Last weekend I went to the city of Can Tho, a major provincial capital in the Mekong Delta. Some local companies had organized a jobs seminar for students at the University of Can Tho. VietnamWorks was invited to attend, say a few words and sit on a panel. Needless to say, we ruthlessly exploited the event to deliver our message, but in a friendly and added-value way for the students. Seeing all those fresh-faced youngsters grappling with existential job angst reminded me of my own college days. Nice kids.
Charvey giving a brief speech which contained several shameless plugs for VietnamWorks. On the right, her face partly obscured by flowers, is Chi from Customer Care. She was my interpreter, and fortunately was able to cover my inarticulate ramblings with an elegant Vietnamese translation.
Students of Can Tho laughing as one of their own went to the stage to practice firm handshakes and good eye contact. Read the newspaper story in Vietnamese here.
After the event I had lunch with bigwigs from the University and other sponsoring companies. I felt like I was at a fraternity party. One guy was a dead ringer for a Vietnamese Chevy Chase, I swear. A couple guys kept toasting me and saying "50%!" or "100%!" which means chugging half or all of your drink, respectively. I was advised not to go toe to toe with men from the Mekong since they are legendary drinkers. Sound advice that I ignored anyway.
Mmmm, yummy giant snails just like mom used to make. I was served several of these by the host. Actually, they were kinda tasty. But once I thought of the slimy snail foot in my mouth (that was the chewy, rubbery part) my I had to suppress the gag reflex. It's all in the mind.