Culture Frame

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 6 - Transportation

One of the amusing things about reading this book, has been trying to figure out what the author is talking about when he mentions a proper name of a person or brand, usually French in origin. That's because he often doesn't use the original French spelling,

Field Trip: Hạ Long Bay

Arguably the most famous travel destination in Việt Nam, Hạ Long Bay is a spectacular collection of over 1,600 small islands in the Gulf of Tonkin, tall monolithic limestone karsts. Due to their vertical nature, these islands do not naturally have many beaches to walk around on, but Vietnamese

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 7 - Of Mice and Nem

"He shall know your ways as if born to them." - Frank Herbert, Dune "What the heck is going on??" - Chris in Việt Nam, often March 2025 My bicycle arrives in a surprisingly light box; like all deliveries it comes on the back of a

Movie Log: 2024 Round-Up

I still haven't seen all of the potentially important movies of 2024, as I was busy throughout the awards season when most of the movies often become more widely available online. Instead of trying to do the customary Top Ten - and have it feel lacking and incomplete

Field Trip: Mai Châu

I have been very lucky to already travel to many places in Việt Nam in just my first five months of service as a volunteer teacher. This summer - with school closed for three months - I will share pictures and cultural stories about these places. School Field Trip: A

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 5

"Thuở ấy Hà Nội" or 'Hà Nội in the Old Days' is a collection of writings by Nguyễn Bá Đạm. Most of the writings originated in his weekly newspaper columns in the early 1990s. He was renowned for collecting and writing about local history. Born in

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 4 - Education

Today's article may seem a little dry, but I found these chapters to be very insightful for developing a deeper understanding of French colonialism in Việt Nam - of day-to-day life - and the profound effect it had on the culture here, especially in Hà Nội itself. The

Eurovision 2025: 9 Tracks You Should Know Before the Finals

It's been nice having my annual ritual of listening to all the Eurovision songs as they're announced or win their respective national finals competitions, putting my favorites in a playlist to workout to and see how fast I feel compelled to delete them again. In my

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 3

"Thuở ấy Hà Nội" or 'Hà Nội in the Old Days' is a collection of writings by Nguyễn Bá Đạm. Most of the writings originated in his weekly newspaper columns in the early 1990s. He was renowned for collecting and writing about local history. Born in

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 2

I have embedded several videos this week, in order to present a more visually immersive version of this survey of Vietnamese history and culture. When reading this in your email, these videos annoyingly function as a link which closes your email and opens up a separate browser window. If you

Readings: Hà Nội in the Old Days, Pt. 1

The library of my rural school is small and quiet. The librarian laments that students don't come to check out books anymore because - whether for recreation or for class - they only read books online. I see an interesting Vietnamese book with short chapters and ask if

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 6 - Older Brother

January 2025 It is nearing the Lunar New Year - or Tê't - in late January, and there are dinner parties to attend every night. An English teacher invites me to attend an end-of-year party for "the neighborhood": the block of houses closest to the school.

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 5 - Cough and Consequences

January 2025 "Are you cold?" Back in Texas, I would often go without a jacket when it was a little cold and get this comment all the time. I like the weather a little chilly. But I am currently in Việt Nam, and the temperature is 76 Fahrenheit.

Movie Log: Take Care of My Cat, Felidae, and THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO

Take Care of My Cat 2001, South Korea, d. Jeong Jae-eun, 1h52m, *** Who's In It: Bae Doona Reason to Watch: Rise of Hallyuwood Take Care of My Cat chronicles five young women after graduating high school, and how they drift apart because of their differences in ambition and

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 4 - Pomp in Circumstances

Note: For many reasons, I will not identify the village or school where I am living, primarily out of respect for the people I am here to serve. I will not use the real names of people and may purposefully obscure identities in my storytelling. I don't think

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 3 - A Day at the Office

Pre-Service Training Week 5, November 2024 Three or four days a week, the trainees of VN03 - the third cohort of Peace Corps volunteers in Việt Nam - go into the office for training. At my house, the trainees come down for breakfast at such distinct intervals, that some days

Living in Việt Nam, Pt. 2 - You Will Survive Now

It's my turn to book the Grab, and when the tiny hatchback car screeches to a halt I jump in the front seat. Grab is Việt Nam's answer to Uber, a taxi-hailing app with an interface that can be set to English, and in which you

Global Perspectives on the Ballot Box

This article was first given as a presentation to the Austin University Area Rotary Club on Monday, August 5th. All movie excerpts have been shared for educational purposes only and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act. All rights reserved to the copyright

Living in Việt Nam Pt. 1: A Neighborhood in Tây Hồ

The narrow alleyway from the house where I am living opens up at the edge of a bustling park. It is 7:00pm; it is already fully dark, but the dimly lit tree-filled park is swarming with activity. A dozen women in matching outfits do a synchronized aerobic dance routine

Movie Log: Career Opportunities, Volunteers, and TO WONG FOO

In a few days, I ship out to serve in the Peace Corps. Soon, you can expect to see more posts about my travels and culture. It will be largely about Viet Nam, obviously, for the next 2 years, although I have started a few stories about my trip to

HIGH SCHOOL MAYHEM: 1980s Gangsploitation

There were a lot of fears being explored in 1980s cinema: the "slasher" genre blew up, "satanic panic" was at its peak. Urban legends spread that drugs or razor blades could be in Halloween candy. "It's 10:00 PM. Do you know where

Movie Log: Rebel Ridge, Support the Girls, and I AM LOVE

I'm really liking this format. My viewing has slowed down as I work to wind down my commitments here in Austin. But I'm actually a few weeks out on my "Movie Log" viewing. I like looking back at the movies I watched about three

Movie Log: The Chocolate War and THE PEANUT BUTTER SOLUTION

I always try to pick my "Essential" movie based on some tenuous thematic connection to that week's movies, and yes when I came up with this week's title, I cackled out loud to myself for quite some time. Like Water for Chocolate 1992, Mexico,

Movie Log: Blink Twice, Hold-Up, and LE SAMOURAÏ

We lost two great actors a few weeks ago: Gena Rowlands and Alain Delon. Both were known for careers that mixed popular hits with award-winning prestige dramas. It may take me a while to get some Gena Rowlands in my "queue", but I happened to have something by

The Last Movie Meetup: STREETS OF FIRE (8/31)

As some of you already know, I am shortly leaving Austin in October. I am joining the Peace Corps to serve in education in Viet Nam. The newsletter will continue! In fact, I think the Movie Log will continue, maybe with fewer entries/pictures. I also have quite a few