Today, I was a vegetarian from the United States, ordering two turkeys from incredibly kind Vietnamese restaurant employees in Saigon, in order to celebrate a North American holiday with my friends from Canada, the U.S., Australia, Indonesia, and Honduras.
I love this international life.
I love that each day I am confronted with challenges: challenges with communication, challenges with transportation, challenges with cultural expectations. It's difficult at times. Sometimes it can bring me to the edge of tears. But almost immediately after the frustrations of two people trying to understand one another ends, either a friendship is formed or, if nothing else, a hilarious story has come from these unanticipated interactions.
The woman I ordered those turkeys from? After 30 minutes of trying to find a place to park my bicycle (what did I tell you about this bike? It's the smallest, least obtrusive means of transportation yet I can never find anywhere suitable to put it without upsetting someone or breaking some unwritten rule), exchanging information about what was needed, and putting down the deposit, she asked if she could keep my phone number so I could help her practice English. I agreed -- though I thought her English was lovely -- but only in exchange for Vietnamese lessons :)
No comments:
Post a Comment