... sorry I don't have a more clever title. I'm sure you're tired of hearing me complaining about how many people calling me fat here. I'm just as tired of being called fat by pretty much anyone, old or young, children or adult. So much that I don't really feel like leaving the house to explore the place I am at because people just stare at me way too much and say things that end up ruining my days before I even do anything to them. I've been inside "hidding" for a few days now.
Anywho, I've done quite a bit of moving around since the last time I posted. Two days in the city suburb with some more relatives and now I am in Saigon. However, not much has been going on in the past few days that are blog worthy beside how traffic gets more and more ridiculous and dangerous as I head into the city and all the places from my childhood seems much smaller than I remember.
I finally get to sleep in today and its because my aunt and uncle has some business to do in the morning. So it's almost eleven and I'm awake. In local times it's pretty late but I'm awake only because there is a black out and the fan is off so it's too hot to sleep anymore. Even though I do nothing, people still wake me up at 6 or 7 am and tried to make me eat breakfast while all I want to do is sleep.
As I've said, I haven't really done much exploring but I did contact Helping Hand Saigon, a local NGO that I will be/am joining for some for volunteer project. Their works include visiting orphanages as well as other groups and homes for the under-privilege. It's not at all hard to find under-priviledge people here in Vietnam, but to find organizations that are able to help them, in my opinion, is still pretty rare.
Before the trip, I spent a few months researching on NGOs in Vietnam and didn't find very much, so I was very glad to find Helping Hand Saigon. Anyway, upon contacting them, they invited me to their bi-weekly English club event, where local university and young professional get together to practice their English along with any foreigners who wish to help them.
Learning English in Vietnam is pretty much a priority for young people here. Higher English level could potentially get them better jobs and pays, and they all could use the money. I am told, almost consensusly, that the English learning method here does not really promote great speaking ability. So students are only able to read and write well, but hearing and speaking abilities are minimal. Students don't often get to practice what they learn, and not everyone could afford to study abroad in English speaking country, so all the money and effort they spent in learning English could potentially gone to waste. Which is why the English club is so helpful to English learning students, where they could practice their speaking skills with native or fluent English speakers who help them build up vocabulary and grammar.
Anyway, so I was there, and met some very nice people. One was a Belgium girl who is doing an internship with HHS. She is my age and is working on her Masters. In general, I was just happy to be able to speak English with people who can understand me.
Meeting this girl is sort of pulling me out of the daze I have been in for the past 2 weeks. Beside going into hiding for being to fat, I have only been with family, and I guess you could say I am getting quite comfortable under their wings, so I am not venturing out on my own. She made me realized how much easier I have it than her. She is here by herself, doesn't speak the language, get stared at way more than I do and still manage to do some looking around by herself eating the local food. Maybe I shouldn't be too discouraged at everyone from a 3rd grader to old ass grieving lady calling me fat at every turn and just grow a pairs and wander around town on my own.
Being sad about being fat should only be temporary. Right?
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