Well, it's been a long time since I gave people any real news, so I want to update people on a lot of things, and give some observations, but it's difficult to organize my thoughts, so I will be presenting ideas randomly and not in any logical order. Enjoy!
1. I asked my maid one day to cook avgolemono soup. This is a Greek soup, and one of my favorites, it always reminds me of home, especially when I'm sick and my mom would make it for me. Basically, the name means 'egg and lemon', but it also has chicken broth and pieces of chicken and rice, and I also like to squirt lots of lemon juice in it. Anyway, I tried to explain a recipe I found online to my maid and her daughter, who knows some English, and they sorta got the gist. However, when I saw the finished product, it was quite different from what I was hoping. The egg is supposed to be all mixed together as part of the soup. But there were pieces of egg floating in it. Anyone who knows avgolemono knows that this is a very strange appearance. No matter, I heated it up and ate it and enjoyed it, but it wasn't the same as what I was familiar with. Part of this reason is because...
2. Lemons seem practically non-existent here. Instead, it's all limes. When I ask for a lemon, they point to a lime. I can't remember if I've ever seen a lemon here, but maybe I have and don't recall. At any rate, they're rare. If you know me, you know I like lemon on a lot of food, like rice and broccoli and fish. Lime is not an adequate substitute. I guess that's one more thing to look forward to when I come home.
3. I have applied to several law schools and now I'm waiting to hear back from them. Actually, there's one more I may apply to this week, and my app is almost done. It has a slightly later deadline than most other schools. I probably should have applied to all these schools earlier to increase my chances, but it's been busy and I feel confident about my chances.
4. An interesting restaurant: The City Diner. This place looks just like an American 1950's diner. It has a non-functional jukebox, cozy booths, stools, signs on the walls, a harley davidson hanging from the ceiling, it's got it all. Even pop art pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. I explained to Uyen all the history and culture of diners, and she got a kick out of it. The food was pretty good too. They have lots of good sandwiches and burgers and even stuff like chicken fried steak and meatloaf. I got a meatball grinder that I enjoyed very much. No diner would be complete without a good amount of breakfast dishes as well, so maybe I'll have to come back to try it out. The place is a little hard to get to, though, and it seems to be almost in the middle of nowhere. From a busy area in district one, you take a long road which seems to stretch on into the abyss, and it crosses the saigon river to the far end of binh thanh district where there does not seem to be much, but development is in progress. There is lots of construction, and half-completed shells of tall buildings. One day it may be a busy area but so far its kind of a spooky, desolate area with a post-apocalyptic feel. The diner itself is part of a massive apartment complex called The Manor, which looks like a wealthier place to live, particularly because the diner had prices in American dollars rather than dong, and the prices were almost up to the level of a diner in America. I mean, dinner for both of us cost about $15 so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.
5. Pizza Hut exists here, but I haven't eaten there yet. They don't deliver. I tried to run in one day to grab a pizza before my class, but I got held up at the post office and didn't have time to wait for the pizza (they told me it would be 17 minutes). But, similar to the pizza hut in Athens, it has the appearance of a nice restaurant, or at least like a ruby tuesday's or something, not like the places in the US where you basically just run in, grab your pizza, and go. Anyway, there are many pizza places in Saigon, but so far I haven't been able to get one with actual pepperoni, just some cheap knockoff sausage stuff, and I miss those red crispy circles. I hear Pizza Hut is the real mccoy, so I'd like to go there to get a taste of home. There's a Vietnamese teacher I've hung out with a couple times and he's suggested we go there some time. Last time we hung out at a Vietnamese place, and I tried rabbit meat for the first time. It was okay, like chicken, but it was on the bone so it was difficult to chew off. My perennial favorite at Vietnamese places is squid. Also on the menu at this place was frog. I'll have to give that a whirl someday.
6. I've been getting some more classes lately, and I hope to get another public school class for an hour every other day, but I've still got mornings and afternoons mostly free, and if I can it wouldn't hurt to find another place to work so I can save up some more money.
7. One of my roommates, the one who just moved in in January, is named Yen (pronounced "een"), and she's spending all of march in Cairo, Egypt for some training program for her job, which sounds interesting. She's very friendly and I just started getting to know her a little. Her English is good, but not as good as my other roommate Le. I hope I'm not embarrassing her, but something she said was very funny, and I think that all mistranslation stuff is funny. I was watching a rebroadcast of the Oscars on tv a few days ago, and she was chatting to me about it and asked "is your favorite waiter or waitress in there?" It took me awhile to realize that she meant to say "actor or actress", and when she realized her mistake she was pretty embarrassed. But they are both pairs of words with the masculine ending in "ter" and the feminine ending in "tress", so I can see how she could confuse them. God knows I've done enough stupid things trying to speak any language throughout my life.
8. Speaking of languages, one of the languagecorps folks is Tzachi, from Israel, and he apparently has started some Hebrew classes just for some of his friends, for 11:30 on Sunday mornings. Sounds like fun, I always love learning the basics of a new language, and it's a reason to wake up before noon on a sunday since I don't have church here. I really miss Orthodox church services and I want to find one for Easter. I've read about a Russian church in Vung Tau and I hope to get more information rather than going on a wild goose chase trying to find the place.
9. I've been pressured to talk more about cockroaches. There's not much else to say. Apparently Mortimer has a large extended family, and sometimes a new cousin will wander into the house. I find them grotesque. Last time I put a box over one and let it slowly die. When I took the box off, it was curled up on its back. I wonder why they always die like that.
10. Today I said goodbye to Genessa and Greta at a special dinner at Pacharan with the other languagecorps crew members. It was a bittersweet time, because as long as I've been in Vietnam they've been there, and we did the whole training in Cambodia and everything. I can't believe that was 7 months ago now. And I'm actually over halfway through my time here. It still feels like it's just beginning for some reason. Anyway, I haven't even explained what Pacharan is. It's a spanish restaurant, with lots of good tapas and dishes, and I decided to go all out and treat myself to a nice big steak. I hadn't eaten a proper steak since I was home, so I enjoyed it. It had blue cheese on top, and came with roasted potatoes and vegetables, very tasty. We were on the top floor of the restaurant and could look out on a good central area of district 1. We were directly across from the gigantic famous Continental Hotel. It was a wonderful night even though it briefly monsooned in the afternoon. The girls will be going home on Tuesday to resume their normal lives and move to different places in the States for jobs, so i wish them good luck.
