Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word…I beg to Differ, Mr. John. Goodbye is the Hardest Word!

As I entered the final week of my three-week stay in Vietnam, I still had a myriad of tasks and responsibilities weighing on my mind but I did start to think about my final days and the trip home. Remember, I was about a 3.5 hour trip away from Ho Chi Minh City. So I needed to start planning how I was going to get back to Ho Chi Minh City. Also, since I had an early (8:10 am) flight on Saturday and would need at least 3 hours to make sure I got checked in and made it to my departure gate, I wanted to return to Ho Chi Minh City on Friday and then locate a hotel close to the airport to stay the night prior to my departure the following day. I brought this up with Ms. Chau to make sure that I had a plan in place as the week came to a close and she allayed my concerns with a proposed idea and schedule.

It turned out that several classes from the high school would be making a field trip to Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, October 12 to attend an EducationUSA Fair, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The EducationUSA Fair is a venue that provides local students with information regarding the process and paperwork involved in pursuing opportunities to study at U.S. academic institutions. In addition, students would also learn about visa requirements and scholarship opportunities as well as be able to speak to representatives from U.S. colleges and universities who were onsite at tables with literature and information regarding their home institution. The plan was for me to travel with the students to Ho Chi Minh City and attend the EducationUSA Fair with them and then, at the end of the day as the students would prepare to return home, I would instead go to a hotel in preparation for my flight the next day. Perfect!

Now, to find a hotel close to the airport with reasonable rates. I searched online for such a hotel and found the Bao Minh Hotel.

You are probably looking at the confirmation notice with eyes bugged and mouth open. A hotel room for over 500,000 dollars? Yes, but in Vietnamese dollars which translates to $21.23 in U.S. currency. This is probably as equally as shocking – to find a hotel room close to a major airport for just over $20.00 but it was and a decent hotel to boot. With the plan in place and the hotel room booked, my attention was focused on packing and making sure that I did not forget anything.

            Friday, October 12 came upon me and I could tell that it was going to be a very busy day. The buses would depart the high school at 5:00 am so I got up at 2:30 am to make sure I had time to get ready, clean the room, throw away any trash and of course to make sure I had my suitcase packed without leaving anything important behind. I was probably ready by 4:00 am which was good because it gave me a little time to relax and to go over things once or twice more. At about 4:45 am, there was a knock at the door with two students who were on their way to the bus and asked me if I needed any help. What a pleasant surprise! They took my main suitcase and rolled it for me as I went with them with my remaining baggage – a backpack. As we approached the front entrance to the school, I could see other students and teachers starting to congregate around the two charter buses that were waiting to take us to Ho Chi Minh City. I hopped onto one of the buses and then as the bus filled with the students and teachers that would be riding on that bus, I wanted to document the momentous occasion with a selfie. Surprisingly, everyone looks wide awake!

It wasn’t long after that the bus drivers shut the doors and we were on our way to Ho Chi Minh City. Being able to sit back in a seat and enjoy the landscape via bus is a relaxing way to travel. The only thing I had to worry about is having my camera ready to take photos of something I found interesting. We were on the road probably about an hour to an hour and a half when we stopped for breakfast. It was a chance to stretch, use the restroom, and sit down for breakfast. Because it was going to be a couple of hours before we made it Ho Chi Minh City and a stop for lunch, I also got a drink to go.

As we finished our meal and everyone got a chance to walk around before getting back on the bus, I had noticed a steer (not a real one, but a life-sized one nonetheless). Ms. Chau had offered to take a picture of me next to the steer. 

We got back on the bus and settled in for the remainder of the trip. It was approximately another 2 hours before we made it to Ho Chi Minh City. The plan was to head to a local mall near the location of the EducationUSA Fair. The EducationUSA Fair was slated to begin in the afternoon which gave the students and teachers some time to walk the mall, window shop, and grab lunch. Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam (next to Hanoi in northern Vietnam) with a population of approximately 8.5 million. In my limited time in Ho Chi Minh City which occurred at the beginning of my trip, I found Ho Chi Minh City to be very modern in many aspects. I have seen malls, and been in some very impressive ones, among them the Galleria in Dallas. But, nothing prepared me for what I would see when I entered the Van Hanh Mall.

