7-29-09: Simplicities

I don’t have much time to write a long blog today, only because I feel as it would be contrived. I am so tired. I think the jet lag is finally kicking in. Although I do want to stay up with my normal routine of 10am to 2am like I do in the states, but in Vietnam it seems as though waking up at 5am and sleeping at 10pm is what my body is telling me is right.

Anyway, I wanted to paint a picture for you guys about the prices of things in Vietnam. $1 is equivalent to about 18,000 Vietnamese dong. A couple of things worth considering:

- Renting a moped to get around town: $5 for the day

- Some of the best food (including Pho) I’ve ever had: about $1.20 a meal

- Domestic beer: $.80...that’s right…EIGHTY CENTS!

- A bottle of domestic vodka/tequila: $1.10…again…I must reiterate…ONE DOLLAR and TEN CENTS!!! Utterly remarkable.

- Knock-off Polo shirts: $6

- Full-body massage (one hour): $8 dollars without tip

- Manicure/Pedicure: About $3 dollars

Remarkable, right? Never in my life did I think I would be able to pay a dollar for a bottle of vodka. Also, I talked to a Vietnamese student and she told me that renting a room nearby the University costs her $16 a month. I know the quality of things aren’t as good as things in the States, but come on, these people are surviving off of what we would consider laughable. Just to put things in perspective, next time you complain about not being able to afford a new car, these people are living off of pennies a day at times. And they do it very happily, for the most part. Hence the title of this blog; simplicities. Again, I have to mention, I still wake up every morning so shaking my head in disbelief. I still can’t believe the opportunity that was granted to me. I am so fortunate. Tomorrow we leave for Hoi An, My Son, and Da Nang for a weekend relaxing like tourists. Essentially they are UNESCO World Heritage sites, war-time battlegrounds, and beach communities. Hopefully I meet some surfers!

-Live from Vietnam, Sonny Hassan