Some of the guys and myself...Don't mind the mess...
Instead of taking you through my whole day today, I just want to get to the good part of the story.
For the most part, today consisted of me doing some planning for the documentary and doing some assigned reading on Vietnamese history. Lunch consisted of a very tasty fried fish (I believe it was a Basa fish) lightly glazed with garlic butter, accompanied by sticky white rice and sautéed vegetables. The restaurant, called “Missy Roo” was an Aussie influenced Vietnamese restaurant. As my comrades and I ate, Michael Jackson playing in the background, we conversed about possibilities of for our late night outing with our Vietnamese counterparts. Earlier in the school/work week we planned a weekend outing for ourselves and our Vietnamese friends. Would it be a club night? Maybe a night of spirits and beer at a bar? A quiet formal dinner? Somehow, someway, karaoke was what we decided on…
As the girls dressed themselves up in gorgeous cocktail dresses, the guys dressed more casually, some of us in polo shirts, and some of us in cargo shirts and white tees. After squeezing eleven of us in a taxi-van, we arrived at our destination for the night. “Vy Da Xua” was the name of the venue; a garden setting, finely lit with a white light tint, riverside bar, and quiet music playing for the patrons. Luckily, as we were leaving, we had the chance to see a wedding just ending. To my surprise, though, it was not a traditional Vietnamese wedding like we were used to seeing up until that point. The bride and groom, as with most of the wedding party, were dressed in traditional western style wedding garb; the bride in the quintessential white dress.
Some of the Vietnamese students...
...and of course, our group doing our best to compete.
We were lead to the third story of the restaurant into our own private karaoke room. Drinks were ordered and before we knew it the songs began to be sung. Disney songs, 80’s music, Vietnamese songs, and love ballads were all being bellowed out by us; some of us butchering the songs, and some of us doing quite well. As each song passed, the drinks kept flowing. The epitome of libation. Many of us became intoxicated beyond belief, while others were able to maintain self control. Soon, though, a bottle of “Ming Mangh” was ordered. For a cheap $11, Ming Mangh is a Vietnamese liquor that came in a giant bottle and had a taste that could be best described as a hint of almond with a kick to the face. Disgusting, but it did the trick. Before we knew it, the usually shy people sang, and the people who sang, sang louder. All of our previous inhibitions were out of the window, as liquor usually does to all who partake in it. As the night came to an end, in our drunken thoughts, we thought it would be a great idea to sing "We are the World" by, Michael Jackson. Together with out Vietnamese friends, we sang are E-class celebrity studded version of this 80's classic. Albeit very cheesy, it reminded me of what Michael Jackson tried to do when he wrote this song, unite link-minded individuals all over the world to help those less fortunate. It seemed that as I looked around, many of the singers accompanying me thought the same thing. Cheesy yet thoughtful. The night ended with one of our members paying for the bill, which caught us all by surprise.
In our American drunken stupor, we decided that it would be a great idea to try and see if KFC was still open. You see, everything in
Good times though…singing and dancing in the moonlight…
-Live from
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