The Van Hanh Mall has everything – well pretty much everything. As you can see from the collage above, the mall had eight levels with over 200 shops and plenty of parking space. Once we entered the mall, everybody left in groups to begin their own shopping expeditions. I was with Ms. Chau, her son, Bui Huu Nhan, and Ms. Van as we set off to explore the shops. One place that we spent a lot of time in was the Phuong Nam Book City bookstore. As you can see from the photo collage below, it was very unique and engaging. I did find it interesting from a cultural perspective that Halloween was celebrated in Vietnam! 

After we left the bookstore, we did more browsing and then began the tough decision of finding a place to eat. After going through the various types of cuisine available from restaurants in the mall, we decided on a seafood restaurant, Chang Kang Kung. The tables at the restaurant have a rounded fixture that uses a unique application of steam to cook the various dishes and vegetables.

During our time in the mall, I had a chance to talk with several of the students on the field trip and take a couple of photos. 

It was time to start heading to the bus and to the venue that we were there for in the first place – the EducationUSA Fair.

The EducationUSA Fair represents an important opportunity for high school students to learn about the process and all logistical and procedural aspects of continuing their academic studies at institutions in the United States. The Fair was presented at the Nikko Hotel Saigon, a hotel fairly close to the Van Hanh Mall that we had just visited. We all arrived, checked in at the registration booth and found our way to the first slated item on the agenda – the opening session. Following the informative session conducted by representatives from the U.S. Consulate, everyone then moved to a rather large area with rows and rows of tables – each table staffed with representatives from various colleges and universities in the United States. Interestingly enough, one of the universities present at the Fair was the University of Texas at Arlington, which is, as they say in Texas, “in my neck of the woods” and I have had former students attend there as well. The room was jam-packed with students and parents traveling from table to table, collecting brochures and speaking to the representatives from that institution. 

After several hours of hearing the speakers and gathering information from the various U.S. colleges and universities, it was time for the students to start making their way to the bus and head home. Remember, they had a 3 – 4 hour trip back to Cao Lanh awaiting them. It finally hit me that this was the end of my time as a Fulbright teacher in Vietnam. I had to say goodbye to the teachers and particularly the students who were very warm, friendly and opened their hearts and minds to an American teacher. I did just that. I responded with words to the entire group of students that conveyed my thoughts and feelings and ended with a simple goodbye. It was then time for one last group photo.

After the picture, it was time to go our separate ways. As I mentioned in the blog entry on Vietnamese cuisine, one of the teachers, Bui Huu Nhan, resided in Ho Chi Minh City and he had planned to stay over the weekend before he would return to Cao Lanh on Sunday. I touched base with Mr. Bui and he accompanied me to the bus to get my belongings. As I stepped off the bus with my luggage, one of the students came up to me and asked if they could present me with a special gift. So, as I approached the students, they told me that they had prepared a special song that they wanted to sing for me. I then immediately pulled out my cell phone so that I could record them singing the song.

 To see the video of their song to me, click here.

I did not have a clue as to the song that they had prepared for me. My first thought was that it would be a traditional Vietnamese song. But the first words that I heard were English. The entire song was in English which they sang very well. In fact, as they sang the song, I knew it sounded familiar but did not know the name of the song or the name of the singer. Part of the lyrics below were what they sang:

It’s been a long day without you, my friend.

And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.

We’ve come a long way from where we began.

Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.

