My wife
My wife’s blog
Hi there.
I gather most of the people who visit this site are overseas Vietnamese in the States and other parts of the world. So for those who have a proficiency in the Vietnamese language, why not check out my wife’s blog…..it’s a Yahoo 360 jobby, of course.
She has written a lot and seems to be fairly reflective in her subject matter. I struggle to understand the entries (no ****, sherlock). Recently I have this nagging, gloating voice in my head that says learning a new language beyond the age of about seven is impossible….in fact it is scientifically proven (read The Language Instinct by Pinker). In terms of language acquisition, my brain is 1920’s classic car that has been sat in a Hampshire barn for the last eighty years, rusting peacefully. To try and start it up now is just offensive. However, I still have the strength to push the mantra out of my head, ignore the futility of my efforts, and crack on.
How was that for a total deviation……once again, read the lovely Minh Chi’s Blog to find out more about my better half/trouble and strife/ball & chain etc etc.
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Connections Vietnam is a brilliant company operating in Saigon, Vietnam, with a slogan of "Bringing visitors to Saigon closer to it's people, food and culture". 
Chi is looking radiant as always — nice picture in a nice setting. Huge drink glass. Since her blog (she uses beautiful photos for emphasis as a nice touch) is written in Vietnamese, don’t you wonder what she might be telling the world about you? I noticed the word “sex” in a recent posting — I don’t think that is a Vietnamese word. You might want to have that posting translated.
Haha, my sentiments exactly Mel…I often look and try and figure out what she’s saying but to no avail. She said she had written one post about me before…as for the ’sex’ posting, it’s something about genes mixing together and natural selection.
Chi is wonderful
Common, I started study English when I was well beyond the age of seven. It’s true that I am not as good as you native bloke, but hey, I can read your blog and comment. What a shame! You even have a gorgeous tutor who is willing to give you private lesson.
sorry, I mean “come on”, not “common”. Still struggle with my English
I don’t think our situations are comparable….it is true that the brain becomes less receptive to language aqusition the older it is. In my case, I first came to Vietnam not knowing a word of the language when I was 24. I’m not saying it is impossible, I’m just saying it is a much tougher process.
In my opinion English is extremely easy to learn, compared to Vietnamese or any other Asian languages. And if there is no real motivation, the learning is hard. I have been trying to learn Korean for the last 2 years but there is no way I can deal with the natives in a business setting without an interpreter! About Chi’s blog, I know enough Vnmese to understand that she mostly muses about life in general - so far nothing private. The article mentioning about sex was just a repeat of some science article - although it was difficult to read because of the funky font.
Alex - I think all languages have nuances that make them tricky - English for example has a huge vocabulary and complex tenses.
Korean is an interesting language ad I found it much easier to learn than Vietnamese - it sticks in my head much easier…!
Dear Jon, thanks for your interesting blog - it has become an update of what going on in good old Saigon. My adventure has been slightly a reverse of yours. I left Londinium at the end of 2003, followed by 2 years in the expat ghetto opposite the Lancaster. Have been in Seoul for nearly 2 years now. I still remember the time when KFC became Kentucky Fried Fish and there was something called Lucky Plaza, opposite Duxton. I guess it’s gone now. Did you beat Saigon Raiders last year? Are you with Saigon Saints or Raiders? Anyway, please continue with your excellent blog…
Thanks Alex. Lucky is still there. I am a Raider! Not a Saint! And they just beat us 4-1 at the weekend….oh well. I worked back in Seoul last summer and hated it…sorry to say! Definition of a rat race.
hey jon, your wife’s first couple of blogs are very moving…i think you should know what she wrote…hehe…want me to translate?…lol
OK - send your translations to my email…..;).
Why don’t you try my method of learning Cantonese? I called it Blind Samurai technique. Nee hooi peen too? means where are you going and so on. Do not ask me how to write it down. It works for me so far.
Hi Jon,
You might wanna understand what she said in here:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-oKX4D0o8cqhKdaA7WsYclmfwOyjfsHenJA–?cq=1&p=20#comments
You got yourself a good wife I tell ya.
Btw, Happy new year.
Oops… seems like it didnt work out with the link. Here again:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-
oKX4D0o8cqhKdaA7WsYclmfwOyjfsHenJA-
-?cq=1&p=20#comments