Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By the Numbers
One of my activities this hot, hot summer is helping my student Chien try to find a job. She just graduated from the University of Communication and Transport and is eager to enter the workforce.
I've been helping her to practice her interviewing skills in English. She's been applying to a number of places. Monday she went for an interview at a Vietnamese firm. The company turned her down as soon as she handed in the application form. "They didn't like it that I was born in 1986," she said. "They consider it an unlucky year."
I was confounded and annoyed by this ridiculous superstition. Numerology and astrology is very common in Viet Nam, she explained. People pay up to 200 USD for a lucky SIM card number for their mobile phones. Another client of mine, Mr. Nam, explained that his wife is a "tiger." This refers to the year in which she was conceived. He went on to explain that many of his wife's classmates have had trouble getting married because a female "tiger" is considered an undesirable mate.
Just one example how cultures can be very different and can have a big impact on lives.
