Hanoi

Hanoi culture

When in tokyo..

I still won't spray my butt

Can Not Wake - tokyo

I mean I can't wait to be home! I was just snoozing on a bench in front of a tv, to be awoken ten minutes ahead of my alarm by two stewardesses. Apparently they had been trying for some time to wake me up verbally, but had to shake me awake. A fellow seat sitter told me. Lol. Rather embarrassing. I was only Just sleeping... Like this dude in the purple polo in front of me right now. Anyways I feel like a million bucks having gotten some vertical zzzs for a bit. Back to the travel race!

Personal Growth

Sometimes experiences and interacting with faces you may not see again reminds of of the things in life that are truly important. This is one of those experiences.

In sum, I realize that for the past year I should have been doing a Ginny k. Life is too short to not explore other people totally different from your own. Their ways of doing things might just remind you about what in your own culture and life has gone right, and what you need to remember when you get home.

I need to do something I love truly and completely, anything less is just a death sentence to my livelihood. I would recommend the same of every college undergrad entering the workforce. Don't sell yourself short just cause an opportunity presents itself. If it doesn't meet your goals then wait. You can change them or go back to it.

I learned a lot about beauty and the power of a smile - even just one well placed full smile when first meeting someone. The vietnamese are very friendly, so it easily brings out the best in people I think.

Along with that, they many times over, would and did give me the shirt on their backs. The copious gifts and lavish meals made me realize that if they treat their acquaintances well, their friends must get star treatment. Lets remember to take time aside from our 5am-9pm workday to chill with our friends for a few hours.

They taught me about beauty and respect. With beauty, either you are beautiful and have no clue about it, or you aren't. With the number of times they tell you that, they must believe that you don't know it. In the classroom, on the streets, behind our backs to others, they reveal their innermost thoughts about others beauty and ugliness. We don't need to adopt this trait, but just need to glean the confidence of knowing that we are beautiful!

Enthusiasm. As with the smile, enthusiasm goes a long way. I think it could win wars. It certainly wins over hearts. I think that my enthusiasm in the class was noted. When I didn't feel it, I didn't project it. It requires energy and concentration and a love for your subject matter. I love pronunciation. I love John Mayer. I love house shopping. I love dimes (ever since I was a kid because of the design on the back).

I think I learned a lot about compatability, easy goingness and not complaining. Life is too short for these things. You've got to play the cards you're dealt. I value relationships with others most when I can reliably depend on these factors.

Life is really a time for you to spend quality time with those you love... Relaxing. Drinking. Eating. Tea. Coffee. Sports. Anyway fit. I think I spent more time smiling in Vietnam than during my prior life. Why? Because people smile at me and I have to smile back. That's beauty right there.

Once I was walking down the street in My Tho and an older woman maybe 70 or 80 road by on her bike. She was staring at me. So I gave her a half smile, purely out of amusement in return. I could see from the side of her face that she started to smile. Well now it was all over. I smiled and then she looked back and smiled. We nodded and waved and then she went smiling and peddling down the road.

This is an everyday phenomenon that just warms my heart. I secretly think that if Americans weren't so concerned with class, looks, prestige, and association, they might concede more smiles. What would they have to gain but a friend and someone to talk to. Wouldn't that be nice.

Returning home, I will spend more money at restaurants, on clothing, and see friends more often individually. I would like to take weekend dining trips out of town too! I hope my comrades are down with this. It's not everyday that adventuresome traveling buddies fall into your lap!

Oh life!

Weather

I was going to do this post about life lessons or interpersonal stamina, but weather popped up instead.

Ever live in the Everglades? Under a lillypad? During a rainstorm? Mmm. Impressive! Sounds kind of like how Vietnam feels.

Few were the moments when I wasn't stuck to myself - in Saran wrap as my travelmate said - completely sweaty. It's a slow sweat that starts early. Open your door in the morning from the ac to the outside and - bam! - You'll be hit with it! It is a tour de force that I will never ever forget.. A 24-hour sauna.

The rain comes on occasion only - even in the rainy season usually once or not at all per day. Sometimes it will rain for days. The rain and wind here is so strong that I might mistake every single shower for a typhoon come ashore! Be prepared for: at 10am, 4pm or after nightfall at 6.

The heat and humidity, which skyrockets the heat index into the hundreds throughout Vietnam, also coincides with intensive uv rays. I was none too concerned about this during my stays, but did get some light burns. The uv index is over 10 most days and was at 12 when I'd check it.

Also, keep in mind that indoor ac may be nonexistent at work/restaurants. And ac standards are lower too: higher temp, mildew, etc.

Flights

Inevitably I end up flying with the window bandit and the barfing girl during my two intravietnamese flights. My first flight involved a random guy who opened the exit seat row. He was promptly dismissed from his exit row duties of saving the plane in case of emergency. Then there was the barfing girl behind me last flight. That always happens. A little turbulence and the one girl tossing her cookies is always behind me. There she was.

Flying is an adventure in Vietnam. People rarely fly. When they do, they buy random souvenirs onboard such as the flight attendant shirt or a mini plane. Additionally they take pictures boarding the plane, by the plane, on the plane, etc.

Flying in Vietnam isn't for the weak of heart. There is always sweat down my back in the airport and airplane. It runs about 3-5 degrees over my max. There are smells. People take off their shoes. Everyone stands up when the flight is done and bodies touch. Cell phone calls are at a max. As is aberrant behavior.

The people are very friendly and talkative. The people on my flights were 30 year old business men from Hanoi. There are invariably white people on each flight and jetstar has austrailian flight decks.

In the airport, don't expect too much English. You can get checked in okay, but gate questions may pose a problem. Flights change gates often and rarely are the flights projected at the gate. There is a constant overhead reel of gating news that isn't too helpful.

If you can stand line cutting, book stealing from checked luggage, and a poor climate, then by all means: allons-y!

It should also be noted that your flight will be turbulent and delayed, as mine was and is apparently an often occurrence.

Right now I'm costing up to some airport beef that tastes amazing! Well see what my stomach has to say about that in a while..

Final on-the-ground Note

So I realized that I'm flying/traveling from 2am Thursday morning to 7pm Friday evening... That's a lot of traveling. During that time and my hours of layovers I plan to write down what I'll call the rules of vietnam, in case my readers ever decide to visit, ;). I think I'll include mostly weird customs and things that you should prepare yourself for (more humidity than god should allow, smells, beds that are stiff as stones.

Wish me goodluck on my travels - I am currently sick and don't want to pull a Hannah S. on any of these flights and end of less well or with bursting body parts... I think it will take a little luck indeed.

I am looking forward to two things: free, non-Vietnamese food, and water. Clean water. The waters of japan and the us. Mmm. It has been so long since I've showered or had a good old fashioned water fountain sip... I'd just like to get reacquainted with my old friend H2O again.

For now I'm going to see the city some and relax... Maybe buy a zyrtec? Hmm. Interesting idea!

Halong town

Writing to you from

I'm on a boat!

Wow! The view outside my window right now is so spectacular! It's part Italy with the painted stacked houses, part US with the eagles circling, and part Vietnam with the pirate-looking junk boats. Today was extraordinary.

To sum up the past two days: here I was aboard a magic swirling ship..

And I'm sick! I view some sort of upper-resipitory gunkcous. It's the same thing that Todd my fellow teacher had a week ago, so I think I got it from him.

Right now it's two o clock in the morning and I haven't been able to sleep. It smells like a gasoline chamber in my room and I find it hard to breathe. I've opened the window and affixed the curtain so bugs can't get in.

My room on board this junk boat is way better than my hotel room was. My shower is separate, there's more space, wall plugs to plug things in at - it's great!

So is my tour. Go figure that out of the 15 people on the tour, the only other sole traveler is a person about my age who knows one of my friends from college - and just sent his sister a postcard! Small world! She reminds me a lot of Emmy in many ways too which is comforting.

I felt great right from the start of this tour: it's filled with couples of varying ages from all over. They come from Columbia, Belgium, Germany and the us. I enjoy talking to the people from Belgium - cause I can practice my French, which of course they compliment!

Right now it's fifteen minutes until breakfast. My guide is outside my door repeating good morning. No one can say my name here..

