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!
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.
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!
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