When I see you again”

I later googled (yep, I am using the verb form of Google) the lyrics of the song that they were singing and discovered that the name of the song was See You Again by Wiz Khalifa. The words and the chosen song were very touching to me and I was taken by their performance. Everything was going fine for me until midway through the song. For some reason, at that point, the emotional impact of this final gift was beginning to sink in and a tear began to form in my eye. I thought, Oh, no. I have to keep my composure. Please, no crying! But it was all good because I was hiding behind my phone as I was recording the song and also I was about 10 feet away from them. The song ended and I was able to inconspicuously wipe my eyes and it was all good. 
            As you can see at the end of the video, one of the students grabbed two items and approached me with her classmates to present them to me as gifts. They gave me one of their class shirts (the light green shirts) which they had all signed, and a traditional Vietnamese palm-leaf conical hat (Non La). This was very touching and all of their gifts meant a lot to me. But I was still fine and composed – I made it through with no additional tears. I turned around to retrieve my bags and head toward the car when one of the students asked me for one last picture. That was it – I basically broke down, being overcome with emotion. 

They all approached me and tried to comfort me. This gives you an idea as to how much these kids and the experience in general impacted me. It must have been quite a scene as hotel personnel came out into the parking lot to see what the problem was and to make sure everything was OK. It took me several minutes to regain my composure and, afterwards, posed with the students for that last picture.

After we said our final goodbyes, I left with Mr, Bui in a taxi who first dropped me off by my hotel and then took Mr. Bui to his residence. He returned later that evening on his motorbike for one last dinner in Vietnam at Dau Homemade restaurant. 

Although I described the meal in detail in the blog entry on Vietnamese cuisine, the following collage serve as a reminder of the meal with a special teacher and good friend. After the meal, Mr. Bui dropped me back off at my hotel to retire for the evening because the next day would be a long one.

As I noted earlier, I was scheduled to leave Vietnam on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City at 8:10 am en route to Tokyo, Japan and would then board a second flight in Tokyo for my trip to Dallas/Fort Worth. Because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get my baggage checked, pass through security and get to my departure gate, I was awake very early and arrived at the airport at about 5:00 am. I will not bore you with the details but it was a long day with approximately 20 hours spent on a plane and several additional hours sitting in airport terminals. Once I arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth, the lines to get through passport control seemed to stretch for miles. But there were many kiosks to accommodate the many passengers that just landed from foreign destinations and I made it through the entire process within two hours.

It felt strange and, at times, overwhelming as I returned to the classroom at Richardson High School and my students. I was asked questions by a number of students and teachers about my time in Vietnam and my response was almost automatic and consistent. It was life changing. The following month, I was honored to be recognized by the Richardson Independent School District School Board for being named as a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher.

Being named as a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher with an assignment to travel to Vietnam was truly – and yes, I will say it again – a life-changing experience. As a teacher, it provided me not only with a global perspective of education, but also opportunities to share my curricular knowledge of physics with my physics teacher colleagues, instructional strategies for teachers to present student-centered lessons, activities, and projects, as well as technological applications for students to conceptualize and comprehend physics content taught in class. 

As I have had time to reflect on my time in Vietnam, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the faculty and administration of Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School. I would like to thank you for your willingness to take me in as part of your faculty and treat me like a member of the family; greeting me with smiles and hugs every day and every time we met, inviting me into your homes and sitting at the table with me as we enjoyed meals, and engaging in conversations which allowed me to learn a wealth of information about Vietnamese culture; giving up valued family time in the evenings and weekends to show me the local sights and landmarks in Vietnam; and allowing me to meet, teach, and interact with your students - an extraordinary group of young men and women who possess an enormous amount of potential and promise as they pursue their career goals. I will keep each of you in my heart and in my mind, and will always remember fondly the lasting memories and friendships developed during my time spent in Vietnam. I wish each of you the best in all of your future endeavors.

Disclaimer: The blog, "Dr. H's Fulbright Experience", is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed in this blog are entirely those of George Hademenos and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.

(Baby You Can) Drive My Car…In Vietnam, it’s more like Drive My Motorbike

As you have probably surmised from my blog posts, I was always on the go, transported from Point A to Point B, typically by motorbike. Motorbikes represent a very common mode of transportation in Vietnam and are not easily overlooked, especially in the larger cities.

This is not to say that there are no cars, buses, or vans; there are such vehicles on the road in Vietnam and I did rely on these vehicles at some point during my stay but the clear majority of vehicles on the road are motorbikes. Just to give you an idea of what it looks like on the streets, take a look at the following photos.

