. We went on a hike to a giant Jesus statue which had 1000 steps and it was soooooo hot. I was sweating so much but the sights as we got higher were getting cooler and cooler and the Jesus was so big, I enjoyed the hike a lot. I stayed hydrated. I think I'm really good with hydration from traveling to other very hot climates.
The beach was fantastic, the water was actually like a bathtub and we played little games and messed around with each other. Corey, Liebersohn, and I were going to rent a jetski for 30 minutes but it was over priced. Mom, I used a lot of sunscreen and barely got burnt, I was proud of myself. Overall today was really nice to relax after a long week with many involved activities like company visits and sight seeing. It was nice to get away from HCMC for a day. Tomorrow should be awesome with a city tour. I also had authentic sushi with most of the students. It was amazing and dinner was really fun. We mesh so well together and love each others company. As cliche as this sounds, I couldn't ask for a better group of people to spend this once in a lifetime experience.

Cu chi tunnels

We woke up 15 minutes earlier than usual to drive an hour and a half to the cu chi tunnels. I didn't know what to expect so I just relaxed and took everything with a clean slate. The car ride was pretty boring because we were all very tired and it was starting to get hot. We saw a lot more of the farming areas because we left HCMC. There were so many buffalo and they were all skinny (America's mess up our animals). I saw the cutest little baby chick following her mama and finding food. When we arrived to the cu chi tunnels, my emotions were fluctuating and it was really hard to stay calm. We were in the actual jungle where the war took place and....wow. The heat was unbearable, the hottest I've ever been here besides on the sweat box bus. I just kept thinking about how warfare could take place there, you can't see anything and are exposed from all directions. There are snakes and other animals that are creepy. And the tunnels. The most ingenious way of guerrilla warfare. The time, effort, and engineering to build these 250 kilometer tunnel routes is really hard to fathom. Them tunnels were constructed with a few different levels and rooms for all different necessities to live. Also as you probably know, the entry ways were camouflaged in the jungle ground making it almost impossible for the Americans to find where they were. They used different spices to disguise the areas because of the k9s that the Americans had. The entry ways were so tiny. It is really awesome to see it in person and after climbing through them, the amount of patience and heart that these soldiers had was crazy. They would be down there for weeks. They also set up there operations in them so an invasion was so hard for the Americans and especially to get intelligence. I learned that they made the tunnels in U shapes like a sink pipes are so gas and stuff could not get in the tunnels which made it almost impossible for the Americans to invade. I actually only went through one tunnel out of like 5 because I saw a bat in one and I went crazy, I screamed like a little girl and started sweating so much!! A couple people got dehydrated  today but nothing serious. We ate on a river which was scenic and beautiful. Today we got to see scenery like postcards and such, something I looked forward to since Vietnam is beautiful. I fell asleep on the ride back home and felt miserable when I woke up, it was a mixture between overheating, dehydration, and drowsiness. It was temporary because once I showered and layed down, I felt much better. This trip is just so amazing but very involved and today it all hit us and we crashed a little. Tomorrow we are doing a little hiking and beaching, hopefully I can get a little bronze to start off the summer. Please take that as a joke, please. I am making sure I am drinking a ton of water. 

A fun fact of the day is there are squirrels in the zoo here.

 Until next time, stay classy Vietnam 

Suit and tie

Today was one of the easier ones because we got to dress up in normal clothes and weren't as hot plus no company visits. I would call today UEF day, it was a culture lecture and language class in the morning and then super fun games with the students in the after noon. The culture class was really informative about the way of life and history of the beautiful country of Vietnam. We spoke briefly about the war and got a taste of what happened and where. 

In language class we learned more numbers and ways to communicate when shopping. We learned phrases like how much is it and if the item is too expensive. As noted in a different post, pronunciation in Vietnamese is the most important. I found it really fun that if the shopper thinks the product is too expensive we say the same two words as if the person needs to go to the bathroom but its the more informal way of saying it. If you don't say the second word in a higher tone like screeching it is wrong. 

The culture exchange (game day) was really fun! We played many different games like a dance off and twister. It got very competitive and I think I was laughing and smiling the whole time. The kids are really friendly and know how to have a good time. We practice our Vietnamese with them while they practice their English with us. It is a nice experience having the ability to bond with kids from a different country and learn each others culture. They are starting to understand sarcasm more and more. The two mc's were so funny and kept everyone engaged in a positive way.

The bus ride home was awesome, we taught some of the students that we brought back how to play our now famous bus game dirty dirty and they were really quick learners. On our ride home, while on the highway, we saw these two people driving on the complete wrong side of the road. Let me say it again, on the highway! The way people drive around here is mind boggling. In just twenty minutes, I will be getting measured by a tailor to get a tailor fitted suit, mom and dad I'm very excited. 

