Karaoke

Karaoke comes from two Japanese words: kara - meaning "empty" - and okesutora, meaning "orchestra". Apparently, Finland holds the world record for the largest number of people singing karaoke at the same time (over 80,000 people singing "Hard Rock Hallelujah"). But Asia is surely the continent where karaoke is the most popular. Any excuse is good for bringing out the karaoke juke box, really - parties, weddings, going out with friends, a long car or bus ride...

I've had at least 3 nights of epic karaoke so far. Tonight the WUSC volunteers decided to treat our offices to a night out - we ate nem nuong, picked up some che ba ba (yummy sweet pudding and beans for dessert) and then headed to the only karaoke place in Tra Vinh that has English songs. Early on I picked Radio Ga Ga by Queen...and other people followed up with a mix of Vietnamese and English songs. My voice is gone now - belting out "Total Eclipse of the Heart" really maxed out the vocal cords!! But it was totally worth it. Plus, it was educational - I'm getting better at speaking Vietnamese thanks to the only Vietnamese song I know, the "Uoc gi" song.