Dearest Kin,
It is hard to believe that there are less than two weeks of school remaining until Christmas holidays. This is both a glorious and a terrifying count-down, as we still have to pull off the best Christmas Concert EVER. Joining Cheratien in leading the Christmas concert has been a stressful, deflating, hilarious, and amusing adventure. Despite limited facilities and time, we had been charged with the task of creating a show of wonder. We have had to constantly remind ourselves, that in spite of the external expectations, we must remember that--ultimately--parents want to see their precious ones up on stage in cute costumes, even if they aren't actually singing the correct words to Jingle Bell Rock. Although many of the seeming essentials have yet to materialize, we have been ensured by the owners that giant inflatable snowmen HAVE been ordered. Phew! I was worried.
Christmas decorating in HCMC can be described as follows: a hungry holiday monster ate all North American Christmas decorations and then came to HCMC and vomitted it's feast all over the place. Think whole store fronts tin foiled and laced with fake snow. Twinkly lights. Windos filled with bulbs. Dancing Santas. Facades of buildings laced in snow scenes. Reindeer on street corners, etc. Photos to follow at a later date.
In addition to the Christmas chaos, last week was report card time and parent-teacher interviews. The sweet mother of one my hyper-active Korean students brought me a bin of kimbap--maybe as penance or thanks, I am not sure.
This past weekend was likely the highlight of my time here, thus far. On Friday night we took an excruciatingly long cab ride to the airport, making it there just in time for us to run to our departure gate and catch our flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. On Saturday, we explored Angkor temples--breath taking religious architecture from the 9th to 13th centuries. I cannot begin to describe it, and my picture will surely not do it justice. Sunday was the true highlight, as we woke up bright and early to run the 14th Angkor Wat International Half Marathon. People form all over the world come to Angkor Wat to run this marathon, so we were able to meet some very interesting people. The run course is spectacular, taking its runners through ancient gates, past magnificent and awe inspiring temples, and through Angkor countryside. The residents of the villages came out to line the streets and cheer us on. The children shouted out broken English phrases of encouragement: "You do it!" ..."Run, Run. Get there!"...etc. Some of the children slipped braclets on my arms as I ran past and high fived their outstretched hands. After two hours and twelve minutes of non-stop running, I completed my first half-marathon in a sprinting blaze of glory. Although we were weary, we spent the afternoon exploring Seam Reap (also enjoying a fish foot massage--fish nibble the dead skin off your feet-- and a massage my blind masseurs). We arrived back in HCMC by 9:30, and got up bright and early to teach the next morning. I am weary, but, surprisingly, not in pain.
The weekend before, I went with a bunch of French and Vietnamese folks to complete a mountain race, just 150 km from HCMC. The mountain is about 1000 meters high, with a steep incline. One competator completed the entire race in the time it took us just to summit. Some Vietnamese people trekked about in flip flops or bare feet with pounds and pounds of bannanas on their backs--making us look foolish and sluggish. The climb was challenging, but rewarding. The mountain was actually used as an American communication base during the war, so evidence of that is still present on the summit. On the way down, we shared this mountain jungle with hundreds of butterflies. We are looking at joining the same group for a jungle mini-triathalon in February.
This week we said goodbye to a good friend, Kim. Kim is American-Vietnamese, and has lived in Vietnam for four years. She has been so wonderful about introducing us to the city and getting us involved in a myriad of interesting things. She is leaving her job as General Manager at a team-building/school trip company and moving to Bali. Living the life.
Oh my.. so much more to tell, but I am getting weary and still have a mountain of marking to tackle.
A big thanks to all those who have sent me mail, e-mails, messages, songs, and so on--makes me feel connected to you all, even though I am so far away. Facebook has been blocked in Vietnam, so my access to it is sometimes dodgy. Accept my apologies if you have not received messages from me in the last few weeks.
Alright. Much love to you all!
Love,
K
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Dearest Friends,
This week past was eventful. I was warned that the days and week after returning from holidays are painful, and the week, in some ways lived up to the ominous caution. We had an inspector from the DSBN come to interview us and observe our classrooms in order to give recommendations for how we can develop the school further. Although it wasn't an absurdly onerous process, it was somewhat stressful for the staff. My classes that were observed by the inspector, however, went well and the students were at the top of their game. An interesting, student initiated conversation about how pizza is a symbol of the loss of Vietnamese culture to Western norms arose--that seemed to impress.
Monday was a sad day for the C.I.S. staff, as one of our most valuable employees left under unpleasant circumstance. Thao is a deligent, self-motivated, trustworthy, and bright woman. Jeremy and I organized a small going away dinner for her, so that the staff might express our appreciation for all she has done and how deeply we will miss her. We are certainly staying in touch and spending many weekends in her company!
This past weekend was busy. I spent Sunday with the children of Ben Tre. We brought 55 of the children from the countryside to HCMC for the day. The children had never been to the city, and were awed by the experience. We started our at the zoo, which was an experience unto itself. I nearly cried at every stop-- elephants chains in one location, "petting zoo" goats running around in a concrete wasteland, 10 crocodiles piled into a small kiddie-sized pool, etc. Nonetheless, the kids were able to learn about the animals and benefit from the insights of a tour guide. Of course, the tour was in Vietnamese, so I gleened very little. We did some games and activities with the children, had a picnic lunch, and then headed to the waterpark. En route, I sat beside beautiful Hong, how WOWed at nearly everything we passed (tall buildings, lamp shops, gardens). She shared her candy with me and giggled when I tried to speak Vietnamese. The waterpark was a terrifying location. We had 55 kids, and about 6 adults equipped to swim. The waterpark was swarming with people, and the organizers had little per-planning about how we would supervise the children. Cheratien and I swooped in with our teacher instincts and paranoia and orchestrated a supervision regime. I, thus, had six Vietnamese youngsters in my care. My strategy, seeing as I don't speak a whole lot of Vietnamese, was to make my presence as exciting as possible, so that they wouldn't stray too far. Indeed, the plan was a success, but I consequently threw a lot of children about and gave a significant amount of motorboat and piggy-back rides.
Other sketchy/hilarious elements of the waterpark include: a boy band performing on a stage a top a waterfall; fiberglass tunnels (with limb like outcrops that can only be described as penninsulas of death) set in a kiddie pool; lifegaurds spider climbing up the sides of massive water slides; children in full dress in the water (sweaters, pants, hats, etc); and lastly, the greyish colour of the water. In spite of all these dubious qualities, the waterpark turned out to be a magnificent experience for the children. None of the died. None of them were injured. None of them got lost. All of them LOVED their time there.
We met with Co Tuyet today for Vietnamese lessons, and she told us that the children called on the village pastor's cell phone to say a big thanks-- they passed the phone from child to child, until all 55 had a chance to express their excitement.
Vietnamese classes are coming along. I certianly sound like a fool as I sit at the coffee shop and make vowel and consonant sounds, and practice unfamilar intonations. The language is simple in many ways (for example, there is not past or present tense, only time markers such as "yesterday"), and difficult in some ways (6 different intonations and a myriad of accents).
I have really been appreciating my students. They are SPECTACULAR! Some humourous points...
I often ask the students to elaborate their answers by questioning, "How so?" Alice has, in turn, started chiming to her classmates, "how so?," when she feels that their points are insufficiently explained. On her drama quiz she wrote the following post script: "I am somewhat afraid of your 'how so?'"
My grade eights have found the ways that they can divert me from the topic at hand. Just yesterday, we were studying how to make effective transitions in paragraphs. One sample paragraph that I provided was on the topic of 'why a woman would make a good president.' Felix then inquired, "Ms. Krista, why are women discriminated against." I inquired, "Do you mean discriminated against in Vietnam?" He replied, "No, in history." The class then delved into a 30 min. discussion on the matter. Truth be told, I would far rathar have my students discuss such a matter than talk about transitions! A productive tangent, I feel.
This week, preparations for the Christmas concert are being stepped up. Tomorrow, Cheratien and I audition the intermediate actors, while we have already selected the primary actors.
Report cards, parent-teacher interviews, parent workshops and a wealth of other teaching pleasures will soon be upon us! However, our trip to Cambodia and eventual Christmas break will be sweet reward for our labours.
Alright... off to run and then to bed.
So much love to you all.
K
This week past was eventful. I was warned that the days and week after returning from holidays are painful, and the week, in some ways lived up to the ominous caution. We had an inspector from the DSBN come to interview us and observe our classrooms in order to give recommendations for how we can develop the school further. Although it wasn't an absurdly onerous process, it was somewhat stressful for the staff. My classes that were observed by the inspector, however, went well and the students were at the top of their game. An interesting, student initiated conversation about how pizza is a symbol of the loss of Vietnamese culture to Western norms arose--that seemed to impress.
Monday was a sad day for the C.I.S. staff, as one of our most valuable employees left under unpleasant circumstance. Thao is a deligent, self-motivated, trustworthy, and bright woman. Jeremy and I organized a small going away dinner for her, so that the staff might express our appreciation for all she has done and how deeply we will miss her. We are certainly staying in touch and spending many weekends in her company!
This past weekend was busy. I spent Sunday with the children of Ben Tre. We brought 55 of the children from the countryside to HCMC for the day. The children had never been to the city, and were awed by the experience. We started our at the zoo, which was an experience unto itself. I nearly cried at every stop-- elephants chains in one location, "petting zoo" goats running around in a concrete wasteland, 10 crocodiles piled into a small kiddie-sized pool, etc. Nonetheless, the kids were able to learn about the animals and benefit from the insights of a tour guide. Of course, the tour was in Vietnamese, so I gleened very little. We did some games and activities with the children, had a picnic lunch, and then headed to the waterpark. En route, I sat beside beautiful Hong, how WOWed at nearly everything we passed (tall buildings, lamp shops, gardens). She shared her candy with me and giggled when I tried to speak Vietnamese. The waterpark was a terrifying location. We had 55 kids, and about 6 adults equipped to swim. The waterpark was swarming with people, and the organizers had little per-planning about how we would supervise the children. Cheratien and I swooped in with our teacher instincts and paranoia and orchestrated a supervision regime. I, thus, had six Vietnamese youngsters in my care. My strategy, seeing as I don't speak a whole lot of Vietnamese, was to make my presence as exciting as possible, so that they wouldn't stray too far. Indeed, the plan was a success, but I consequently threw a lot of children about and gave a significant amount of motorboat and piggy-back rides.
