Travels and Traffic

If my blog tonight has a hint of hysteria to it that would probably be due to the fact that I just had to deal with thirty minutes of ferocious motorbike drivers, large taxis and their endless honking, congested roundabouts, delivery men with boxes of toilet paper and steel rods poking out from behind them, teenagers recklessly driving their bicycles, traffic lights that were out of order, and the absence of stop signs at large intersections where a stop sign should be, all in my desire to get home from work. But my complaining is done. I knew what I was getting into when I bought my e-bike, and can I just say that I don’t regret it at all.

Yes, security guards, men on the road, women selling fruit on the street, my ex-xe-om driver (with whom I had to break up with via text message in French telling him I no longer needed his services), my Vietnamese colleagues, basically everyone including my dear maid Cuc might laugh at little Bennie (the story from how my bike got its name would make this blog even longer) when I drive it around town or pull up to park, but I have confidence in its and my ability and I am getting better by the day (not to brag, but I had one friend describe me as fearless in my ability to start riding my bike around town immediately), and by better I mean less wobbly and less inclined to fall over a stoplight or when I take a turn.

And I must blame the fact that I haven’t updated my blog since coming home from my trip on my motorbike. You see, I was so excited to get back to practicing that I have been riding all over town. And somteimes, after coming home from another thirty minutes of exhaling fumes I rationalize that because I am saving oh so much money on driving myself instead of paying someone that I bike to a haven of a coffee shop and splurge on that latte or go to the expensive gourmet grocery shop and buy that imported French cheese or freshly baked baguette or nutella, and then my break is up and I must go back to work.

But enough with my complaining and excuses and my obsession with my bike. Back to the update on my travels.

As I had mentioned in my previous blog, friends and I flew to Bangkok, not really having much of a plan. It ended up being a wonderful trip. We stayed a night in Bangkok, took a night train to Chiang Mai where we spent three wonderful days trekking through the mountains. There were seven of us in the group that traveled together, and only seven of us on the trek plus our two guides.

On the night train to Chiang Mai.

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect trek. The mountains of Thailand during the cold season were beautiful. It smelled and looked like fall. What a glorious treat to have a fall that in February when we have been living in the Ho’s (Ho Chi Minh City) sunlight. We stayed two freezing nights in hill tribe villages where there was no electricity and where we got to play with children, talk to the locals, sit around a campfire drinking homemade rice wine (which is not good and very strong), and eat delicious food. We also hiked all day, explored a remote cave, went mountain biking, rode an elephant, swam in a waterfall, and floated down a lazy river on bamboo rafts. I could go on and on, but I will let pictures do the rest of the talking.

On our way to the drop off point. We road in the back of this truck for two hours before we had lunch. We climbed up steep hills, as evidenced by the car engine having to cool off.

Group shot having lunch on day one before we began the hiking.

An example of the bridges we crossed along our hike.

Swimming at the waterfall.

On the hike.

First night's accommodation. We all slept in the same cabin. Unfortunately, the mosquito nets didn't do much for providing warmth.

Village life.

The villagers wanted us to purchase many of their homemade goods. Being business savvy, they waited until it was pitch black dark and after we had consumed some rice wine to try to sell us their wares. I bought a bracelet thinking it was red, only to discover the next day that it was bright pink. Some of us tried to give them an English lesson instead, but even that didn't work as one can see by the hat that Thom is wearing.

Bamboo rafting.

Entering the second village where we stayed the second night.

Cute village girls dressed up for the new year.

Breakfast around the campfire.

On the bicycle ride.

Exploring the cave.

Afternoon swim our last day before the elephant ride.

After the trek we went back to Chiang Mai and then Thom and I left the group and took the bus up to Chiang Rai (which is even further north of Chiang Mai) where we rented a motorbike and decided to drive up to Myanmar.

Here I am getting ready for our journey.

Getting across the border proved to be no problem compared to driving the hour up to the border. We had read that they only accept USD in Myanmar, therefore causing us to stop at least four times trying to trade our Thai baht to dollars, only to be told at each of the stops that there were no USD available. After exiting one bank we received a flat tire that was discovered well after we had left the town. We then had to pull up to a small store on the side of the road, point to our tire, and hope that the seventeen-year-old selling car electronics could help us out.