I'm probably forgetting ten more important things, but for now I think that's a good update. Adios!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Hotness
It's been noticeably hotter here in the past couple weeks. I was talking to my students about it and I guess this is the sunny/hot side of the dry season. While it was a little cooler in December and January, it gets much hotter with a strong sun in February. Maybe the temperature itself isn't higher but the constant presence of the sun just makes it seem much worse. I checked the weather a couple days ago and it was 95 degrees, but felt like 102. So if you're freezing in America, you can picture yourself here. I would gladly trade places for a day, though. After driving to work through insane traffic, and trying to calm down a class of active kids in a non-airconditioned room, I'm awash in sweat. I taught my kids about weather today, and I said that today is hot and sunny. One of the kids said "yes, but I'm cold and rainy." I don't know why he called himself rainy. Maybe there's a euphemism I'm missing.
That's all I wanted to say. I've been very busy and tired lately, but I promise to make a longer post with more news soon.
That's all I wanted to say. I've been very busy and tired lately, but I promise to make a longer post with more news soon.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Tip Top Tet
Not much to say, back from Tet and moving slowly back into the normal working mode again. The students and teacher both don't seem very eager to get back to school but such is life.
Here are some pictures from Tet.
You can see some Tet decorations, and myself with Uyen's sister and niece, and myself with Uyen's brother and his friends.
Here are some pictures from Tet.
You can see some Tet decorations, and myself with Uyen's sister and niece, and myself with Uyen's brother and his friends.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
My First Tet
A lot has happened since last time I blogged, but I haven't really had internet access except for the occassional internet cafe session, which I'm making use of now. The Tet celebrations have slowed down now, and people are starting to return to their daily lives, but I'm still in vacation mode as long as I'm in Pleiku.
I came here about a week before Tet started, and it was a week of preparation and anticipation for the big day. I took an overnight bus from Saigon, and it was full of beds instead of seats, so I was able to sleep a little on the way there. When I got there, it wasn't too exciting in the days before Tet, because Uyen was helping one of her sisters run her shop, which was really busy selling snacks and special foods and wines before Tet. I helped in any way that I could, but I couldn't exactly help the customers when I couldn't speak Vietnamese. Anyway, I was Uyen's guest and I was treated as such, so I had access to as much food as I wanted from the shop. There was quite a bit of snacking that went on, but not as much eating as during Tet, which I'll get to later. During the preparation time, though, Uyen also had to help clean the house, and I helped out with this. Her family has a nice house, even though like most houses in Vietnam it's very narrow, but they make use of the space and it's actually pretty wide open inside. The floors are all hardwood or marble, and I don't think I've really seen any carpets here. Breakfasts and lunches and pretty much every meal involves rice, and different plates of meat and fish and vegetables, and you just take from the middle and put on your plate. If I happened to be awake early enough for breakfast, though, I always preferred just some bread with cheese or something. For some reason certain "regular" foods I don't feel like should be eaten when I've just woken up, like rice and meat. I always have to have some kind of bread or egg or fruit.
Anyway, I was able to explore a little bit of Pleiku, but there wasn't much to see. It reminds me of Glastonbury back home, in the small town feel, but this is also the capital of the whole province out here. The center of the town still is probably no bigger than a small town in America, but it does feel a little more urban and crowded. They don't really have any chain stores or big stores, it's mostly all little shops that are run out of people's homes. There aren't any restaurants except for little noodle places that serve things like pho or bun bo. The food is healthier and I like most of it, but they don't seem to be afraid of a huge chunk of bone and having to gnaw around it to get to the meat.
On Tet and the days that followed, we ate a lot of different foods. Tet really lasted more like 4 or 5 days, since it started Monday and only now it's getting back to normal, and I don't see all of Uyen's family hanging around the house anymore. So over the whole span of it, we ate rice with most every meal, but also they cooked pasta and liver one day, and I really liked the liver. They made some fried spring rolls and also these fried squid and pork balls coated with coconut, or something. The other night for lunch there was lots of fried chicken pieces that were really delicious, but some of the pieces were a little less appetizing, even though her family members picked it up and started nibbling away without hesitation. I'm talking about the actual head of the chicken, where you can still see its eyes looking at you. Also, Uyen seemed to like the feet of the chicken. I guess they don't waste a single part of the body. Also, part of nearly every meal is some soup, with pieces of fish or some kind of meat inside. On one day we drove a couple hours to another town to meet her grandmother and some other cousins and relatives, and for lunch we ate from a giant hot pot on the table where we cooked beef and noodles, and it was very good. All in all, lots of food, and they always seemed to cook much much more than anyone could possible eat. If there were leftovers from lunch, and there always were, they just brought out the same stuff for dinner again.
The eating tradition on Tet itself was interesting. After you eat at home, and distribute lucky money to your family members, you go off and eat and toast at all your friends' houses. I went with Uyen's brother and a few of his friends, first to play billiards, and then in a caravan across the city, stopping for a few minutes at a friend's house, raising a glass of tea or beer or wine, having a few snacks, and moving on to the next place. Since they didn't really speak English, I was very confused by all this, and I felt more like a sheep just being herded along to various pastures, but all in all it was pretty fun. The snacks were similar at every house, usually some dried fruit like raisins or dates and pieces of dried ginger, as well as some other crackers or cookies. Ubiquitous here are fried watermelon seeds, which you crack open with your teeth and feast upon the tiny seed inside. Everyone is entranced whenever they see them around, and start mindlessly opening and eating one after another. Every single place you go, from the coffee shop to the internet cafe where I'm sitting now, has watermelon seed shells littering the floors. For me it's a great difficulty to get them open and I usually end up with some hard shells in my mouth, but part of the fun is the process of opening them, when you have nothing else to do.
