GRIP, Internships Abroad Frequently Asked Questions

It’s obvious to anyone that I don’t exactly look like a “local.” Over the past weeks, I’ve grown accustomed to walking down the street and getting a few stares or curious glances. Occasionally, cute kids or surprised adults will say “Hello!” while walking past me on the street, and I recognize this as just another fact of my existence in another country with another culture. Several times, Vietnamese people have even asked me or my friends for photos, commemorating their latest encounter with a foreigner. It usually never means any harm, and both parties leave this interaction with a fun story to tell.

My time in Vietnam demands a lot of questions. Standard questions include “Do you like Vietnam?” or “What’s your favorite Vietnamese food?” And I have my standard answers, such as “of course!” and “Bún bò Huế!” However, my favorite, and least favorite, question is “Where are you from?” Or, more typically, this question is asked as a simple “U.S.?” or “India?” I always respond with a quick “U.S.!” and see where the other person takes the conversation.

One of my most beloved stories so far is when I was hopping on the back of a motorbike Uber – my favorite form of transportation around Ho Chi Minh City. I start walking to the Uber driver who pulled up next to my accommodation, and he seems to be deep in conversation with another man on the street. He turns to me and asks a confident, “India?” I reply “U.S.!” and the driver says “Vietnam-U.S. number one! Obama!” This response honestly came as a surprise to me, given that the United States and Vietnam have notably not always been on the best terms. The driver then asked me if I was from California, and although he couldn’t understand my reply of “New Jersey!” it was evident that our interaction livened his day.

I have always wondered what it would be like to be from a smaller country, one that is not thought of as a “global superpower.” I’ve imagined it as having an identity more closely attached to where you are from, adhering to a national consciousness rather than global culture.

In Vietnam, I always describe myself as a foreigner because that is exactly who I am – someone with a different nationality that has never been immersed in this culture. However, I do think I bridged some of the gap of culturally and visually being a foreigner in Vietnam. I spend all my nights roaming the city, hopping from cafe to restaurant to another cafe. I’ve truly grown a taste for Vietnamese cafe culture and appreciate all businesses being open to 10 PM by default! My brain has adjusted to the currency difference, and suddenly a 100,000 Dong meal, which is roughly $4, is highway robbery. I have my go-to foods, my favorite neighborhood stores, and I have thoroughly developed my daily routines. And hopefully in experiencing this country to the fullest, I can answer everyone’s FAQs.