Are you proud to say that you have come from an amazing country, or do you have problems or issues with it?
I can proudly say that America is where I was born. Unfortunately, for some countries, people are not proud to be a part of it. Citizens do not consider their country a gift. Although I have some problems with my country, I would not change my citizenship for anything.
If you have ever talked to a foreigner or been to a third world country, then you can appreciate what you have.
I figured that out at an early age when I was 15 years old going to India for the first time. I found out it is not a lush money flowing country and that everybody hardly has any money to live off of. The idea was only a fleeting thought because soon, I returned to America. My home, filled with comfort and security.
You should know that going as a tourist and living in a third world country are entirely different. I finally was able to understand that when I came to Vietnam.
I lived in Japan for two years, where my best friend introduced me to many Vietnamese people. They are the opposite of Japanese people who focus more on work and keeping face with other people. I saw that the Vietnamese people were very friendly. I finally decided that I would visit this amazing country that my friend had told me so much about.
When I got there, everything seemed so much better than a work driven Japan. The people are more relaxed. There is no stress. Everyone was equal; everyone was friendly; there are no closed doors. Life just seemed pure and straightforward, with no complications.
I finally decided that I would make this my life and live here full time,
The pure and simple thought of life soon disappeared when I came to live in Vietnam. What once seemed like a paradise turned into a learning process and at times, a nightmare.
1). Your role model becomes super important.
Everyone has an idol, role model, or idea that they follow. I know I have and still do. For you, it might be money, or it might be living your life to the fullest and enjoying everything you can. But for me, the most important thing I have learned is to focus on God. God has shown me that he can provide. My company told me that they would change me to part-time. I had been living day to day, never knowing how much I will spend or if I will have enough money to survive. Luckily God has always given me friends willing to support me, and people ready to help if need be.
I am scared about eating the food, but God has kept me safe and kept me healthy. God will provide is the most important thing I have learned, and I continue to learn it to this day.
2). Rules are more guidelines
Have you ever been to another country and realized everything is entirely different? For example, people are driving crazily. The restaurant has bugs and mice crawling around. They are completely disregarding the health regulations that the government sets before them.
In a developing country, rules are mainly guidelines and not rules. Health rules in a restaurant are usually non-existent. When a restaurant first opens, someone from the government comes to check it. It never happens again, talk about a lack of motivation for the workers. The only way they will go back is if someone gets sick and complains. There are no apparent health and safety standards. Those that are in place are guidelines, rather than actual rules.
In America or any developed country, when you drive, there are always rules that you must follow. If you do not follow the rules, you can get into trouble, whether it be a wreck or getting pulled over by the cops. I remember speeding down a highway, and the next thing I know, the police are pulling me over. I have seen people run red lights and get hit by other cars; one small error can cause a massive accident.
In Vietnam, it is the exact opposite. At first, it might seem pretty crazy, but you find out that they have their own flow of standards. Traffic lights are telling you where to go or what to do, but almost no one follows those rules. Lanes and lines are telling you where to drive, but most people ignore these. You can literally drive against oncoming traffic; you can even drive on the walkways. If you go to slow or go the wrong way, other bikes will simply flow around you, parting like the red sea.
Everyone is expecting you not to follow the rules. This might seem crazy to you, and in fact, it did for the first time I was there. I have found there are a lot of hidden rules for driving with no rules. If you would like to see my post on it, please check back as it will come soon.
I still remember the first time that I ever drove a bike. It was when my friend gave me her bike to use. I had driven a motorbike a few times, but she was still horrified. putting on a fake confident smile I told her, “I can do this”. I have done this before, but on the inside, I froze stiff, scared even to move.
At first, I was driving along a straight road. As time went on, I got more confident and began driving down streets, turning left and right. I honestly did not know where I was going, even getting lost at one point.
After a few more times, I began driving the motorbike to parties. I also went to pick up food. At times the streets were crazy. Everyone packed together so tightly I could almost feel the breath of the person beside me. Cars and bikes were going in every direction. I realized the more I drove, the more I was picking up on how traffic was flowing. I learned what to do to operate a motorbike in a third world country.
Haggling
When you walk into Walmart or in target or some store, what do you see on the labels? You see the prices. In western countries, we never have to worry about bargaining for better rates. In developing countries, it is one of the first things you have to do to survive.
I remember at first walking down the street wanting to buy some food, and they told me a price. I readily agreed only to find that someone else got the same thing for half the amount. Imagine how angry I was. I was furious and fuming.
After that, bartering scared me. I would never know if I was going to get cheated, and I had never bargained in my life. How could I do it, and what is a reasonable price?
Has this ever happened to you? Has bargaining ever frightened you?
Through trial and error, I began to learn the art of haggling and let me tell you there is a learning curve. If you would like to find tips on haggling, check back here as it will be coming soon.
I found it is okay to haggle…on EVERYTHING from clothes to food to cars and bikes. In Vietnam and India, anything goes.
I also found out that they will charge you between double to ten times what a native would actually have to pay.
Here is an example of a story of how they charged me way more than I should pay and how I bargained my way down. See what you can pick up from it.
I remember I was in the street, and bargaining for ten roses, listen to the conversation that went down.
