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
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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!
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