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!
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