Day 61 – Singapore

Oct 28th

We spent the day stationed in Singapore to refuel before heading North through the South China Sea. After classes and an intense work out with Sara, I watched ‘the Killing Fields’ for Global Studies. It is a great movie about US journalists who try desperately to find a close Vietnamese friend and journalist, who is stuck in Cambodian labor camps under the Khmer Rouge regime. Definitely worth seeing!

Cultural Pre-port
Some guest lectures and professors filled us in on the ins-and-outs of Vietnam: Vietnam’s political system has been dominated by a 2-million member Communist Party ever since its founding by Ho Chi Minh in 1930. The Party allow for a flexible, nondoctrinaire approach that has allowed for localized corruption and administrative problems. Vietnam is also one of the poorest countries in Asia with an estimated per capita income of less than US$300 per year. Culturally, we were told to keep in mind:

-When receiving, toasting, handing or shaking hands with an elder use both hands.
-Do not sunbathe topless or nude.
-Never transfer food directly from the communal dishes to your mouth.
-Never leave chopsticks standing vertically in your bowl- it resembles the incense burned for the dead.
-Drinking or smoking women are not respected in Viet Nam.
-Frequently using “cam on” (thank you) and “chao” (hi/bye) will win appreciative nods and bright grins.
-Telling Vietnamese you are enjoying single life or life without children can disturb them greatly.

You also rarely see a Vietnamese person wearing shorts, unless s/he is playing tennis. Pants and shirts are the norm for both sexes, although you will still see women wearing the traditional ao dai (trousers with a long, close-fitting tunic that is split to the waist). FYI: these are absolutely beautiful, and make everyone look tall and slender! Vietnamese normally sit by squatting or in a way that looks like they are taking a dump. Cross-walks do not actually exist in Viet Nam, so in order to cross a busy street in Viet Nam all one has to do is step out into the coming traffic…the motos and buses will actually maneuver around you. It is really important that you do not run since they will not be able to gauge your movement and will most likely hit you.

Crew Talent Show
After cultural pre-port, the crew had their very own talent show! Dalfie, our cabin steward, made a valiant effort to dance to the Italian techno song “Numa Numa.” Lazlo, a Napoleon-sized man who stalks the ship to monitor students, told jokes for once! It was the most shocking dichotomy we have ever seen in this notoriously serious man. Through his thick Norwegian accent he joked about life on board. My favorite was hearing about passengers who thought the safe was a microwave.

Highs and Lows
My “high” was trying to figure out if the cabin steward dancing next to Dalfie was a girl or a boy. My “low” was not finding Jack Sparrow at sea.