Other sketchy/hilarious elements of the waterpark include: a boy band performing on a stage a top a waterfall; fiberglass tunnels (with limb like outcrops that can only be described as penninsulas of death) set in a kiddie pool; lifegaurds spider climbing up the sides of massive water slides; children in full dress in the water (sweaters, pants, hats, etc); and lastly, the greyish colour of the water. In spite of all these dubious qualities, the waterpark turned out to be a magnificent experience for the children. None of the died. None of them were injured. None of them got lost. All of them LOVED their time there.
We met with Co Tuyet today for Vietnamese lessons, and she told us that the children called on the village pastor's cell phone to say a big thanks-- they passed the phone from child to child, until all 55 had a chance to express their excitement.
Vietnamese classes are coming along. I certianly sound like a fool as I sit at the coffee shop and make vowel and consonant sounds, and practice unfamilar intonations. The language is simple in many ways (for example, there is not past or present tense, only time markers such as "yesterday"), and difficult in some ways (6 different intonations and a myriad of accents).
I have really been appreciating my students. They are SPECTACULAR! Some humourous points...
I often ask the students to elaborate their answers by questioning, "How so?" Alice has, in turn, started chiming to her classmates, "how so?," when she feels that their points are insufficiently explained. On her drama quiz she wrote the following post script: "I am somewhat afraid of your 'how so?'"
My grade eights have found the ways that they can divert me from the topic at hand. Just yesterday, we were studying how to make effective transitions in paragraphs. One sample paragraph that I provided was on the topic of 'why a woman would make a good president.' Felix then inquired, "Ms. Krista, why are women discriminated against." I inquired, "Do you mean discriminated against in Vietnam?" He replied, "No, in history." The class then delved into a 30 min. discussion on the matter. Truth be told, I would far rathar have my students discuss such a matter than talk about transitions! A productive tangent, I feel.
This week, preparations for the Christmas concert are being stepped up. Tomorrow, Cheratien and I audition the intermediate actors, while we have already selected the primary actors.
Report cards, parent-teacher interviews, parent workshops and a wealth of other teaching pleasures will soon be upon us! However, our trip to Cambodia and eventual Christmas break will be sweet reward for our labours.
Alright... off to run and then to bed.
So much love to you all.
K
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Hoi An Holiday
Hello Kin,
I have just returned from a wonderful week of vacation in Hoi An, which is a town on the central coast of Vietnam. Many of you may have heard of the typhoons that hit Vietnam earlier this month. Hoi An was one of the towns greatly affected. However, typhoons are somewhat of a common element of life there, and so the shop owners make quick work of the clean-up. There were only a few signs of the storm's impact--above head height water marks and some wreckage along the shore. Another storm is about to hit tonight or tomorrow, so it appears we picked the perfect time to visit.
The Old Town of Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With hundreds of old homes, pagodas, and temples, the city is rich in history and heritage. The town used to be a major trading center, and so has a cultural that blends Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese styles. The town is also famous for its myriad of tailors-- over 300 tailor shops. One can have clothing, shoes, and bags made to order in a day and for fairly reasonable prices.
The trip was both exciting and relaxing. Our hotel was a small villa, with great views and friendly staff. Dume, the front desk attendant, became a dear friend of ours, and will be coming to visit us in Saigon in the coming month. We spend some lovely days with her on the beach and visiting a local orphanage.
No matter where I have traveled, I have been hard-pressed to find a beach that beats my local Pinery beach. However, Hoi An's beaches provide a strong rival. The sandy beaches were relatively unpopulated, and afforded amazing views of the distant, mountainous islands. Right off of the less populated of the two close-by beaches (An Bang), Jeremy and I found this little beach side hut restaurant called La Plage. It is run by an American woman and her French husband, who are involved in several entrepreneurial social justice ventures in the area. She was such an interesting woman to speak with. We sank into a soft bench, enjoyed the breeze, the waves, and a cup of tea. Perfect. On our venture to the other beach (Cua Dai), we enjoyed fresh seafood beach side.
One day, Cheratien and I rented a motorbike and took a winding trip through the countryside to My Son. My Son is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is a little bit of info about it, straight from the UNESCO website:
"Between the 4th and 13th centuries a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed on the coast of contemporary Viet Nam. This is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence."
On the way there, we took some back roads, which caused me to have to stop about 7 or 8 times and ask for directions. However, our detours afforded us great views and a chance to practice speaking Vietnamese. The trip took about 1.5 hours on the way there, and about half an hour shy of that on the way home. On our way to My Son, we had a friendly motorbiker ride tandem with us, gesturing to scenery we should take note of, and clearly guiding us in the correct direction. Highlights of the trip include: accidentally joining in a Vietnamese funeral procession and having flowers bestowed upon us for our participation and dodging a heard of cows that were leisurely strolling about the roadway. I am getting quite dexterous on the bike--agile, as to avoid death by cow. The ruins were spectacular, and tucked in the mountainous jungle. It was slightly rainy this day, so very few others were there (making the day very serene). Another day of equal splendidness was our motorbike trip to the nearby "Marble Mountains." I will have Wikipedia do some explaining:
Another day, Hung took us mountain biking through the countryside. Again.. dodging cows and other animals. We saw so much, and I will allow my pictures to tell the stories for me. One dubious moment that I did not catch on film was when a drunk man grabbed the photo-taking Cheratien and had to be pulled off by his family members and friends.
The food in Hoi An was wonderful. Specialties include the "white rose" (which is basically a dumpling comprised of two small 2-inch diameter rounds of rice paper with a dime-sized lump of meat filling right in the center) and cau lau (textured wheat noodles mixed with veggies, bits of toasted rice paper, slices of pork and a wonderful light sauce). Supposedly cau lau cannot be made outside of Hoi An as the water for the dish must come from the Ba Le well, an ancient water hole. All this wonderful food for ridiculously cheap prices.
We spent an early morning wandering the market--lively, vibrant, and visceral. Cheratien and I took a cooking class and learned how to make some Vietnamese dishes-- a day that will benefit many of you upon my return. I will be eager to share my new found skills with you all.
We patroned some really interesting shops and restaurants. Because Hoi An brings two worlds together--that of wealthy travelers and struggling Vietnamese locals--there seems to be an interesting milieu for small socially responsible businesses. One restaurant we attended takes on street children, provides them with an education and helps them to gain marketable hospitality skills. The kids make the food and run the restaurant. Another lovely business, was called REACHING OUT. Artisans with different abilities make and sell handicrafts, which are sold at fair prices. You can meet the artisans and visit the workshop.
We spent our last day in Hoi An visiting an orphanage with Dume. We took some supplies and food. I spent the majority of the afternoon in the room with children with disabilities. About 20 children with a wide spectrum of physical and mental special needs were attended to by one woman. At least three children shared a bed. I fell in love with Hong, a small boy who likely had spina bifida and hydrocephalus. I found the little guy sharing a bed with three others, tied to the bed frame so that he would not creep out and injure himself. He wasn't wearing a diaper and was soaked in his own urine. I changed his clothes and put a diaper on him, and didn't let go of him for the remainder of the visit. He was all smiles and cuddles. One boy with down syndrome gently stroked him, and asked to hold him. The children were so bright and thoughtful... all making sure that the milk and treats were distributed fairly. One little boy who was mute pulled Cheratien over to see his sleeping friend, and made sure Cheratien left some food at her bed side. It was a joyful and devastating time. We know that our time spent there did not produce any sustainable enterprises, but we were happy to spend some time holding and loving these children. We plan to return later in the year and supply Dume with some funds over the year to take some much needed supplies there on a regular basis.
Pre-vacation was what we have endearingly termed "HELL WEEK." Report cards were due, we had to prepare packages for an inspector from Canada who will be observing the school for the next two weeks, I facilitated a parent workshop on Wednesday, and then we celebrated Halloween on Friday (I was Cleopatra). The kids were wired! The drama club put on a Halloween skit, which was received well by the owners and the parents. An up: Jeremy and I discovered that a brochure we had edited had been published with some creative suggestions we had put in for jest. The principal failed to remove the promise that our new theatre will have "Surround sound and 3D capabilities."
We had a consultant from the York school board visiting last week as well. The owners, Bonnie, and he were touring the classrooms. They interrupted my student presentations, which were part of the grade eights' culminating task for their global citizenship unit. As part of the task, they had to find and analyze a media text related to their selected issue. Lovely Eve had chosen Women's Rights, and shared with the class a song titled "Woman in Chains" (a classic rock tune featuring men singing about woe begotten women). The contingent of visitors made it just in time to see the one section of the music video that featured scantily clad women dancing on a stage (presumably for money). Although it was an awkwardly humourous and hastily managed moment, it provided a good chance to talk to the kids about "objectification"--a discussion they were engaged in and participated in readily.
One of my grade nine students, last week, found me in tears when I read an e-mail from a good friend telling me that an old friend from camp was in a fatal car crash. The following Monday, my students presented me with a stuffed animal as a "consolation for my loss." It is a husky dog, because they thought it would remind me of home. What sweet teens they are!
One of my closest Vietnamese friends on staff will be leaving the school soon, in search of employment elsewhere. We are all upset by the loss of such an efficient, caring, and trustworthy staff member.
Cheratien and I are now in full scale training mode for our upcoming half marathon. We run on December the 6th in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. We are flying there for the weekend to see this impressive place and to give the marathon a go. My goal--to complete the thing in 2.5 hours. Not lofty, but lofty enough for moi.
Tonight, we met with the other volunteers and organizers for the HCMC trip for the countryside kids. It was excellent to meet with some individuals who are very involved in social justice within the city-- lots of promise for interesting relationships and further opportunities for involvement. The kids come on Sunday! I am excited to see them again and facilitate their city experience.
I am not sure what I updated you on in the last blog.... so this might be review.
The trip to the remote village got postponed because the flooding wiped out a bridge en route. We will take the clothing and supplies in December, when the bridge is fixed. Instead, we did some teaching at Ben Tre again. We took a big gunny sack of brand new clothes and school supplies to share with the kids. They were excited. We took some other teachers along to help us out-- 50 children are too many for just Cheratien and I alone. The ladies of the facilities, who always make us lunch and one of whom features prominently in my facebook profile picture, have made us promise to have them as house guests if they come to HCMC. I hope that they will.
The last few weeks have provided me with so many opportunities to grow my understand Vietnamese culture. I only hope that this will continue to grow as I improve my language skills--lessons are underway.
Alright. I must head off to continue on with my marking!
Please write me e-mails or letters with your happenings.
My e-mail address is:
krista.lambie @gmail.com
My address is:
2E6-10 Sky Garden
Phu My Hung
Quan 1, HCMC
Vietnam
Much love and happiness!