The weather is good. They cancelled the tour before ours because of inclement conditions.

The people on the tour are great and interesting to talk to: all European, two other psychologists, I've been speaking french too. The greatest part is that I have a travel companion - a girl 26 years old who quit her job and is then going back to grad school who is good friends with the sister of one of my friends. Small world!

Today our tour broke off from the typical halong bay tour and I definitely saw what I would consider the most beautiful place I've seen - cat ba national park on cat ba island. We rode bikes where there were no tourists and was just this sidewalkway going into the island hills to a village of 400. There are monkeys, giant cuddledish, squid, birds, lost goats, and water buffalo. It's an adventure. We've been biking, hiking, swimming and kayaking the past two days. The only downside is that last night which we spent on a boat, it smelled a little bit like the gas generator!

I am very glad I came to the north of Vietnam because it's much different here and more calm. I do have a small head cold that I'd like to get over within the next day. Other than that, things are going pretty well.

Yesterday while on board our boat just before our swimming hour, I noticed something in the water.. What's that? It was the biggest freaking jellyfish I've ever seen! Maybe the size of 4 or five feet! Whew it was scary. A bad thing to point of to our group before swimming - hey, wanna get poisoned?

When others saw me diving into the water though, they jumped right in. Today our watering whole was definitely one of the most beautiful places I'd seen. Maybe equal to st johns in the caribeen. Crystal waters, bright green, clear beach that we just found on a cove, so salty you can almost jus float there... Ahh infinite bliss.

Prior to our swimming adventure, we had a kayaking adventure. Usually out and about I'm the one to push people. Ohhh no go just a little bit more! Today, not the case. I was ready to turn back and call it quits but my boatmate convinced me to encircle this island with her to see if our dock was on the other side. Indeed it was! But first we had to pinpoint which dock was ours from a choice of quite a few!

We got in twenty minutes early despite our wavy open-seas paddling, adventure some sting ray and bird viewings and uncharted navigation plan. The columbians however, did not. They were lost out there for over an hour, trying to remember which Island they went around.

Lovely followers this will be a near- final post. Wish me good health! Tchus.

Saigon's Setting Sun

Traveling North

Of course I create a spectacle of myself at the airport!

After returning from the cushy cu chi mud tunnels, we got some food (ie, I ate Keema naan on the street while the others got American creations), we went back to the hotel. I blogged to you and shot off some emails, and then grabbed my bags from the others room and then was left to sit outside for the next hour. One left for a massage.. Said goodbye, and the other going to the airport with me approached me and said "why are you out here?" well I hadn't reserved a room and had nowhere else to go. So we left our bags and went out for what I thought was a walk. We didn't make it too far before the offer to stop for a beer and take in one final scene of saigon presented itself.

We walked the twisted alleyways, surprised by kittens around one blind corner. I felt like we were in istanbul.

Sipping our tiger and orangina, the cocktail waitress gave us rambutan an asked the australians to explain to us how to open it.. No,no were from the south I side. Hehe. We are fruit master gurus now.

Right now I'm in the Saigon airport looking out at a hazy sun setting on the city... To get here was unnerving. I don't even know if I want to be here..

Our can driver on the way here was clearly on something. He would pump and shake his whole body forcefully during the ride here. A young guy not a few years older than me, he demanded 160,000 bucks - ten more than the fee plus twenty I'd gotten out to tip him. Of course, even when I said I didn't have anymore and was sorry upon leaving the cab, he was angry saying that security would demand 160 from him, which I admit was what the hotel said the ride would cost looking back on it. But in the middle of this scene I didn't want to fork out my money wallet for a lousy 50 cents. So I maintained my position and walked away. He wasn't angry actually, he was just sad. Maybe I should have more of a heart, but I don't. How would I know or way or another? At this point I just want to get into the airport and away from people hassling me! His whole body was shaking from whatever drug be was on as I walked away.

Although this is no paradise. The whole terminal smells like the restrooms I passed on my way here - poop, big poops. An its about 78 and sticky in here.

The other Americans are both desperately wanting home food and culture... Hmm. And I'm here nammin' it up for another week. Is this what I want? Stomach unsettled, tired of giving tips...

The other American when saying goodbye to me today said: "be sure to try all the weird foods.. But I don't need to tell you to do that."

And then in the airplane some idiot decides to open the exit row window, which of course necessitates his removal and plane engineers to come in and reaffix the window. What a trip!

The whole flight was very different. Pay for drinks and souvenirs (because we're not flying, we're in a theme park!). People, instead of getting up to let others out to go to the bathroom, people dive into one another's laps, junk in the face, to reach the aisle. Thankfully no one graced me with this unwanted cultural assumption.

And I tell my hotel to pick me up two hours later than I arrive... Waaay past my bedtime, which is written on a stone and says "9pm, prompt." I am just fortunate to have conversed enough with the hanoian civil engineer next to me in the airplane to ask him if I can borrow his cell. Thankfully my hotel knows my flight number and already have the car waiting for me It's a dude who looks kinda like John s although short. He takes care of me.. Even though his striped shirt looks more like pajamas than business wear.

Ahh, I feel better here taking in the scenes and listening to the police's "regatta de blanc" in full on the hour long trip into the city. I feel like such an iPod whore after talking to an English teacher at the university who only has a toshiba mobile touch gadget. She's going to get an iPod from her American grandma in one year. I was trying to explain to her that I love my iPod. iPods. X3. Geeze it makes me sound like a rich prick! I only paid full price for none of them.. That doesn't help my cause. Anyway, god bless iPods for letting me stay in touch and spew so easily.

So I am enjoying the north a lot. Supposed to be more conservative and less friendly, but ca va thus far. The airport was pristine, ditto my car. People turn off their lights at night here. The area feels richer - looks neater, more cars, more order. There is less higglety pigglelty an riff raff and noise in the air. After my flight and sojourn in Bohemia, this is a good, more American change I think. No cars -in reverse - driving around the airport like my cracked out cab driver did with me. More like crabbed out. Ouch, I spoke too soon - there goes s can backing into a parallel parking space by cutting backwards across a byway.

I figured out from my seatmate that I was in the right about my cab driver - he was trying to while more money out of me for no good reason. The 10k he wanted is the fee that the car must pay to exit the airport. What he demanded though was 10k above the extra I tipped him, which yes was small. But he could have asked in a less cracked-out way. I was ignorant and in a position of power. Screw that!

What I knew of the grand cities of Vietnam before visiting them was that they were open to fb and played no bb. So foreign travelers feel right at home.

In other news where I'm going next was just havocked by storms which resulted in several deaths. Ugga. I hope that means tight and safe surveillance for me. We shall see what tomorrow holds...

Fat and ugly

So I wanted to take a minute to write down an interesting cultural phenomenon. Maybe it's in part due to poor english, but the english teachers here continually comment on others' weight and stature. They called Todd "fat," even though he just likes to lift weight. They called the other woman on the trip's husband "ugly, like my husband... fat and ugly." This same woman said of one of her fellow teachers and closest friends: "when I first met her, I thought she'd be very mean because she's soo ugly!" The woman she's talking about is totally friendly, does have a tiny bit wider face, but is a nice and attractive person!! Also, another teacher called her fat simply because her face is slightly wider...
 I get complimented all the time, but of course, on my height, weight, and beauty. Naturally! The other day a teacher asked if I was planning on gaining weight. Well, no, that's not a goal of mine.. She herself weighs about 40 kilograms and is very small in frame.

To sum up my current day: I spent it in saigon with the other two americans. I just had some pretty good indian food (low in flavor but good in quality and freshness) and am going to the airport in an hour. We had a great tour this morning, but of course when you pay for something here you never quite get the quality or duration of experience that you expect. I met two irish travelers our age who were fun to talk to - they are traveling for 5 months and taking time off from work to do so! Apparently that's common in their circles. Most people on the tour seemed like they were 19-year-old Austrailians and were pretty obnoxious - like still in high school. Once, when I was actually walking in the cu chi tunnels themselves, the Austrailians in front of me had a little panic attack and quit the tunnels early, meaning that everyone came out only half way through the 1/5 mile tunnels (100 meters?). It was kind of amusing.. but I was right behind them and the lights were dead the rest of the way. The crawl space was very small - you're on your legs, but knees bent and ducking down towards the ground.

