Whoops, used German-based logic again and fell flat on my face over here.
Somehow my German/Irish background, 30 years of logic-based programming and a propensity toward analytical problem solving doesn’t work well over here. The Vietnamese have a very different reality than the Western reality (see next post).
Mai’s sister, Hoa, has been asking me to move my 1983 750cc Honda Shadow from her policeman friend’s storage location. He stored the moto so he would have the status of having and riding the biggest moto in Hue.
Today, I asked Mai the address so I could go and see the Honda and she tells me that I should be nice to them because they stored the motorcycle for four years.
I try to tell Mai that I need to know the address, the man’s name, what day/time can I pick up the motorcycle, etc. I need to take a look at the motorcycle to understand what I need to do to move it — it’s condition, how far and hard it is to move it to a truck and if it is possible for me to get it running. Mai then tells me that I’m not appreciative of what he’s done for me and she gets angry and walks away in passive resistance.