I have just returned from a wonderful week of vacation in Hoi An, which is a town on the central coast of Vietnam. Many of you may have heard of the typhoons that hit Vietnam earlier this month. Hoi An was one of the towns greatly affected. However, typhoons are somewhat of a common element of life there, and so the shop owners make quick work of the clean-up. There were only a few signs of the storm's impact--above head height water marks and some wreckage along the shore. Another storm is about to hit tonight or tomorrow, so it appears we picked the perfect time to visit.
The Old Town of Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With hundreds of old homes, pagodas, and temples, the city is rich in history and heritage. The town used to be a major trading center, and so has a cultural that blends Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese styles. The town is also famous for its myriad of tailors-- over 300 tailor shops. One can have clothing, shoes, and bags made to order in a day and for fairly reasonable prices.
The trip was both exciting and relaxing. Our hotel was a small villa, with great views and friendly staff. Dume, the front desk attendant, became a dear friend of ours, and will be coming to visit us in Saigon in the coming month. We spend some lovely days with her on the beach and visiting a local orphanage.
No matter where I have traveled, I have been hard-pressed to find a beach that beats my local Pinery beach. However, Hoi An's beaches provide a strong rival. The sandy beaches were relatively unpopulated, and afforded amazing views of the distant, mountainous islands. Right off of the less populated of the two close-by beaches (An Bang), Jeremy and I found this little beach side hut restaurant called La Plage. It is run by an American woman and her French husband, who are involved in several entrepreneurial social justice ventures in the area. She was such an interesting woman to speak with. We sank into a soft bench, enjoyed the breeze, the waves, and a cup of tea. Perfect. On our venture to the other beach (Cua Dai), we enjoyed fresh seafood beach side.
One day, Cheratien and I rented a motorbike and took a winding trip through the countryside to My Son. My Son is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is a little bit of info about it, straight from the UNESCO website:
"Between the 4th and 13th centuries a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed on the coast of contemporary Viet Nam. This is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence."
On the way there, we took some back roads, which caused me to have to stop about 7 or 8 times and ask for directions. However, our detours afforded us great views and a chance to practice speaking Vietnamese. The trip took about 1.5 hours on the way there, and about half an hour shy of that on the way home. On our way to My Son, we had a friendly motorbiker ride tandem with us, gesturing to scenery we should take note of, and clearly guiding us in the correct direction. Highlights of the trip include: accidentally joining in a Vietnamese funeral procession and having flowers bestowed upon us for our participation and dodging a heard of cows that were leisurely strolling about the roadway. I am getting quite dexterous on the bike--agile, as to avoid death by cow. The ruins were spectacular, and tucked in the mountainous jungle. It was slightly rainy this day, so very few others were there (making the day very serene). Another day of equal splendidness was our motorbike trip to the nearby "Marble Mountains." I will have Wikipedia do some explaining:
Marble Mountain is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills. The five 'mountains' are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of one of the peaks. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains. The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in other provinces.
Another day, Hung took us mountain biking through the countryside. Again.. dodging cows and other animals. We saw so much, and I will allow my pictures to tell the stories for me. One dubious moment that I did not catch on film was when a drunk man grabbed the photo-taking Cheratien and had to be pulled off by his family members and friends.
The food in Hoi An was wonderful. Specialties include the "white rose" (which is basically a dumpling comprised of two small 2-inch diameter rounds of rice paper with a dime-sized lump of meat filling right in the center) and cau lau (textured wheat noodles mixed with veggies, bits of toasted rice paper, slices of pork and a wonderful light sauce). Supposedly cau lau cannot be made outside of Hoi An as the water for the dish must come from the Ba Le well, an ancient water hole. All this wonderful food for ridiculously cheap prices.
We spent an early morning wandering the market--lively, vibrant, and visceral. Cheratien and I took a cooking class and learned how to make some Vietnamese dishes-- a day that will benefit many of you upon my return. I will be eager to share my new found skills with you all.
We patroned some really interesting shops and restaurants. Because Hoi An brings two worlds together--that of wealthy travelers and struggling Vietnamese locals--there seems to be an interesting milieu for small socially responsible businesses. One restaurant we attended takes on street children, provides them with an education and helps them to gain marketable hospitality skills. The kids make the food and run the restaurant. Another lovely business, was called REACHING OUT. Artisans with different abilities make and sell handicrafts, which are sold at fair prices. You can meet the artisans and visit the workshop.
We spent our last day in Hoi An visiting an orphanage with Dume. We took some supplies and food. I spent the majority of the afternoon in the room with children with disabilities. About 20 children with a wide spectrum of physical and mental special needs were attended to by one woman. At least three children shared a bed. I fell in love with Hong, a small boy who likely had spina bifida and hydrocephalus. I found the little guy sharing a bed with three others, tied to the bed frame so that he would not creep out and injure himself. He wasn't wearing a diaper and was soaked in his own urine. I changed his clothes and put a diaper on him, and didn't let go of him for the remainder of the visit. He was all smiles and cuddles. One boy with down syndrome gently stroked him, and asked to hold him. The children were so bright and thoughtful... all making sure that the milk and treats were distributed fairly. One little boy who was mute pulled Cheratien over to see his sleeping friend, and made sure Cheratien left some food at her bed side. It was a joyful and devastating time. We know that our time spent there did not produce any sustainable enterprises, but we were happy to spend some time holding and loving these children. We plan to return later in the year and supply Dume with some funds over the year to take some much needed supplies there on a regular basis.
Pre-vacation was what we have endearingly termed "HELL WEEK." Report cards were due, we had to prepare packages for an inspector from Canada who will be observing the school for the next two weeks, I facilitated a parent workshop on Wednesday, and then we celebrated Halloween on Friday (I was Cleopatra). The kids were wired! The drama club put on a Halloween skit, which was received well by the owners and the parents. An up: Jeremy and I discovered that a brochure we had edited had been published with some creative suggestions we had put in for jest. The principal failed to remove the promise that our new theatre will have "Surround sound and 3D capabilities."
We had a consultant from the York school board visiting last week as well. The owners, Bonnie, and he were touring the classrooms. They interrupted my student presentations, which were part of the grade eights' culminating task for their global citizenship unit. As part of the task, they had to find and analyze a media text related to their selected issue. Lovely Eve had chosen Women's Rights, and shared with the class a song titled "Woman in Chains" (a classic rock tune featuring men singing about woe begotten women). The contingent of visitors made it just in time to see the one section of the music video that featured scantily clad women dancing on a stage (presumably for money). Although it was an awkwardly humourous and hastily managed moment, it provided a good chance to talk to the kids about "objectification"--a discussion they were engaged in and participated in readily.
One of my grade nine students, last week, found me in tears when I read an e-mail from a good friend telling me that an old friend from camp was in a fatal car crash. The following Monday, my students presented me with a stuffed animal as a "consolation for my loss." It is a husky dog, because they thought it would remind me of home. What sweet teens they are!
One of my closest Vietnamese friends on staff will be leaving the school soon, in search of employment elsewhere. We are all upset by the loss of such an efficient, caring, and trustworthy staff member.
Cheratien and I are now in full scale training mode for our upcoming half marathon. We run on December the 6th in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. We are flying there for the weekend to see this impressive place and to give the marathon a go. My goal--to complete the thing in 2.5 hours. Not lofty, but lofty enough for moi.
Tonight, we met with the other volunteers and organizers for the HCMC trip for the countryside kids. It was excellent to meet with some individuals who are very involved in social justice within the city-- lots of promise for interesting relationships and further opportunities for involvement. The kids come on Sunday! I am excited to see them again and facilitate their city experience.
I am not sure what I updated you on in the last blog.... so this might be review.
The trip to the remote village got postponed because the flooding wiped out a bridge en route. We will take the clothing and supplies in December, when the bridge is fixed. Instead, we did some teaching at Ben Tre again. We took a big gunny sack of brand new clothes and school supplies to share with the kids. They were excited. We took some other teachers along to help us out-- 50 children are too many for just Cheratien and I alone. The ladies of the facilities, who always make us lunch and one of whom features prominently in my facebook profile picture, have made us promise to have them as house guests if they come to HCMC. I hope that they will.
The last few weeks have provided me with so many opportunities to grow my understand Vietnamese culture. I only hope that this will continue to grow as I improve my language skills--lessons are underway.
Alright. I must head off to continue on with my marking!
Please write me e-mails or letters with your happenings.
My e-mail address is:
krista.lambie @gmail.com
My address is:
2E6-10 Sky Garden
Phu My Hung
Quan 1, HCMC
Vietnam
Much love and happiness!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Dear Friends,
Once more, much time has lapsed since my last report. Let me work backward this time.
Yesterday, was a humourous day at school. Our Korean students learn French, while all others learn Vietnamese. My grade nines have taken to calling each other by animal names; a practice birthed by the fact that one of my students looks like a bunny. In drama class, after the former student returned from French class (during which she learned the word for a male chicken), she declared to Nguyen, "You are a coq." I casually and almost without thinking told her that one should not really say this in English, because the aforementioned word is slang for penis. My more English savvy, yet still conservatively Vietnamese student, hid their faces in their hands, while my lower level EFL students looked at me with bewilderment. My most proficient English speakers then attempted to explain in the most circuitous ways, that certainly avoided any proper or improper names of sex organs, what exactly the faux pas was. Upon actually realizing her slip of tongue, Alice let out a chorus of "I didn't mean, I didn't mean, I didn't mean." To alleviate her embarrassment, I gladly shared a censored version of my near slip up with the dignitary's name at the Grand Opening Ceremonies (see an early entry in which I regale you all with the tale of how I nearly called the most important man in Vietnamese education Mr. Boob Pussy by means of incorrect pronunciation). She seems somewhat relieved.
Thankfully, due to these circumstance, we had already established and clarified the term "private parts," so that today's conversation was slightly less awkward. My students are currently making a movie poster about a short story centering on Scrabble. For this assignment, one of my students had googled images related to the game, and had discovered a treasure chest of Scrabble related comics. One comic featured the tag line, "This always happens to me at family game night" and displays a teenager with the letters posed and staged to spell "clitoris." My student was ready to paste this puppy to her poster, so I had to provide a small sex ed. vocabulary lesson, once more.
In addition to taking on a new career as a sex education teacher, I am pursuing lots of new and interesting things.
Last weekend, I went with Kay and Cheratien to the Gallery of Fine Arts. The place is a rustic, peacefull, relatively unpatroned, and compelling colonial relic--yellow chipped paint, blue glazed cement pillars, broken yet beautiful stained glass. Just enough decay to make it magnificient
For dinner, Thao Pham took us to the northern outskirts to a restaurant in the midst of a park.
We paid an entrance fee to eat a gluttonous amount of happiness-inducing Vietnamese
food. A cool evening and a walk through the park.