If you are wondering why motorbikes are so prevalent in Vietnam, the rationale is actually logical and straightforward. From an economic perspective, cars are much more expensive to purchase and maintain than a motorbike. In fact, most families will invest in two to three motorbikes per household which is still much cheaper than a single car. From a practical perspective, motorbikes are easier to navigate through traffic, can transport multiple passengers and sometimes entire families as well as groceries/cargo, and are easier to park/store (many Vietnamese often keep their motorbikes inside their house).

Although I had observed the prevalence of motorbikes from the moment I landed in Vietnam, the importance of the motorbike didn’t register until my first day at the school. During my first day activities, I was invited to accompany classes of students on a field trip to a historical site in the city. Wanting to absorb as much as I could of Vietnamese culture, I immediately agreed and was told to meet the classes in front of the school later that afternoon. About 10 minutes before the scheduled time of departure, I made my way toward the front of the campus. As I got closer, there was something that I saw (or I should say didn’t see) that struck me as odd. I was looking for a school bus (which is rather large and tends to stick out) but I didn’t see one. I thought that perhaps the bus was parked along the side of the school and it was hidden from view. When I got to the front of the school gates, it would turn out that there would be no bus. The students were all on motorbikes and would drive themselves to the field trip destination. I was stunned to say the least, coming from a school environment that requires a significant amount of preparation, safety precautions, and paperwork for approval to transport students to a field trip destination. Everyone proceeded as a group to the destination on their individual motorbikes and all made it safely but the experience nonetheless drew a stark comparison between the schools of Vietnam and the United States and field trip procedures.

During our many conversations involving Vietnamese culture, Mr. Linh had informed me that there were basically two requirements for operating a motorbike: (1) the operator must be at least 16 years of age; and (2) the driver and all passengers must wear a helmet. I also believe that there was a limit to three passengers on a motorbike although I was not sure if this applied to passengers who were young children or babies. Of course, there is a distinction between a motorbike, a moped, and a bicycle which of course I do not believe there was an age limit (although any kids less than 12 years old willing to ride a bicycle on a major thoroughfare in Vietnam would merit a badge of valor). 

That said, there were no other rules (at least as far as I could tell) regarding rules of the road. It seemed to be “first come, first served,” enter at your own risk type of rules for motorbike operators. For the record, I can say honestly that I was never scared or worried about the abilities of the driver that I was riding along with. Each driver always made sure that I had a helmet on and operated the vehicle safely. Of course, being a physics teacher, I was always thinking about Newton’s Laws of Motion, kinetic energy, and the Law of the Conservation of Linear Momentum but again, for the entire three weeks I was in Vietnam and the numerous times I was on the back of a motorbike, nothing ever happened. In fact, it was exhilarating to just sit back and enjoy the view and scenery from the back seat. The prevalence of motorbikes on the streets of Vietnam will definitely rank as one of my most memorable observations.   

Coming Up Next: There is so much to describe and explain from this wonderful opportunity that was afforded me by the Fulbright Award but I also recognize the need bring the blog to an end. In that light, I have worked to combine and condense many of my observations and am now prepared to compose my final blog entry. It will be time for me to reflect on my last days in Vietnam and my long-lasting memories that I will hold for years to come.

Disclaimer: The blog, "Dr. H's Fulbright Experience", is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed in this blog are entirely those of George Hademenos and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.

You’re the Cream in my Coffee…In Fact, Make it a Coffee with Milk and Ice

In the previous blog entry, you were introduced to the people who made my visit to Vietnam a memorable one. However, the shared moments with these individuals often involved conversations and discussions over meals. Food and drink were the common denominators in the majority of my shared experiences whether it be at a coffee shop, in the school cafeteria, at a roadside eatery or a formal restaurant. In this blog entry, I would like to share with you the various types of Vietnamese food and drink that I had the pleasure to experience.

At every (or I should say most) meals, I made an effort to take pictures of my meal before I dug in, as I am doing in the photo below.

