Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

Tag: Family

  • Feminism Vietnamese way

    I have seen them in Ao Dai, on scooters. I have seen them in Ao Dai, holding child, on scooters (perhaps on the way to childcare) before work. I have seen them with child canvassing the street selling lottery tickets. Perhaps I used to be that very child my teacher mom in Ao Dai used…

  • Motherhood, Madness and Meditation

    Seeing a photo of a grey-hair guy, on bike and  backpack, riding home with bouquet of flowers in the front basket, reminded me of International Day of Women. There is no doubt, according to an Australian’s observer, that women are bosses here in Vietnam. Tiger Mom. To punctuate this point, I was sitting at an outdoor…

  • Holding hands in Saigon

    The old couple holding hands walking down the street. They looked at me, I at them. What did they see in me? Younger version of themselves? Old man looks at my life? I am a lot more like you? Should it be the other way around? What did I see in them? Grey and withered,…

  • Survivor’s guilt

    We have heard uplifting stories about the human spirits, survivors at seas and in the wilderness. But the other side of the coin is survivor’s guilt. This reaction is just an extension of that loneliness as portrayed in Cast Away. The story goes like this. Three guys survived a crash and found themselves on an…

  • Happy Monday

    Yes, one might feel Wonderful Tonight, but not the next morning, Monday that is. Unless, it’s a keeper. Passion doesn’t push it way in, since it’s intrinsic in nature. Yes, we are alloted only 24 hours a day. But some of us can connect the dots faster than others. Then there are those who can…

  • Papa’s shoes

    When you karaoke in Vietnam, you are likely to hear Papa along with Hotel California and Casablanca. Something ends with an “a”. I have blogged about Mom’s Ao Dai. So to be fair, here is “Papa‘s shoes“. At lunch, I was joined by a boy and his Dad (it’s common in Asia at peak hours…

  • Daughter-Daddy

    Before my daughter arrived, I had heard of other people’s birth complications which required C-section etc… So we took up Lamaze classes, and I felt “effeminated” among men and women with pillows. When I drove A. home the hospital  offered to wheel her out (already strapped in the car seat to begin with). In the parking lot (A.’s first outing) some…

  • Men on the verge of nervous break-down

    Here comes the beaver or the beer. Whatever handy to help men cope with his “manpression”. It is common knowledge that men hardly ask for directions when lost, much less share their problems. Women fare better, whether it’s over sweet, or sweat. Jodi Foster, most admired for being an accomplished Yale actress-director, has had frequent run-ins with the…