And he did! He even got his mother to watch the store as he drove into town to buy us a new tire (and overcharging us in the process), but we were back on our way.

View from the road up to Burma.

Once we arrived in the border town in Thailand we had to find a place to park the motorbike. We couldn’t take it over the border, as no wanted the responsibility of looking over the motorbike (they can be wheeled away quite easily). Thus, we had no choice but to purchase a room for the motorbike a room and house it in the room during our journey. After one last stop to try to trade money we were on our way over the border.

As I said, getting into Myanmar proved to be no problem. We gave them our passports to keep until we crossed back into Thailand in exchange for a piece of paper that had our picture on it, told where we were allowed to go in Burma, and told how long we were allowed to be there (without a visa we could only go in a certain section of the country). Again, I will let the pictures do the talking (or some of it, I know this blog is lengthy) but even though we only stayed in the border town, it was very interesting to see the country and compare it to Thailand and even Vietnam. The atmosphere was very different for the poverty was more apparent and their were guards with machine guns sitting on many corners throughout town, but it was beautiful and the people couldn’t have been nicer. (And, of course, everyone wanted Thai baht. They all REFUSED USD!)

Our tuk tuk driver who we hired to take us around to see the sites in the city.

Here I am in one of the temples. As I was leaving this man motioned me over to show me some whitening cream that everyone was wearing and helped me put some on my face. He then asked if I would get in a picture with him.

View into the mountains.

At lunch. Unfortunately, I got food poisoning from this meal. Why I would trust a tuk tuk driver to take me to a restaurant in Myanmar where I wouldn't get sick I don't know. But how many people can say they good food poisoning from Burma?

To the right of the river is Burma, to the left is Thailand.

After the afternoon in Myanmar we went back into Thailand and the next day we drove around some more, going down to the Golden Triangle and driving up in the mountains where we stayed in this beautiful town (Mae Salong) literally on top of a mountain. The next night we took the night bus back to Bangkok and the next day went back to Vietnam.

Back in Thailand, here is a view into Burma.

The Golden Triangle. Laos to your right. Burma ahead. Thailand behind me.

Some of the scenery along the drive further into the mountains.

Cute cafe where we ate most of our meals in Mae Salong.

A view of the town from the pagoda.

On the way back to Chiang Rai to catch the bus.

Getting accosted by more people to buy souvenirs.

Arriving back to Vietnam was like coming home to another vacation as there were NO traffic problems and things were so quiet. Stores were still closed, neighbors were gone, construction on the roads had been taken down, and even though I had to teach I hardly had any students as people were still traveling. It was quiet and wonderful and the perfect way to end the trip.

However, as evidenced in the beginning of my blog the city is back alive.

Since this blog entry is already so long I will just tell one more story to end. Recently a friend of mine asked me if my maid could work for her and her roommates on the days she didn’t work for us.

Our maid, Cuc, is amazing. She cooks, speaks English, brings us fruit treats, does an amazing job cleaning, does our laundry, pays our bills (we, of course, give her the money), runs errands, and deals with so many problems because we can’t speak Vietnamese. She may be a tad bit bossy and we do have to hide things we don’t want cleaned or organized, but we all need a bit of bossiness in our lives.

I gladly asked Cuc if she was available to help my friend out. Yet, somewhere along the way things got lost in translation and she became scared that we didn’t want her anymore. She frantically sent me mutliple texts, one saying “But! I like work for you, Beth, and Grey. Your friend, I’ll work more ok.”

I quickly assured her that we loved her and definitely did not want to get rid of her at all. She then responded to my text saying “Thanks! I very like three people, happy, sympathy, union. If 3 people go to USA I never forget 3 people.”

And so, this third of the “happy sympathy, union” wishes you a wonderful week!