Uyen's family is very big, because she has 3 sisters and 2 brothers, and most of them are married with kids. She also has several cousins, and her grandmother had 9 children so clearly there's lots of extended family, but she doesn't see them very often, especially since she lives in Saigon. For the family members who are dead, they honor them on Tet, going to the temple to light some incense and say some prayers. From what I could see, it was not a Buddhist temple, and I'm not sure if there is a specific name for it, since Uyen said her family doesn't have a religion but they just honor their ancestors. At the temple and the shrine in their house they have little statues of people that look like Confuscious or some other old wise person. They leave anything from fruit to chocolate cakes to cans of beer at the shrines in their homes. Also at the temple, people get their fortune on a piece of paper which predicts what will happen to them in every month of the year, according to the year in which they were born. This year is now the year of the buffalo, which in China is the year of the ox, and since it is the year I was born in maybe it will be lucky for me. Apparently not only do I add a year to my age for the new year, but I add one in advance of my birthday, which I don't really understand, but now I tell people that I'm 25, and it feels nice to be a little older.
What else is there to say? Pleiku is a little colder than Saigon, which I like. During the day it feels pleasant but at night it's really quite cold (uyen tells me that it gets down to 10 degrees celsius), so I'm glad I have my hoodie with me, which I hadn't used in Vietnam until now. People go to bed pretty early here, like 9 or 10 o'clock, but I'm staying in a hotel and at least there's a couple movie channels like HBO that I can watch before I go to sleep. I don't know why I wasn't allowed to stay at Uyen's family's house, but I guess it's a cultural thing, like only family can stay there during Tet, or something. She hasn't told them that I'm a boyfriend, just a friend, because I guess once someone is a boyfriend or girlfriend, it is assumed they will get married. But they have to suspect something. Why would I come all the way to Pleiku to spend two weeks with just a friend?
Anyway, I've said a lot, and I'm probably forgetting some stuff. I just wanted to point out a few interesting differences in manners between this culture and Western culture. Respect and politeness is very important here but they do many things that people back home would frown upon. For example, they have no shame at all in burping at the dinner table or elsewhere and not covering their mouths. However, if you yawn you must cover your mouth. At the dinner table, appparently there is no etiquette to wait for everyone to be seated and have food to start eating. At least in my experience, they encourage me to sit down and eat when only the father has food. Maybe he's supposed to eat first since he's the head honcho, I don't know. Something that I always tried not to do at home was put my elbows on the table, but apparently that's no big deal here. People actually usually pick up their bowl of rice and noodles so that it's just a few inches from their mouth, and shovel it in with great speed and fervor. I can't say I object. It may, however, be a shock when I go back home.
So, on Monday I return to Saigon with Uyen, and soon after that it's back to work. I may be looking for a different schedule, or quitting one of my schools and looking for another. Actually, ideally I want to start tutoring some people, because that's the best hourly rate you can get. I want to work more in the morning because Uyen is finished with her degree now and will need to find a daily job, so if I keep working at night I'll never have a chance to see her except for the weekend. Plus, I tend to waste a lot of time doing nothing in the afternoon, so it will be nice for a change of pace.
That's all for now.
Chuc mung nam moi!
I came here about a week before Tet started, and it was a week of preparation and anticipation for the big day. I took an overnight bus from Saigon, and it was full of beds instead of seats, so I was able to sleep a little on the way there. When I got there, it wasn't too exciting in the days before Tet, because Uyen was helping one of her sisters run her shop, which was really busy selling snacks and special foods and wines before Tet. I helped in any way that I could, but I couldn't exactly help the customers when I couldn't speak Vietnamese. Anyway, I was Uyen's guest and I was treated as such, so I had access to as much food as I wanted from the shop. There was quite a bit of snacking that went on, but not as much eating as during Tet, which I'll get to later. During the preparation time, though, Uyen also had to help clean the house, and I helped out with this. Her family has a nice house, even though like most houses in Vietnam it's very narrow, but they make use of the space and it's actually pretty wide open inside. The floors are all hardwood or marble, and I don't think I've really seen any carpets here. Breakfasts and lunches and pretty much every meal involves rice, and different plates of meat and fish and vegetables, and you just take from the middle and put on your plate. If I happened to be awake early enough for breakfast, though, I always preferred just some bread with cheese or something. For some reason certain "regular" foods I don't feel like should be eaten when I've just woken up, like rice and meat. I always have to have some kind of bread or egg or fruit.
Anyway, I was able to explore a little bit of Pleiku, but there wasn't much to see. It reminds me of Glastonbury back home, in the small town feel, but this is also the capital of the whole province out here. The center of the town still is probably no bigger than a small town in America, but it does feel a little more urban and crowded. They don't really have any chain stores or big stores, it's mostly all little shops that are run out of people's homes. There aren't any restaurants except for little noodle places that serve things like pho or bun bo. The food is healthier and I like most of it, but they don't seem to be afraid of a huge chunk of bone and having to gnaw around it to get to the meat.
On Tet and the days that followed, we ate a lot of different foods. Tet really lasted more like 4 or 5 days, since it started Monday and only now it's getting back to normal, and I don't see all of Uyen's family hanging around the house anymore. So over the whole span of it, we ate rice with most every meal, but also they cooked pasta and liver one day, and I really liked the liver. They made some fried spring rolls and also these fried squid and pork balls coated with coconut, or something. The other night for lunch there was lots of fried chicken pieces that were really delicious, but some of the pieces were a little less appetizing, even though her family members picked it up and started nibbling away without hesitation. I'm talking about the actual head of the chicken, where you can still see its eyes looking at you. Also, Uyen seemed to like the feet of the chicken. I guess they don't waste a single part of the body. Also, part of nearly every meal is some soup, with pieces of fish or some kind of meat inside. On one day we drove a couple hours to another town to meet her grandmother and some other cousins and relatives, and for lunch we ate from a giant hot pot on the table where we cooked beef and noodles, and it was very good. All in all, lots of food, and they always seemed to cook much much more than anyone could possible eat. If there were leftovers from lunch, and there always were, they just brought out the same stuff for dinner again.