Write more later! Crazy crazy!

Last day nammim

Today marks my final day in southern Vietnam. I was awoken by big brother at five and then the kitchen staff cutting meat at 6:30. So I feel leaving couldn't come at a better time!

Last night we went out for vegetarian food with the assistant head of our department and his doctor friend. His doctor friend, although he speaks little English was very pleasant to dine with and paid for our food.

To me and my stomach at this point, there is very little different about eating Vietnamese vegetarian and carnivorism, minus maybe the sodium intake. What we ate last night was a spring roll course - my spring roll had pebbles in it... Go figure, a yellow noodle and lightly sautéed veggie course, and then what they call a hot pot course of melting pot styled fondue de veg. I wanted to get s celebratory beer to polish off our adventure, but such an item was not for sale at a vegetarian restaurant across the street from the areas largest buddist pagoda.

We came home to loud club music from a nearby house, more lizard poop and lizards, and some laundry to hang up. Also, ive heard the voice of that crazy man from the fight everyday since and could do without that. These are a few of my least favorite things.

Our bathrooms are a mess. The humidity is unbearable! There is a stench of b.o. and chives that comes from our drains, the butt hose has always leaked (ewe), and my sink is rusting away from the wall it's attached to, leaving little bits of black metal on the ground.

Pinky and the brain is what I affectionately refer to the kitchen staff as. The head worker is tall and rather nasty-looking and the assistant is slim and friendly. I ended up paying only 25 dollars from my allowance of 75 for food here. I gave the assistant, pinky who really runs the ship, a sealed juicebox of strawberry milk I got as a freebie with some tea I purchased. She acted like I gave her liquid gold. Yeah, right.

The brain woke me up this morning. Meat when chopped is done so on the floor for some reason on a thick circular cutting board. I don't know why the floor - a knife down there seems dangerous. But when she hacks the meat in the wee early morning, it makes the whole building shake. Take it outside, I say!

Yesterday we had an awesome day! We went about 40 minutes out of the city towards quoc li and the durian fruit farms that be on an island near there. It was awesome! We got to walk the length of this long, orange-dirt island, snapping photos the whole way down.
We ate a magnificent lunch and watched ships sail by and then followed up with some coconut juice at the teachers uncles house and then durian, jack fruit and more watermelon at her parents durian plantation. We walked all around the plantation, which was an adventure.

Each tree is a little mound you hop to, one to the next. It's like a thick jungle out there.. Well it is , but I had no fear during our walks of running into something ghastly.

During the day we saw mostly chickens and dogs. I, with my conical hat I found on campus, provided many an amusing photo opp.

As we left her house, durian sack in hand, we could hear her father singing karaoke by himself. Apparently they really like singing here. If you have people come over, you sing with them. No wonder it's so loud and the people are so happy.

The durian sack really stunk up our car. Between that and the sight of our chia-petted friend binh picking his nose the whole way home, I was nauseated. Binh was obnoxious - he came for absolutely no reason and speaking to him is like putting a one-way mirror in front of him! We have a car ride into the city with him today. That should be fun!

Yesterday after our adventures fruit farming in the countryside I went shopping... Again! I really can not get in enough shopping! I've boughten mostly shirts and jewelry and tea since coming, but have been spending like daddy warbucks.

So in conclusion to my time here, I've learned a lot about teaching, people, beauty, and what I should have done for the past year. I think my American university professor probably provided the deepest conversations. He's someone who redefines diligence and perseverance by his very actions. When he wanted a job, he showed up every single day asking for that job until they gave it to him. I've also learned quite a bit about hospitality and education. Giving someone all you can afford is a true definition of showing hospitality, and your own education is up to you. These people spend all day at school, but when it comes down to it they are educated because they do it for themselves.

Until the north, peace out!

Snack food

This is like eating a paper bag made ini noodles... With sweet (sugary), savory (peanuts), sour (lime juice), and spicy (chili paste an real chilis) covered. The consistency of the yellow noodles is like a plastic bag though... It's weird. Cost 25 cents for a kilo. There were lemongrass leaves and sprouts included as well as a lime and two chopsticks. I ate it as my breakfast. Spicy!

I wanna kiss you

But if I do then I might miss you, babe. I think I will genuinely miss the city here when I leave in two days. The ability to walk and do anything cheaply is incredible. I paid today for all my food here for the month and coughed up only 25 dollars (we were paid back). Pretty cool! And to think that we eat like pigs!

Actually I don't think I'd kiss anyone in Vietnam. Things are just so unclean! I don't like holding or touching or shaking people's hands here - and as I said yesterday, I don't like being touched like a white spectacle. I think I've long held and would still like to assume an aura of white privilege wherever I go. I think Asia and Africa and everywhere besides Europe and north America doesn't afford that. If you're in the county, you're a novelty to them as the lone whitey. So there you have it. You're not viewed in movies or cross-cultural shows as disgusting, poor, and ugly. You're beautiful, rich, and friendly. So why wouldn't everyone want to touch your arm? What if I was Buddha? Then people would have to touch my belly :)

I realize that it's getting close to dinner and I need to go grab me a sandwich. The food they're making down in the kitchen smells wonderful. A sandwich and the local snack food are the only two items left on my to-do list. I've eaten the rest of Vietnam! Tomorrow we're going to durian capital of the nation and will eat fruit fruit and more fruit. Todd doesn't care for durian.. Neither does Anthony Bourdain. Today I tried what a friend said was his childhood favorite - a soup of tofu curd with some like brown sugar sauce. Basically it's a good version of flan served in a soup bowl without the eggy taste. It was my cheapest buy here - food-wise - ringing in at 15 cents. Well worth it. Then I got some what I thought were mangos. Ah ha! They were not. Weird! They were serve with a black bean curd and a spicy salt mix ( I still can't figure that one out.. It's like for people who enjoy salt on their watermelon). The fruit was like a mix of melon and guava in terms of looks and taste, but was extremely sour! Should have gone for my pineapple instead. Cost, though, was only 25 cents.

Today were my last classes. I was pretty stoked. Mondays class and yesterdays classes were difficult. I think our novelty and luck as Americans who are teaching students who don't want to learn English by choice had expired. It's compulsory here starting in grade three.. But still few speak it out here in the countryside.

Today went much better. For instance, at one point when I thought my class would die of boredom or inner rumblings amongst themselves, I got out my coin purse. See, American money. Ohh! That got them interested. Then I had heard that at the end if you ask to take your picture with them, that they will love you forever. So I did. I didn't know I was a hearthrob! Suddenly everyone was whipping out their phones and asking to have their picture taken with me. Well sure, I guess so. It's no big expenditure on my part.

Then I got into sticky water. They wanted me to sing. Ahh, no. What we do in class is what I have prepared for class and I'm not going to sing. I heard it's customary for you all to sing. Then they asked me: what would you like to hear. I know one of the teachers likes the beetles.. So I say nestles. Nothing. Then they ask me again, this time a different person. So I give in. Write a name and some lyrics on the board and sing one verse of Josh kelley's twenty miles to georgia. That afforded me requests to sing michael jackson's heal the world, which they spelled 'health the world." Stay in school, kids. No, I didn't know that one. Instead I just sang the chorus to "rock with you" and did some dance moves. That was fun! I think I put my hands down on the walk of fame as my notes blistered and cracked out in front of my audience. Stage fright is my homie.. But they really enjoyed it.

I think I told you previously that I sang - with microphone, impromptu - at English club my second day here. There were tons of people at the club and the leader just handed me the mic. I think in their culture though, it's no biggie to be asked to share a song with everyone.

My other teaching success of the day - and you'd think I would have sang for my afternoon class - was when I was asked to define the word buzzing. I was going after the figurative definition as the example we had was - the campus was buzzing - but also mentioned that a buzz is the sound that a bee makes "bzzzzzzz" and described a bee. Just then the biggest black bee on earth entered the door and went straight for my head. "And there we have a bee, demonstrating buzzing." They all thought that was hilarious.

Tonight we have coffee with the two english teachers from the language center and university and then tomorrow we go out to the countryside. It'll be like going to heaven. Except all the other english teachers invited themselves along. I can now hear random people on the street saying, yes, I'm going with you. ?? I've twice walked into offices today and have heard "ohh, I'll be joining you on your trip tomorrow." I guess one can never practice their English enough!

