A Little Humor in a Busy Time and more about life in Vietnam

16-8-13   Note: in Vietnam the day is listed first then the month and year.  Yesterday, Thursday in Vietnam and Wednesday in Los Angeles and most of the USA, Leanna and I were invited to join the Facebook group of the TDT Labor Studies Department.  Well, we joined and immediately started getting all sorts of invitations to be "friends" from lots of students, faculty and staff from the campus community.  We are rapidly accumulating new friends.

A post on the site even before we were invited to join  was a comment that one of the new foreign faculty members has been observed picking up trash while walking around the campus, depositing it in the trash cans, and that he should be emulated by the students.  Well, I hadn't noticed that I was observed picking things up, but I am greatly honored that a student would state that this teacher should be emulated in the actions of serving our campus community!  On one hand I felt a bit awkward that my compulsive behavior (if you've ever been with me walking our dogs, you will recognize this Hollis-ism) was noticed,  but I've been assured that the emulation was a show of respect and that it is good to be emulated.  We are learning that the concepts of competition, rewards, cooperation, recognition and emulation are different here in Vietnam than how we experience these at home.  We continue to learn about the combination of Vietnam culture and building socialism here!
.The Picture to the left was taken as we sat in a little coffee, tea, juice, and fruit milk shake bar a few blocks from the campus.  It seemed interesting to see the motor bikes through the spokes, ruins, of the wheel  as they whizzed by.  I also shot a short video of the same scene and I will try to post it below.


Hope you can enjoy the video.  I don't know how to make it stop repeating but you probably do.  More soon.