Working in the Land of Motorbikes

I'll update this weekend.  Just needed to get used to my new schedule.  It's really good to be working;).  I have spent a lot of time on the back of xa om's, or motorbikes exploring the city, going to work and looking for flats.  While it is one of my favorite things to do, as each day passes I lose the hope and confidence that I will be able to ride my own.  I am, however, really excited about getting my own helmet;).

Photos from India

I've started to upload some of my pics from India on Facebook.  Some are redundant, fuzzy etc... but there a few great shots;).

5/13 Off to the Mekong Delta

With my CV out and most critical errands taken care of, I'm off to the Mekong Delta for three days.  It's actually cheaper to take a tour than stay in Saigon!  Can't wait to get out of the city.  I'll be visiting floating markets and the Cambodian boarder and will be staying with Vietnamese families for some real authentic cooking.  Stoney, I'll send you some recipes to practice on;).

5/12 Happy Birthday Chance, Stone and Myler!!!

Happy 13th!!! I can't believe you three are teenagers.

Chance, you would love Saigon because:

• There is wifi everywhere!
• Electronics are dirt cheap
• The money is facinating - its plastic;)

Stone, you would love Saigon because:

• All the crazy food.  Every block offers something different.  (I'm taking another cooking class for us next week)
• Really inexpensive and good golf courses

My, you would love Saigon because:

• There are people who walk around with a stack of books 20 high and sell em for a dollar - everywhere;)
• Tailors to make the clothing of your dreams!

But the most important reason you would love Saigon is because your big sis is here;).

Miss you guys more than I can even begin to say.  I'm sending off a package of Vietnamese surprises tomorrow.  Should be there soon. 
Huge love and will try to Skype you tonight.

5/11 Embassy Day

Visited both the Indian and American embassies today.  They couldn't have been more different.  The Indian Embassy was like entering a beautiful estate.  The visa window was small non threatening no line quiet peaceful.  The American Embassy was all barbed wire barricades and security checks. The queue took an hour and they had no information for me.  Ironic really;). Spent the rest of the day on the back of a motorbike actually telling him where to go.  I was shocked I knew my way around.  My superpower was definitely kicking in;).

5/10 Curriculum Vitae

Finished off my Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume today.  Sacha and I explored some beautiful areas of Saigon but the heat got to us by about 1p despite my lovely red and pink parasol. It's our goal to get used to the heat again as we spent the last month in air conditioned bliss.  Supposedly its going to cool down in a week or so! Went and saw Iron Man on the 13th floor of Diamond Plaza.  The Vietnamese love everything sweet ... including their popcorn;).

5/9 Happy Mothers Day and BDay to David

Almost caught up after begin behind on the blog for almost two weeks;).  It's been nice to have downtime.  However, I am really ready to start working.  Feels good after so long.  Can't wait to find an organization I believe it.  This week I will start the search! 
So happy Mothers Day Mom.  As I said yesterday, I just wish you were here.  But we will celebrate when I see you in December.
David, I hope you had a wonderful day with your family and most importantly that Gail is doing better.  My thoughts, prayers and love are with you guys everyday. 

5/8 Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom.  I wish you were here with me.  I wish we could go to the tailor together and laugh as they take our measurements.  I wish I could show you the parts of Saigon I've come to love and explore those parts I don't yet know.  Mostly, I just wish you were here to talk to.  Love you. 
ps Watched TMZ last night but couldn't find any champagne. 

5/7 Vung Tao

After a late nite and a late morning, a few of us got onto a hydrofoil bound for Vung Tao, a beach town about an hour east of Saigon.  The excitement of my first hydrofoil ride quickly faded as an old dilapidated boat pulled up.  We boarded the beast to find no AC and broken chairs.  We did get to Vung Tao pretty quickly, jumped into the first cab we saw and set off for Daniel's cousin 18th floor apartment.  The apartment was lovely but quite a ways from town.  We all decided to do a bit of exploring.  The little back roads reminded me of the big island of Hawaii. We found a huge resort that felt very communist - more explanation later;).  Then walked around the mammoth complex to finally find the beach.  Ended up walking about four miles to what we though were beach restaurants but ended up being off season and very closed local resorts.  Along the way, we must have seen at least 100 jellyfish (and other unmentionables).  I'm not sure at what point I became so squeamish but every time I saw one I jumped and let out a little scream.  To say the least we were all ready for a good meal and a cold beer.  To put is succinctly, after about two hours of bad restaurants, more walking and many taxis we found a friendly bar with cold beer ... finally. 

