catching up

Okay so I have thoroughly enjoyed my holiday and now have lots of pictures to go through and postings to write. I missed any holiday festivities because my host Chu Dung took me and 2 friends out to Vung Tau, a beach town about 3 hours southeast of HCMC. Remember the post about the "Ban xeo" restaurant with the big rice papers filled with shrimp? That restaurant in HCMC features food of Vung Tau. Anyways so there's a post about that 2 day trip coming as well as some other things.

CONFESSION: I also busied myself with what the heck was happening with Bella and Edward ("Twilight" series for you people living under a rock). Kind of embarrassing to admit....But no use denying that I love it, maybe even more than HSM and HP because it's so emotional and dark. Yes annoying and ridiculous at times, but also fun, magical, and so real about raw emotion and friendships. Oh yeah, and it's written in first person with a main female character, so it's really really easy to get sucked in. That is my technical diagnosis for this craze.

And yeah, I'm listening to the movie soundtrack right now. ZOMG i <3 it like a 13 year old girl!! haha. no judgment please. =P

(jchoi can we still be friends? teehee)
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Also I need to clear something up:

xe om = motorbike taxi
xe may = motorbike

And I may not have mentioned this before, but in case there is any confusion, there are several "prefixes" that you use in Vietnamese when talking about people to show respect. Much like "Miss" and "Mister", except Vietnam has a more highly structured system.

Em = someone younger than you, whether toddler or university student
Chi = literally, "older sister"; woman that is slightly older than you
Anh = literally, "older brother"; man that is slightly older than you
Co = woman about halfway to your parents age
Chu = man about halway to your parents age
Ba = Older woman/around your parents age
Bac/Ong = older man/around your parents age

You would Also you'd use "Ba/Ong" for people of high stature. Like in class, we identify "Ong Obama". And interestingly enough, you call everyone by their first name, no family name usage here - it would just be a bunch of Nguyens, Trans, and Vos, anyways...

So that is why I write about Chu Dung, Chu Choung, Chi Cindy, Chi Linh, they don't have the same "first" name...that is their prefix according to my relationship with them. And this is for strangers, friends, and family members.

Here's a technicality:
But my dad is the middle child, with an older sister and a younger brother. Aunt Doan has two sons, and I call them both Anh because well they are both older than me but also their mom is the eldest of the family. But my Uncle Hoa has a daughter that is older than me, but she should still call me Chi Anna, because my father is older than her dad. Even though I am younger than her. But I think it only works with maybe immediate family because that would get way too crazy.

Anyways, an example of the hierarchical society at work - fascinating, no?
I love learning more about it, and I love being here.