The eating tradition on Tet itself was interesting. After you eat at home, and distribute lucky money to your family members, you go off and eat and toast at all your friends' houses. I went with Uyen's brother and a few of his friends, first to play billiards, and then in a caravan across the city, stopping for a few minutes at a friend's house, raising a glass of tea or beer or wine, having a few snacks, and moving on to the next place. Since they didn't really speak English, I was very confused by all this, and I felt more like a sheep just being herded along to various pastures, but all in all it was pretty fun. The snacks were similar at every house, usually some dried fruit like raisins or dates and pieces of dried ginger, as well as some other crackers or cookies. Ubiquitous here are fried watermelon seeds, which you crack open with your teeth and feast upon the tiny seed inside. Everyone is entranced whenever they see them around, and start mindlessly opening and eating one after another. Every single place you go, from the coffee shop to the internet cafe where I'm sitting now, has watermelon seed shells littering the floors. For me it's a great difficulty to get them open and I usually end up with some hard shells in my mouth, but part of the fun is the process of opening them, when you have nothing else to do.
Uyen's family is very big, because she has 3 sisters and 2 brothers, and most of them are married with kids. She also has several cousins, and her grandmother had 9 children so clearly there's lots of extended family, but she doesn't see them very often, especially since she lives in Saigon. For the family members who are dead, they honor them on Tet, going to the temple to light some incense and say some prayers. From what I could see, it was not a Buddhist temple, and I'm not sure if there is a specific name for it, since Uyen said her family doesn't have a religion but they just honor their ancestors. At the temple and the shrine in their house they have little statues of people that look like Confuscious or some other old wise person. They leave anything from fruit to chocolate cakes to cans of beer at the shrines in their homes. Also at the temple, people get their fortune on a piece of paper which predicts what will happen to them in every month of the year, according to the year in which they were born. This year is now the year of the buffalo, which in China is the year of the ox, and since it is the year I was born in maybe it will be lucky for me. Apparently not only do I add a year to my age for the new year, but I add one in advance of my birthday, which I don't really understand, but now I tell people that I'm 25, and it feels nice to be a little older.
What else is there to say? Pleiku is a little colder than Saigon, which I like. During the day it feels pleasant but at night it's really quite cold (uyen tells me that it gets down to 10 degrees celsius), so I'm glad I have my hoodie with me, which I hadn't used in Vietnam until now. People go to bed pretty early here, like 9 or 10 o'clock, but I'm staying in a hotel and at least there's a couple movie channels like HBO that I can watch before I go to sleep. I don't know why I wasn't allowed to stay at Uyen's family's house, but I guess it's a cultural thing, like only family can stay there during Tet, or something. She hasn't told them that I'm a boyfriend, just a friend, because I guess once someone is a boyfriend or girlfriend, it is assumed they will get married. But they have to suspect something. Why would I come all the way to Pleiku to spend two weeks with just a friend?
Anyway, I've said a lot, and I'm probably forgetting some stuff. I just wanted to point out a few interesting differences in manners between this culture and Western culture. Respect and politeness is very important here but they do many things that people back home would frown upon. For example, they have no shame at all in burping at the dinner table or elsewhere and not covering their mouths. However, if you yawn you must cover your mouth. At the dinner table, appparently there is no etiquette to wait for everyone to be seated and have food to start eating. At least in my experience, they encourage me to sit down and eat when only the father has food. Maybe he's supposed to eat first since he's the head honcho, I don't know. Something that I always tried not to do at home was put my elbows on the table, but apparently that's no big deal here. People actually usually pick up their bowl of rice and noodles so that it's just a few inches from their mouth, and shovel it in with great speed and fervor. I can't say I object. It may, however, be a shock when I go back home.
So, on Monday I return to Saigon with Uyen, and soon after that it's back to work. I may be looking for a different schedule, or quitting one of my schools and looking for another. Actually, ideally I want to start tutoring some people, because that's the best hourly rate you can get. I want to work more in the morning because Uyen is finished with her degree now and will need to find a daily job, so if I keep working at night I'll never have a chance to see her except for the weekend. Plus, I tend to waste a lot of time doing nothing in the afternoon, so it will be nice for a change of pace.
That's all for now.
Chuc mung nam moi!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Cu Chi, and other interesting matters
My classes have been over the past few days, so I've been finding other ways to pass the time, going out to eat and exploring and such.
On Saturday I finally went to the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Saigon, where the Viet Cong hid during the war. They had a really elaborate system of tunnels that allowed them to get underground and reach the Saigon river, and I think it even connects to the city itself. Also, many booby traps were still there, and the tour guide showed us how they all worked. For example, you step on a platform that swings down and you fall on spikes. The tunnels had many entrances, some of them very narrow, and some bigger so the bigger western tourists could fit. You can't even stand up in the tunnels, and have to scoot along with your back hunched over. There are a few lights down there, but some parts were pitch black and you had to slowly creep along and hope not to hit something. We also watched a short video about the tunnels, and listening to the narrator and the tour guide talk, they kept stating how brave the Vietnamese were in fighting off the American Enemy who was trying to invade their homes. A skewed perspective, but that was to be expected. Anyway, I'm glad I did it, it was a nice little half-day trip.
Sunday night there was an end-of-the-year party held by Elite, at this reception hall called the White Palace. Every time I would drive past it, the White Palace always looked like an incredibly lavish place, with everyone dressed up very nice, and I felt like it would be too good for me, but it was alright, I found some friendly western teachers to sit and chat with. The event started with a performance of dancers followed by break dancers, and then the announcer presented some awards and talked about the progress made by Elite over the year. Standard stuff, really. Then the buffet started, and my oh my were we in for a treat. There was so much food, both Vietnamese and western, I was in heaven. Then had some fried breaded squid balls, and noodles, and rice, and really incredible pieces of beef, as well as a very spicy seafood soup. Basically, I love food, so I was happy. Then they started a talent performance from various teachers at the school, singing different cheesy pop songs and dancing. When I saw them performing, all dressed up nicely and belting their hearts out, I could not picture them as teachers. To me, this would be very different from a Christmas party at a school in America. In Vietnam, I guess there's not as much embarrassment about putting yourself out there and singing something you love. No one is ever ashamed to sing, whether it be in the shower, or at karaoke, or riding on a motorbike.
Tomorrow I begin my valiant sojourn towards the faraway land of Pleiku. I will probably be eating Vietnamese food for 2 weeks straight, so maybe I'll lose some weight. I'm looking forward to relaxing and just going with the flow. If I have internet access, I'll update the blog with information and pictures.
