Dorms

Everyday before class at Apex, I grab a cup of coffee at a cafe. I always sit at a table on the sidewalk and read a book. The periphery of my vision always sees this:

That's a picture of the dormitory for the Vietnam Trade Union University. Seeing the dorm always reminds me of my freshman year in college at Syracuse University. From what I can tell, there are a few differences between my dorm (Day Hall on The Mount at Syracuse) and this typical Vietnamese dormitory. Here's a couple that come to mind:
1. I had a split double which meant there was just myself and my great frosh roommate Bill Bunting. These dorms have at least eight people per room.
2. We did our laundry in the basement of Day Hall. As you can see, they do their laundry in their room.
3. We had a food court in Day Hall and a cafeteria between our dorm and the one that housed future-Emmy-Award-winner Alex Bertsche next to it. Here, they do the cooking in the room and/or eat at cheap places on the street.
4. Our parents paid good money for us to live in dorms. From what I've been told, usually the poorer students in Vietnam live in dorms. The students have to prove they come from a poor family to live in the buildings.
5. Day Hall was coed on every floor. I'm pretty sure this dorm is all female.

I'm gonna end this post right now before I start to get depressed because of the fact that I lived in Day Hall 13 years ago!