I wish I could tell you that I also knew the names of each of these food items and dishes. I am sorry to disappoint you but I don’t. It was not for the lack of inquiring about their names – I did. Every time I sat down to eat, my hosts, regardless of who dined with me and for the meal that sat before us, always took the time to teach me the words of the food/dishes on the table and I would, in turn, promptly recite them. But I wasn’t sure of the proper spelling and I didn’t want to incorrectly identify food items so I will include pictures of these dishes and labels/names where I can but will not try to identify the items unless I am definitely sure. If readers can identify one or more of the food items or dishes presented in the entry and would be so inclined, I would like to invite them to provide the correct spelling and pronunciation in the comment section to make this blog entry a truly educational one. I created a slideshow video of all of the various types of Vietnamese cuisine that I enjoyed during my three week visit and so, with my plate in hand, let’s dig in.

Testing (well, actually Tasting) the Waters

When I first found out that I would be traveling to Vietnam, there were many questions swirling around in my head like where do I begin with the visa process, how much Vietnamese currency would I need for my expenses, what clothes should I pack, how many cameras/flash drives should I take with me, and do I have the proper electric adapters. Some of these things were placed on the back burner and yet others consumed my attention. But probably the questions that ranked highest on the list was about food – what would I be eating and how would it taste. After all, I doubted that there would not be a Whataburger or Pizza Hut where I could make routine stops to grab a bite. So, I wanted to try a Vietnamese dish before I left. Now there are quite a few restaurants featuring Vietnamese cuisine but my opportunity would come on a summer visit to my hometown, San Angelo, a city in West Texas. My wife, daughter and I were in a hotel room for a couple of days and on one afternoon, discussed where to get lunch. Knowing that I had wanted to eat a Vietnamese meal before I departed for Vietnam, my daughter suggested a sandwich shop, Which Wich, located very close to the hotel. She told me about a Vietnamese sandwich which she had tried before at the sandwich shop called, Bahn Mi, sandwich with pulled pork on a baguette. I looked it up online and I was sold.

A Banh Mi is what it would be for lunch. We walked to the Which Wich shop and I placed my order. 

About 10 minutes later, I received my order and returned back to the hotel room. 

It was really good! The Bahn Mi sandwich was now one of my favorites. I couldn’t wait to try a Bahn Mi sandwich in Vietnam which wouldn’t be that long. On our way to my first roadtrip to Sa Dec on September 29, 2018, we had gotten started rather early and did not have time to stop for a sit down breakfast. The driver pulled over on the side of the road by a food kiosk which offered…you guessed it…Bahn Mi sandwiches.

What a great way to start the day!

My First Meal in Vietnam

The flight to Vietnam, as I detailed in an earlier blog, was a long one that involved many hours either on an airplane or in an airport terminal. Meals typically consisted of fast food meals in the terminal or inflight meals. On my flight to Ho Chi Minh City, I was tired, so tired in fact that I slept rather than ate. The flight got into Ho Chi Minh City very late on Saturday, September 22 and by the time I passed through passport control, customs, retrieved my luggage (of course, my luggage was one of the very last pieces of luggage to make its way around the baggage carousel), made it to the hotel, checked in and made it to my room, it was approximately 1:30 am. I was hungry but again, it was 1:30 am. Thankfully, the hotel would have breakfast starting at 7:00 am so it was off to bed. Morning came incredibly fast and now I was really hungry. I could not wait to get down to the lobby and the hotel restaurant where they had a breakfast buffet. As I made my way around the various dishes, I piled up my plate and found a seat.

So, what exactly is on the plate? You’re in luck as I took a picture of most of the labels in front of the serving trays. On the plate is: fried Vietnamese penne with seafood, fried fish paste with lemongrass flavor, sautéed fillet fish with capsicum sauce, seafood spring rolls, fried rice, steamed rice, and custard on the side. It was all very good and in fact was followed by a second plate. It was just what I needed!

Newest Iron Chef?...Ehhh, maybe not!

