Day Twelve: Friday

Friday morning we all decided to try traditional Vietnamese Pho for breakfast. Its a noodle/soup dish thats actually really good. We had our culture class, where we learned a little more about modern Vietnam and the traditional dress, which is the most fashionable out of any of the Asian countries. Then we had our quiz, which I got a 100 on almost all by myself! I was pretty impressed with it. Afterwards we took pictures with the UEF students and headed to the canteen for our last UEF lunch. :( Instead of the usual bananas we had a different fruit, but it tasted SO good! I'm really going to miss some of the fruits we got to try, they were all so different from the ones we have in America, probably because of the differences in climate.

For our last free afternoon, the girls decided to go back to the market. We thought it was going to be a quick trip, but then it turned into a major event. Having been there so long, we pretty much knew how much things were worth and really good negotiators, except for a few times when we did't feel like bargaining and just paid their price. After the market, we met a few of the UEF kids for frozen yogurt, but I left early because I know how hard it is for me to pack. That night, we had our farwell dinner at a place called tourist village, which was an outdoor resort type area and really pretty! It was similar to our opening dinner in menu, and included a pho dish as well.

When we got back from dinner, we had to settle our bills with the hotel which turned into a huge ordeal. The UEF students wanted to have a party for us with "singing and dancing", and most of the guys had gone earlier. Right as we were about to leave, one of the Vietnamese girls came to the Hotel with gifts and cards for us. It was a perfectly timed surprise. As soon as she left, and we were all outside, a blackout hit! I was so thankful I wasn't stuck in an elevator or something.

We decided to walk to the Karaoke place, which ended up being a bad idea. Everyone had warned us about muggers on the motorbikes, and sadly we had a first hand experience. There was a motorbike with two guys on it sitting on the sidewalk almost waiting for us, and they drove by and snagged Elizabeth's purse. It was horrible, but thankfully she didn't have her passport or anything with her. Saigon is very different than an American city in that you rarely need to fear for your life, but need to be extra cautious about material possessions-as small as what necklace you may decide to wear.