5/6 Dinner with the Students

Tonight we were treated to dinner at the most beautiful restaurant that I have yet been to in Saigon. About 10 students and 10 teachers crowded into a private room gratefully with AC around a huge square table.  They ordered plate after plate of traditional food: yummy little molded rice cakes, lots of strange seafood wrapped in big lettuce leaves with basil, the most tender beef on little bruchettas.  The final meal, seafood hot pots, came on portable little burners that immediately turned the room into a sauna.  However, the hot pots were incredible - clams, mussels, prawns, bok choy, and morning glory  in a pot with the most amazing broth. After a few tears and a lot of hugs from the students, we all headed out for another nite of "celebratory" dancing:).

5/5 Bad Hair Day

After we signed off on our porfolio's and had a very brief and empty goodbye with our tutors, we found ourselves milling around the teacher resource room not wanting to leave.  Finally we all reluctantly departed.  Half went karoaking with the students, the other half for celebratory drinks and Sacha and I went for a massage.  We should have gone to karaoke;).  Sacha decided to get her hair done and after three hours of a bottle of bleach, a lot of yelling and no refund we left sore and ready to write some really bad reviews.  Regardless, we met with friends for dinner who didn't even notice the damage;). 

5/4 Fish Bowl II

We all went for Mojitos and Mexican food both of which were fantastic.  The restaurant was on a small little alley off of Bui Vien.  A funeral was being held opposite.  A large picture of the deceased was surrounded by little pulsating rays of neon lights.  Men in white came in and out while other people sat outside.  Lots of incense and bowing.  Lots of flowers and pho.  We all went out and drank out of the famous fish bowl for one of our "last" nights together (our "last" nights ended up going on for about a week;)). 

5/3 Sunny Saigon

To be fair, my impression of Saigon has been very limited.  I have primarily been in the backpacker district of Pham Ngu Lao and at the ILA building for the last 5 weeks.  I'm anxious to explore the city and countryside.  To see the beaches of Mui Ne, the architecture of Hoi An, the rice paddies of Sapa and the Mekong delta.  I'm anxious to hear the different dialects of the north and experience rural living.  Just hope I can fit it all in before the next phase.  Then again, if I decide to stay, I am sure I will have time to see and experience the real Viet Nam;).

5/2 India Blues II

Missing India something fierce today:

• the constant tiny little ceramic cups full of milky sweet tea
• the autorickshaws, cyclerickshaws, and even the taxis
• driving on the wrong side of the road
• the ubiquitous cow
• black sulfurous salt on green guavas
• hearing and trying to speak Hindi (after 5 weeks I still speak it here)
• Punjabi, Bollywood, and classic Hindi music everywhere
• the sweet smells (that cover up the horrid ones;))
• the intensely personal investigations by every Indian you meet 
• eating with my hand
• the trains - especially a lower side berth with a big window
• the food - I even miss hot cornflakes and a hot dog bun with jam
• palaces, temples and forts
• wearing salwar kameez and all my beautiful scarves
• the kids, food, and peace of Dakshinayan;(

Hope this is not too redundant ... just trying to process;)

5/1 Celebration

Celebrations kicked in a bit early today.  Got to hang out with Sacha's honeymooning friends before they left who shared wonderful and hilarious stories of their travels and wedding (the wedding being the former;)). Met a guy who is kite surfing around the world.  Met up with most of our classmates for drinks and dancing.  Sat outside a packed nite club on my favorite little stools next to a beautiful fountain meeting new people, debating, dancing, laughing, and drinking till the wee hours of the morning. I think we finally found Saigon's nite life. Thank god we didn't find it earlier!

4/30 Da Lat Wine

So Vietnam has it's own wine called and from the region Da Lat.  It's inexpensiveness and not bad ... not necessarily good but just fine after a glass or two;).  Sacha and I sat outside one of our favorite restaurants, Dune, chatting and joking with all the waiters as they called in white tourists, watching upper middle class Korean business men secretly entering a clandestine club next door, taking pictures with our favorite old street vendor and wincing as the dried squid seller stopped in front us to sell an unsuspecting tourists some flat stinky fish.  Couldn't ask for a better evening;)

4/29 Last Day teaching

Taught my last class today in front of the assessor.  It went quite well.  I felt strangely flat after wards.  We had a four day weekend ahead of us before our last two days.  Bittersweet.  However, looking forward to job hunting and planning for the next year .... where to go next?;) ... back to India, stay in Saigon, go to Indonesia, Eastern Europe?  The next month will tell ... no matter what I have a feeling its going to be an adventure!

4/28 PJ's

Observation of the day: all the older women and most of the "non-working" younger women seems to wear pj's all the time.  Comfy little cotton pants and shirts with the typical Asian conical hat or helmet of course;).  Pics coming soon ...

