New Bike

Last week, one of the new Teacher Orientation activities was to go bike shopping. The school took us in the bus with the school driver. Turns out that our family was the only new family that went. And I was the only lucky purchaser that day!

My bike team

 I love my new bike. It is one speed and simple. It's my favorite color green, it has a padded seat for passengers and a wire basket, and it came with a free rain poncho. Traffic here is a bit crazy. There are very few lights, and nobody obeys them anyway. My days of urban riding in Portland will really pay off. The only way to get respect around here whether you are on foot or bike is to plow in and take up space.

The Guard

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is a funny experience. Nearly every place has a guard. Mostly you see the guard doing what the bike shop guard is doing in this picture - standing back, observing, giving unsolicited advice, and every now and then emitting a disgusted grunt before snatching the screwdriver away and doing it themselves. Compared to American employment standards, we commonly see three employees to every one you would expect doing the same job in America. It's good for employment, but can be daunting if you're a customer. The other day I went to look at sheets - I entered the store and was immediately approached and intimately followed around the store by three teenage sales people. I couldn't look at something without one of them grabbing it and ripping it out of its package for my closer inspection. It was so overwhelming and I felt so bad about the mess that I left without buying anything. 

It wasn't until bike shopping that I realized this is just how its done here - TIV.