For now, here are some pictures from Cu Chi.
On Saturday I finally went to the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Saigon, where the Viet Cong hid during the war. They had a really elaborate system of tunnels that allowed them to get underground and reach the Saigon river, and I think it even connects to the city itself. Also, many booby traps were still there, and the tour guide showed us how they all worked. For example, you step on a platform that swings down and you fall on spikes. The tunnels had many entrances, some of them very narrow, and some bigger so the bigger western tourists could fit. You can't even stand up in the tunnels, and have to scoot along with your back hunched over. There are a few lights down there, but some parts were pitch black and you had to slowly creep along and hope not to hit something. We also watched a short video about the tunnels, and listening to the narrator and the tour guide talk, they kept stating how brave the Vietnamese were in fighting off the American Enemy who was trying to invade their homes. A skewed perspective, but that was to be expected. Anyway, I'm glad I did it, it was a nice little half-day trip.
Sunday night there was an end-of-the-year party held by Elite, at this reception hall called the White Palace. Every time I would drive past it, the White Palace always looked like an incredibly lavish place, with everyone dressed up very nice, and I felt like it would be too good for me, but it was alright, I found some friendly western teachers to sit and chat with. The event started with a performance of dancers followed by break dancers, and then the announcer presented some awards and talked about the progress made by Elite over the year. Standard stuff, really. Then the buffet started, and my oh my were we in for a treat. There was so much food, both Vietnamese and western, I was in heaven. Then had some fried breaded squid balls, and noodles, and rice, and really incredible pieces of beef, as well as a very spicy seafood soup. Basically, I love food, so I was happy. Then they started a talent performance from various teachers at the school, singing different cheesy pop songs and dancing. When I saw them performing, all dressed up nicely and belting their hearts out, I could not picture them as teachers. To me, this would be very different from a Christmas party at a school in America. In Vietnam, I guess there's not as much embarrassment about putting yourself out there and singing something you love. No one is ever ashamed to sing, whether it be in the shower, or at karaoke, or riding on a motorbike.
Tomorrow I begin my valiant sojourn towards the faraway land of Pleiku. I will probably be eating Vietnamese food for 2 weeks straight, so maybe I'll lose some weight. I'm looking forward to relaxing and just going with the flow. If I have internet access, I'll update the blog with information and pictures.
For now, here are some pictures from Cu Chi.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Spas and Bakeries
Last night after teaching, I went out to eat with a couple teachers I know from the journalism school. One of them is an American from Oregon, looks not much older than me, but he's married and has a kid. It sounds like he wants to eventually move back to the states, though.
After eating, we went to a massage place that was actually really nice, like a spa. There were two steam bath rooms, which were incredibly hot and steamy, but as long as you didn't move it felt kinda nice. After that, there's the jacuzzi stage, and then you get a nice silk robe and wait in a room where the tv is playing a motocross dvd, and then you get called for a massage. Once again I was surprised at how rough they can be, especially when they're doing crazy things like walking on your back, but ultimately you feel much better and relaxed.
Now today I stopped at a bakery to buy a snack. They have more than just bread and desserts. Basically they can bake anything into the bread. They seem to like hot dogs, either whole or in pieces, so they had a lot of bready pastries with hot dogs. I bought a banh jambon pho mai, basically a hot ham and cheese pocket. Everything has "banh" in front of it, which is like a cake. Even imported English words have banh, like banh pizza and banh cookies. They had little french bread pizzas and round pizzas, one of which was called "banh pizza new york" and had pieces of hot dogs on it. I didn't have the heart to tell them that people in new york don't eat pizza like that. They also had an array of sweet cakes and pastries that looked appetizing, like banh donuts. They was something called "banh mehico", or mexican cake, but it didn't really look mexican, more like just a sweet roll. I'll have to try it some day.
The new year will be the year of the buffalo. In China, it's the ox, but in Vietnam it's the buffalo. There are lots of cute cartoon buffalos everywhere, and it's sort of a mascot similar to Santa Claus. But I guess it has to change every year. I was also born in the year of the buffalo, 24 years ago. Three months until my birthday! Although, in Vietnam I could already say that I'm 24, since everyone counts an extra year in their age.
That's all for now!
After eating, we went to a massage place that was actually really nice, like a spa. There were two steam bath rooms, which were incredibly hot and steamy, but as long as you didn't move it felt kinda nice. After that, there's the jacuzzi stage, and then you get a nice silk robe and wait in a room where the tv is playing a motocross dvd, and then you get called for a massage. Once again I was surprised at how rough they can be, especially when they're doing crazy things like walking on your back, but ultimately you feel much better and relaxed.
Now today I stopped at a bakery to buy a snack. They have more than just bread and desserts. Basically they can bake anything into the bread. They seem to like hot dogs, either whole or in pieces, so they had a lot of bready pastries with hot dogs. I bought a banh jambon pho mai, basically a hot ham and cheese pocket. Everything has "banh" in front of it, which is like a cake. Even imported English words have banh, like banh pizza and banh cookies. They had little french bread pizzas and round pizzas, one of which was called "banh pizza new york" and had pieces of hot dogs on it. I didn't have the heart to tell them that people in new york don't eat pizza like that. They also had an array of sweet cakes and pastries that looked appetizing, like banh donuts. They was something called "banh mehico", or mexican cake, but it didn't really look mexican, more like just a sweet roll. I'll have to try it some day.
The new year will be the year of the buffalo. In China, it's the ox, but in Vietnam it's the buffalo. There are lots of cute cartoon buffalos everywhere, and it's sort of a mascot similar to Santa Claus. But I guess it has to change every year. I was also born in the year of the buffalo, 24 years ago. Three months until my birthday! Although, in Vietnam I could already say that I'm 24, since everyone counts an extra year in their age.
That's all for now!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tet Den Roi
So, it's 2009, as usual I didn't make a resolution but I just hope for another safe and exciting year, beginning in Vietnam and ending in America.
What's happened in the past couple weeks?
