I Wanted a Cuddle Buddy...

I saw the boy yesterday.

He took me to a market where people buy things in bulk for resale. His mom and sister were there and he introduced me. I guess because I was so easy to trust him... he began to return that trust.

At this market was a lot of "Hong Kong" fashion. I was reminded of Szeto a lot. The clothes were a bit more expensive: $9! I would have none of it! LOL!

We headed back to his place.

He told me to use his computer while he did laundry. So, there's a common theme amoung the people I visit in Vietnam. The inside of their house is disgusting. I began to appreciate my life. I walked in there was a giant cockroach. "Don't worry, it's dead." His room was as big as my room in San Jose, except he had to share it with some guy he didn't really know. They slept in the same bed together. "Is that weird?" I asked.

"No, as long as you don't move around, you stay on your side of the bed. Actually, this [full size] bed can fit 3 people!" You gotta be kidding me.

The walls were gross, the floor was gross, it made my apartment at Berkeley seem like a palace.
"This is like college living, huh?"
"Yeah! two more guys sleep outside." He was referring to the entry way of his place. "Yeah, four guys live here, rent is $48 a month" I still thought it was a rip off.

He joined me on the bed in his boxers. I asked him about his Taiwanese boyfriend and other gay things.
"SHHH!!!! If they find out, big trouble." His roommate was outside napping or using a computer. I refrained from saying any of those key words.

We played a version of text twist off thefacebook. "Help me! I want to win! And learn English!" I really sucked, but when I got the big words he got really excited. "Let's take a nap."

"Okay... do you have shorts?"
"No, but you can sleep in your underwear, there's only guys here." Okay... um...

I kept my jeans and polo on.. but after a few minutes Vietnam attacked. I stripped down and layed next to him. I was awkward. I really didn't understand what was going on. The door was left wide open. Anyone walking buy could have looked in.

I coughed.

"Are you cold?" He moved in. Wrapped his boney arms around me. I was suprisingly comforted. I managed to nap and cuddle with him under a blanet with a fan blowing in. We hit all major cuddling positions until he got hungry.

We got dressed and went for food.

===

We sat at street side coffee place and I couldn't help but ask.
"What if your roommate walked in?"
"He's only there 3 times a week and my other roommates don't come into my room."
"Is it strange that two guys are cuddling.. do straight guys cuddle?"
"I don't know.. I don't make it my business.... I don't concern myself with other people's stuff"
"I guess, I'm just inquisitive."
"That's no good... why live your life asking so many questions? Can't you just be happy not knowing?"
"I guess, but I like to know"
"You're like my friend... thinking all the time... it's no good."

===

"People who concern themselves with looking for love are doing it all wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"To me... you just need good friends. And if you fall in love with one of your good friends, that's better."
"I agree."
"I don't want to love because eventually you break up." For some reason, i didn't argue with him. "I'd rather love a girl anyway. I don't want to love a guy." Apparently he had a choice.
"Why's that?"
"I don't know..."

I sipped my coffee and stopped thinking too much.

===

"I love this coffee shop" it wasn't really a shop, it was a sidewalk and some woman handed us coffee while we sat on plastic chairs made for children. The kind sold at Ranch99.
"yeah, it's cool"
"you can just look into the street and look at the cars pass by. It's not too busy. And look at the trees, they're beauitful."
"I guess so." Earlier, I just saw a dirty road, but he was right. In the shop next to us, people were doing oil painting. Redoing famous pieces of art. The boy was more interested in the people driving by.

==

He dropped me home. "Have a good night."
"Thank you"
"of course!" he was goofey.

I wanted a cuddle buddy... I got a life lesson.

Why is Saddness Beatuiful?

As I was drinking coffee on the street this lady approached me to sell a lotto ticket.

Everyday that I've been here, I've been approached to buy a ticket and every time I reply "I'm not going to buy it." The people who approach me are different. They are old, young, disabled. But they are all the same: poor, desperate.

These tickets are 5,000 dong. 33cents, but I've become numb to each plea. I've been numb for a while. My mom warned me to watch my soft heart, but I didn't realize how stiff my emotions have become.

This women instead of saying, "please buy... sir.. please buy." She said, "it's my last two... please." My friend gave her money and she cracked a smile. I debated if she was lying. Lying like the people on the streets of Berkeley saying they need bus fare.