Me: How much are these flowers?
Vendor: 100.000 dong (5 dollars)
Me: Big C (a supermarket) sells them for 50.000 dong ($2.50)
Vendor: Okay, 70.000.
Me: But Big C sells them for 50.000, I can simply go there and buy them.
Vendor: Fine 50.000
Me: But I trust Big C, and I do not trust you.
Vendor: Okay, 40.000
Me: 30.000
Vendor: Okay
I have found that I genuinely enjoy haggling and arguing over the prices. It adds a little adventure to my boring life.
For one of my friends, he hates haggling. He thinks it is a waste of time and causes a big headache. If this is you, I would recommend going to stores with fixed prices. You cannot haggle there, and you have no fear of someone ripping you off. Some of these stores include Vinmart and Big C.
But I definitely recommend going out to street vendors and haggling the price down. It will definitely add excitement to your life and open your eyes to a new culture and a new way of living.
5). Water is important
Even though water is relatively inexpensive to buy, I have learned that it is vital to save water. You never know when you will have another bottle of water again.
I have had to lug 18.5 liters up and downstairs, plus 6 liters of water about a mile down the road. It is crazy and very tiring. I am always thinking about the people in Africa that have to walk miles upon miles to have clean water.
6). Recycling is important
Everyone recycles plastic or paper to help save the trees and to help save the environment. My company in Vietnam is huge on recycling and will always try to save as much paper as they can. Sometimes they get furious at employees for throwing away paper.
My old apartment always took out my trash and separated the plastic from the real waste. I have people on bikes looking for metal or plastic to recycle. They want to earn a few extra pennies to keep them afloat for the month.
Even though this is not a third world country, in Japan, it is highly encouraged to recycle. Garbage men will come to your apartment looking for trash and recycling material. You are highly encouraged to recycle. If you do not, you have to pay extra money to have it thrown into the trash.
In Vietnam, you not only need to recycle, but you need to save electricity. You might be thinking that it is to save money, but in actuality, it is so the power will not go out, and here is why.
7). Learn to save energy
There are oodles and oodles of wires hanging from power boxes. If you look up, it just looks like a thick black cloud. Many of the cables no longer work, but no one knows where they come from or if they actually work. They do not take them down. If they need to add electricity to a house, they just add new wires to the mix, creating a jumble of cables.
Sometimes there will be too many wires requiring electricity that the power grid will go out. You learn to save your energy so as not to have the power go out or waste any unnecessary energy. I have had the power go out at least four or five times, which causes so many issues for me.
8). Do not take everything for granted
There are a few things that you might take for granted, but I am very thankful for and would not change any of it in the world. We are free. I first want to thank all the soldiers out there for defending America. I hope that the government continues to allow people to keep their amendment rights. We are free to be gay, where in Vietnam, they look down on it. Sometimes Vietnamese shun others for being gay. I do not think being gay is right, but I am not going to look down or abuse them because of it.
In Vietnam, they monitor what you say and what you write. If you say anything bad about the government or people, they can find you and punish you for it. We take our freedom for granted, thinking that it is more of an allowance. Just imagine that one day it might disappear, so enjoy it while you can.
9). Be Thankful for the pay
In America, they pay us so much more than people in a third world country. In Vietnam, they take or create whatever job they can to earn money. Restaurant and coffee shop owners pay people less than a dollar an hour. The food costs between 1 to 1.5 dollars. Workers, sometimes they make about 5 dollars a day. It is unfortunate, but many people are happy and are enjoying life, even when they make very little money.
I personally get paid a lot more and eat better food than an average person in Vietnam, which I am very thankful for.
10). People and companies will never admit they are wrong.
If you have ever worked for a dishonest company, then you know they are only interested in saving money. I know for a fact because there are so many companies like that in Vietnam. When I first started teaching, both companies would not admit that they were the wrong people. I remember the boss pulling me into the office in Hai Phong. They mentioned that they had sent people to Hai Phong to work. They expected the schools to give them two classes. It turns out that they had over hired and so they began to send other people to other centers across Vietnam. They tricked other people into quitting.
The company luckily sent me to Hanoi, where I worked full time for two weeks. They told me that I had horrible teaching skills. I have a Masters in education, so I was hoping it was not my teaching. I later find out that they had over hired, and they were letting people go. They did not want to admit that they had over-hired, so the company blamed it on the teachers.
I began to seek other employment because my part-time hours were getting less and less. The second place gave me a contract to sign. I readily signed it; about a month after signing, they realized they had made a mistake.
The mistake was that they would pay me for a full month of work, rather than what I worked. Since I had just started, I could not get the full hours promised. When they realized this, they paid me the total amount but did not tell me that I would need to make it up in the future. When I did get more hours than usual, they took those hours away to make up for the hours that they paid me for. I was livid but could do nothing because I was in Vietnam. I wanted to quit, but many of my friends told me that I should just continue to work for the company. If I leave, I will only find another company doing the same thing.
I have learned to appreciate America and what I have in America because nothing else matters. Freedom and the treatment of people are the most essential things in this world. If you do not have that, then something needs to change. And we as Americans need to appreciate what we have because we might not always have that.
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