The End of the Xe Om Diaries

Life is slowing down here in Ho Chi Minh City (if you could ever describe life here as slow), for the Lunar New Year Celebration (Tet) is upon us. Schools, which rarely have a day off are on break, my students are preparing for a much needed break from constant schooling to play video games and go see the long awaited Avatar in 3D (there has been a waiting list since December); people are leaving for the countryside to return home to their families, which also means, miraculously and greatfully, less traffic; and decorations are, of course, up in the city (do the Vietnamese people love the excuse to decorate). Just last night I went out with some friends the city had transformed overnight. Silk lanterns were strung across roads, twinkle lights decorated all the trees, making it appear weeping willows or spanish moss had been imported into the city, bars and stores that normally stay open late were closed for the two weeks.

For me, however, life, besides the holiday from work, has not been slowing down. For starters, I have just now finished packing for a ten day trip to possibly Northern Thailand and Laos. My flight leaves in two hours (don't worry I'm leaving in twenty minutes) for Bangkok, and from there we will see what happens. I'm going with friends and we have a vague idea of what we want to do, but we shall see. My next blog post will be exciting to say the least.

Also, much to my mother's chagrin, I bought an electric bike, which means that I am now xe om free! I am not free to roam the streets of Ho Chi Minh with the flow of the other bikes. Now this might not seem like a big deal, but I have been talking about getting an electric bike since the first day I arrived in Ho Chi Minh (September 5th). First, I said I would when I got my first paycheck. Then after I got in a motorbike accident with a xe om. Then again when I got dropped off in the middle of a dark alley by one xe om, which I then proceeded to get in a fight with him (this is for the next blog) as he wanted me to still pay him for abandoning me and getting me lost. But I finally bought it. And what is an electric bike? Well, yes I am in league with other sixteen and seventeen year olds here as most of the people that drive them do so before they are allowed to get a driver's license for a motorbike, for no rules regulate e-bikes here (you don't even have to wear a helmet, but of course I am and do), but I like to think of it as the Prius of motorbikes. I am saving my environment. E bikes can go pretty fast and I don't even have to peddle. With a flick of the handle I am swerving and avoiding pot holes and bikes that stop suddenly or pedestrians that stand in the middle of the road with the best of them.

Of course, it can still be terrifying. I had a stomachache the whole morning before I bought it, especially over the question of how I would get this e-bike home. Would I walk it? Would I ride? How could I get on it immediately as the street where they sell the bikes, is cruelly, very crowded, especially as I am rather fondly thought of as a klutz by many? But right in I went it. With the help of being shielded by Thom on his motorbike I jumped right on in with my shiny, red bike with its cute, grey basket and rode home. And I am in love. I want to take it back with me to the states. I would write more of the mishaps I have almost had and where my e-bike has taken me (I need a name for it, so suggestions are welcome), but I must leave now for the airport. Please excuse any typos. It is early and I am rushed. Check again in two weeks for my next update!

At the bike shop. Here they are assembling the bike right in front of me, namely lowering the seat for my small legs!

About to take my first spin on the road! Please notice the cute basket and extra seat in the back if I ever want to give someone a ride.

Decorations for Tet.

More decorations.

Shopping to make dinner for some friends. This is how you buy fish in Vietnam. Just go right on it and scoop the sardines in a bag.

Here I am at my former Vietnamese teacher and Languagecorp representative's thesis presentation. It was very impressive and interesting to see a presentation in Vietnam. And she did a great job!

Linh presenting.

Vietnam has trivia too!

I saw these children during my celebratory lunch after buying the motorbike. Look how cute they are in creating their very own train on the streets of Ho Chi Minh!

Gambling and Front Porches

There is a game I like to play with my students at the start of a new class, which kills time and helps them practice their speaking skills, which have only begun to improve under my talented tutelage. I break the class up into teams and then give them some imaginary money, say $10,000 (they especially love it if the money is in USD). I then take turns going from group to group having them ask me a question. I give them three choices (for example if they ask "Where are you from?" I write on the board a. England b. Australia c. USA) and they choose an answer, wagering money on it.

Vietnamese people love them some betting, and as they aren't allowed in casinos in Vietnam, class provides a great opportunity for them to practice their gambling skills. Predictably, at the end of the game, the team with the most money wins, and saying that my students like to win is like saying people regularly eat noodles here. At end of each round there is much screaming going on, particularly in my adult classes.

