Straight Chillin', YOLO, and Late Night Tours

This morning we decided to wake up early and hit the gym. Eric, Elliott, Jackie, and I went to a small, sweltering hot room. It was easily above 80 degrees. I did some small workouts but I could not do anything more because it was so unbelievably hot. I ran a little bit more than a mile and I was so lightheaded and sweaty. We took a dip in the pool and then got ready for the day.

 VSIP or Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park is something that the United States does not have. It’s a giant self-sufficient area that services businesses and industries looking to move to Vietnam. It offers everything that a business needs to operate. There are four industrial parks throughout Vietnam that host a bunch of countries from all across the globe. After a presentation from a marketing employee there we headed to II-VI, an engineering company based in Pittsburgh. The tour was pretty cool! We got to see how the company operated and how the made all of their products. The guide was also very informative and I felt like I was able to relate to him. He not only explained the workings of the company but he also elaborated on how being based in Vietnam affects their business and how they deal with it.

 After more much needed relaxation, we were picked up by our friends from UEF and brought to Barbeque Garden. It was definitely the best food I’ve had so far although I’m pretty sure the place was meant for foreigners and tourists. I learned so many phrases when Alex and I were talking to the UEF kids sitting near us, it was awesome! Although I’m pretty sure I will have forgotten them all by tomorrow sadly.  

Once we finished dinner, our new friends took us walking around some parts of Ho Chi Minh. They took us to the Notre Dame Cathedral and a big mall in Vietnam (can’t remember the name). The Notre Dame Cathedral was very pretty. I learned a lot about life in Vietnam when I was talking with My. I thought Vietnam would be completely different than the US but actually it is quite similar. We walked back to the hotel and crashed almost immediately after a long and busy day.  

Before I go I wanna point out something that we've been noticing. The Vietnamese have a habit of relaxing and "chilling" almost everywhere. There are always people sitting in small plastic chairs or laying out on their motorbikes on the sidewalks. We point it out everywhere we go. The Vietnamese are clearly very chill people. We taught our UEF friends the meaning of "chill" and now they're even pointing it out when they see it, it's hilarious! We have also taught them YOLO. It took awhile to explain just because it's slang and it's so American. But they eventually picked it up and I think it's starting to catch on. Hopefully they'll be saying YOLO all the time soon!