The Christmas decorations have been replaced with Tet decorations. Really elaborate red and yellow signs and lanterns and hanging things with symbols on them, or messages like "happy new year". The symbols looks like Chinese characters but they're actually the old version of Vietnamese, before they adopted the Latin alphabet. Everyone is getting really excited about the upcoming holiday, and it is a similar feeling to America when people hope for greater fortune and luck in the new year. One thing that you must do is buy new clothes to wear on Tet. I bought some jeans and shirts with Uyen's help, and it took a lot of driving around to different stores to find jeans that fit me. I was excited to start wearing my new clothes, but she told me I can't wear them until the actual day of Tet. I will be spending two weeks in her hometown of Pleiku with her family, starting on January 20. Looking forward to it, and participating in all the traditions, but right now I'm not really sure what to expect.
Classes have been winding down at schools, and I haven't been getting as many classes this past week or so, as I guess people are eager for Tet. In one of my classes only 2 students out of 13 showed up, but we still made the most of it. I finished up at the public school a couple weeks ago, and they had an interesting way of saying thanks and farewell. After my last class, I said goodbye to the students and walked out of the classroom, and one of the women who worked there was standing outside, and she handed me a wad of money and said "your salary." Then I signed my name on a piece of paper and I was off. Looking back, those were very fun classes, and I'm glad I did it to see the lighter side of teaching English, and see what it's like to teach kids.
There's a Tet song that I heard on TV. It goes "Tet, Tet, Tet den roi..." which means "Tet, come now!" Except the song is sung with the northern Viet pronunciation, so the "r" sounds like a "z".
Today is Sunday, and you know what that means... pizza and banana day!
Bye for now!
What's happened in the past couple weeks?
The Christmas decorations have been replaced with Tet decorations. Really elaborate red and yellow signs and lanterns and hanging things with symbols on them, or messages like "happy new year". The symbols looks like Chinese characters but they're actually the old version of Vietnamese, before they adopted the Latin alphabet. Everyone is getting really excited about the upcoming holiday, and it is a similar feeling to America when people hope for greater fortune and luck in the new year. One thing that you must do is buy new clothes to wear on Tet. I bought some jeans and shirts with Uyen's help, and it took a lot of driving around to different stores to find jeans that fit me. I was excited to start wearing my new clothes, but she told me I can't wear them until the actual day of Tet. I will be spending two weeks in her hometown of Pleiku with her family, starting on January 20. Looking forward to it, and participating in all the traditions, but right now I'm not really sure what to expect.
Classes have been winding down at schools, and I haven't been getting as many classes this past week or so, as I guess people are eager for Tet. In one of my classes only 2 students out of 13 showed up, but we still made the most of it. I finished up at the public school a couple weeks ago, and they had an interesting way of saying thanks and farewell. After my last class, I said goodbye to the students and walked out of the classroom, and one of the women who worked there was standing outside, and she handed me a wad of money and said "your salary." Then I signed my name on a piece of paper and I was off. Looking back, those were very fun classes, and I'm glad I did it to see the lighter side of teaching English, and see what it's like to teach kids.
There's a Tet song that I heard on TV. It goes "Tet, Tet, Tet den roi..." which means "Tet, come now!" Except the song is sung with the northern Viet pronunciation, so the "r" sounds like a "z".
Today is Sunday, and you know what that means... pizza and banana day!
Bye for now!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Time
I had the 24th and 25th off, as most schools are closed and everyone wants to celebrate Christmas. So, I celebrated on both days! Even though I was away from home I had some great people to celebrate with. In Vietnamese, the word for "celebrate" is "an", the same as the word for "eat". If you say that you want to celebrate Christmas, it sounds like you want to eat Christmas. I think it just emphasizes how important eating is on a holiday, in every culture.
On the 24th, our maid prepared a lot of food and my roommate Le invited some friends over to eat, listen to Christmas music, and gift swap. We had a shrimp and noodle and veggie mix that was actually served cold and tasted great. Then there was a beef stew with potatoes and carrots, just like back home. His friends brought over desserts like cake. AND I couldn't buy eggnog so I made it myself using a recipe online. It came out alright, didn't taste as good as regular eggnog and the eggs kept wanting to separate, but at least the guests got a general idea of what eggnog tastes like. Rather than go on and on talking, I'll just show some pictures.
Here's a picture of our group:
And my parents sent me a nice package from home with some candy and toys and an elf hat that I bought last year, so I posed in front of my freshly-decorated tree:
The next day, the 25th, Uyen and I went out to take pictures of the decorations around the city. There was a nice wintery theme outside of Diamond, the one big department store in Vietnam, although it didn't have the same effect when I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt next to supposedly icy trees. Also, the big Notre Dame Cathedral was all lit up with people coming to the church services that night. Lots of people were out and about taking in the sights, although it did start raining. Perhaps I spoke too soon about the dry season, because it's been raining every day again. We got pretty wet, didn't have jackets, and now I'm feeling sick, but slowly recovering now. Oh, also, before we went looking at decorations that night, we stopped to eat sticky rice and chicken at a local Vietnamese place. Uyen got more exotic fare and had my try one of her pieces of meat. After I bit into something very rough and chewy, she told me that it was pig's tongue. That in itself didn't turn me off, but I just didn't like the taste that much. I didn't have my camera at the time to snap a photo, but here are some other pictures.
More pictures can be found here: http://s334.photobucket.com/albums/m418/PetroSmith/Life%20in%20Vietnam/Christmas%20in%20Vietnam/
Some other Vietnam picture can be found here: http://s334.photobucket.com/albums/m418/PetroSmith/Life%20in%20Vietnam/
Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!
On the 24th, our maid prepared a lot of food and my roommate Le invited some friends over to eat, listen to Christmas music, and gift swap. We had a shrimp and noodle and veggie mix that was actually served cold and tasted great. Then there was a beef stew with potatoes and carrots, just like back home. His friends brought over desserts like cake. AND I couldn't buy eggnog so I made it myself using a recipe online. It came out alright, didn't taste as good as regular eggnog and the eggs kept wanting to separate, but at least the guests got a general idea of what eggnog tastes like. Rather than go on and on talking, I'll just show some pictures.