Excellent donut

Minus egg yolk center

Who knows what

This, my friends, I drank. Who knows what black ricey grain it was!

Rice jello cake

This was gross and I threw it away

Last Day of Class

My threes weeks of teaching now come to a halt as I look out upon the last day. Ugh! What I've learned is that I never ever would want to force any teacher to teach to a test and that teaching Vietnamese children who specifically are not interested in studying English (what we do) couldn't have been more fun. The students here are very diligent and know the grammatical innards of the language very well. Speaking the language and the consonants that accompany it for them is just difficult.

If I had to do it over again I would certainly come back to Vietnam. I've heard many comparisons about teaching and life and Vietnam. The food here is viewed more favorably and the culture is more social and informal. We literally could not have met more genuinely nice and happy people here! Everyone has offered to take us out for coffee or lunch at some point and each time has been a treat!

This morning I had a very sweet class of mostly girls. This was the class I told you about last week where some construction worker almost poured water on me. Well this week he did, except not on me - on a student in the front row. If you can imagine this stream shooting in from the door from nowhere... It caught us off-guard. I went to investigate what was going on for her, but got nothing.

My van driver today was the same as yesterday - crazy crazy man. Today we took a more bohemian truck.. Yesterday he made these two buses collide and passed a truck while driving on the wrong side of the road. So daring. And frustrating to ride with.

Right now I can hear the music blaring from a home nearby. It's gotten unbearable. Club bass starting at about 8:30 at night, every night. Now the clucking lizards have started. I still hear that man who got in the fight several nights ago yelling, everyday. He needs to be hauled off. He sounds like a disturbing individual.

Today I communed with a wheeling lizard on my way to class. You know those ones that are about 8-10 inches long and wave their hands around like they're swimming angrily as they walk? This was one of those guys. You don't even blink... Do you? He didn't. I could approach him and get right up in his face and he wouldn't budge. I've seen him a few times now. It'd be great to snap a photo!

So let me tell you about my buys. Because the name of my other blog is "Claire eats the world"... I need to live up to my name. We already knew I was an adventuresome eater. My cohorts here gave me that designation earlier in the week. But today I took the plunge. No more fertilized duck eggs, no more durian, I ate something dark gray. A dark gray smoothie. Not officially knowing what kind of water or whether milk was in it (or what it was, mind you), this was my biggest leap yet. What you get for about 28 cents is the following: a used water bottle recycled and filled with purified water, sugar, and what tastes like peanut shell. Probably not worth it's weight in gold or oyster shells. But well worth the experience and knowledge that I wouldn't due from imbibing this mysterious drink.

I went on my way to a soup restaurant, very nice ad clean and a woman greater me with English - no one here every speaks English... She told me about what was on the menu, finally explaining that you make the last item at home on your own? Oh, i asked. Then she revealed that it was a store for baby food! Did I want to try any? Haha. No thank you, and I was on my way.

People are much nicer to me when I'm out without my American compatriots, we've all found. Were just more approachable. One thing I'll be glad for when I get back home will be the lack of stares, hellos, and touching. Non-white people who rarely see white people here like to touch their arms I guess. I was over it the first time our lunch lady touched me on the arm. Sweetest person ever. But I don't really care. I don't like being touched like I'm surreal. If I saw a green person or rainbow plaid person I might touch them, but all other colors - even albino - I would leave alone... Because they're human.

Anyway, my food journey ends another 30 cents later when I buy a carmel donut. Or so my English friend told me. It's actually a really friggin good donut, with a sticky butter shell outside, but inside is an egg yolk. They put eggs inside of everything! Sandwich, soup, bread, pastry, and now donut! Gee!

I should let you all go - it's way past my bedtime.. Happy adventures!

Good morning, good morning, guh

Good morning, Vietnam

This morning I had an early class. 7am. Had to get up, eat, take the car to the other campus in the countryside. The cab driver was late, as usual, and then to make up time or maybe just convince me that he's very crazy, he was pulling all kinds of crazy stuff on our way there. He caused two buses side by side to rub into one another, which I guess here is a big non-issue. On the way back he drove on the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic to pass a truck. Oh the chivalry.

My class was good and interesting. The riff raff crowd in the back left early so that I could spend more time with those actually interested. And apparently they weren't actually interested. I had people ask me my age, if I was single and tell me that I'm beautiful. I told them that culturally people in the US are getting hitched later and later and that that is culturally very different from what I understand the custom is in Vietnam. I essentially told them to go to the US to find someone if they were interested. Happy English lesson!

Don't know how to break the spell of a typical vietnamese meal. There is way way way too much food being exchanged here! Look at it! Five sauces. Five courses. Five beverages. It's all about abundance and offering everything to your guests. People literally take their own chopsticks and stick random foods on your plate.
 
The meal pictured here was very good. It was organized because the man on the right I taught with and knew, along with the woman on the right, Gladys who organized and trained us before our trip. She did likewise to both of the teachers on my right years and years ago. Small world!

The two of them work like so many English teachers do at the English language learning center to help improve students' English from the private side of things. This means that after working 7-day weeks with no vacation (period) they come at night to work at the language center. Relatively speaking they must be rolling in dough, but have no free time in which to spend it. They both have kids, of course. Making a lot of money here means making over the average 50-100 dollars a month. A university professor working for the government makes 150 dollars a month, and these teachers probably make well over that.

At this dinner I had a beer called "tiger" beer for the first time. It was very good. In between a michelob and blue moon, although better. Compared to their wine here, at least, it's good. The beer too is constantly refilled, ice cube in glass and all.


And here at jollybee you can find overpriced, very small American food. For more than 3 meals' rate, you can pay for a pickle slice-sized hamburger. For another meals' price get some "fish fries." This are fries with fish seasoning which means that they have an abundance of pepper and some salt on them.

 The workers were friendly and business, though not booming, was good compared to their Vietnamese neighboring cafeteria. I got food there that wasn't very good... but this is a reiteration of a prior blog post, so I'll stop here.

So we are finally going to visit the countryside! Since coming here we've stayed and walked and boated and driven the city. Nuff of that. We knew our way around after week one as it isn't that big, just busy. Needless to say we are pumped to see whatever agriculture or rice paddy fields can see during broad daylight during our hour drive out into the boonies. The man we're taking with us, none other than Mr. Binh, is rather, well, anti-country. He's more like a chihuahua with poofy hair and crocodile shoes and probably will not dress appropriately for flies, heat, lagoon outhouses, etc. This is all what I'm imagining it will be like... in reality, who knows!

Binh makes us laugh daily. He doesn't get English at all and just repeats phrases such as "you speak french." He dances with pompoms when you enter the room - his eyes say it all. I don't think I'll meet another individual like him for the rest of my life. He has an ageless quality to his face, too, that's rather mystifying. His feminine side comes out when he walks stair cases and daintily half-steps to everyone's full step.

Yesterday I found 1,000 dollars and a conical hat. It was my lucky Vietnamese day! I've decided to wear the conical hat out on our excursion later on in the week, but only if that's okay with you, my beloved followers.

I need to end this post now because it's lengthy, but it feels glorious to type on an actual keyboard for a change. Now I'm off to this place below to do some clothes shopping. Toodle-loo!

Decided not to buy a belt here... belt the staff sure are nice! They were sleeping on each other in this formation before I took the pic.

The scene of the crime

Trying to sleep

The green tea and booming club music kept me awake past nine o'clock tonight. Most of the day during my boat excursion I could not help but think of how fortunate I would be to peacefully rest in the solace of my own room tonight. But as I turned off my light tonight, that's not what I got.

There was a loud racket of club bass booming from a new tv or sound system nearby. Theyve had this system for a few days now, so im starting to get used to it. Shouting I will also hear from time to time, but now there's some kind of beating in the street. A man wont stop yelling. Sometimes i think that hearing a humans voice can evoke more emotion than seeing a humans face. When I hear hitting happening I rush over to the window - not like I have a phone or anything to call police with.

