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!
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