Here's a picture of our group:
And my parents sent me a nice package from home with some candy and toys and an elf hat that I bought last year, so I posed in front of my freshly-decorated tree:
The next day, the 25th, Uyen and I went out to take pictures of the decorations around the city. There was a nice wintery theme outside of Diamond, the one big department store in Vietnam, although it didn't have the same effect when I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt next to supposedly icy trees. Also, the big Notre Dame Cathedral was all lit up with people coming to the church services that night. Lots of people were out and about taking in the sights, although it did start raining. Perhaps I spoke too soon about the dry season, because it's been raining every day again. We got pretty wet, didn't have jackets, and now I'm feeling sick, but slowly recovering now. Oh, also, before we went looking at decorations that night, we stopped to eat sticky rice and chicken at a local Vietnamese place. Uyen got more exotic fare and had my try one of her pieces of meat. After I bit into something very rough and chewy, she told me that it was pig's tongue. That in itself didn't turn me off, but I just didn't like the taste that much. I didn't have my camera at the time to snap a photo, but here are some other pictures.
More pictures can be found here: http://s334.photobucket.com/albums/m418/PetroSmith/Life%20in%20Vietnam/Christmas%20in%20Vietnam/
Some other Vietnam picture can be found here: http://s334.photobucket.com/albums/m418/PetroSmith/Life%20in%20Vietnam/
Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Unrelated Thoughts
There's many things here that I take for granted now, and I don't even realize are worth mentioning. For example, it seems common sense now that when you order a pizza, they will also bring you a free banana. I've gotten so used to it, that I forget that if this happened in America, it would be very confusing or at least worthy of a chuckle. Here I just welcome the extra fruit, and after my pizza I have a way to cleanse my pallet and feel like I've been slightly healthy.
Time keeps moving, and sometimes we don't realize it. At home, the passage of time is obvious, because it gets about 50 degrees colder during the fall and into the winter, plus it's hard to ignore the snow. (I've heard about the blizzard that hit the northeast.) But here, there are only two seasons, and the passage of time only becomes evident twice a year. Recently, we entered the dry season. Perhaps it is still in transition, but I think it must have rained only maybe twice so far this month, when it used to rain every day. Now the air is drier, but the temperature is just as high as before. The mornings and afternoons can be sweltering, but if you don't think about it too much, it's not that bad. Since it's dry heat, you don't sweat as much, and when you're riding on a motorbike you can sometimes feel a breeze. With no humidity to hold in the heat, though, it gets kinda cool at night. It's nice and refreshing, though. When I check the temperature online, the lowest it ever gets is about 72 degrees. And this feels cold to me and everyone else here. I think it will be a shock going back to America, but at least I'll be returning in summer.
Another random observation, it looks to me like certain things don't have the same stigma as in America. Like colors, for example. I see boys riding motorbikes that are pink or yellow, with helmets the same color. I think it's just a matter of what they have. Maybe they're borrowing someone else's stuff, or they just don't care. Either way, it seems like pink is not necessarily a feminine color.
Coming up is Christmas, and while it's not the same as back home, there is definitely excitement in the air, from the overwhelming decorations and lights to the Vietnamese Christmas songs blaring out of the shops. Most of my friends won't be around, but my roommate Le is cooking a Christmas dinner and inviting a few friends over, so I think Uyen and I will partake. I'm going on a quest to find eggnog somewhere in this city. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it. Then, I would like to just drive around District 1 and look at all the decorations. I guess that's what a lot of people do here on Christmas. I don't know if anything special actually happens. Already there are tons of decorations everywhere. But I guess we'll have to see. I'm definitely bringing my camera to snap some pictures, though. I dread ever looking like a tourist, but I guess I can run that risk for one night.
I did take a picture recently, though, when I stopped to eat at a place I found called Red Hot Saigon that has burgers and hot dogs. I spoke to the owner for a while, he's very friendly and speaks English well. The food is pretty good, but they really pile on the sauces and extra toppings, so it's kind of a messy affair. The hot dog I got did taste like a hot dog, though, which is more than I can say about some other hot dogs I've had. I liked the style, too. The places to eat were in closed-off rooms where you take off your shoes and sit almost on the floor, like a tea house. It was nice and cozy, so I hope to make it a regular spot to dine.
Here is a picture of the hot dog, half-eaten and next to an imported Shasta Root Beer:
Also, last weekend Hien had her birthday. She's the program leader here, and she's the nicest, most helpful person, that I can always call with my problems and she provides an answer. She turned the big 3-0, and people are not afraid to reveal their ages here like in America, so I don't think I'll get into trouble for saying it. Anyway, Uyen and I bought her some nice flowers, which we put on the table of the restaurant where we ate, and it was kind of like a centerpiece that everyone liked. The table was very nice, as all of Hien's friends and the past and current Languagecorps students were there.
Here's a picture of me, Hien, and the flowers:
Yet one more thing to mention, this week I've been covering Genessa's classes at a public school for young children. The classes are only 30 minutes long, but it's as exhausting as a 90 minute class for adults, because they're so energetic and hard to keep focused. They're a lot of fun, though, and very friendly, saying "hello!" several times when I come in. They like a lot of games and songs and stuff, and some of them can't sit still for more than a minute. It's very satisfying because they're learning basic English words and structures, so you feel like you're really teaching them something new each time, and the games give them a chance to practice.
My roommate just made some che, which I'm eating now. It's kind of a sweet dessert made with beans, sometimes very cold and icy, but this one he made is very watery, but it's nice and refreshing and seems healthy since it's made with beans. They look like very big kidney beans, and even though I'm not a bean enthusiast, I don't mind them much, and they're kind of sweet.
Well that's all the news that's fit to give. Merry Christmas everyone!
Time keeps moving, and sometimes we don't realize it. At home, the passage of time is obvious, because it gets about 50 degrees colder during the fall and into the winter, plus it's hard to ignore the snow. (I've heard about the blizzard that hit the northeast.) But here, there are only two seasons, and the passage of time only becomes evident twice a year. Recently, we entered the dry season. Perhaps it is still in transition, but I think it must have rained only maybe twice so far this month, when it used to rain every day. Now the air is drier, but the temperature is just as high as before. The mornings and afternoons can be sweltering, but if you don't think about it too much, it's not that bad. Since it's dry heat, you don't sweat as much, and when you're riding on a motorbike you can sometimes feel a breeze. With no humidity to hold in the heat, though, it gets kinda cool at night. It's nice and refreshing, though. When I check the temperature online, the lowest it ever gets is about 72 degrees. And this feels cold to me and everyone else here. I think it will be a shock going back to America, but at least I'll be returning in summer.