I met with an interesting group of individuals last Wednesday for a "life coach" session. Interesting. I gleened some excellent insights and met some interesting people.
Friday was Mid-Autumn Festival here in Vietnam. The kiddies made and decorated dragons, then we paraded through the streets. A dragon dance troup and drum team came to the school and performed in the street as our children watched from the sidelines. I was almost crying with glee while watching the young children's faces and hearing their screams of joy when the dancers passed them by. We had mooncakes and hot tea, then my grade nines played hide and seek in our anything but ample sized room. A good friday all in all.
This past Sunday, Jeremy and I attended church at Notre Dame Cathedral. Jeremy picked me up on his bike, and I enjoyed the breeze against my bare legs. We arrived just in time to hear the choir's opening song, which was quite nice (I haven't heard an overwhelming amount of good Vietnamese singers). The sermon was a frightening conglomerate of all expected cliche conservatisms of the Catholic church: a talk on the sanctity of marriage, which openly condemned divorce in "any circumstance" and pointedly stated that marriage or sexual relations between "men and men" or "women and women" sends the actors to hell. I found myself with similar considerations as when I attended church in Kenya-- often "imported" religion is played out as a stock character sketch, consciously activating all the most obvious controversies. I was more intrigued than upset. More contemplative than indignant. We then had lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in the city, which has just relocated. The new location is less raw, which I think is a shame, but it was nice nonetheless. We sat in the park and listened to a troupe of young males picking away at their acoustic guitars. I navigated the street, realizing that I am more familiar with the city than I had thought. Headed to the bookstore, then to meet our friend Thao. We went to our friend Hand's house, who just moved. We had a celebratory lunch. She had cooked us an amazing spread, and we all enjoyed cool tea and food for some hours. We discussed all matters of life--domestic abuse, homosexuality, sexuality, slang phrases, and the list goes on. We laughed a lot, as well. Riding back to Thao's house, I sat with ease on the back of her bike, and thinking about how comfortable and zestful life is here. Jeremy took Cheratien back home, and I took a sai om ride. My driver speedily navigated traffic, landing me home in record time. He was thrilled when I gave him an extra 75 cents above our negotiated price.
Things on the go:
The school clothing drive is coming to a close. I have convinced about 4 other teachers to join me on the trek to the remote village this coming weekend to do some teaching and deliver the clothes. Right after school, we will take a van and drive for about 6 hours. We will stay at a small home, then take another two hours to reach Don Duong Village. We will spend some time teaching and getting to know the Khoi children, distributing clothes, and providing them with lunch. Not a bad way to pass a Canadian Thanksgiving. Still, I will miss apple picking and eating copious amounts of food at Aunt Marie's: a Thanksgiving classic.
We are planning a halloween "Trick-or-Treat" for the scholarship program.
Planning a day for the Ben Tre children to come to HCMC--things are shaping up, with many sponsors and great activities.
I have been volunteered by my principal to be on an executive committee to spearhead projects to increase parent-teacher communication---a difficult task in a school where the majority of parents do not speak English.
Cheratien and I will be responsible for the Christmas concert, which we have been told must be spectacular. Ekkkkk. We are going to cultivate our stars in our after-school drama club: a club which is shaping up to be a significant amount of hilarious!
Anyway, I am going to do some pre-bedtime reading and head to bed.
Much love always!
K
Once more, much time has lapsed since my last report. Let me work backward this time.
Yesterday, was a humourous day at school. Our Korean students learn French, while all others learn Vietnamese. My grade nines have taken to calling each other by animal names; a practice birthed by the fact that one of my students looks like a bunny. In drama class, after the former student returned from French class (during which she learned the word for a male chicken), she declared to Nguyen, "You are a coq." I casually and almost without thinking told her that one should not really say this in English, because the aforementioned word is slang for penis. My more English savvy, yet still conservatively Vietnamese student, hid their faces in their hands, while my lower level EFL students looked at me with bewilderment. My most proficient English speakers then attempted to explain in the most circuitous ways, that certainly avoided any proper or improper names of sex organs, what exactly the faux pas was. Upon actually realizing her slip of tongue, Alice let out a chorus of "I didn't mean, I didn't mean, I didn't mean." To alleviate her embarrassment, I gladly shared a censored version of my near slip up with the dignitary's name at the Grand Opening Ceremonies (see an early entry in which I regale you all with the tale of how I nearly called the most important man in Vietnamese education Mr. Boob Pussy by means of incorrect pronunciation). She seems somewhat relieved.
Thankfully, due to these circumstance, we had already established and clarified the term "private parts," so that today's conversation was slightly less awkward. My students are currently making a movie poster about a short story centering on Scrabble. For this assignment, one of my students had googled images related to the game, and had discovered a treasure chest of Scrabble related comics. One comic featured the tag line, "This always happens to me at family game night" and displays a teenager with the letters posed and staged to spell "clitoris." My student was ready to paste this puppy to her poster, so I had to provide a small sex ed. vocabulary lesson, once more.
In addition to taking on a new career as a sex education teacher, I am pursuing lots of new and interesting things.
Last weekend, I went with Kay and Cheratien to the Gallery of Fine Arts. The place is a rustic, peacefull, relatively unpatroned, and compelling colonial relic--yellow chipped paint, blue glazed cement pillars, broken yet beautiful stained glass. Just enough decay to make it magnificient
For dinner, Thao Pham took us to the northern outskirts to a restaurant in the midst of a park.
We paid an entrance fee to eat a gluttonous amount of happiness-inducing Vietnamese
food. A cool evening and a walk through the park.
I met with an interesting group of individuals last Wednesday for a "life coach" session. Interesting. I gleened some excellent insights and met some interesting people.
Friday was Mid-Autumn Festival here in Vietnam. The kiddies made and decorated dragons, then we paraded through the streets. A dragon dance troup and drum team came to the school and performed in the street as our children watched from the sidelines. I was almost crying with glee while watching the young children's faces and hearing their screams of joy when the dancers passed them by. We had mooncakes and hot tea, then my grade nines played hide and seek in our anything but ample sized room. A good friday all in all.
This past Sunday, Jeremy and I attended church at Notre Dame Cathedral. Jeremy picked me up on his bike, and I enjoyed the breeze against my bare legs. We arrived just in time to hear the choir's opening song, which was quite nice (I haven't heard an overwhelming amount of good Vietnamese singers). The sermon was a frightening conglomerate of all expected cliche conservatisms of the Catholic church: a talk on the sanctity of marriage, which openly condemned divorce in "any circumstance" and pointedly stated that marriage or sexual relations between "men and men" or "women and women" sends the actors to hell. I found myself with similar considerations as when I attended church in Kenya-- often "imported" religion is played out as a stock character sketch, consciously activating all the most obvious controversies. I was more intrigued than upset. More contemplative than indignant. We then had lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in the city, which has just relocated. The new location is less raw, which I think is a shame, but it was nice nonetheless. We sat in the park and listened to a troupe of young males picking away at their acoustic guitars. I navigated the street, realizing that I am more familiar with the city than I had thought. Headed to the bookstore, then to meet our friend Thao. We went to our friend Hand's house, who just moved. We had a celebratory lunch. She had cooked us an amazing spread, and we all enjoyed cool tea and food for some hours. We discussed all matters of life--domestic abuse, homosexuality, sexuality, slang phrases, and the list goes on. We laughed a lot, as well. Riding back to Thao's house, I sat with ease on the back of her bike, and thinking about how comfortable and zestful life is here. Jeremy took Cheratien back home, and I took a sai om ride. My driver speedily navigated traffic, landing me home in record time. He was thrilled when I gave him an extra 75 cents above our negotiated price.
Things on the go:
The school clothing drive is coming to a close. I have convinced about 4 other teachers to join me on the trek to the remote village this coming weekend to do some teaching and deliver the clothes. Right after school, we will take a van and drive for about 6 hours. We will stay at a small home, then take another two hours to reach Don Duong Village. We will spend some time teaching and getting to know the Khoi children, distributing clothes, and providing them with lunch. Not a bad way to pass a Canadian Thanksgiving. Still, I will miss apple picking and eating copious amounts of food at Aunt Marie's: a Thanksgiving classic.
We are planning a halloween "Trick-or-Treat" for the scholarship program.
Planning a day for the Ben Tre children to come to HCMC--things are shaping up, with many sponsors and great activities.
I have been volunteered by my principal to be on an executive committee to spearhead projects to increase parent-teacher communication---a difficult task in a school where the majority of parents do not speak English.
Cheratien and I will be responsible for the Christmas concert, which we have been told must be spectacular. Ekkkkk. We are going to cultivate our stars in our after-school drama club: a club which is shaping up to be a significant amount of hilarious!
Anyway, I am going to do some pre-bedtime reading and head to bed.
Much love always!
K
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hello All,
It has been some time since I have used this medium to report on the happenings here in Vietnam. I apologize. Let me start with last weekend...
On Sunday, we were fortunate enough to accompany Ms. Tuyet, who runs a sponsorship program for impoverished children and youth, to Ben Tre province in the Mekong region. We met about 50 children and youth in a Catholic church and provided some language instruction, sang songs, and played games. We also took canvases and paints, and the children painted images of their hopes and dreams. Often times, children in the countryside have, understandably, only short term ambitions--the point of this exercise was to assist the children in culturing long-term ambitions. The paintings were beautiful, and the children bashfully eager. We spent our last few minutes with them, waiting out a rain storm in an open walled room and eating sweet cake.
After teaching, we sat in a tin roofed kitchen full of bustling church women, and ate the most delicious meal I have had since arriving here. Clay fish, pork, sour fish soup, river prawns, etc.
I am now thouroughly engaged in Ms. Tuyet's work. She runs these Sunday classes, the sponsorship program, and is also active in many other community initiatives. Cheratien and I, after having discussed with Tuyet the possibility of travelling with her to some of the more remote villages, have kick started C.I.S's first clothing drive. My students have made posters and we have sent out letters, encouraging students and their family members to donate used clothes for us to take to the Khor minority people in Don Duane Village. We will be making this trip on October 10th. Some parents have become involved with the project, which was an added bonus. One mother is getting her business to collect school supplies and books.
Along with us were Kim's two good friends, Rose and Jenny. Both are lovely individuals. Jenny and I had quite lengthy chats. She has been given a job heading up Vietnam's first national/international cultural centre. The project sounds wildly interesting, and I was happy to glean some knowledge from her empassioned talk of Vietnamese culture.
En route to Ben Tre, we stopped in the countryside for a washroom break and snacks. We had some water coconuts and made our own sugar cane juice (which included everything from hacking down some stalks, to feeding them through the juicing machine).