But she wasn't. She finished her task and asked to use my phone. "I need to call my husband to pick me up. Can you dial for me, I don't know how to use it." I agreed and handed her the phone. I prepared myself to JUMP her if she ran with my electronic. "Hi honey, can you pick me up?" She was sweet. She handed me the phone and thanked me. She sat on the curb and waited.

"You're a good person," responded my friend.

I took this picture.

Look at her eyes. What is she thinking about? Look at her saddness. Look how beautiful she is.... this emotion could not be replicated. This is raw... human... powerful.

Popping Class

I'm going to try to take more videos.



I'm in the beginning class. We are learning how to do the arm wave.

The class next to us, the intermediate class, is learning the robot walk.



Fucking awesome.





The class next door was learning, "back up dancer hip hop" which basically is... bad hip hop. They were doing the macarena.



What else can I learn for 6 bucks? Guitar lessons? Martial Arts?

Endless opportunities!

Vietnam is Not the Shit Hole You Think it Is

I'm in the city of Saigon.




Like being in downtown San Francisco vs. being in the suburbs of San Jose, there are different parts of the city. A lot of poor, a lot of rich.





Yesterday i went to the more wealthy area. These homes would put the apartments above Santana Row to shame. I stand corrected, not all street facing houses have stores.





If you don't have WiFi, you have a nice internet cafe! Ooo new Dell Computers!

My grandpa's younger brother told me that if my grandma had kept her house in Saigon, she would be very wealthy because it was in a corner house where the Honda store is. :[

My cousin got a Chinese Dress made for 12 bucks? yay Child labor!!


I give it 3 washes before it rips.

Gotta Keep Moving

Differentiate
My Expat Cousin: has being doing business in Vietnam for one year. Originally from Texas.
My Local Cousins: Know only Vietnam. Are whom I'm staying with.

Living Conditions
Living with my local cousin has taken a toll on my body. I have more than 30 mosquito/ant bites on my legs. I always feel sticky. There is no privacy. I've resorted to escaping to an expensive coffee shop down the street for the day and it's the best decision of my life!

View from the large chain coffee shop: Trung Nguyen
Airconditioning... this is fantastic.

Work Begins Soon
What to do!

Going to the Beach is Different
Going to the beach in Vietnam is expensive: $50.
-Rent a car because it's a 2 hour drive
-Buy expensive sea food because that's all they have
-Rent a space because it's not a public beach, you can't just sit anywhere

I guess I am spoiled by California beaches.

3 Dollars is Expensive

Everything is 3 dollars at the nightmarket, but apparently that's still too high.

They have everything... but they're all fake, very old or irregular

Raybans
Gucci
Abercrombie

Stylish belts, sunglasses, collared shirts, watches... everything.

All of it... 3 dollars is the magic number.
They look good, but with a couple of washes/uses.. they go into the trash.

==

Bargaining is engrained in the culture, but like the shoppers, the merchants are sick of it too.
"Can you lower it? How about such and such price?" Is a common tactic. They say no, you walk away, they call you back. Oh, but they figured it out.

"I'm sorry, that's the correct price." This is a new statement that I've heard from the merchants. So many people shop that one lost customer is no skin off their back. They work together so that the prices are maintained and now the shopper who leaves the tent comes out with nothing.

Interesting.
==

I asked for a price of a ring, "30,000!" Which is two bucks, my local cousin (who bargains for me)asked for 20,000. The merchant replied, 28,000 and i pulled out my wallet and paid. My local cousin started to yell at me. "Why did you pay when we didn't agree to the price?!"
"Uhhhh.. what?"
"Next time don't be so eager! You suck! You can buy two of those rings at a book store for 25,000 total! Idiot!"

Sigh... I thought 2 dollars for a ring was good... i guess not when you can buy a pair of jeans for 4 dollars.

Gah!

==

Then i realized that Szeto and Mony would be worse. A lot of the stores BLED Szeto fashion and Mony would just throw his money around.

HAH!

==

I'm now book keeping. I spent 50 bucks in three days and I don't know how when everything is 3 dollars.

Why Vietnam Fits Letopho

1. Food never goes to waste
2. Compared to everyone else, I am now a good driver
3. The whole city is like shopping at the dollar store
4. A "Vietnamese" haircut is now a GOOD haircut
5. I can stare at boys all day with out fear of being beat up because everyone else is staring too!