Another random observation, it looks to me like certain things don't have the same stigma as in America. Like colors, for example. I see boys riding motorbikes that are pink or yellow, with helmets the same color. I think it's just a matter of what they have. Maybe they're borrowing someone else's stuff, or they just don't care. Either way, it seems like pink is not necessarily a feminine color.
Coming up is Christmas, and while it's not the same as back home, there is definitely excitement in the air, from the overwhelming decorations and lights to the Vietnamese Christmas songs blaring out of the shops. Most of my friends won't be around, but my roommate Le is cooking a Christmas dinner and inviting a few friends over, so I think Uyen and I will partake. I'm going on a quest to find eggnog somewhere in this city. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it. Then, I would like to just drive around District 1 and look at all the decorations. I guess that's what a lot of people do here on Christmas. I don't know if anything special actually happens. Already there are tons of decorations everywhere. But I guess we'll have to see. I'm definitely bringing my camera to snap some pictures, though. I dread ever looking like a tourist, but I guess I can run that risk for one night.
I did take a picture recently, though, when I stopped to eat at a place I found called Red Hot Saigon that has burgers and hot dogs. I spoke to the owner for a while, he's very friendly and speaks English well. The food is pretty good, but they really pile on the sauces and extra toppings, so it's kind of a messy affair. The hot dog I got did taste like a hot dog, though, which is more than I can say about some other hot dogs I've had. I liked the style, too. The places to eat were in closed-off rooms where you take off your shoes and sit almost on the floor, like a tea house. It was nice and cozy, so I hope to make it a regular spot to dine.
Here is a picture of the hot dog, half-eaten and next to an imported Shasta Root Beer:
Also, last weekend Hien had her birthday. She's the program leader here, and she's the nicest, most helpful person, that I can always call with my problems and she provides an answer. She turned the big 3-0, and people are not afraid to reveal their ages here like in America, so I don't think I'll get into trouble for saying it. Anyway, Uyen and I bought her some nice flowers, which we put on the table of the restaurant where we ate, and it was kind of like a centerpiece that everyone liked. The table was very nice, as all of Hien's friends and the past and current Languagecorps students were there.
Here's a picture of me, Hien, and the flowers:
Yet one more thing to mention, this week I've been covering Genessa's classes at a public school for young children. The classes are only 30 minutes long, but it's as exhausting as a 90 minute class for adults, because they're so energetic and hard to keep focused. They're a lot of fun, though, and very friendly, saying "hello!" several times when I come in. They like a lot of games and songs and stuff, and some of them can't sit still for more than a minute. It's very satisfying because they're learning basic English words and structures, so you feel like you're really teaching them something new each time, and the games give them a chance to practice.
My roommate just made some che, which I'm eating now. It's kind of a sweet dessert made with beans, sometimes very cold and icy, but this one he made is very watery, but it's nice and refreshing and seems healthy since it's made with beans. They look like very big kidney beans, and even though I'm not a bean enthusiast, I don't mind them much, and they're kind of sweet.
Well that's all the news that's fit to give. Merry Christmas everyone!
Monday, December 8, 2008
My December
Hello, hello.
One of the gas companies here is Saigon Petro. It seems fitting, so I added a picture of the logo to the left.
Not much new to say really, but people keep clamoring for posts. I may have forgotten to mention that I started working at a third school, Vietnam National University. So, this is serious business. Same kinda stuff though, teaching lessons and getting students to talk English with each other a lot. I don't like the lesson books as much as at Elite. There aren't a lot of fun activities, and it's mostly centered around listening exercises. The one class I taught so far only had five people. Still, I bet I can think of some activities and games to make class more interesting.
I've been going out to karaoke a lot lately. They get a kick out of me singing in Vietnamese, and I can barely pronounce the words in time to the music, but it's alright. The collection of English songs they have mostly predate 1990, so the ideal songs to sing are the cheesy, over-the-top ones. Obviously, I showed off my Tom Jones impression.
I got a new roommate. And a toaster. He brought many things with him. But I especially am loving the toast.
He's a very cool guy, and I think we'll become friends as well as roommates. He's Vietnamese but very easy to talk to in English. He goes to work early every morning, so I feel like a bum since I usually get up around 11. He also goes on business trips a lot. Right now he's in the Philippines for the next few days.
And now, by popular demand, here is a picture of a recent energy drink which I consumed:
When I drank it, I briefly became a samurai. Then I reverted back to my normal self. It was actually pretty uneventful.
Farewell!
One of the gas companies here is Saigon Petro. It seems fitting, so I added a picture of the logo to the left.
Not much new to say really, but people keep clamoring for posts. I may have forgotten to mention that I started working at a third school, Vietnam National University. So, this is serious business. Same kinda stuff though, teaching lessons and getting students to talk English with each other a lot. I don't like the lesson books as much as at Elite. There aren't a lot of fun activities, and it's mostly centered around listening exercises. The one class I taught so far only had five people. Still, I bet I can think of some activities and games to make class more interesting.
I've been going out to karaoke a lot lately. They get a kick out of me singing in Vietnamese, and I can barely pronounce the words in time to the music, but it's alright. The collection of English songs they have mostly predate 1990, so the ideal songs to sing are the cheesy, over-the-top ones. Obviously, I showed off my Tom Jones impression.
I got a new roommate. And a toaster. He brought many things with him. But I especially am loving the toast.
He's a very cool guy, and I think we'll become friends as well as roommates. He's Vietnamese but very easy to talk to in English. He goes to work early every morning, so I feel like a bum since I usually get up around 11. He also goes on business trips a lot. Right now he's in the Philippines for the next few days.
And now, by popular demand, here is a picture of a recent energy drink which I consumed:
When I drank it, I briefly became a samurai. Then I reverted back to my normal self. It was actually pretty uneventful.
Farewell!
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