In one of my adult classes, the winner looked like a shoe in. One team had $42,00, one had $21,000 and one had $2,000. The question was "How did you arrive in Vietnam." A. Plane B. Bus C. Boat. They all answered a. plane. Yet, unbeknownst to them, I came into Vietnam by a bus from Cambodia. When I went up to the board and circled B. Boat the class full of adults ranging from 19-35 erupted in screams, yelling "Teacher, No, No!!! Not possible." Having bet everything they had, they were all laughing and screaming into the hallway.

Recently I played this game with a class and one of their questions was "What do you like best about Vietnam?" I gave the possibilities a. traffic (while sarcasm is most often lost here, the traffic is universally so horrible that they all laughed at this and knew not to guess a.) b. my job c. the people. Again, I thought this was an easy answer, that all my students would know to guess c. the people, but many of the groups said b. my job. While, they were distressed to lose money, they were flattered to think I liked the people the best here.

And it's true. Take New Year's Eve for example. I was at lunch with some friends when I heard the news that I had to register my phone with the cell phone company (this meant register my sim card to my passport number) by midnight or my phone service would be cut off forever. Going to the cell phone store after lunch, it was apparent that either people love to procrastinate here or that everyone in Saigon was unaware until New Year's Eve that they had to do this. Looking back, it would have been much easier just to wait and buy a new sim card, but the thought of not having my cell phone for a couple of days propelled me to go into this chaotic store where people were trying to complete this task during their lunch break. The store was small, there were not enough forms to fill out, there were only two ladies behind a glass barrier who were typing in the information very slowly into the computers while people waved their forms in the air and pushed against others as they tried to move to the front. (Sidenote: lines do not exist in Vietnam. I went to the movie theater and had to check my bag, when I got out of the movie the bag check looked like happy hour at a bar. Why people couldn't calmly wait for their bags I will not know. In my opinion the pushing crowd only creates more confusion and prolongs everything. And people think nothing of cutting you in lines at the supermarket...I could go on, but I will stop. Let's just say it is my new mission to instill lines in all of my classrooms.).

Walking into this store, I was completely overwhelmed to say the least. I didn't know what to do, and no one seemed to speak English. Then a girl approached my friends and me and asked if we needed help. We didn't even have to say yes. She grabbed some forms, translated the instructions, and actually ended up filling mine out. Then we realized that not only did we need a copy of our passport, we also need a copy of our sim card. Did we have to leave the store and find a photocopier? No, her friend went out and paid for the copies himself while we waited. And all because she wanted to seize the opportunity to practice her English. She asked for nothing in return.

And they waited with us while people pushed against us, which meant my head was level to all of their smelly armpits (I may be taller here, but I'm not that tall and there was no AC on in the store) . We were in the store for about two hours, and towards the end of wait, when no end seemed to be in sight and I had had enough of the pushing and the yelling and the shoving, I threw up my hands in the air and exclaimed "Troi Oi." (Troi oi, one of the few Vietnamese expressions I've learned is used from everyone, from my four year old students to adults, and from what I can tell it's roughly translated to oh my gosh.) And I think that my vocalizing the exasperation felt by many really lightened the mood. People started laughing, old men, young men, old women, young women. Some mirrored me by throwing up their hands too. I started making friends. I got invited to go get coffee with some people. And I got my form punched into the computer very quickly after that. And when I left the store everyone started saying "Happy New Year."

And to top it all off, no ones cell phones who did not register, have not been turned off. All of that work for nothing. Yet, I did get to see a wonderful example of hospitality in Vietnam.

I was describing this event to Elizabeth later in the day and we were discussing how incredible this girl had been to me, and how that is part of the beauty of living abroad. There are so many moments when you are completely vulnerable to other people, and they can either be so amazingly wonderful, or can completely ruin your day. Fortunately, in Vietnam, most of my experiences have been people going out of their way to help this young American.

Another person I have met here described the people here as "front porch people." And that is also true. Any given night if you're walking down the street you will see people sitting outside on their little, plastic chairs eating pho, or drinking beer. Doors and windows are wide open to let in the cooler air. Driving to school last night I looked into the variety of restaurants, bars, and homes, getting happier and happier by the minute as I observed the variety of people mingling together, drinking, eating, singing karaoke, watching tennis of soccer on tv. The residences and restaurants may not have the appearance of being five star, but the food is delicious, the service stellar, and the company congenial.

