This and That

Want to have some fun?  Click on “An American Wedding in Việt Nam.”  (The link is also on the left.)  Our American colleague teaches American Culture, and she is going to conduct a mock wedding as the class project.  Take a look – and also, you might answer some of the student’s questions.  Enjoy the experiment as it unfolds.

If you have been reading this blog since I’ve started living in Việt Nam, you know I take a lot of photos.  Most of them never make it to the blog.  I thought I would try something new and start posting some of my pictures on a photo gallery website.  Take a look at www.pbase.com/doug - but remember I am just getting started.

I picked up some sort of hacking cough in Thailand – and its still driving me nuts.  Maybe I’m allergic to mold.

The semester is in full swing now.  I have been assigned an American Culture class, which I will co-teach with a Vietnamese teacher.  In case my North American friends are wondering, each level of students (first year, second year, etc.) at different colleges start the semester at different times.  That explains why the previous post was about a class I have been teaching for two weeks, yet I am just starting another course.  I also have a first year speaking class and a third year speaking class, and I am supervising a fourth year student's research thesis.

Finally – I wish I had taken this picture.  I know this is the real Clark Kent because he has a curl on his forehead.

Comments

[layered]

Doug,
the wedding blog gives me the strong impression that Jon and Julie are actually going to get married in Hue. So why is it called a mock wedding, other than mocking up the typical American wedding customs for what will be in the end a real wedding? Or did I read things wrong?
thanks,
-- Mel

[Doug]

Well - Jon and Julie will get married someday - but not in April. Most likely parents would be a little upset if they did get married over here.

When the eventual real wedding takes place, I doubt Jon and Julie will follow many of the recommendations the students are making. For instance, I doubt the attendees at a bridal shower will want to play Hide 'n Seek as one of the games.

The project is much more than it appears to be on the surface. Recently married women in America have volunteered to mentor the students, so the students will learn more about langauge and custom in their email exchanges. They will learn what constitutes good manners in America, and learn about American food. In other words, this is not as frivolous as it might seem at first glance.

However - just as it is in America - one thing still holds true even though it is a mock wedding.

The groom is just a necessary accessory.