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: North Vietnam

  • The ball that travels North

    Saw him at an Orange County club back in 1989. He was already rowdy and his parties disturbing to conservative neighbors. And now, after all these years, shows up in North Korea, on a basketball diplomacy tour. Dennis Rodman, NBA defender. HBO’s VICE has done a surprising job of casting for sports diplomacy (Google x-CEO would…

  • On being a sidekick

    I was born late into the fold. My brother and sister had already been in college when I arrived. So I grew up watching “chinese fire drill” around the dinner table: Dad chasing brother, mom trying to intervene and my sister, w/nothing to do, joining the commotion. It’s like Chevy Chase‘s National Lampoon Vacation in Europe, caught…

  • Pre-Karaoke childhood

    We always rushed through dinner to claim our living room space, or call it a stage. Daddy’s mandolin, brother’s violin, and my guitar. But we never played with one another, being from three different generations. So “Du Am”, “Em Toi” and “Le Da” in mandolin. Then “Serenade”, “Guitare D’Amour” either by violin or guitar. Finally…