Blew it again tonight!

Tonight I am told there is a geography "meeting" to welcome new geography students. It is at 8pm in a building right across from my room. So at 8pm I amble over there expecting ...well maybe 20 or so students. As I walk over, I hear LOUD MUSIC....hmmmmm, I say--they must be having a little social or something.

I walk upstairs to the meeting room....HOLY #$%@! There are about 500 students screaming and yelling in this big room. Up front on the stage are about 16 girls --all geography students decked out in their finest. They are having a MISS GEOGRAPHY contest!!! The girls have the traditional Vietnamese dress on. They are introduced...and parade across the stage. They all sing or dance-which I guess was the talent part of the show. They change dresses..etc. In the beginning of the "meeting" I slide in the back and am standing by an open window. It is hotter than heck in the room.... 500 people...raining outside......no AC....90 degrees at least outside...much hotter in the room.

I thought this was an after school gathering...so I had on my capri pants....a T shirt and my nasty old brown crocs --because it was raining and I knew my feet would get wet. Well, all the geography faculty are there....spiffed up pretty nicely. Damn, says I....blew the dress code again. Well, I was the guest of honor...invited up to the stage...gave a little speech...and got to walk the girls around. So the picture isn't pretty...me looking like a bum...and them in their traditional finest.

I can't figure this place out! I went to dinner at the University President's house the night before and got spiffed up...and they were wearing their pajamas. You have to understand that Vietnamese wear PJ's as their casual clothes..on the street, in the stores...everywhere! So I was all decked out and they were comfortable. Blew it again.

So.....I guess I had a bit of a language breakdown. Geography meeting and BIGGEST BASH OF THE YEAR don't seem to mesh...but that is standard for me and this place! But even if I blew the dress code tonight, I had a great time. It was fun and I laughed myself sick. Still laughing........at myself!