Monday afternoon is our unit's Veggie-and-Dip Day, when one staff chops the veggies and the other prepares the dip for the whole office to eat and chat. We gather around the round table in our Career Centre and talk about fortune telling! Reason is I just came back from seeing one last Saturday afternoon.
This is my first trip to a Vietnamese fortune teller, and it was so fun for many reasons. One, I have tried desperately to meet my close lady friends, who are extremely busy with work and family that our date kept being postponed. However, the moment my email of 'fortune teller visit' was sent out, we quickly set up a date and everybody showed up on time with enthusiasm. Two, I felt as if we returned to the high school days, when girls giggled about guys they fell in love with and talked about things that mattered in their life. It was such a special feeling sitting among them, talking about relationship, family, work, and giggled at silly things with them. Third, it was really cool observing how the fortune teller did her job. Listening to her soothing words and skillful questions, I admired her ability and told myself that she would be a very good counselor. I did not tell her exactly what I did for a living, for I knew she would stop talking if she knew I was working as a counselor. Fourth, listening and sharing with the girlfriends about what the fortune teller told us was so fun. None of us could stop laughing. We kept talking over each other and felt so good afterward. Finally, I sincerely understood why people went to see a fortune teller that often. It did not matter if she could really predict the future or not. It did not also matter that she could fix your problems at all. A fortune teller in Vietnam, after all, functions as a mental counselor in the Western culture. People come for advice, guidance, confirmation, and support. A burden is lifted after you left their door, and until the next trip life is a little bit easier to handle.
When I left, the two young ladies were nervously waiting for their turn. I guessed they came there to ask about their upcoming university entrance chances. Outside two young, fashionable men waiting on their expensive motorbikes. One of them asked me, 'Older sister, please tell me if she is good. I'd like to know if I should open my fashion shop or not!' And then he went on marketing his fashion shop with my lady friends, whom probably appeared like shoppers than I did. I took one last look at the scene to absorb everything into my writer's mind and left, feeling so happy about the experience that I knew I had enough energy for the long, busy weekend ahead of me.
I do not know if I ever feel the needs to visit one again, but I am sure if that is the only way to meet my girlfriends, I would not hesitate to do so! Um, maybe one of those days when I retire, I should do a quantitative research about fortune tellers and their positive impact on their clients. For now, if you ever come to Vietnam and want to visit one, I am willing to bond with you over a fortune teller visit.
Saigon, Vietnam.
April 19th, 2010
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