Dear friends and family, thanks so much for your birthday well wishes. My first birthday spent in Vietnam set the bar high. We went to explore some of the downtown markets. Binh Tay Market is tremendous in size, and sells mostly anything one could imagine. Stall upon stall. Item stacked upon item. Women sleep atop mounds of material. Men carry three times their weight up flights of stairs--boxes precariously held on their backs. As you move through the crowded small pathways, partially blocked by vendors eating their meals, men and women push past, busily en route. Most of the stalls sell the same or similar items. One of my favourite sections was that of hair paraphalia--think 90's sparkly hair decals times one million. I left the market feeling the simultaneous senses of excess and lack.

We had Pho for lunch (a type of noddle soup, typically with some sort of meet and additional dressings one may add--basil, peppers, sprouts, etc).

After resting up at the hotel, we gathered together for a dinner hosted by the owner, Mr. Dong. HOWEVER, it turned out to ACTUALLY be a birthday party for moi. Two of my close colleagues had made a Happy Birthday banner (in both English and Vietnamese) and ordered me an ice cream cake.The owners, who were with their children (who have Dengue fever) in the hospital, sent a large bouquet of flowers for me. Dinner was hot pot--boiling brooth to which one adds a variety of different meats and vegetables. Thanks Cheratien, Jeremy, and Wilf for making me feel loved on my birthday, even when I am far from home.

One of my presents from a fellow teacher was a lesson on driving his motorbike. I look the bike for a ride, SOLO. Small Vietnamese children, at first, fled from my shaky path. By the end of my ride, they were back in the street and there for me to navigate around. Crossing the street is quite an art here in Saigon. You must begin to cross the street, and the mass of motorbikes naviagates around you in a delicate, yet brash, dance. Today, as a bike nearly grazed me, and I did not flinch, I knew I was becoming that much more accustom to life here.

I spent the evening of my birthday SICK, so I spent the next morning sleeping at the hotel. Cheratien and I went out, once more, to look for houses and found an apartment we LOVED. However, it is out of the price range we desired. We spoke with the landlord today, and hope that she will lower the price for us. If we end up getting this apartment, I will have an extra bedroom in our loft for visitors. Come visit me!

Friday night--dinner at Bonney's (our Principal).

This morning, the teachers attended the Founding Parents Club meeting. The event was held at the Hyatt, the most expensive hotel in the city. The Founding Parents of CIS are those parents who invested 50 000 dollars in the school from the onset. The morning consisted of meeting parents, having many photographs taken (we have been participants in numerous photoshoots), listening to numerous speeches, and eating good food. Overall, the parents, government, and owners expressed their tremendously high expectations for the school-- we felt a little pressure, but also much reverence.

This evening, Jeremy, Cheratien, and I inaugerated Jeremy's new apartment by making dinner together. It was nice not to eat out. Jeremy's neighbour is a Founding Parent, so she invited us in to her place to meet her sons and have some grapes.


Cheratien and I just got back from a night of dancing in the city centre. I was proud of myself because I successfully provided the cab driver with the address in Vietnamese. YEAH! We went out with Nina, one of the staff at CIS. She is originally from the Sapa region of Vietnam (north), but has travelled and worked all over the world, including Canada. She is spunky, fun, and kind. We went to see some Vietnamese jazz artists, then enjoyed salsa dancing and breezy rooftop views of the city lit up.

Alright, off to bed. I get to sleep in tomorrow, for which I am very greateful.

I hope all is well with all of you--be sure to e-mail me with your updates.

Much love!