men with long nails, girls peeing in front of stores.

I was sick, as I wrote, and ended up having to go to the hospital, It was a cultural experience, though, that may have made up for the others (don’t get me wrong, I would have definitely preferred not to have gone). Ruby insisted that I go, so we hopped onto her motorbike and headed over. Beforehand she warned me that they might try to make me buy medicines I don’t need and we might have to pay bribes to see the doctor—we didn’t have to pay a bribe, as far as I understood, but we did convince them to see me because I was from a group of American students, two of whom are interning at the hospital. Thankfully I got a bed in the back of some waiting room/office area, away from the real emergency room. Like any hospital the emergency room was filled with emergency cases, but unlike in America (or any hospitals I’ve been to there) everything was out in the open, with blood and pain and everything. So I was thus thankful to be in my own little corner. After I saw the doctor and he examined my stomach, they drew a little blood and put me on an IV. There was a serious lack of communication. The nurses didn’t know how to work the IV because for both the flow was incredibly slow and a few hours later the doctor would check it, tsk tsk the nurses and turn it much faster, so that it would run down in an hour instead of twenty four. At one point a few hours into the experience the nurse came in and told me she needed to take a liter of blood, and naturally I was like why the f do they need a liter of blood, they already took blood twice. But somehow that got forgotten and then the nurse came in with a mysterious white pill which when asked she didn’t know the purpose for and went to ask the doctor. Finally I was let out after getting my blood results back, which said I had normal results but may have a minor infection in my stomach or intestines. They gave me a prescription for antibiotics, as I assumed they would, and I went on my sick but merry way back to the dorm where I watched Pride and Prejudice for the second time and fell asleep. The next day, Friday, I continued having stomach pains and occasional dizziness but was able to go to photo class by Hoan Kiem lake to take pictures of the “urban ghosts.” Saturday I still had mild stomach pains after eating but I had an appetite and rewarded it with a delicious burrito. Thankfully I am feeling much better and hope to be able to finally start getting into some sort of normal routine in the upcoming week, which I was unable to start while sick.


Now that we’ve been touring all around Vietnam (Saigon, Mekong Delta, Central Region, Hanoi) there are some behaviors I’ve seen take place in all parts of the country that I find to be interesting, and some disgusting. First off is the one I noticed right off the bat: the woman who covers herself from head to toe, most commonly with special socks, pants, shirts/jackets, gloves, face mask and sometimes head scarf, so as to remain pale. This is of course interesting to an American girl who grew up with the image of tan skin as beautiful, and who until just recently was somewhat insecure of her very white skin. I also find the dynamic between men and women interesting— I tend to only see couples at the parks, where they can hide in the shadows and make out. I’ve also seen men with long nails (which I find rather disgusting) and was informed that this is a sign of class in that you don’t have to do manual labor and thus your nails can be long. It’s so weird to have a male waiter who will lean up against the wall and pass the time by cleaning and picking at his nails. The last thing I have seen, which at times can be shocking, are people openly peeing in the streets. I find this just gross, because then people step in it and track it everywhere at it also just adds even more smell to the place. But also, how can the Vietnamese, who seem so conservative about showing cleavage and about male/female relations, just openly pull down their pants to pee? In the middle of the day, in the middle of a busy street, in front of a store!? I’ve seen grown office men, little naked boys, semi-clothed teenage girls, but not adult women thus far. I may faint when I see that.