Coconuts and coconut by-products are a big industry in the Mekong region. Many things are made with coconut. Many children are employed at a young age to assist with the processing of coconuts--payed a small fee for their work on a hundred or so coconuts.
Other exciting news, I have undertaken planning our first intermediate field trip. We will be taking the kids camping in Dalat (highlands,, north-east of HCMC) and to do various adventure sports and teambuilding excercises. This trip will be taking place in November, when the rainy season has died down a bit.
Last weekend, I began to feel quite comfortable on my new motorscooter. I navigated busy intersections with Cheratien as a passenger, and our several grocery bags tucked between us and at my feet. I have stayed safe through my many bike ventures, but did manage to incur a non-bike related injury. I slammed a large wrought iron gate on my heel, and now have a chunky and bruised foot. It is improving, however.
Cheratien and I now have membership for our apartment's gym, which allows us use of a nice big pool. Cheratien is teaching me how to be a more efficient swimmer..... I think that I will be a challenge to her.
Thursday evening, we met Thao Fam (one of the Vietnamese staff members) downtown for an amazing seafood dinner. We ate all manner of shelled creatures. She, then, took us to the distict where she used to live and look us to a street vender to enjoy a variety of Vietnamese desserts (mung beans and sticky rice, banna cake, sweet potatoes and musroom...of course, all covered in coconut cream. We sat on small plastic stools as the speedily-moving, sweaty server ladled our desserts into our bowls from pots sitting on the roadside. Delicious (Ngon, in Vietnamese), once again. We also had the pleasure of meeting some of Thao's friends.
Other little tidbits.... we have ant colonies in our home, as do most other people in Vietnam, I am sure. We have systematically discovered that lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and vinegar do not work in repelling the little guys. Tea tree oil, however, seems to be our best agent yet.
Yesterday night, we went to Jenny's very funky downtown loft and enjoyed a ladies' night. It was great to spend time with a group of beautiful, successful, and welcoming women. We concluded the night with dancing, of course.
Tomorrow, we are up early to go rock climbing.
We have purchased our air tickets for our October break. Jeremy, Cheratien, and I will be going to Hoi An and Hue, on the central coast. I am very excited to see more of the country.
Today is my grandma's 90th birthday party. Quite a momentous day to miss--makes me wish someone would hurry up already and produce teleporters.
So much more to say. So much I have forgotten, I am sure.
Much love,
K
It has been some time since I have used this medium to report on the happenings here in Vietnam. I apologize. Let me start with last weekend...
On Sunday, we were fortunate enough to accompany Ms. Tuyet, who runs a sponsorship program for impoverished children and youth, to Ben Tre province in the Mekong region. We met about 50 children and youth in a Catholic church and provided some language instruction, sang songs, and played games. We also took canvases and paints, and the children painted images of their hopes and dreams. Often times, children in the countryside have, understandably, only short term ambitions--the point of this exercise was to assist the children in culturing long-term ambitions. The paintings were beautiful, and the children bashfully eager. We spent our last few minutes with them, waiting out a rain storm in an open walled room and eating sweet cake.
After teaching, we sat in a tin roofed kitchen full of bustling church women, and ate the most delicious meal I have had since arriving here. Clay fish, pork, sour fish soup, river prawns, etc.
I am now thouroughly engaged in Ms. Tuyet's work. She runs these Sunday classes, the sponsorship program, and is also active in many other community initiatives. Cheratien and I, after having discussed with Tuyet the possibility of travelling with her to some of the more remote villages, have kick started C.I.S's first clothing drive. My students have made posters and we have sent out letters, encouraging students and their family members to donate used clothes for us to take to the Khor minority people in Don Duane Village. We will be making this trip on October 10th. Some parents have become involved with the project, which was an added bonus. One mother is getting her business to collect school supplies and books.
Along with us were Kim's two good friends, Rose and Jenny. Both are lovely individuals. Jenny and I had quite lengthy chats. She has been given a job heading up Vietnam's first national/international cultural centre. The project sounds wildly interesting, and I was happy to glean some knowledge from her empassioned talk of Vietnamese culture.
En route to Ben Tre, we stopped in the countryside for a washroom break and snacks. We had some water coconuts and made our own sugar cane juice (which included everything from hacking down some stalks, to feeding them through the juicing machine).
Coconuts and coconut by-products are a big industry in the Mekong region. Many things are made with coconut. Many children are employed at a young age to assist with the processing of coconuts--payed a small fee for their work on a hundred or so coconuts.
Other exciting news, I have undertaken planning our first intermediate field trip. We will be taking the kids camping in Dalat (highlands,, north-east of HCMC) and to do various adventure sports and teambuilding excercises. This trip will be taking place in November, when the rainy season has died down a bit.
Last weekend, I began to feel quite comfortable on my new motorscooter. I navigated busy intersections with Cheratien as a passenger, and our several grocery bags tucked between us and at my feet. I have stayed safe through my many bike ventures, but did manage to incur a non-bike related injury. I slammed a large wrought iron gate on my heel, and now have a chunky and bruised foot. It is improving, however.
Cheratien and I now have membership for our apartment's gym, which allows us use of a nice big pool. Cheratien is teaching me how to be a more efficient swimmer..... I think that I will be a challenge to her.
Thursday evening, we met Thao Fam (one of the Vietnamese staff members) downtown for an amazing seafood dinner. We ate all manner of shelled creatures. She, then, took us to the distict where she used to live and look us to a street vender to enjoy a variety of Vietnamese desserts (mung beans and sticky rice, banna cake, sweet potatoes and musroom...of course, all covered in coconut cream. We sat on small plastic stools as the speedily-moving, sweaty server ladled our desserts into our bowls from pots sitting on the roadside. Delicious (Ngon, in Vietnamese), once again. We also had the pleasure of meeting some of Thao's friends.
Other little tidbits.... we have ant colonies in our home, as do most other people in Vietnam, I am sure. We have systematically discovered that lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and vinegar do not work in repelling the little guys. Tea tree oil, however, seems to be our best agent yet.
Yesterday night, we went to Jenny's very funky downtown loft and enjoyed a ladies' night. It was great to spend time with a group of beautiful, successful, and welcoming women. We concluded the night with dancing, of course.
Tomorrow, we are up early to go rock climbing.
We have purchased our air tickets for our October break. Jeremy, Cheratien, and I will be going to Hoi An and Hue, on the central coast. I am very excited to see more of the country.
Today is my grandma's 90th birthday party. Quite a momentous day to miss--makes me wish someone would hurry up already and produce teleporters.
So much more to say. So much I have forgotten, I am sure.
Much love,
K
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Dear All,
Another too fast weekend came and went. Sunday evening, we returned from a dinner which the Canadian teachers put on to thank the Vietnamese staff. We had about 45 of us total, joining together to share food and kind words. Jeremy gave a lovely speech. It was a wonderful event, and a great chance for the teachers to show the staff how much we have and continue to appreciate their hard work. There was a strong sense of solidarity.
Saturday was spent boating on the Mekong Delta (see the Facebook photos for some visual aids). It was an excellent day. We began at 7:30 on bus, then took a series of boats about the Mekong. We went to several islands--seeing a coconut candy factory, orchards, etc. We took a boat all the way back to Saigon (3 hours). En route, we were turned away by Police officers, who informed us that a hydro line had fallen into the river. Thus, we had to turn back and take up port in a small village. This was one of my favourite stops of the day. We wandered the markets, and quickly accumulated a whole gaggle of followers, chanting "helllllloooo" in a high pitched, sing-song voices. White folk get little attention in Phu My Hung, so it was an adjustment to have observers (reminded me of Kenyan days). I fished out my coconut candy to share. We got back on the boat, making our way home under a beautifully cloud patched evening sky.
After arriving in Saigon, we quickly barrelled through the night market to get our costumes for the evening's "Superhero" party. Kim had invited us to her friends' birthday party, and so we opted to take the cliche Charlie's Angels fallback. The party was fun, and we had the opportunity to meet many Saigon residents. Clearly, we danced the night away.
This Wednesday past, as I mentioned, was National Day. We went with Thao to the temple, then to the Southwest countryside outside of Saigon to share the pig with her family. We had pho and ate some pork (head, skin, fat, hair, and all). Thao got friends to take us out on the river--our boats were rustic. We spent about half and hour drifting, as the motor broke and we had to wait for reinforcements to come. We stopped in at a little tiny treefort-esque cafe, which was suspended over the river. We enjoyed some Saigon beer and peanuts. We stopped in to visit the daughter of Thao's husband. She and her husband treated us all to a fantastic Vietnamese dinner... hot pot.. seafood.. etc. We ate as drunk men repeatedly chorused behind us, "Mot, Hai, Ba, YO" (the Vietnamese "Cheers'). The day was perfect.
I am now the proud renter of a motorscooter. I have yet to venture very far, but have managed to get to school and back a few times, injury free. I am rocking a teal helmet... which I, frankly, look ridiculous in.
Alright.... I am off....
Much love,
K
Another too fast weekend came and went. Sunday evening, we returned from a dinner which the Canadian teachers put on to thank the Vietnamese staff. We had about 45 of us total, joining together to share food and kind words. Jeremy gave a lovely speech. It was a wonderful event, and a great chance for the teachers to show the staff how much we have and continue to appreciate their hard work. There was a strong sense of solidarity.
Saturday was spent boating on the Mekong Delta (see the Facebook photos for some visual aids). It was an excellent day. We began at 7:30 on bus, then took a series of boats about the Mekong. We went to several islands--seeing a coconut candy factory, orchards, etc. We took a boat all the way back to Saigon (3 hours). En route, we were turned away by Police officers, who informed us that a hydro line had fallen into the river. Thus, we had to turn back and take up port in a small village. This was one of my favourite stops of the day. We wandered the markets, and quickly accumulated a whole gaggle of followers, chanting "helllllloooo" in a high pitched, sing-song voices. White folk get little attention in Phu My Hung, so it was an adjustment to have observers (reminded me of Kenyan days). I fished out my coconut candy to share. We got back on the boat, making our way home under a beautifully cloud patched evening sky.
After arriving in Saigon, we quickly barrelled through the night market to get our costumes for the evening's "Superhero" party. Kim had invited us to her friends' birthday party, and so we opted to take the cliche Charlie's Angels fallback. The party was fun, and we had the opportunity to meet many Saigon residents. Clearly, we danced the night away.