There's a crowd of people watching and now breaking it up. Even young children. The club music stops for it. The man - who is crazy - is pulled down the street and i think thats the end of it. He comes back a second.. And third time. The second time is too much for me to handle. It's a domestic dispute and the man is obviously crazy. At least there are always others around when these events occur here (like te suicide jumper). At the end of the day, this day in particular, I just want rest and escape from the world. I guess it's tough to come by.

The others here said that what we've seen here has been begarless and wealthy compared to where they've traveled to in south America. Begarless? I hate been harassed and touched for money each and everytime I walk outside and they consider this town to be beggar-free. Geez. Getting a feel for the ways of the world... The real world and the social fashion and the politics it consumes is a mindtrip.

Dog at the coffee shop

Tough living

Abnormal. Crazy. Interesting. I don't know about fun.

The past three days I have been without Internet. In fact our specific computing apparatuses have been bared from the Internet. What? Who's idea is this? Not fun! I have been python-slithering, club-going stories to share with the wonderful world who are my followers.

Follow. What a great word. You lead and I'll follow. And then I'll be able to lead. So far I've arranged for us to have a boat tour of -all!- the tourist attractions in the area today. A day-long visit to the forbidden fruit known as the countryside here. And have been wireless Internet hunting. You have to be persistent here. People talk, but rarely follow-up.

Our whole time here has been overshadowed by the melanoma of our hosts brother. She's carrying for him in the city and thus were left to our devices, despite promises of money, trips, and fame on the part of the university. No such thing! Unless we do it ourselves...

I like waking up knowing everyday will be different and an adventure. Lifes like a box of chocolates.. Just not Vietnamese ones.

Pensee du jour

So I'm nothing short of tired of having spotty or non-existent Internet. Everyday it's out for about twelve hours a day... Completely randomly. Sometimes it's just the house wireless, sometimes it's all over campus. Sometimes I think it's just leftover from a power-outtage (which I'm surprised that they don't occur more frequently), other times I think it's some university-wide or province-wide occurrence. Hmmph! I just passed Todd in the hall as he was making his way to go search for wireless as I just did. Good luck, my friend. For me, I'm sticking to Harry Potter and walks for now.

Hello goodbye

I am approaching the home stretch of my stay here. During my time here I have eaten more fruit than a ravenous bear, walked more miles than a sweaty Richard Simmons, and seen the world in a completely different way. Not needing or wanting the constant stimulation of a new-York-city-style, in-your-face vietnamese street scene, I now realize the many things I have at home sitting on the sofa I am thankful for. I have peace and quiet, safe and clean friends and pets. I don't have any beggars harassing me as I walk down the street.

I know I will miss the riff raff and the energy and spunk of street life here - it simply cannot be replaced! And it is the impromptu randomness an adventures that I crave in life, but that my home life and Louisville culture doesn't do. The random smell of rubber in the air, really bad music videos and infomercials on TV, chocolate that says "Thailand" or "Belgium" but that's made in Vietnam. The peoples friendliness and willingness to invite you over at the drop of a hat is irreplaceable. People here daily give us the shirts on their backs - even students - just cause they are sincerely nice and happy that were here. You can see it in their faces.

Just the other day the head of the English club, a student, invited us out with the club to the pagoda and then out to eat. He bought cabs for everyone. Food for everyone. Gifts for us. And this is a student, who volunteers on top of school and student teaching. I had already determined that he was a god - he's not yet graduated school, but is clearly an excellent teacher. But it's interesting: what makes him a good teacher isn't his English. No, far from it. He conjugates every verb incorrectly, leaving out all s'es, a common problem here where they don't hear the consonants. He has enthusiasm and nothing can stop him from planning and delivering and organized lesson straight through. He has people energy and can think on his feet. After university, he's going to get his masters in ho chi Minh city. What a great town, so lucky to have such a nice guy.

What I won't miss from here socially are the people picking their noses, men especially. Sorry guys, I think men are just generally more interested in finding whatever it is in their noseys! Also the sneezes and weird nervous coughs. I wanna hear a big 'merican cough! Also the stupidisms. Why do you have to talk when someone else is talking in public? Do you really got to answer your phone every five seconds, even during banquets? Does this discussion of 30/2 have to last five minutes? How do you not understand that slamming your door does not shut it, but pushing it until it clicks does in a way that doesn't wake up all of hogwarts. And, oh yeah, tame your dog, child, rooster, squalking bird, or man peeing in the stream. That's really too old to be seen in public..

Today I was evaluated (my teaching) by the head of foreign languages at the head of the provinces university. It went well. I had one of my best classes in terms of flow and pace of different materials being taught in a relevant order. It was quite fun!

Now I'm waiting for dinner, planning our weekend trip and trying to book my adventure for next next week. At this point I'm pretty pumped. A visit to ho chi minh city is in order and some swell history museums are there. History's not real big in this town, but I've read that the museums in ho chi Minh city are spectacular!

I'm washing clothes... For the second-to-last time.

As soon as you say goodbye I say hello...

At hogwarts

Right now I'm trying to unwind some and relax before bed. I think I only have one three hour class tomorrow and it's at the end of the day. I should be able to sleep in some. Maybe.

We're preparing for an esl presentation on Saturday morning and have to correct textbooks and prepare a presentation too. Everything here is three hours too long :p

Today went well - I had too classes, ate my scrumptious lunch of fruit out by myself, and went shopping. The store is so funny here - the more I see the funnier their cultural factoids are. For instance, at the store when you buy one of something you get a free of something else. Want a kitkat? You get a fruit drink too. Want a bag of chips? Get a pepsi. Want a candy? Get a real glass plate!

Also we went into the food court at the mall: two restaurants, one vietnamese, one American style. The American one had some patrons, the Vietnamese had no patrons. We split up to eat at the two locales. I got two asian meatball dishes: one sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple and the other an Asian meatball hot brown with the meatball stuffed in tofu. Tofu is prevalent here, even in meat-lover's food.

I was wanting a nice little kick of spiciness from the food, but didn't find it. All-in-all it wasn't very good. Really, nothing compares to the food found on the streets of the city. Freshness, variety, price are all met on the sidewalk. I'm glad I'm able to choose to opt for more sidewalk meals. I can eat every odd item I've ever seen on the sidewalk in a week's time (I hope)!

So maybe I'm not at xanedu, maybe I'm at hogwarts. I've been reading Harry potter.. Half way though it actually. I really enjoy the flow of it a lot. Rich descriptions, but reads kind of like a movie script with a mix of dialogue, thoughts, and actions.

I feel a little bit like I'm living at a house at hogwarts. The way the food is. The grandness of our glass and granite tower. How I feel like a star walking down the street. Yes, I know I'm the only white person in our little universe. Thanks for the reminder. I'll smile to that.

Sent from my iPhone

Today's lunch: 35 cents

Crappy cookies

There is a fruit

Americans looking longingly at the fruit

We have no bananas.

Hammock napping

On Xanedu and Love

I keep on finding more and more similarities between Vietnam and Xanedu. For instance, sparrows here are ubiquitous. Chirping outside my window right now, getting in fights, always visible. Fat Albert may have changed his name to Skinny Binh, but his presence is still felt. I didn't know I'd find sparrows here.

Also, yesterday for the first time I noticed the carrying mechanism for hammocks: ones briefcase. So similar to me and my briefcase at xanedu, the briefcase hides the sleeping apparatus during the workday, and then when it's time for a break, you can pull it out and set up shop wherever.

I will admit that I do not have a JJ, Hannah, or Michael here with me. But Reid presence is felt as if I'm at the office nonetheless because they still share themselves with me over email. Thank you for that guys!

Today's teaching was rough: a boring lesson. Whan whan! We had all the distractions in the world: someone pouring water on me from a construction site going off to the sides of both sides of the room, gym class going on outside, computers being replaced. All of this was right up in my narrow teaching area. Grr! And then to top off my morning, I had an iron and ironing board fall on my toe. Yowza! I hope this afternoon is more calm and laid back.

I must refrain:
Nothing can take the attention off my purpose here: to teach. I love it here because there is a certain magic that goes on in the classroom that I don't think I'll get to see, experience or instill in students again. Students here are so enthusiastic and willing to learn. They smile and act genuinely happy to be there. I know for a fact that I wasn't this enlisted in all my high school and college courses. These students, like the diligent people, have a purpose of learning that they carry around with them. Non-stop, working towards every goal put before them, however tangental it may be. These are people who don't necessarily want to study English or want to have anything to do with English later in life, yet these students fill their brains with a command of English that is stellar.