4/27 Only one week left

Only one week left and even though I was really stressed, I was also already a bit sad about leaving the course and the friends I had made. I would miss breakfast with Sacha at Dune every morning where
Thinh and Khoi would bring us our tea and eggs with out even asking our order, lunch with everyone on the 10th floor trying to figure out how we were going to get through the week, dinner at the Lam with its huge cheap plates of vegies and fruit -  looks like I am going to mostly miss the meals;).

4/26 Wires

Today was relatively typical so I thought I would share another observation: the wires.  The huge masses of black electrical wires that line every street.  They look like thick black stringy hair hanging about ten feet from the ground.  They mass up at every corner creating a tangled mess that is a great analogy for the chaos but seemless flow that is Saigon.

4/25 Study Study Study

Even though it was a four day weekend, we all were studying studying studying.  Anxiety is running high and we were all so ready for the course to be over and start exploring the city and country side.  Observation for the day: soupy soupy salad.  The Vietnamese love soup and seem to translate this love to salad;). 

4/24 Poolside

Ended up sitting by a posh pool with cozy seats and bad service.  Even got a little work done;).  Tried vainly to get Sacha to go out dancing with me but she persisted.  Thanks to her I stayed in getting good rest for another long day of studying.  Funny observation of the day: at our little 10th floor Saigon Starbucks, there is a small cupboard behind the counter.  Today, it totally took me by surprise when the door opened and one of the girls got out - after what looked like a very refreshing nap;) Wow they sleep everywhere!

4/23 Thai Silk

Shopping therapy today!  Found really inexpensive thai silk today (a third the price of the very cheap silk I bought for my first copy-that promptly fell apart after the first wearing;)).  Three stunning colors.  Sach and I wandered the market some more and went to our regular hang out for lunch.  Joined some other folks for drinks later and went to bed early to get ready for a day of lesson plans and writing. 

4/22 Wallet

Sad news of the day, while we were out celebrating the completion of our third week and the upcoming three day weekend, I lost my wallet.  Quite a bit of money, my card, etc.... But thanks to Sacha, I'll be covered till the new one arrived.  Guess we missed a great night out to all the Saigon clubs.  Once of which is called Apocolypse Now ... of course;).  Sacha and I ended drowning my sorrows at the ex-pat bar and were in bed at a decent hour. 

4/21 Face Masks

Found out today that the face masks (which can cover the neck and shoulders), long elbow length gloves, and thong knee high thong socks the most of the women and some of the men wear on their motorbikes are for sun not smog protection! The masks that come in every color shade and fabric are sold in all the stores and on the streets. It's still really strange to look out into a sea of people mostly covered from head to toe - kind of feels like some kind of epidemic apocalypse and creates a subtle feeling of isolation and seperation.  The obsession with white skin is similar to India - and, from what I've heard - the rest of Asia.  It's very difficult to find lotion that doesn't have bleach or "whitening" cream in it.  While I'm fair and don't mind the "whitening" cream, most of my fellow Western travelers have to search for days to find normal face cream.Don't get me wrong, still starting to love Saigon more and more just had to comment on the strange mask phenomenon.;).

4/20 Early Morning Motorbike

Took a motorbike to observe classes early in the morning.  It had been weeks and I forgot how fun it is to be on the back of a bike smoothly gliding through a million bikes. I even got a good price - only 10,000 dong.  Three weeks ago, I would have probably paid 100,000;).  The facility where we observe is massive.  Mostly catering to young learners and 20 somethings.  Both classes were great.  Dynamic and fast paced.  The CELTA methodology naturally encourages facilitation rather than the old school teacher centric style.  It's a fascinating approach to learning language.  I'm really excited about learning more of the postmodern philosophy behind it. May have to stay on and take the next course to learn more;).

4/19 Resistance

I'm still resisting Saigon.  Resisting its kind vendors, sales people, shop keepers, hotel clerks, ILA staff.  It's fastidiously clean streets and beautiful parks.  It's deeply respectful people and strangely beautiful culture.  It's weird opera and funny pop music.  It's bouncy and argumentative language.  Still resisting its generosity.  One thing is for sure though, I have not resisted its cheap and abundant pedicures;).  The pho and motorbikes do make me smile.  And the skyline at night is stunningly clear and beautiful.  Maybe the resistance is waning ... maybe phase four of culture shock has arrived;).

4/18 Grandma Brown

"Live your life, love your life, and let your critics be damned".  My Grandma Brown wrote this in a book that she handed down to me quite a few years ago.  It describes her and inspires me.  She has always had the right words at the right time.  Always given me the advice that I need to hear ... even if I wasn't listening.  Gentle, kind and persistent.  A grandmother but also a friend. My favorite is my blog quote, "Live your life as though when your feet hit the floor every morning Satan shudders and says, "Oh &#$% she's awake".  I only hope I can make him shudder like she does;).