This Wednesday past, as I mentioned, was National Day. We went with Thao to the temple, then to the Southwest countryside outside of Saigon to share the pig with her family. We had pho and ate some pork (head, skin, fat, hair, and all). Thao got friends to take us out on the river--our boats were rustic. We spent about half and hour drifting, as the motor broke and we had to wait for reinforcements to come. We stopped in at a little tiny treefort-esque cafe, which was suspended over the river. We enjoyed some Saigon beer and peanuts. We stopped in to visit the daughter of Thao's husband. She and her husband treated us all to a fantastic Vietnamese dinner... hot pot.. seafood.. etc. We ate as drunk men repeatedly chorused behind us, "Mot, Hai, Ba, YO" (the Vietnamese "Cheers'). The day was perfect.
I am now the proud renter of a motorscooter. I have yet to venture very far, but have managed to get to school and back a few times, injury free. I am rocking a teal helmet... which I, frankly, look ridiculous in.
Alright.... I am off....
Much love,
K
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Today is a very good evening, for tomorrow is a holiday here in Vietnam: National Day. The day is not marked with any particular celebrations, it is more simply a time to rest and spend time with family. It is supposedly akin to our Labour Day. Still, the streets have quickly filled with Vietnamese flags (red with a yellow star in the centre) and banners marked with the infamous communist sickle and hammer. Cheratien, Jeremy, and I have been invited to join Thao, one the the Vietnamese staff member, as she makes prayers at a pagoda and to visit her family in the countryside. We will go by motorbike, tomorrow morning at 6:30.
This weekend past was an interesting one. Friday was a night in with movies and sushi. Saturday, Cheratien and I had intended to explore the downtown a bit further. However, a few days before I had been given the auspicious honour (by the owners) of MCing the grand opening ceremonies. The owners informed me that I was choosen for the gig because of "my way with words and my pleasant speaking voice," but mostly because I "look nice". I was told that parents think good teaching is important, but that it is more important for the teacher to be beautiful. HA!!
I was called in for an emergency meeting on Saturday afternoon, to spend many long hours going over and re-envisioning every detail of the ceremony. Then, Thao Fam, my Vietnamese co-MC and I spent hours revamping the script and making corrections, only to have the owner come and present more desired changes (syncing a Vietnamese and English script is no easy task). We also practiced rehearing the names of the dignitaries. The head of the entire Ministry of Education of Vietnam was attending the event. Thao advised me that is was particularly important that I pronounced his name correctly, not only because of his position, but also because if I got the intonation of his name wrong, I would be accidentally calling him "Mr. Boob Pussy." Clearly, this put a lot of additional stress on me, especially since the event was televised on Vietnamese T.V. The staff also decided that I should wear an ao dai (traditional Vietnamese outfit). The owner sent out for several ao dai's, which I could immediately would never fit on my body. Still, they insisted that I tried them on. I felt very Chris Farley. Fat girl in a little ao dai. When I informed them that I just would not fit into them, the assistant gleefully smacked my arms and then my hips and said, "I didn't think so." Ha. She, instead, brought one of her own from home for me to wear. It fit smashingly well.
The Monday morning event went well, all things considered. I apparently did not deeply offend any esteemed guests. The event started an hour and a half late, due to the late arrival of our most dignified guest. The kids sat in sweltering heat. One JK puked on the red carpet. Mid way through the ceremony we had to make an impromptu rejigging of the ceremony, which made all those hours spent in the board room on Saturday quite a bit more comical. Highlights of the ceremony: a giant circus tent, and inflatable red arch at the entrance, massive flower displays, and a mural created by the students' and dignitaries' hand prints. All in all, a hilarious and interesting event to be a part of.
My students humble me every day with their curiosity. I have some characters, and I love the energy they bring to the classes.
Saturday night--we had our first dinner guest, Kim. We also went dancing in the city. We ran into some acquaintances there; imagine having "run-ins" in Saigon.
Sunday we finally got to exploring the city. We decided to take the bus into town (approximately 25 cents per ride). After failed attempts to catch the bus, a nearby xe om driver walked us across the street, to the appropriate bus stop, waited for the bus to arrive, saw us on safely and refused our offers of money. His name is Fung and he will likely get our xe om business in the future, for his unselfish assistance. The bus ride was excellent-- a meandering tour through District 7 and 8. River side fruit stores aboard boats. Men and women resting in hammocks. Men sipping drinks in slow patroned shops. We wandered the markets and street downtown for some time. Jeremy met us just in time for him to get physically molested by the sales people at the market. We had a lovely dinner, frozen yogurt, and an emergency stop in the bookstore on the way back to avoid a torrential downpour. I have taken to stopping there during rainstorm and reading the third book of the Twilight series.
Life is getting to hold some routine, or at least familiarities. The smell of mothballs no longer wrinkles my nose so severely. Stickers that are difficult to remove (their sticker glue is just a lot stronger) stay on goods we purchase, until natural ware removes them (seems to be the Vietnamese way). We have mastered the crossing of the road (so maybe "mastered" is a strong word, but we have at least gotten better). I saw a huge rat in the buses on the way to school last week and did not run away shrieking. We are starting to get "cold" in air conditioned rooms set to "room temperature." All these tells notify me, subtly, of our adaptability as humans.
Alright... I am off to bed, for tomorrow is an early morning.
Much love!
This weekend past was an interesting one. Friday was a night in with movies and sushi. Saturday, Cheratien and I had intended to explore the downtown a bit further. However, a few days before I had been given the auspicious honour (by the owners) of MCing the grand opening ceremonies. The owners informed me that I was choosen for the gig because of "my way with words and my pleasant speaking voice," but mostly because I "look nice". I was told that parents think good teaching is important, but that it is more important for the teacher to be beautiful. HA!!
I was called in for an emergency meeting on Saturday afternoon, to spend many long hours going over and re-envisioning every detail of the ceremony. Then, Thao Fam, my Vietnamese co-MC and I spent hours revamping the script and making corrections, only to have the owner come and present more desired changes (syncing a Vietnamese and English script is no easy task). We also practiced rehearing the names of the dignitaries. The head of the entire Ministry of Education of Vietnam was attending the event. Thao advised me that is was particularly important that I pronounced his name correctly, not only because of his position, but also because if I got the intonation of his name wrong, I would be accidentally calling him "Mr. Boob Pussy." Clearly, this put a lot of additional stress on me, especially since the event was televised on Vietnamese T.V. The staff also decided that I should wear an ao dai (traditional Vietnamese outfit). The owner sent out for several ao dai's, which I could immediately would never fit on my body. Still, they insisted that I tried them on. I felt very Chris Farley. Fat girl in a little ao dai. When I informed them that I just would not fit into them, the assistant gleefully smacked my arms and then my hips and said, "I didn't think so." Ha. She, instead, brought one of her own from home for me to wear. It fit smashingly well.
The Monday morning event went well, all things considered. I apparently did not deeply offend any esteemed guests. The event started an hour and a half late, due to the late arrival of our most dignified guest. The kids sat in sweltering heat. One JK puked on the red carpet. Mid way through the ceremony we had to make an impromptu rejigging of the ceremony, which made all those hours spent in the board room on Saturday quite a bit more comical. Highlights of the ceremony: a giant circus tent, and inflatable red arch at the entrance, massive flower displays, and a mural created by the students' and dignitaries' hand prints. All in all, a hilarious and interesting event to be a part of.
My students humble me every day with their curiosity. I have some characters, and I love the energy they bring to the classes.
Saturday night--we had our first dinner guest, Kim. We also went dancing in the city. We ran into some acquaintances there; imagine having "run-ins" in Saigon.
Sunday we finally got to exploring the city. We decided to take the bus into town (approximately 25 cents per ride). After failed attempts to catch the bus, a nearby xe om driver walked us across the street, to the appropriate bus stop, waited for the bus to arrive, saw us on safely and refused our offers of money. His name is Fung and he will likely get our xe om business in the future, for his unselfish assistance. The bus ride was excellent-- a meandering tour through District 7 and 8. River side fruit stores aboard boats. Men and women resting in hammocks. Men sipping drinks in slow patroned shops. We wandered the markets and street downtown for some time. Jeremy met us just in time for him to get physically molested by the sales people at the market. We had a lovely dinner, frozen yogurt, and an emergency stop in the bookstore on the way back to avoid a torrential downpour. I have taken to stopping there during rainstorm and reading the third book of the Twilight series.
Life is getting to hold some routine, or at least familiarities. The smell of mothballs no longer wrinkles my nose so severely. Stickers that are difficult to remove (their sticker glue is just a lot stronger) stay on goods we purchase, until natural ware removes them (seems to be the Vietnamese way). We have mastered the crossing of the road (so maybe "mastered" is a strong word, but we have at least gotten better). I saw a huge rat in the buses on the way to school last week and did not run away shrieking. We are starting to get "cold" in air conditioned rooms set to "room temperature." All these tells notify me, subtly, of our adaptability as humans.
Alright... I am off to bed, for tomorrow is an early morning.
Much love!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I write this post from my classroom, as I look out upon the torrential rain. I have not known rainfall like that here in Vietnam. The other day we were stitched into the bookstore by sheets of water--pooling in the streets as quickly as the clouds rolled into a seemingly sunny sky. I sat on the steps of the bookstore and had silent conversations with elderly women who were momentarily resting their yokes and taking refuge under the awning.
We have just completed the third day of school, with hecticness and flexibility as our bedfellows.
Everymorning, I teach English to my seven grade 9 students. Then, I teach English to my 14 grade 8 students. In the afternoons, I teach drama to grades 7-9 (grade level varies depending on the day). My students make me laugh, and I them. My grade 7's were in hysterics over my impression of a vengeful hampster. I was chuckling at one child's insistance that he be called Kimchi (any variety of a traditional Korean pickled dish), because of his love for spicy food. Many of my other students have also chosen interesting names for themselves: Sony_CIS and Ace are amoung my favourites. I have a wide spectrum of skills and abilities in each class, from those students who LOVE Shakespeare to those who do not know the word "letter." Should be an interesting challenge.
I am falling in love with the students, both the cheeky and the tremendously compliant.
The owners took all staff (both Canadian and Vietnamese) out for dinner this past Saturday. We went to a Brazilian restaurant, where a variety of meats were shaved off of swords to our plates (much like the Kenyan restaurant I went to some years ago). Brazilian dancers pulled us up for demonstration dancing-- essentially, I was shaking my booty in front of my bosses and all the people I work with. We then went to the dance floor and danced as a staff collective into the wee hours of the evening. A wonderful night to relieve stress, reflect on all we had accomplished, and bond as a staff.
Our apartment is in shambles, as we have had little time there since moving in. Days spent at schools. Evenings running errands and planning. We are still working on getting internet, so I apologize for my spotty communication.
Much much love from Vietnam!
