Establishing Relationships

I think I've finally found a way to make connections here in Vietnam!

So far, it's been very difficult for me to meet people here. Some of it is because of the language barrier, but I think a lot of it has to do with the Vietnamese culture. Many Asian cultures are based on the in-group/out-group duality. If you're *in* the group, people are super friendly towards you. If you're *out*, you're all but ignored.

I've been going to the same coffee shop for a few days now with very little interaction with the other people there. Today, the waiter who has seen me several times finally reached out to me, asking "Where are you from?" in English. I was thrilled at the effort, & answered with a huge grin on my face. That was the end of our conversation, but it was the beginning of understanding for me. I'm just going to have to put myself in the *in* group.

Tomorrow I'm moving to a new house, & since this particular coffee shop is not on my way to school, I probably won't be going back there anymore. But I will make it a priority to find a good coffee shop near the house & start going there every day. Maybe in a week or two I'll start making some communication headway there as well.