Teaching here is love for me because I am wanted and valued in the classroom to an extreme degree. Nothing else matters.

Sent from my iPhone

Alley

Where the wildthings are

The butterflies here are so beautiful. Their colors and eye spots on their backs are odd blends of light blue, indigo and fire orange. They are so different from US butterflies; I feel like you'd only find them in a picture book.

Right now I'm sitting outside a balcony that sits outside my room and my neighbors. Today is overcast, but the clouds paint a beautiful picture. I have all afternoon free, but really need to plan for tomorrow, when I teach about all day long.

I just finished up a lunch of fish (the best I've had since I got here), spinach soup with meatballs (I ate all my meatballs, and cucumbers with beef. I ate all my meat and cucumbers. I eat close to no rice during the meals, instead I dab it up with some yogurt so it makes something similar to kheer or Indian rice pudding.

Today I asked our server for fruit. I first did this by pointing to the bowl and spoon of our neighbors empty fruit dish. This got me five spoons. Then I pointed to the word fruit in our two language dictionary, which worked at getting me some fresh orange papaya. Very good! Apparently it's uncommon to eat fruit here even though there is so much, unless it's a desert.

Eating here really makes me feel bored with American food. Whan-whan. Big whoop if I can get a cheeseburger or quesadilla. I can get that here, in the middle of no where with no Americans or Mexicans around. What if I wanted vegetables and wide yellow noodles? What if I just asked for items out of a dictionary, and then a chef had to invent recipes that were tasty enough to sell in restaurants on the spot?

We did this yesterday and asked this of a chef at a local restaurant. Wow! Were we well fed! I have never tasted such simple dishes prepared so well. And I think it's because they are all prepared fresh that they taste so good! Yesterday we ordered: tofu, fruit, vegetables, oj, noodles and veggies, and beef. We got a feast for a king for the pricetag of about 10 dollars, which is really freaking expensive here (I was actually blown away that it cost so much). The beef was prepared in a huge toppling salad almost wig watercress vines. It was delectable. The fruit included crabapples, some dragonfruit, guava, watermelon, pineapple, and ice on top. It hit the spot. The crabapples I hadn't eaten before and were very good - like they look; like cherry apples.

The Australians who taught at the university before us said that we are more likely to get sick at a large restaurant here than on the street because we are sure to get fresh food on the street. Doing the math, it makes sense because the turnover on the street demands a constant cooing of meat and ensures that food doesn't sit around. Speaking to their point, the Australians said that the only time they had gotten sick was after eating in a McDonalds in the LA airport.

Last night, after two days of wondering the city, museum and pagoda-hunting, we had a good laugh at the end of the night describing our English-learning comrade, Binh. Binh. This is a little 4'9" guy who looks like a mix between a chia pet and a chihuahua. He's ageless. And 32. His hair is so chia-like and miracle-grow-y that it makes it tough to determine how old he is. On the way home from the airport he was forced to sit in the trunk part of our van because he was the only one who could fit. This guys just a character because he desperately wants to learn English, but just repeats the same phrases over and over, stating the obvious. We've convinced ourselves now of several conspiracy theories as to his whereabouts because he's disappeared. He used to eat every meal with us. Either he's found a woman, secretly makes fun of us and can already speak English perfectly, or it could just be that he's a crossdresser. We do know that he: can't hold his alcohol, acts as the official interpreter to English even when other more apt people are present, and that he speaks French. In Ho Chi Minh City. This fact he repeats continuously. And the fact that I speak French as well. Thank you, Binh. I was worried I had forgotten that factoid about myself!

Today I taught for three hours on the other university campus on the subject of housing/accommodation. My class was extremely active and willing to engage, which was great because it was seven o'clock in the morning and most Asians are taught to be respectful in the classroom, which comes off as being passive. This is throughout Asia and not just specific to one culture. The class will stand and applaud for me when I enter or exit, which let's face it, is tough not to love. They also give you their eyes, with twinkles in them. Not one of them isn't ready to spring on and tackle
English, even though it
Isn't their major. Dont think ill be treated like royalty again in a classroom..

Not that this compares, but it was nice to be back in class and not continuously hear the "hellos" from friendly people on the streets of the city. If only I were Asian...

American breakfast

Alleyway

Too much food on my plate

I think that I mentioned that we've been having way too much food. I thought at some point it would stop.. Maybe with a casual meal out, or simple meal in, or a meal with friends. But when you're a guest you're a guest all the way from your first watercress to your last mangostein day.

I ate last night at a locals house, a friend of a friend, whose English is very good and who has been very hospitable to us. He took us about thirty minutes from campus north of town to his in-laws home.

On the way there we crossed a bridge which gave us our first look at the structures lining the waterway. While taking photos thus woman slowly and blankly began to exit the bridgeway, as if to jump off the bridge. It wasn't any taller than a high dive, I don't think, but still the act alerted our host. Normally timid, he approached her and started talking, grabbing her arm as she started to position herself. He motioned for Todd to come and help. She wouldn't respond and was quite blank. All of this occurred on a busy, little bridge leading to the outskirts of town and meant that traffic had to be stopped. About another five or six men joined to help pull her back over from the exterior part of the bridge and on to the ground. She was completely out of it, curlers still in her hair. It was a very strange experience.

She then followed us on the road, talking about how her son was in California and how she was needing to get to ho chi Minh city. Later on we say her reconnect with her family, whom she didn't recognize and go down a smoothie with then at a shop down the street. Very odd. Apparently that sort of thing doesn't happen much... But we have encountered two very crazy people since being here. I just hope I don't run into any on my travels alone.

At his house they have tons of geese (ducks) and chickens, which people apparently give as gifts. He keeps them and chooses not to eat them. Also there are coconut trees, whose trunk and coconuts we ate during the course of our meal. We also apparently ate the neighbors goose!

We had guava, which I bypassed being full, spring rolls, soup like chicken noodle with cracked rice, some tofu with sweet and sour sauce (like a jalapeño popper! - my favorite) and then the chicken, sprouts, mushrooms, and onions, etc. dish. It's true that they say etcetera, etcetera, etcetera here. Also we drank the juice of two coconuts. I grabbed many pictures of the house, the setting sun against the coconut trees, and the birds, as well as a second outdoor bathroom for the family. It goes like this. There is an ice chest made of styrofoam that has no floor that sits above a little wetland. There is a compartment to the side that holds what I first thought was reading material (newspaper), but now realize is whiping material. It was quite a site.

The homes there are not closed to the outdoors. There are slats towards the top of the ceiling that allow the hot air to exit, not like the temperature reaches anything near 75 or 80 or even 85, with the heat index. It doesn't feel so bad on your skin though as the dry heat at times.

Which leads me to another point. It's very difficult to tell hoe hot you are and how much your body is exerting. This morning didn't feel very hot, but it was one hell of a workout to walk just a few miles. When I return home I think my body will be acclimated to humidity, but that my post-mini muscles may be gone.

After dinner we walked a few doors down to the big Buddhist pagoda. Whoa is he big and happy! We got to see the evening service at about 7 o'clock and walked around the grounds to marvel at the various statues. By the end of the day, we were completely pooped out! Geez! We took a can home to the tune of 1.50 us dollars and - after realizing how far away from home we actually were, I was glad we took the cab in the end.

This morning we got up to have breakfast at 8 o'clock - very late by our 6am standards. Todd hasn't had the best sleep here. I sleep like a cucumber, an American one of course. Cool and long. We went out for good noodle soup - very good - with mint and tea. Waaay too much food, again and I'm tired of darn noodle soup, but this one was better than most.

In our guest house it's tough for us to get them to put fruit on the table. Here they have all American fruits plus all this wondeful stuff I've never heard of. Today for lunch we had fruit, lotus, and what tasted like artichoke juice. Very good! Coconut milk and water jello stuff. And then a fruit salad of guava, avocado, dragonfruit, pear, rembutain, and a few other fruits I can't recall. The salad was sprinkled with strawberry syrup and sweetened condensed milk, which made a fake bubble gum or cotton candy taste wow! - was it good!