            As I described in the previous blog entry, I was invited to spend one morning with the family of my sponsor, Ngocchau Nguyen, which began with breakfast at a local eatery and ended with an afternoon at her home for lunch with the family. It was a great way to truly appreciate the Vietnamese culture, particularly the food, by taking part in an authentic, home-cooked meal. As we entered the house and got comfortable, Ms. Chau took me on a tour of the house, which of course included the kitchen.

She pointed out that one of the items being prepared for lunch was spring rolls and asked if I would like to make one. “Yes,” I said, “but I am not sure how.” She then proceeded to show me how to make one, giving me a chance to photograph the major steps in the process, starting in the upper left hand corner with the placement of the ingredients in the roll wrapper and ending in the lower left hand corner with the final product. 

It was now my turn to make a spring roll. So, how did I do? Well, take a look and judge for yourself!

After my success of making a spring roll, I left the job of making the rest of the spring rolls to the professionals in the kitchen. This is what the final dish looked like, an important part of an incredible lunch spread. 

Best Way to Start the Day!

I will be the first to admit it. I am a coffee drinker. My morning does not officially begin until I have had a cup of coffee. So, naturally, when I got to Vietnam and first sat down for breakfast, the first word out of my mouth was coffee. When asked if I would like milk with my coffee, I replied, “Yes, please.”  Several minutes later, this is what was placed before me.

A metal container is positioned on a metal plate that in turn is balanced on a glass. Already inside the glass is the milk (condensed milk). Inside the metal container is Vietnamese coffee and hot water which was poured and allowed to settle prior to bringing it to me.

It takes about 5 minutes for the water to seep from the coffee and through small holes at the bottom of the container as well as equally small holes through the portion of the metal plate.

Once it has allowed to filter through the container and the plate, the coffee creates a layer above the milk. 

The coffee and milk are stirred together with the mixture then poured into the glass of ice.

This is it…my favorite drink while I was in Vietnam. I almost always ordered milk coffee with ice at breakfast and sometimes in the evening after dinner. It was no secret that Vietnamese milk coffee was my favorite so it should come as no surprise that, at my going away celebration on Wednesday, October 10, I was presented a “Coffee Kit” with two bags of Vietnamese coffee as one of my gifts. Of course, once I got home, I was ready to try it out.

Since it is hard to see inside the mug, here is another view of my first attempt at Vietnamese coffee.

Other ways to Quench my Thirst

            I know that this blog entry is primarily about food but, let’s face it, we all get thirsty as well and drinks play an important part of cuisine. In fact, in the previous section of this entry, I devoted space to talk about coffee. Through the course of my time in Vietnam, I had the opportunity to take part of several types of drinks such as water, fruit juices, and tea (iced and hot). But there were two drinks that I wanted to mention in this section. The first drink is Boba (Bubble) Milk Tea. Although there are specialty shops in the U.S. that sell Boba Milk Tea, I had never had the chance to enjoy this beverage until I was in Vietnam. When I drank my first Milk Tea, you could not help but notice the “bubbles” at the bottom of the drink. These bubbles are chewy balls made out of tapioca.

            On one afternoon on October 10, I was talking with Ms. Truc as I was on my way to my room when we stopped by the Can Tin for a drink. She suggested a milk tea, which I agreed sounded good. As the milk tea was being made, I took photos of each step in the process, displayed in the collage below. The drink begins with the three ingredients shown in the top left of the collage and combined individually into a cup as noted along the far left hand side. The milk is poured into the cup as a final step, resulting in my Boba Milk Tea.

As I was discussing the drink with Ms. Truc, she was telling me that each milk tea has the tapioca balls and two clear gummy bears, shown above as the transparent ingredient. I scooped one of the gummy bears from the bottom of the drink and took a close-up photo of the gummy bear.

            I also wanted to mention another drink that I had a chance to enjoy during my time in Vietnam. It was during my first full week in Vietnam on September 25 when Mr. Linh invited me to go out for an evening coffee. I readily agreed as I always enjoyed having a chance to speak with Mr. Linh and continue to learn about Vietnamese culture. So, we arrived at the coffee house, got seated and a waitress came to take our order. Mr. Linh had placed our order and several minutes later, the waitress arrived with the drink shown in the photo below.

