Local Dialogue with Chau (25 years old)

I met Chau when we was our tourguide during a trip to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. We had a great trip and a lot of good conversiations. Chau learned to speak English a few years ago because of the Dutch volunteers who came before me. He insprired me because he was so motivated, he learned English in only 2 years. He also worked as a volunteer in the traditional medicine hospital, like me. We met him a lot of times in Vietnam and he became or friend. So that's why I decide to do an interview with Chau (and also because he's very funny... :-P)

Hey Chau, how are you? Can you introduce yourself?

Hey Maatje (it's still difficult to pronounce your name..), I'm great thanks! My name is Chau, I'm 25 years old and I'm studying economics on the university of Can Tho. I love to sing, especially 'helloooo, is it me your looking for'

Haha, you're a great singer. Why is singing important for you?

I think singing makes the world more beautiful! I sing for friends, for family, but also for the other volunteers. I'd like to sing funny songs in particular, but most of the vietnamese people don't like that. If you see the karaoke, you Dutch guys are always laughing, while the Vietnamese guys are seriously singing.

Yes that's correct, what do you think about that?

Well, I think because I go out a lot with the Dutch people, it's easier to understand it for me than for the vietnamese people. Sometimes they look at you on a strange way and then you Dutch guys think they are laughing at you or they don't understand you. That's not true, they are just wondering what you are doing, just curious. For example your pale skin en big eyes, it's strange for the vietnamese people to see that, because some of them never saw it before. But it's not hate or something like that, just curious. They wan't to toch it to see what it is. I think it's the same for karaoke and stuf. But like I told you before, it's different for me because I'm going out with the Dutch volunteers for almost 2 years and it's great!! :-)

Is this also the reason why you took us with you to your parents on the countryside?

Yes it is! I think it's great to see each others culture. I guess it's also great for my parents to see you guys with al your strange things ....( joking HAHA). No seriously, I think it's great for them to see you and they are very glad to receive you. I think it's good for the world if people know each other better, and therefore their culture. 

I think that's true, we really liked the countryside trip! So do you like to go to your parents on the countryside?

Yes ofcourse I like it. I think I would like te go back to my parents after I finish my study. I don't wanna work on the countryside, but I want to be with my family. I think it's different in your country, because I always hear that you don't wanna go home and live in another city. That's strange for the people who live here, they want to go back! 

And what about the volunteering in the traditional hospital, do you like it? And what is the difference between the Dutch and the Vietnamese volunteers?

Ofcourse I like it! I think there is a difference, like the cutting during the cooking. It's very important for the vietnamese woman that every peace is the same and you don't laugh during the cooking, because it's rude if the peaces aren't the same. Your friend told me that she doesn't understand why they were always looking so mad to her, because she really tried to do it well. If you smile to them and you show them that you have good intentions, everyone will be nice, but cooking is so serious for them. But in general the Dutch people are so nice, and we can work very well together :-) ! After a while the old Vietnamese people understand you better and start to like you, then you get more food... haha

Thanks Chau for your view, I really liked the interview! What do you think of the interview?
It was nice to talk about culture difference with you, because in Vietnam there are a lot of things we are not able to speak about (because of the communism). Now we have to work together to cut the cucumbers on the right way.

I thanked Chau for the interview with a Dutch candy. The funny thing was, that after the interview, we spoke about the same thing again a few times. Speaking about it is a special thing.. :-)