We have just completed the third day of school, with hecticness and flexibility as our bedfellows.
Everymorning, I teach English to my seven grade 9 students. Then, I teach English to my 14 grade 8 students. In the afternoons, I teach drama to grades 7-9 (grade level varies depending on the day). My students make me laugh, and I them. My grade 7's were in hysterics over my impression of a vengeful hampster. I was chuckling at one child's insistance that he be called Kimchi (any variety of a traditional Korean pickled dish), because of his love for spicy food. Many of my other students have also chosen interesting names for themselves: Sony_CIS and Ace are amoung my favourites. I have a wide spectrum of skills and abilities in each class, from those students who LOVE Shakespeare to those who do not know the word "letter." Should be an interesting challenge.
I am falling in love with the students, both the cheeky and the tremendously compliant.
The owners took all staff (both Canadian and Vietnamese) out for dinner this past Saturday. We went to a Brazilian restaurant, where a variety of meats were shaved off of swords to our plates (much like the Kenyan restaurant I went to some years ago). Brazilian dancers pulled us up for demonstration dancing-- essentially, I was shaking my booty in front of my bosses and all the people I work with. We then went to the dance floor and danced as a staff collective into the wee hours of the evening. A wonderful night to relieve stress, reflect on all we had accomplished, and bond as a staff.
Our apartment is in shambles, as we have had little time there since moving in. Days spent at schools. Evenings running errands and planning. We are still working on getting internet, so I apologize for my spotty communication.
Much much love from Vietnam!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hello My Friends,
Today was a momentous day-- we signed a lease for and received the keys to our new apartment! Our apartment is located in a complex called Sky Garden, on the 10th floor. The apartment complex is not chaotic, but close to many shops and restaurants. Apartment stats: 3 bedrooms, loft, wood floors, etc. We are very pleased, for it already feels like home. We will move in tomorrow and host a small dinner party. I will post pictures of the place as soon as possible. The apartment came along with several perks: an iron, ironing board, vacuum, hairdryer, rice cooker, pots and pans, dishes, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and--my favourite-- a "90s Midnight Mood Pop" CD (gracious offered to us by the landlord's maintenance man). Best of all, we negotiated for a 10 month lease for the first leasing term, so that we will not have to pay for the summer months if we choose not to stay in the apartment for the coming year. You may have noted that our apartment has an extra bedroom.... to accommodate all the visitors we may have from afar (this could be YOU!).
The school preparation is absolutely chaotic. Today, however, Thao (the owner's daughter) spent some time in my classroom. I assisted her write her speech for the Grand Opening Ceremony. Having students in my classroom renewed my spirit and reminded me of my purpose. Her little sister, Dao Bo, drew me a picture to hang on my wall.
I have been attempting to get to know all of the many Vietnamese staff working at the school. Many will, now, pop into my classroom and we will play out a conversation through a combination of broken English, broken Vietnamese, and charades. The tiny Vietnamese custodians lovingly chastise me via gestures for eating too little at lunch time.
Alright, on to other matter. Lesson planning.
Much love always,
K
Today was a momentous day-- we signed a lease for and received the keys to our new apartment! Our apartment is located in a complex called Sky Garden, on the 10th floor. The apartment complex is not chaotic, but close to many shops and restaurants. Apartment stats: 3 bedrooms, loft, wood floors, etc. We are very pleased, for it already feels like home. We will move in tomorrow and host a small dinner party. I will post pictures of the place as soon as possible. The apartment came along with several perks: an iron, ironing board, vacuum, hairdryer, rice cooker, pots and pans, dishes, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and--my favourite-- a "90s Midnight Mood Pop" CD (gracious offered to us by the landlord's maintenance man). Best of all, we negotiated for a 10 month lease for the first leasing term, so that we will not have to pay for the summer months if we choose not to stay in the apartment for the coming year. You may have noted that our apartment has an extra bedroom.... to accommodate all the visitors we may have from afar (this could be YOU!).
The school preparation is absolutely chaotic. Today, however, Thao (the owner's daughter) spent some time in my classroom. I assisted her write her speech for the Grand Opening Ceremony. Having students in my classroom renewed my spirit and reminded me of my purpose. Her little sister, Dao Bo, drew me a picture to hang on my wall.
I have been attempting to get to know all of the many Vietnamese staff working at the school. Many will, now, pop into my classroom and we will play out a conversation through a combination of broken English, broken Vietnamese, and charades. The tiny Vietnamese custodians lovingly chastise me via gestures for eating too little at lunch time.
Alright, on to other matter. Lesson planning.
Much love always,
K
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, I was hit with a small bout of heart ache, but recuperated by hitting the Tokyo Deli for sushi, then making my way to "Happy Spa." Here, I received a pedicure and a full body massage for around 10 dollars. My masseur was a little Vietnamese man who I could have likely eaten. He was, however, tremendously powerful-- jumping on the table, using his elbows, contorting my body in ways unimaginable, and so on. We met with Cheratien's friend, Kim, and along with her hilarious British pal, went dancing. We received some salsa lessons from the members of the band, who essentially told us we were spastic and needed help. Ha.
Monday-- the beginning of our final week of preparations before our students arrive. We, as a staff, are working hard to forge some order out of the sometimes chaos.
Our school is located on the banks of the Saigon River, which I have discovered is a hot spot for young locals in love. The Vietnamese version of "parking" is quite humorous, seeing as motorbikes don't afford much privacy. Still, along these banks in the evenings, motorbikes are stationed with cuddling couples whispering sweet nothings to one another.
Another highlight: Luc (a driver at the school) was providing me with some basic Vietnamese phrases. Upon attempting to say "Hello, how are you?," I called him "Mr. Shit." This little mishap clearly demonstrates the subtle nuance of the tones of this language, and how drastically wrong one can go!
This evening we went out for Korean and ice cream.
Much love to you all,
K
Monday-- the beginning of our final week of preparations before our students arrive. We, as a staff, are working hard to forge some order out of the sometimes chaos.
Our school is located on the banks of the Saigon River, which I have discovered is a hot spot for young locals in love. The Vietnamese version of "parking" is quite humorous, seeing as motorbikes don't afford much privacy. Still, along these banks in the evenings, motorbikes are stationed with cuddling couples whispering sweet nothings to one another.
Another highlight: Luc (a driver at the school) was providing me with some basic Vietnamese phrases. Upon attempting to say "Hello, how are you?," I called him "Mr. Shit." This little mishap clearly demonstrates the subtle nuance of the tones of this language, and how drastically wrong one can go!
This evening we went out for Korean and ice cream.
Much love to you all,
K
Saturday, August 15, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
This one will be short, because the day has exhausted me. Today, we searched for accommodations, which proved to be a long and humourous process. First, Cheratien and I met with a friend of hers who lived not to far from the school. Kim is a Vietnamese born American, who has lived in Vietnam for four years. This woman, Kim, has my dream job. She is an ex-teacher who organizes camps, school trips, team building excercises, and adventure sports outings. She was able to give us excellent advice about the city and the promise of connecting us up with some of the happenings around the city (swing dance nights at a downtown club, volunteer junkets outside of the city, etc.).
We spent the afternoon (touring with agents) looking for apartments. Most apartments come furnished, and often HILARIOUSLY. One highlight was an apartment with a faux sea shore cubby in the living room, large plastic ants and butterflies tacked up in numerous places, creepy cartoon frogs appliqued on the walls, a bathroom with a trellised ceiling laced with vines and dangling bunches of grapes, etc. Other special treats include cartoon tiger tile in the bathroom, tapestries of naked babies, and a pervasive mind green paint colour that really glowed in the florescent light.
After viewing some 20 odd apartments, we crashed back at the hotel, rather hungry and overwhelmed. Cheratien and I landed upon a place for dinner, and as we ate were visited by a very large rat on the ledge beside us. Although I would like to claim that I remained entirely calm, I cannot. I, instinctively, gave a yelp and recoiled in fear. The staff assured us that it was ok, "it was just a rat." PHEW. I had been worried that it was some other FOOT LONG RODENT. Ha! Things I will adjust to with time, I am sure.
The apartment hunt will continue on Friday.
Today, I received my class list. I have seven students in my Grade 9 homeroom. 2 are boys. 2 are Korean. Five are Vietnamese. The owner's son is in my class, increasing the pressure to perform.
On Saturday, we will be attending a gala-ish event with parents and staff: "The Founding Parents' Dinner."
Funny observation from today: dogs ride on the motorbikes standing up, with their paws on the handles.
Alright. Fatigue is setting in with full force.
Much love!
We spent the afternoon (touring with agents) looking for apartments. Most apartments come furnished, and often HILARIOUSLY. One highlight was an apartment with a faux sea shore cubby in the living room, large plastic ants and butterflies tacked up in numerous places, creepy cartoon frogs appliqued on the walls, a bathroom with a trellised ceiling laced with vines and dangling bunches of grapes, etc. Other special treats include cartoon tiger tile in the bathroom, tapestries of naked babies, and a pervasive mind green paint colour that really glowed in the florescent light.
After viewing some 20 odd apartments, we crashed back at the hotel, rather hungry and overwhelmed. Cheratien and I landed upon a place for dinner, and as we ate were visited by a very large rat on the ledge beside us. Although I would like to claim that I remained entirely calm, I cannot. I, instinctively, gave a yelp and recoiled in fear. The staff assured us that it was ok, "it was just a rat." PHEW. I had been worried that it was some other FOOT LONG RODENT. Ha! Things I will adjust to with time, I am sure.
The apartment hunt will continue on Friday.
Today, I received my class list. I have seven students in my Grade 9 homeroom. 2 are boys. 2 are Korean. Five are Vietnamese. The owner's son is in my class, increasing the pressure to perform.
On Saturday, we will be attending a gala-ish event with parents and staff: "The Founding Parents' Dinner."
Funny observation from today: dogs ride on the motorbikes standing up, with their paws on the handles.
Alright. Fatigue is setting in with full force.
Much love!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Today, we were visited by a representative of the Canadian Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. This young man, with a wry sense of humour, provided us with some details about living in Vietnam. For those of you who were concerned about my safety while abroad, you will be happy to know that HCMC has very little violent crime. Petty crime exists, clearly, but isn't as prevelant as in other countries. One interesting crime that occurs in HCMC is pet snatching. Men on motorbikes may perform a drive-by theft of one's beloved pet, then essentially hold the pup/goat/cat until one pays a "finders fee" to these crafty criminals. Purse and cell phone snatching are, of course, more common.