What an interesting night

From my last post, I left you with us going out shopping and this is how it went...

5 of us entered the cab anticipating for an exciting day of shopping. Right when the cab driver started his meter, the rain started to pour down on his windshield. Oh how lucky we were, planning on going shopping and walking around, the rain made things interesting. The first stop on our list was the giant market to possibly get souvenirs and what not. The rain was coming down really hard when we got to the market and we ran inside. We were bombarded with different vendors from every direction and it was really overwhelming. There are lots of watch stands with a variety of different designers, I asked the man to see a watch and this is how the conversation went....

Me: can I see that Calvin Klein watch?

Vendor: yes, I'll give it to you for 2,000,000 (100 dollars)

Me: I'll pay 700,000 (35 dollars-----but didn't have much intention to buy it)

Vendor: 1.8 mil, minimum

Me: I'll pay 700,000 and no more

Vendor: this is a stainless steel watch, leather band, and automatic

Me: yes it looks nice but I only want to pay 700,000

Vendor: no sorry I can't do that

As I'm walkin away....

Vendor: 1.5 mil (screaming)

Me: no sorry 700,000

Vendor: 1 million

Me: I told you my offer, I know this is fake and I know how much it is worth

Vendor: fine ill give it to you for 700,000

But I didn't have that money but it was nice knowing how much I was able to bargain.

We moved on to different areas of the market but it was hot and people were running around from the rain and all of us were hungry so we went to try and find a cab. On our search, we sort of got lost and had a hard time exiting the market because many exits were closed. When we got out we were getting soaked from the rain and it took us a while to get into a cab. We managed to find one but this guy literally stalled out about 5 times and the cab ride was to drive us around the corner to a famous pho restaurant. The food was good but by then we wanted nothing to do with the area because of the rain, heat, and filth that we were in.

Our trip was supposed to be a nice, fun, and relaxing day but quickly turned into a ridiculous sequence of events that we all thought wouldn't end. But hey, ya never know what will happen in Vietnam

Oh how lucky

I was sitting in the glass egg office listening to the COO present the company to us and behind me was a giant view of Ho Chi Minh city with some amazing buildings, I thought about how lucky I am. Yes, I blog everyday and reflect on my experiences but I never thought about how lucky I am. This trip and experience is more than just a once in a lifetime experience if that's possible to say. I am a business student at Pitt and am in Vietnam getting a full brief from these profitable and companies. It's really neat how we are living in Vietnam and learning the business world here. This program is so unique and balanced that I really can not find one flaw. Basically, I am just having the best time ever and really starting to appreciate this experience. Soooooooo....

We had a really fun dinner last night, it was 11 of us out of 14. We found the place on our own and had a really fun dinner. We spoke about our favorite time at Pitt so far and laughed the whole time. I had a delicious beef and broccoli dish. The waiters were calling me selvester Stallone which I thought was so funny. I then told them I was from Philly and they were convinced I was his son. The only problem was was that they do not understand sarcasm really well so it was hard to tell them I am not Italian and just a normal student from Pittsburgh. 

The highlight of the day was glass egg because of how much I can relate to the company. They are video game designers who do not make the actual game but really just cars and tracks and I play all the games that they help produce. We saw all these artists making the cars for the games that I love which was again so cool. I feel like I keep saying cool and funny, i should really stop doing that. Today was really hot and my entire shirt was drenched, this heat is unbearable sometimes especially because a lot of our water is more like bus temperature so getting refreshed is difficult. Mom I am not sure what I am doing form dinner, sorry. I want to get more tan here, I haven't been in the sun too much. We are going shopping and walking around for the first time soon, if I am lucky I'll find a tailor that I can get a suit from. 

Dad, Is this blog better?

Obviously, today was amazing. I woke up to my roommate slamming doors and screaming on the phone at 6 am, such a pleasing "alarm". Breakfast was not my favorite today because most of it was pork and shrimp which I do not eat, so i settled for a good old American egg sandwich and donuts. Today we did not go to language class and instead started straight for VSIP for two company visits, VSIP and II-VI. II-VIis incorporated in VSIP so we did not have to travel/had two presentations in the same room.  VSIP is an industrial park that is constantly expanding. I was not too familiar with what a park was but I learned a lot from the briefing, however, II-VI was more interesting. David Baker, the chief engineer, presented the corporation to us. I have spoken a lot about the companies and less about my experience so I am going to try and switch the style. Basically, the company makes optics technologies and are experts in not only expanding to different countries but also their products. As an American, the tour of the company was an eye-opening experience. II-VIis mostly a labor intensive with MANY unskilled workers that get trained for each segment of production. It was a lot different than the US because of how cheap the labor is and how easy it is to hire the people. It was difficult to see some of the work environment that these people work in. Most of the workers come straight off the farm and are fed once a day during their shift and it is definitely nice but personally I would have a difficult time knowing the people that work for me barely eat and basically do assembly line work with minimum wage pay. As I write this, they are still very nice to their workers by giving them nice bonuses, letting them visit their families/paying for their transportation. It really is just a completely different working environment which was different and hard to wrap my mind around. Daivd Baker was super nice and knowledgeable as well. It was a really awesome experience and cool to see how a corporation is run there. 