Now were charted to go out again for coffee in one hour. I just wanna do touristy stuff on the weekends. This is the only time we have here and we should go out and make the most of it!

My turn

at the market

I have tried to add to this blog on blogger so many times just to have it fail, I decided to take a stab at ye old computer. Enough of iphones. Enough of a thousand gnats on the wall and floor to my hallway when waking up. Enough random baby, dog, gun, whatever sounds outside my window. It’s too busy.

My tourist book from national geographic on Vietnam says not to even get off the boat at our city here, save for one pagoda. Just sail by here on a boat? Wouldn’t you want to get a real Vietnam experience? That’s what this Australian couple did for 15 months and they’re in their 50’s! I known I couldn’t do that, but they did it and said it lasted only a few months too long J They found good eats, traveled around the whole country only on sheer dimes. I’m a little envious that they have the spunk to do that sort of thing. They left today, leaving us, their white friends, bug spray, books, maps, and bags. Very thoughtful!

I’ve searched and asked twice for a post office now… apparently it’s across the street from the university. I’d like to shoot off some letters, but who’s to say that that’ll be happening any time soon. Sigh. At least Sundays here are workdays.. And Saturdays.. And everyday.. And every minute.

Except last night I woke up at some time in the middle of the night. I deduced it must have been between about 9pm and 3am because outside was dead. There’s noise and bustling every other time of day. Hammering I hear right now. Roosters every few seconds - three times since I’ve written this paragraph.

What I’m trying to plan and consider is how to spend my time the last few days here. I was thinking of going to Hanoi where apparently there are free tours given by school children. Sounds pretty third-worldy to me, but it’s worth a shot. Then again there are the junk boats in ha long bay.. And I think what I’m wanting is a resort stay on the beach. But it’s hotter in the north than it is here (??). Apparently the heat index is 105 there whereas here it’s 100. I think it’s a little more humid there. I had no idea the heat was this bad until I checked the weather on an actual computer today and saw that.  The UV index is 12 (!).

Well I suppose I should tell you about my bout of bad luck yesterday. It was about 11 o’clock in the morning. I was doing fine, reading harry potter, ya know, the usual stuff, when I got a blazing headache. I was irritated, my stomach felt fine but I felt queasy and nauseous and before I knew it I had to get ready for a banquet. We left for the banquet and I was in the pits. I was just irritated. Felt aweful. It was the worst I’ve ever felt. I felt kinda achey, shivery, weird all over. I was kind of ticky and had a horrible headache. At the end of the day I think it must have been dehydration, but extreme dehydration. I concluded that because I had taken a run earlier that morning, drank little to no water, drank alcohol the night before, drank strong coffee and tea at breakfast, and kinda felt dehydrated like this the day before. I tried to sleep it off but couldn’t because my brain was wired. I felt like I couldn’t breathe too, on top of it.

Here today, I am fine. A new person. Still I wish I knew more about what was up with my body and how to prevent something like that from happening again!

For you, some photos…

In sickness and in health

A lot has happened within the past twenty four hours. As if you couldn't gather that this was the case from the recent posts.

Two nights ago we had an american wedding during english club. I was the officient and was for whatever reason very funny. I know those wedding vowels almost verbatim, maybe that's why. The leader of the group was a university student who was very creative and had a great accent. It's evident that he will become a top teacher of English. The electricity went out on us once during the time. Which a student I asked said was common during the rainy season and the teacher says the government does and announces from time to time.

Later that night while I was asleep the other two teachers and our host went to the hospital. She encountered a bug bite just above her eye that made it swell greatly. I think the whole experience was kinda eye-opening. She went to the towns hospital at 3am and she had EKG, blood drawn, and met with an optometrist. She said that there was lots of blood on the floor, with people coming in constantly from motorbike accidents.  She was fine and the next day I got her some zyrtec. Her bill at the hospital was 34,000 dong or about a dollar fifty. Incredible!

On another note, yesterday was cool because my classes were very engaging. We find that the morning classes have more spunk and energy and laugh more than the evening classes. These are non-English majors and you'd think that they'd be relatively uninterested in English. But in fact, they love to learn about America and have been very engaged in the pronunciation lessons I do. I compare similar words using sentences, pictures and tongue twisters, which gets them speaking in class together in a way that doesn't put them on the spot. Try are passive and reticent to offer a question or an answer when asked for one. Teachers try to push it out of them, but they say that's just the way it's been here for a while. I think it's due to a more holistic cultural phenomenon than that.. Teachers are interesting too. Thy recognize somehow that their English and pronunciation is poor, however when complimented on it, they don't respond. It's almost a social experiment I do to compliment them on it. I cant decide if that's a cultural difference and they just ignore compliments or if they genuinely disagree with my assessment. I'll hope for the former but feel as though they act like the latter.

I have mating lizards in my bathroom at night. They are funky
geckos with big eyes that run around chirping at one another and pooping in my shower. I guess that's an okay place to poop, but I wish I didn't have to listen to their amphibian orgy music.

This morning on my jog, which I've decided dehydrates me, I heard that tv again. I decided it was too blaring for a tv and must be the radio. I'm correct! Not only is it the radio at 5am and 5pm in the rural parts of Vietnam, but it's big brother saying the same thing everyday. Apparently he's talking about  freedom. I am without facebook and netflix, though.. So much for asking those people to turn down their volume!

Money, money, money sharing more than just one another's company

I want to share Vietnam with you. I'm starting to like it more. It's really fun being led around town by our host, she can explain cultural traditions very well in English and can order us anything. She's always smiling and joking with the locals - she comes off as smart and well liked, even though she's not especially beautiful. She reminds me of my French host mom to a t actually because of her tone when she speaks English. She had the exact same voice.

Today we were followed and harassed by a crazy guy, which was no fun. If I had to give a diagnosis I'd say it would be that disorder where ( usually a guy) does things that are socially unacceptable. He walked up to a table and drank peoples water. He kept on touching us and asking for money. Then the shop owner where we ended up at just stared at him - literally gave him an evil eye but just in stare form until he was walking off the property and down the road. It is crazy how that got through to the guy and worked wonders. So suddle and so powerful.

It's odd though because people over here stare a lot in general. But I suppose different stares can e interpreted differently. I just wouldn't wnt a guy like that following me around while I travel alone.

I road my first motorbike today. It was incredible! By far the most fun I've had
Since being here! And for no specific reason. You get to see everything and blend in for once as a white person (we use that term a lot now to describe ourselves). I loved not being in control! Anything could happen! I saw so many different sites: eating sugar cane while driving, the old man who I see drive the bike where you shove the steering wheel up and back to move.. Large open air cages on bayous with hammocks. It's nothing short of incredible to ride around without your camera and think of all the picturesque things you see daily.

I road the motorbike on the way to my first course. It was interesting. I taught for over an hour. Told them about where I'm from, the history of me :), the US, and then they asked some questions about my family and how i liked Vietnam so far.

Overall they were a very passive bunch. I had them individually introduce one another two me. Most spoke softly and said they liked to eat bananas or noodles. Some with better accents - the boys mostly - said they enjoyed pizza and hamburgers. Lol. The only spot to get pizza is at coop mart (like a mix of walmart and the mall). We played some fun games together: hangman (played in triple with a picture - I invented it myself), some tongue twisters and pronunciation games. They liked the hangman and tongue twisters because we got to really see the nuance of how to pronounce words in English in a way that they can hear.

I went out for coffee after class, which lasted about three hours, and we discussed cultural differences. It's so sad to me to see individuals who want so badly to travel out of the country so that they can learn another language; they think americans travel not to lounge and drink but to experience other cultures. This is only really the second time when a trip, I wouldn't say, was catered to my precise comfort  and the first time I've been in a third world country. When money is spent in quarters and dimes instead of fives and tens, it makes mr realize the opulence that we live in at home. Opulence and laziness. We have hobbies. We don't work on the weekends. People here admit to few hobbies. Maybe ping pong. Maybe socializing. But time is spent walking to work. Weekends are spent working. Traveling does not exist.  Families work so that they may enjoy one another's livelihood in a healthy condition.