And to end this lengthy blog I will include some pictures and videos of the past few weeks!

This is my fresh squeeze orange juice lady. For 8,000 VND (less than fifty cents) I can get a delicious glass of vitamin c a day hand squeezed by this lovely lady. She even tries to teach me some Vietnamese!

Participating in the front porch life. Some friends and I went and ate dinner at this local diner we call "rum a hoy" due to the bottles of cheap rum they give you. Please notice the woman in the back left corner selling quail eggs and crackers to us.

Group Shot

Enjoying front porch life

And for those of you who know how much I adore pancakes, you will be happy to know I found a place that sells them late into the night. I am one happy camper here.

At Home

When I first arrived in Vietnam, there were two songs I listened to a lot, one having the line "oh my god I think I'm in control" and the other "I've never been this far away from home." These songs brought me comfort during my time of questioning my sanity of taking on the venture of living in Vietnam.

I haven't listened to those songs in quite some time. The other day, when I had a rare afternoon off, I was running up and down the big street perpendicular to mine, going to the market, going to the wine store, buying vegetables, bargaining for kitchen equipment (I was making dinner for a friend...I know...shocking) when I had this moment when I turned on my street and saw the pretty blue sky and the trees that lined the road that I felt utterly at home. Yes there were guys lounging on their motos, yes there were women wearing rice hats peddling wares, yes there were people repairing motorcycles and making copies of keys on the sidewalk, yes there was a giant hole in the sidewalk, but I felt like I did when I was in France or when I walk on Mountain Brook Parkway, or when I walked down Rugby Road in Charlottesville on a Thursday afternoon, and it made me really happy to realize that it might have taken four months, but Vietnam and its quirks are slowly becoming home to me.

Now, don't worry, I'm not planting my roots here forever!

But in other words, I have been teaching a lot more, as I've added a new job in the afternoons teaching pre-schoolers (I had a two year old in my class last week...how you teach a two year old English when she can barely speak Vietnamese, I have no idea!) and first and second graders, as well as my usual job of teaching at night. Teaching more is good, but it is some getting used to actually working more than three hours a day. I also went to a fashion show that a friend was in last Saturday after work. It was hilarious, and I wish I had brought my camera. Somehow my three friends and I who went got seated at a table right on the runway and were given free drinks and food as we watched first a dance group (imagine Vietnamese Backstreet Boys wannabes who were also trying to be gangster while girls danced behind them as if they were pole dancing sans poles scantily clad in policemen uniforms) and then models own the catwalk. I felt very sophisticated and important.

Don't you agree? This picture is courtesy of my friend Laura. I wish I had more pictures from the night, especially of the dancing!

Other than that, life is still about the same over here, but I will update more later for sure!

New Year's and Vietnamese Dating Advice

Well keeping with my New Year’s resolution, here is my first of hopefully many weekly updates.

Since my last update, I have celebrated New Year’s, survived a cell phone fiasco (more to come on that later), and said goodbye to one of my "young leaders’" class (often referred to as “the little sh*ts or little f*&%ers” by the vast majority of my colleagues (please excuse the language)). This class is the one I had to give assigned seats, the one who gave me grief about everything I planned saying it was boring, the ones who made me nearly shake in class when they refused to do what I said.

And, I have to admit, I ended up liking almost all of them, that I will feel sad tomorrow when I won't be teaching them anymore. I guess I have to say, we made progress. Our last day was “review” or “Marguerite does whatever she wants." Having heard of some promising activities from my colleagues I came armed with excitement and candy so they might give me a good review. Always the responsible teacher my review consisted of writing, speaking, and listening. For writing I had them write about the qualities they look for in a girlfriend or boyfriend and then share with the class. The answers ranged from the typical "handsome," "beautiful," "nice" to the outrageous “I want a gf who got a big front, like 215 cm,” “I want a man who don’t love me just for my money,” “I want someone who isn’t cocky and too proud of his muscles" (so that the entire class would understand the word ‘cocky’ I had to act it out…please imagine me acting like I had big muscles and was proud of them). For speaking, I paired them up with a partner of the opposite sex and had them write out dialogue acting as if they were breaking up with that person. Vietnamese people love the melodramatic love stories and thus the students got really into the whole, “how dare you cheat on me, I am beautiful," "I will never forget you," "I'm sorry but he make more money than you” kind of thing. Some students got really into the acting and some students really did hate each other, so it was believable and totally hilarious.