After VSIP, we had a really nice chinese lunch. It started to rain really hard right after we got to the restuarant. The service is unbelievable here. We had to walk maybe two steps after we ate to get the bus and the workers from the restaurant walked us two steps with umbrellas, it was really nice. We then went to the Eastern International University which was in VSIP II and it was a gorgeous campus with very energetic kids that were really fun. For all these places, we left HCMC and it was a really interesting place. There were lots of little shops. To imagine the town, we saw water buffalo getting walked on the side of the road, it was neat! Today was not nearly as hot as yesterday. Yesterday I sweat in places that I did not know I could have. I finished a 5 liter water bottle in one day, it was insane. The bottle was 80 cents and I swear I have seen it at Costco for probably 8 dollars. 

To conclude our group is meshing together so much more. I did not know what to expect going with 13 other kids who I do no know. The bus rides today were so fun,  we played so many games and were just enjoying each others presence. I love this group, there are all different personalities which balances out the entire group. I am excited for more games tomorrow and enjoy this amazing country with some amazing people. Over and out and of course I miss you mom, dad, and elan. 

2nd day

Day 2 was an exciting one because it was our first company visit. We of course started the day off with some amazing breakfast food, some noodles, beef, and fried rice. Today was much hotter than yesterday especially because we were on the bus for long periods of time and the air conditioning is not the best. UEF and language class was really fun. Our teacher is so energetic and keeps us very engaged. The language is certainly hard but the students are not only patient but very nice and helpful. We learned greetings today like how to say how are you and what is your name. Pronunciation and situation is very important in the Vietnamese language. 

Our first company visit Phu My Hung which was absolutely amazing. First off it was really fun and interesting to be in such a professional and business setting. It sounds ridiculous but being exposed to this kind of setting allowed me to appreciate why I am a business major, that is the kind of stuff I want to do in the future.  The students came with us which was nice. We were briefed about the most ingenious company. The company essentially created a high class lifestyle in Vietnam filled with malls, restaurants, residence buildings, recreation centers, hospitals, car dealerships; they thought of everything for needs and luxury. The company gets major investments from countries and companies and then they take back the buildings and make a lot of money by giving leases. Essentially, when the building or project starts to make profit, they tell them it is theirs and take all the money. It was so fun and I cannot wait until tomorrow. This trip is a perfect balance between free time and business, I'm very happy here. I do miss my family, love you mom, dad, and elan. 

Today was our first day in Vietnam. I was quickly reminded my reasoning of choosing Vietnam over the other countries for Plus3. I wanted to explore a country that was going to be significantly different than America and a place where I can explore and enjoy, that started at breakfast. I entered the dinning room smelling and seeing foods that reminded me of a dinner. There were dishes that had meat, dumplings, fried rice, and a delicious Vietnamese dish called pho. It was a great feeling that I can see how our breakfasts are different. I was proud of myself because I am not very adventurous when it comes to trying new food and I tried everything at the buffet. 

After breakfast, we drove to UEF where we met the Vietnamese students. Again, my reason for traveling here was apparent when we drove around the city. I have been to a couple different countries  none compared to what I saw today. The amount of people that drive on the streets at one time is amazing and how traffic is so insane. People were swerving in and out of lanes and cutting others off. It was absolutely amazing. Many people started to not trust the bus driver because how crazy he was driving but I knew he was safe because he always smiled at us and wanted us to be happy. The different street vendors were also really cool. When we finally got to UEF we were greeted by happy and welcoming students. We learned a taste of language which was an experience of its own, a very cool classroom environment. The teacher was so energetic with a smile from one ear to the other. As a college student espeically a freshman my classrooms have been enormous with 500 students so a connection with a teacher has been distant, it was nice to have the opportunity to experience that again. Next we went to the US consulate which was awesome. We had the opportunity to speak to the representatives about the relationship with the US and Vietnam. I had such an amazing time learning about foreign affairs. I'm very excited for tomorrow.