Continued - part 3 of drinking with the boys

At the end of the day I find myself with noSIM card, no Internet, no way to contact or entertain the outside world, some food, no breakfast, two lectures to make up, and a cracked skull. I could use a bath...

I decided that the only necessary comforts I need in life are: toilet paper, water, and AC. 

We have gotten into a predicament with our host. She expected us at a meeting one hour ago and we failed to show. Why? Because both of our hosts left and didn't inform us that we needed to leave - in fact explicitly told us to stay. As if that's our fault. 

Later on we attend a class and are asked to speak. I'm volunteered to introduce myself which I do. I say a few words. The teacher then essentially asks us if we have anything else to say and we say no and go.

When we return to our meeting, much to the hosts surprise, she expected us to teach the second period! How were we supposed to know that? We were dismissed!

Enter the concept of "saving face." we deducted that the teacher lied to the director about our instructions. She grilled us about who talked and said what, but later Sheri explained what she think happened and how we weren't in error. She explained that we were professionals (as if I am!) and that shooing be treated so poorly by her. Duly noted!

Continued - drinking with the boys, part 2

Seeing the traditional vietnamese rich persons home was awesome! We got to experience all the different parts - the oppulent westernness of the house with marble, the old fashioned wooden stove area outside, te garden, and the front shop. 

In the kitchen while preparing our pancakes, which were really omelets with chives and meat eaten on leaves of Asian basil (like cilantro) or mint or other random tree leaves and then dipped in fish sauce, we noticed some objects above the fridge.  Snakes. And a foot. A big harry human foot sitting in a jar of fermadahide... What? First a photo, then the question? What is that and why is it there? The answer came from Sarah, the girl who speaks English better than anyone we encountered. "Because we like it." what? They keep on saying that.. I don't like wearing a sweatshirt when it feels like 100 degrees out, and I don't think I'd like looking at some big harry bear foot and cankle while I eat my meals, thank you. The snakes were those scary ones hat are black with white stripes. I feel like I'm looking at death when I see those!

As we eat the meal, we are asked if we want to drink. Sheri and I say no, but Todd having already drunk a warm 333 (like a michelob) says yes, and is ushered off to the men's table. There they have already been eating and drinking some shots of the local specialty banana wine for some time. The wine is at really wine at all- it's bad liqour. I get invited to the boys table at the end of the meal. I saw I'm willing to try some. This lands me in trouble. I end up having about four really bad shots because they break open the scotch sent and specially bottled from France. My esophagus
Thinks that's a delicacy for sure. 

So in typical Asian style, I "cheers" with everyone at the table. Great fun! Todd is about 11 drinks in and, as a big guy, can totally handle it. Our short male host, mr chihuahua, cannot handle the shots as well and is loopy and bad at English now. 

I start getting served food at the guys table. Great. I've just had an omelet, multiple weird fruits that I'll never see again, 3 or 4 shrimp chips and Now what I need is the same all over again on top of alcohol. I perfect my "no" skills this time around. I do, however, desperately want to try durrien. 

This giant spiney fruit is native to Indonesia I believe. I've wanted to try it all of college and hunted it down in china town in cleveland only to come up empty handed. The restaurant was out that day. 

Here it was! What my philosophy,
Dr thomson his probably one of the top five weirdest people on earth told me about! Part cream, part pudding, part offensive. I was down!

Drinking with the boys

Drinking with the boys
Could never end well. 

Today's nit even over... And when it barely began I had enough to write a blog entry about. 

This morning we got up and had breakfast. As usual the street sounds and bird wretching got me up before 5am. Luckily I went to bed at 9pm the night before, so that wasnt all that bad. I lied in bed, wrote some emails and a blog entry, stretched and read, then decided to go out on a run around the university at about 7:30. Not so much. 

I get out there and I'm a spectacle. I don't want to be the only white person, the only person running, while throngs of people stare at me blazing through their space. 

At breakfast I talked to Sheri about this and she said she went on a run in and outside of campus at 5:30. I can't imagine running outside of campus. Apparently they spray the streets with water to clean them and so there are big puddles to dodge because of that. 

After breakfast of s noodle bowl that included one mushroom that tasted like an old shoe, we headed off to meet the president. I donned a black dress and was deemed beautiful by a woman in his office. Why thank you!

We sat and spoke with him about the students, tourism, the economy. It was neat to be speaking via interpreter. However, when I spoke to him he needed no interpreter which was nice. 

On our way to meeting him we were invited to celebrate the miduear at a professors house. Why not?

So we went and got some funds exchange at the bank - I came into 4 million dollars for the first time in my life. And then zip - off to the professors home to a party. 

It's cool. The profs house is just like any other storefront - his family makes furniture inlayed with marble. We walk back through the pretty storefront, several dogs and cats into an old timey wood and metal shack. There are women there cooking the pancakes, which are really just omelets served on banana leaves. Further on in the yard is an expansive and beautiful garden and a marble stone home. The house is absolutely gorgeous!

We walk in and meet the professor and his family. A girl named Sarah who can speak English very well. She invites me to her English club later. 

To be continued...

Sanatization

Everything on the streets of the city appears dirty. Fruit husks, swarms of flies, dogs, greasy moped shops. People wear masks, reportedly, who are sick, but I think some people wear them just to keep the grime away. Even my bathroom has it's own grime presence:mildew.

Speaking of bathrooms, the restrooms here are gross. No toilet paper, no toilet, just a room. It's gross. And to think that on top of that there's no clean water, makes me think the US level of sanatation is extreme.

I'm an individual who likes feeling clean, contrary to what you my think about me and my multiday long travels and showerless existence. I did pack my facewash though. My listerine spray, brush, toothpaste, gum, chapstick, and yes, hand sanatizer with lotion. But even my first towel-less unclean water shower felt good after a day spent traveling in germ tubes!

On my flights I encountered uncooked chicken, which the stewardesses didn't inform the people of until after they were finished eating (I knew not to touch mine because between its shape and texture, I don't think I had ever seen anything like it)! One person was lucky enough to find a woman peeing, door open to the universe. I was kind enough to attempt to wash my face on the plane, which ended up in my wetting of the entire bathroom floor. I'm sure most people thought it was pee. At least I create illusions of unsanatation, not the real thing!

Walking the streets

I have mad iPhone skills. Sorry for the miswrites.

Today we went walking down the street and then into a mart store for two hours. During the sejour we came to find that everyone is out, staffing their business today even though it's Sunday.

School started at 6:30 sharp this morning
The roosters were out
before then.. I feel like it's been two days already. People seem to have long and narrow shotgun shops one after another that are all open air. It was really interesting to walk by.

Some people had roosters, dogs, hildren with them while working the shop. Only photos can capture the ambience though. Everything looks kind of old and grimey. None of the food looked appetizing except the whole fruit.
Some people were
Fixing old stuff. Sleeping on mattresses. It's just a mess of people and open air storefronts for miles. It looks literally like scenes from movies because everything is so ornate. 

Items cost a fraction of what they cost at home. Nice mens shirts: 5 dollars. Womens jewelry is only a few pennies (200 dong for a ring or earrings). It's kind of absurd. Sky vodka at the supermarket was 2 dollars. 

It's weird to be the ones that stick out like a sore thumb and that everyone stares at. We have to officially register our visas with the police department tonight apparently so that we may be allowed to walk around freely like we did today.  

Tonight were going out for vegetarian with a professor here. It will be interesting to see how the locals live...

In Vietnam

I am now in Vietnam, lying in bed and hoping that no more squalling outside my window occurs. It started at about 5 this moribund which was really okay because I needed to turn down the ac unit anyway, but god there are some weird birds here!

I found out last night that for meals I can either have my own personal chef go to the market, buy and make anything I want; can go out to eat, or go to the university cantina (I love how her and in France they call it a Cantina like were in a western or something!).

Speaking of westerns, I cannot wait to post a photo of the streets of ho chi Minh city! It looks like a movie set and everyone is part of a different, auspicious movie. Last nigh we drove through and saw the open air pool halls, the dimly lit back alleys and the wrest restaurants aglow with people.. Mostly men. The buildings were like a see of different color unlike anything I'd ever seen before. There's a roundabout just outside my house here, maybe I can capture a photo of it to share with you.

First meal in: three hours!