About 4000 Canadians reside in HCMC, but about 95 percent of these Canadians are Việt Kiều (meaning, Vietnamese people who moved to Canada and have now returned to Vietnam). The Canadian population of the city gathers on June 6th to celebrate Canada Day (many Canadians are travelling or visiting home in July, so they have opted for this early celebration day). Also, the Consulate organizes the HCMC Terry Fox Run, in which about 7000 people participate each year. Our school will be an active participant in this year`s run.
We headed downtown to a fantastic restaurant for lunch. The owner of the restaurant gathered together the foremost street venders in the city to create a menu and staff with a truly local zest. If any of you come to visit, I will surely take you here! We all shared a myriad of dishes. I ate a shrimp whole--head and shell included. AMAZING FOOD!
We wandered about downtown, seeing the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and so on. Wilf took us to a DVD store, notifying his favourite service agent that he had Canadian teachers here to buy some movies. Within seconds, we were swarmed by service staff, provided seats, and stacks of DVDs were thrust into our hands. After we were done looking through one stack, our personal attendent would have another ready for us to look at. After looking, rapid pace, through surely one hundred movies and TV series, I bought 6 movies for approximately four dollars. Those should be good for escapism evenings.
As other shopped, Wilf, Cheratien, and I headed to get some ice cream on the terrace of a lovely cafe. The ice cream melted quickly in the mid-afternoon heat, so I responding by consuming it with vigor. It is indeed, quite sticky and hot here--I am sweating a lot, but am not alone. Apparently some people`s bodies never adjust, and are perpetual sweat monkies. Let`s hope I am not a part of that contingent.
Things at the school are chaotic. Tomorrow I sit down with the principal to work out my schedule so that I can begin to conceptualize what my year will look like. I am eager to know.
Once more, my colleagues seem to be a spectacular crew, and I am already learning a great deal about them. I am excited for our years together. Many have very interesting stories of previous employment and travels--amazing and adventurous spirits.
I miss you all profoundly.
About 4000 Canadians reside in HCMC, but about 95 percent of these Canadians are Việt Kiều (meaning, Vietnamese people who moved to Canada and have now returned to Vietnam). The Canadian population of the city gathers on June 6th to celebrate Canada Day (many Canadians are travelling or visiting home in July, so they have opted for this early celebration day). Also, the Consulate organizes the HCMC Terry Fox Run, in which about 7000 people participate each year. Our school will be an active participant in this year`s run.
We headed downtown to a fantastic restaurant for lunch. The owner of the restaurant gathered together the foremost street venders in the city to create a menu and staff with a truly local zest. If any of you come to visit, I will surely take you here! We all shared a myriad of dishes. I ate a shrimp whole--head and shell included. AMAZING FOOD!
We wandered about downtown, seeing the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and so on. Wilf took us to a DVD store, notifying his favourite service agent that he had Canadian teachers here to buy some movies. Within seconds, we were swarmed by service staff, provided seats, and stacks of DVDs were thrust into our hands. After we were done looking through one stack, our personal attendent would have another ready for us to look at. After looking, rapid pace, through surely one hundred movies and TV series, I bought 6 movies for approximately four dollars. Those should be good for escapism evenings.
As other shopped, Wilf, Cheratien, and I headed to get some ice cream on the terrace of a lovely cafe. The ice cream melted quickly in the mid-afternoon heat, so I responding by consuming it with vigor. It is indeed, quite sticky and hot here--I am sweating a lot, but am not alone. Apparently some people`s bodies never adjust, and are perpetual sweat monkies. Let`s hope I am not a part of that contingent.
Things at the school are chaotic. Tomorrow I sit down with the principal to work out my schedule so that I can begin to conceptualize what my year will look like. I am eager to know.
Once more, my colleagues seem to be a spectacular crew, and I am already learning a great deal about them. I am excited for our years together. Many have very interesting stories of previous employment and travels--amazing and adventurous spirits.
I miss you all profoundly.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The view from the airplane window as I flew into Saigon, yielded the illusion that this city is infinite. Homes, apartments and stores are stacked tightly around winding city streets, buzzing with hoards of motorbikes, vehicles, and pedestrians. Ten million tuck into this city scape--this urban sprawl. The streets are dotted with small, child sized plastic chairs and tables, occupied by grown adults eating anytime meals. The city does not lack the original or the inventive. I see new things each minute.
Today, we met the owners and Vietnamese staff at CIS. The owners are hopeful that CIS will soon become the most successful international school in HCMC. They greeted us with warmth and anticipation, heralding our arrival as a newly forged diplomatic tie to Canada. Although politics and beauracracy are not absent, I felt a sense of pride to be a part of this new and seemingly monumental establishment.
It is already clear that the teachers and principal will have an excellent working relationship. The principal is an advocate for the teachers, and my colleagues are friendly and eager to establish ourselves as a "family."
Today, we also waded through the administrivia of opening bank accounts, which was a long and drawn out process. We also got cell phones! This means that I am the owner of a new shinny cell phone on which I can carry out conversations with you, my beloved friends and family.
Sorry for the lacklustre report, but I must head to bed.
Much love,
K
Today, we met the owners and Vietnamese staff at CIS. The owners are hopeful that CIS will soon become the most successful international school in HCMC. They greeted us with warmth and anticipation, heralding our arrival as a newly forged diplomatic tie to Canada. Although politics and beauracracy are not absent, I felt a sense of pride to be a part of this new and seemingly monumental establishment.
It is already clear that the teachers and principal will have an excellent working relationship. The principal is an advocate for the teachers, and my colleagues are friendly and eager to establish ourselves as a "family."
Today, we also waded through the administrivia of opening bank accounts, which was a long and drawn out process. We also got cell phones! This means that I am the owner of a new shinny cell phone on which I can carry out conversations with you, my beloved friends and family.
Sorry for the lacklustre report, but I must head to bed.
Much love,
K
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Safe in Saigon
After a 15 hour flight from Toronto to Hong Kong, a three hour lay-over, a three hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City, and an hour bus ride to the hotel, I am finally settled in for the evening at the "Romantic Hotel" of Saigon, which has questionable photography in the bathroom, but is otherwise quite lovely. The staff members have already been testing their English out on me, with such compliments as "You are beautiful as a flower."
The Principal, Wilf (a teacher who has been living in Saigon for five years, has been instrumental in getting CIS off the ground, and will be leading our orientation), and others from the administration team came to meet us at the airport. They picked us up in the school's air-conditioned bus and greeted us with welcome packages (CIS hats, backpacks, snacks, etc). The bus ride to the hotel was a wonderful adventure. I saw millions of motorbikes surging through the night streets--packed with whole families (saw one motorbike with five riders). We even saw one motorbike carrying a full sized wood coffin.
Interesting tid-bits. One of my co-workers and I discovered that we had both travelled to Kenya with the same organization. After chatting for a bit longer, I discovered that her brother and I volunteered in Kenya together. He is from Halifax--I did some travelling with him during my stint there. I am constantly dumbfounded by these never-ending human connections.
I have in hand 26, 010, 000 Vietnamese Dong , which is a portion of our salary and our settling bonus.
Tomorrow, we have lunch at 1:00, a tour of the city, then dinner. Monday we start our orientation and training in full force.
More stories to tell, but my weariness prohibits their sharing. For another time.
Much much love!
The Principal, Wilf (a teacher who has been living in Saigon for five years, has been instrumental in getting CIS off the ground, and will be leading our orientation), and others from the administration team came to meet us at the airport. They picked us up in the school's air-conditioned bus and greeted us with welcome packages (CIS hats, backpacks, snacks, etc). The bus ride to the hotel was a wonderful adventure. I saw millions of motorbikes surging through the night streets--packed with whole families (saw one motorbike with five riders). We even saw one motorbike carrying a full sized wood coffin.
Interesting tid-bits. One of my co-workers and I discovered that we had both travelled to Kenya with the same organization. After chatting for a bit longer, I discovered that her brother and I volunteered in Kenya together. He is from Halifax--I did some travelling with him during my stint there. I am constantly dumbfounded by these never-ending human connections.
I have in hand 26, 010, 000 Vietnamese Dong , which is a portion of our salary and our settling bonus.
Tomorrow, we have lunch at 1:00, a tour of the city, then dinner. Monday we start our orientation and training in full force.
More stories to tell, but my weariness prohibits their sharing. For another time.
Much much love!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
22 days
This is my first foray into the realm of blogging. It seemed sensible, though, to send the link out to family and friends before I am caught up in the rush that will be my first few weeks in Ho Chi Minh City. Feel free to check in on me and my adventures as I teach and travel in Southeast Asia.
I just recently returned from a lovely 10 day trip to visit my brother, David, in B.C. We swam in frigid waterfalls, hiked and picnicked, spent great amounts of time at the beach, enjoyed excellent live music, had a bonfire, and visited with friends. I spent my days wandering Vancouver, visiting the art gallery, aquarium, UBC, Stanley Park, etc. The city is beautiful, and the company was even better. Thanks so much to Dave and Courtney for being such impeccable hosts.
Now that I have returned, I am hit full force by the fact that I am moving to the other side of the globe in a few short weeks. I am grappling with my goodbyes--constantly realizing several "lasts." Tonight was my last shift at Southridge Shelter, where I have been volunteering for 4 years. Although I am ready for a new stage of my life, it is harder than I imagined it would be to say goodbye to the people and places that make up my world. This past July 1st was the "last" Canada Day I will spend in this country for some time. I teared up as I sang our anthem: "Oh Canada. You ARE my home and native land!" This little incident demonstrates that although I am moving to Vietnam, I am still a sappy, patriotic loser.
The next post will come upon my arrival in Vietnam!
Much love.
I just recently returned from a lovely 10 day trip to visit my brother, David, in B.C. We swam in frigid waterfalls, hiked and picnicked, spent great amounts of time at the beach, enjoyed excellent live music, had a bonfire, and visited with friends. I spent my days wandering Vancouver, visiting the art gallery, aquarium, UBC, Stanley Park, etc. The city is beautiful, and the company was even better. Thanks so much to Dave and Courtney for being such impeccable hosts.
Now that I have returned, I am hit full force by the fact that I am moving to the other side of the globe in a few short weeks. I am grappling with my goodbyes--constantly realizing several "lasts." Tonight was my last shift at Southridge Shelter, where I have been volunteering for 4 years. Although I am ready for a new stage of my life, it is harder than I imagined it would be to say goodbye to the people and places that make up my world. This past July 1st was the "last" Canada Day I will spend in this country for some time. I teared up as I sang our anthem: "Oh Canada. You ARE my home and native land!" This little incident demonstrates that although I am moving to Vietnam, I am still a sappy, patriotic loser.
The next post will come upon my arrival in Vietnam!
Much love.
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