My first thought was…A green smoothie? Maybe it’s a lime smoothie. Wait, a lime smoothie? I couldn’t think of what other green food could be the source of the smoothie. There is no way this could be a...a…a…broccoli smoothie? Could it? Oh well, I am willing to try almost anything so I picked it up and I took a sip. It wasn’t that bad! I took another sip and yet another. I wasn’t sure what I was drinking but it actually tasted pretty good. About half way into my drink, Mr. Linh asked me what I thought of the drink. I responded, “Not bad. I like it.” He then proceeded to tell me that I was drinking a Vietnamese Avocado Shake (in Vietnamese, it is called Sinh To Bo). Avocado? I would have never guessed the green color was due to avocados. Frankly, I prefer my avocados in guacamole but this was definitely a unique taste and a more unique experience!

My Last Meal in Vietnam, My First Meal in Texas

In keeping with the theme of this blog entry, I thought I would wrap up my discussion with two important meals – my last meal in Vietnam and my first meal upon my return to Texas. I will be describing my last day in Vietnam in more detail in the next blog entry but suffice it to say, I did have a special meal to wrap up my visit to Vietnam. The majority of my last day (Friday, October 12) was spent in Ho Chi Minh City, as I prepared to depart Vietnam for my trip back home. I spent the majority of the day at a College Education Fair in Ho Chi Minh City with students and teachers from the high school. As the day winded down and the students and teachers loaded the bus for their return trip back to Cao Lanh and the high school, I was to spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City. A teacher from Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School, Bui Huu Nhan, who had accompanied everyone to Ho Chi Minh City was going to remain there for a couple of days at his house. He was from Ho Chi Minh City. So we left in a taxi from the Fair to first drop me off by my hotel and then about an hour or so later, he would return on his motorbike to pick me up and take me to dinner. We went to a restaurant called Dau Homemade, which interestingly enough, specialized in dishes from Northern Vietnam. 

I enjoyed the food very much as well as getting a chance to speak to Mr. Bui. It was a great way to wrap up my visit in Vietnam. 

            The next day, I got up rather early to make it to the airport for an 8:10 am flight to Tokyo to begin my trip home. My mind was focused on getting checked in for the flight, making sure my baggage was tagged properly, that I got through security, and finally that I located my gate of departure. All of these tasks went smoothly and I found myself at the correct gate waiting for the boarding call. As I sat there, my mind became focused on something else that was equally as important – what my first meal would be upon my return to Texas. This was a question that weighed heavily on my mind and became too much for me to decide on my own. So I reached out for assistance…on Facebook.

I asked my Facebook friends to help me make this critical decision and answer the question – Where should I eat my first meal – Whataburger or Dairy Queen? I did not take a poll but the upshot of the request for assistance turned out to be unhelpful. My Facebook friends responded with Both. Ugh, what was I to do?

It was a long ‒ no make that, very long ‒ flight and as I made it home and got unpacked, it was early evening, around dinnertime. And yes, I was very hungry. After hours of uncertainty and indecision, I just got in the car and drove to…Dairy Queen.

Yep, my first meal upon my return to Texas was Dairy Queen. (I apologize for my messy desk and probably should have cleaned up but, again I was hungry.) So, you are probably wondering what factored in my decision to go to Dairy Queen. Was it truly spontaneous? It’s funny you should ask that question because, as we all arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for the Education Fair, we went to a local shopping mall to eat lunch, shop, and browse. As I made my way up an escalator at the mall, this caught my eye and had to take a photo.

This was just a random occurrence and did not factor into my decision to eat at Dairy Queen. Or did it?

Coming Up Next: Traveling to a new place and especially a new country is only as exciting as having a way to get around town. There were many ways to get from Point A to Point B in Vietnam just like there are in Texas with one exception…one major exception. 

Disclaimer: The blog, "Dr. H's Fulbright Experience", is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed in this blog are entirely those of George Hademenos and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.