I also had a very proud moment when I gave them a speech at the end of class telling them how much I enjoyed working with them and how I hoped they learned a lot while having fun, and they all APPLAUDED and told me how much they would miss me, and believe me, these children don’t lie. While they will tell you if you look beautiful if you just wear earrings, they will also tell you if you look ugly or tired or sad or if your hips look big in a dress you are wearing (this was actually told to me by a thirteen year old). I was very touched and almost cried. And I didn’t even give them candy until the last day!

Another funny part of teaching that I have mentioned to some of you is the choosing of the name. There is a mutual inability to pronounce names between my students and myself. Seeing how, as one of my guides told me when travelling with my mother and Alice, the longest word in Vietnamese is the royal name Nguyen (which is six letters), you can imagine the groans and cries of shock I hear when I write my name on the board.

“Teacher, what is that? What is that?” the students cry.

“It’s my name.” “No," they say.

"Yes," I say.

"What? What kind of name that? I can’t pronounce that!” they yell.

And I really want to yell back, “oh yeah, what kind of name is Phoung?!?” but I’m the teacher, so I have to be mature. So I allow them to call me “Teacher” and I have them pick English names. They find this fun, and I find it entertaining. And who wouldn’t when you have a sweet, innocent young girl who chooses the name “Candi” or a name that would be better suited for a stripper (in case one of my few readers has one of these names I will refrain from listing them). They also love naming themselves after movie stars. I have had Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana, Bella (from Twilight), and Barbie all grace my class. Some of my favorite names have been from boys who have picked “Supreme King” or “I Am Death.”

Some other sweet moments from teaching have included my students offering me food, when a shy girl presented me with a bracelet she had made, when the most precious nine year old yelled “yeah Baby” when I gave him a word search (they, thankfully, love, love, love word searches. They beg for them, and I’m like yes please now I don’t have to occupy you for the last twenty minutes of class), when another ten year old from another class said “oh hey darling” when a late student entered the room, when a student described me as ‘tall,’ and when I subbed for my favorite backpack class and they all yelled “AWWW, YAY.”

Of course, not all moments are pleasant, but these ones do keep you going, such as my class tonight when the boys wouldn't stop throwing balls of wadded paper at the girls or texting on their cell phones.

In other teaching news, I have also started working at an additional language school, so I will be working in the afternoon as well as most nights, which will give me something to do and allow me to have more travel money. There I will be teaching 3-4 year olds (yes, I taught them today, it was a lot of duck, duck, goose and me singing "The Hokey Pokey"), 5-6 year olds, and primary school.

So as this blog entry is already getting long enough, I will fill the rest with pictures from New Year’s. I will write more later about my motorcycle drama and the cell phone fiasco.

New Year's Eve

Many people have asked me if Vietnamese people celebrated New Year's Eve, and the answer is yes. Expectedly, bars and hotels had parties for the expat community, but many Vietnamese people got into it. It is much like Christmas where the enjoyment is more commercial than anything. There were stages set up for concerts in the parks and downtown, the lights were lit there was free food somewhere, though we never got to it, and there was even a ball that dropped (though we didn't see it). And there were people everywhere. We walked around and then ended up going to a bar where there was a live band and had a great dance party. Although I did miss my "Chattanooga New Year's" with Connor Brooks, I have to admit, it was a really fun time. And to make it even better. I didn't have work on New Year's Day!

Here is a view of one of the many stages set up. There were speakers placed all around the park, which was filled with people. Neither cars nor motorbikes were allowed in many areas downtown for a change, so I really enjoyed walking!

People gathering downtown to view the lights and see the ball drop.

The boy in the middle was so cute and kept coming up to us to say "hello." Amanda and Hunter please notice the peace sign.

Another view of the lights.