Archive for September, 2007
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
Unfulfilled Promises
Many friends, relatives, acquaintances and strangers offered me advice before I left North America for Vietnam. I was given lists of things to expect. Many of them - the noise, the pollution, the vibrancy, the colour - were immediately evident.
This post, however, is interested in unfulfilled promises. I’ve noticed a few.
“Expect serious [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
Things I’ve Learned From Translations
A few things I’ve learned in my first week editing translations:
Many verbs we don’t normally think of as transitive can be made to function in that way. Take, for example, the word ‘innovate’ in the following sentence: “…it is imperative to innovate the staff of personnel together with innovating the mechanism and establishing a [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Monday, September 10th, 2007
A Few Surprises
I’ve been trying to compile a list of the things that have surprised me about Vietnam.
Unfortunately, I keep forgetting them before I write them down. Below are a few I’ve been able to remember.
To some these may seem obvious, but please remember that there are others to whom these will all be [...]
9 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
Perceived Rules of the Road
It would appear, to my foreign eyes, that bicycles of quality are nowhere to be found in Vietnam. I had hoped that I would be able to buy or build a solid, smooth-riding single speed bicycle on my arrival. I was even thinking of building up a sweet fixed gear bike. Alas, [...]
4 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Saturday, September 1st, 2007
First Impressions, Part II: The Food
I know that those who know me best are interested in how I’m surviving on Vietnamese food. While my initial exposure to Vietnam was gradual, spent in the company of American friends, my exposure to new cuisine was something akin to full and immediate immersion. I didn’t touch a fork all week.
I am [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Saturday, September 1st, 2007
Easing in: The first week
While some participants in the SALT program were being thrust headlong into their assignments, meeting their host families and starting new jobs with uncertainty, I spent my first week in Vietnam on vacation.
Here, fellow SALT participants Rachel, Anna and I pose like the tourists we are outside the ancient Champa ruins of My Son in [...]
