All about the money (and how you spend it)

Today was a nice start back into the week from our day trips over the weekend. I woke up, had breakfast, and we headed for UEF. We started the day with language class in which we played a game to memorize numbers in Vietnamese: when your number was called, you would have to run to the front of the room and grab the ticket before other person. Fun and effect game! We then acted out some bargaining scenarios which were pretty fun, and apparently we have some pretty stingy salesmen in our group. We then got to put our skills to the test at the Ben Thanh market in downtown HCMC. I've been to a lot of markets, but this was by far the largest and most crowded that I've seen. We bargained with the merchants, buying souvenirs and gifts for back home. I got some good deals, but I definitely paid too much for my t-shirts (which are awesome anyway). We had lunch at the market, a noodles and pork(?) dish, then headed back to the hotel to change. We then took the bus back down town to have a brief from the VinaCapital Foundation. This is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that collects investments and puts them impoverished and disadvantaged children, specifically in the areas of health care and education. Rad Kivette, a North Carolina native, talked with us about the foundation and how they are one of the only organizations in which 100% of the donations go towards program work.This is made feasible by the VinaCapital Group that covers all overhead costs. We also got a talk from a member of this group, the largest investment firm in Vietnam. This was a very business orientated company visit, and I may (along with most others) have came close to drifting off during one of the speakers, but I held my own fairly well. It was nice seeing a good philanthropy in a country with over 20 million impoverished citizens; it's comforting to know that someone is there for them. I'm also excited that wealth from the company is being used for good purposes, skipping deep businessmen's pockets and going into the future of Vietnam. We came back to the hotel and I took a walk with a few others back towards downtown, looking for banh mi. We couldn't find a spot so we just ended up grabbing some snacks from the co-op. At this point, some UEF students arrived at the hotel and we headed for dinner: banh xeo. They Vietnamese call these pancakes, even though they come with different kinds of meat, you wrap them in lettuce and other greens, and then dip them in a spicy sauce. They were absolutely delicious. We then took taxis to a karaoke place, which was awesome. I'd never been to a place like it, but it was truly a great time. We wrapped our evening back at the hotel with hanging out in one of the rooms and enjoying the night. This was a nice easy day, though I continue to get more out of every day. Until tomorrow, goodnight folks!