4/17 Phenomically Speaking

As I write this, there is a a full blown Vietnamese variety show happening in the park opposite my cafe. It's a mixture of opera, communist national songs and strange pop ballads. The street is packed with the usual million motorbikes, book sellers (they walk around with a stack of 20 books high), back backing tourists, dried fish vendors, pastel tour buses, and my favorite tiny plastic stools. The rain has not come yet, but it will ... soon.  I guess it brings the rats and cockroaches (bigger than my little poodle friend I saw the other day).  We all spent the day trying desperately to decipher the phonemic alphabet for one of our assignments.  Can't wait to share what I've learned with the triplets.  Definitely an entertaining day.  Spent the night at an ex-pat bar meeting young volunteers and jaded teachers.  Learned a lot to say the least;).

One more day!

Just one more day of CELTA craziness. Posts should be updated by this weekend;)  with pics hopefully!

ps Grandma the next ones for you;)

4/16 Deb

This post is for my Aunt Deb.  While I was remiss in mentioning her in my "I miss" post, I have to say that I have missed her for longer than I've been away.  She helped to raise me.  Was a teacher.  Taught me how to eat peaches and make really good grilled cheese sandwiches.  Was my confidant. And is one of the best writers I know.  Has a brilliant dry sense of humor that I wish was in my life everyday.  Deb, I miss you and wish with all my heart that we can walk and laugh together on the streets of Saigon, Kolkata or even Kathmandu someday very soon;). Love you.

4/15 Potato clock

Phonemically speaking these two sentences are the same.  Just say them quickly one after another;):

• I get up at eight o'clock.
• I get a potato clock.

Thanks to Ian, our phonology workshops are, to say the least, engaging;). 

3/14 Familiar Chickens

Started to fall into a comfortable routine.  Run in the morning, Dune cafe for breakfast with Sacha, stress a little about teaching (perfectly), teach or observe, lunch with computer and books on and open, workshops in the afternoon, stress a little about planning every lesson (perfectly), dinner at Lam, write (not so perfectly) and finally sleep.  Faces, shops, a million motorbikes, students, conversations, food, and chickens, of course, are all starting to become familiar;).

3/13 Lunch with Thanh

Today I had lunch with Thanh, a confident, genuine, open but slightly overbearing student.  She asked me to edit some of here writings.   We sat and ate overpriced mediocre food on the 10th floor of the ILA building (where I go for tea and an omelet everyday - not overpriced and very tasty;)) while I fought the urge to get back to my studies.  She eagerly invited me to dinner but I had to decline until after the course is over.  I am, however, really excited to eat at her favorite local spot and shop with an expert.  Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up some fun and "local priced" gifts for everyone at home;).  I hate to be redundant but India is in my thoughts everyday .... still waiting for stage three of culture shock! Hindustan dil me hai .....
ps the cockroaches are coming.  Just saw one the size of a small poodle.

4/12 A Little India in Saigon

Observed a new level of students today.  It's interesting to switch levels so quickly.  Each level has its own set of challenges.  These students because they are more fluent are much more demanding.  It makes the class dynamic and fast with lots of dialogue - they really need to speak.  It was a lot of fun to watch and will hopefully be even more fun to teach;).  Finally found a little Indian oasis with Bollywood music, good palak paneer and great masala chai.  Stayed in Hindi bliss studying, researching and writing until they very nearly had to kick me out.

4/11 Badmintton in the Park

Sacha and I finally got to play Badminton today.  We gave up after about 15 minutes as we were surrounded by what seemed to be the Vietnamese Olympic Badminton team.  We have decided to practice in private before we go back to the park;).  Skyped way to briefly with the family.  Studied, wrote and planned for about ten hours and don't really even remember going to bed.

4/10 An Honest Tailor

Despite feeling a little foggy due to a late nite, the morning was fantastic.  I found an honest, professional, inexpensive and fast tailor.  They made two dress shirts and a copy of a beautiful silk shirt I found in India for less than $30.  Shopped for groceries in my favorite outdoor market and even got some studying done.  ... Still haven't found any good shoes though;)  but I still have hope!

4/9 Happy Friday

Strange but great to have what felt like a real work week after so long.  I taught well and even enjoyed it.  Got an above standard which made my day.  It was however a 16 hour day after teacher observations in the evening.  But we all headed out for a drink and dinner even though we were exhausted.  We definitely needed to download and process everything.  Ended up not getting home until the wee hours of the morning, but it was worth it.  We all had a great time and shared some great stories. 

4/8 I miss ...

I miss ...

• Dealing with small bills (the Vietnamese dong is 19,000 to the dollar and all the bills look alike.  It literally took me three weeks to get used to paying for stuff. ie dinner costs 100,000 dong.  My hotel for ten days cost 2,000,000.  Crazy! oh and they are really slippery and slick - so just forget it if you get them wet;) - they are pretty though.)
• MAC, Bobby Brown and Smashbox 
• Honest cab drivers
• Am I really saying this?- American malls
• Fancy hair products
• my Mom;) - so miss being able to talk to you when ever I want and staying up to watch TMZ
• Chance - our technology Sundays and just hangin
• Stone - cooking together and watching you golf
• My - your laugh and our talks
• David - ahh the guiness fairy and your BBQ'n
• Nana - looking at pictures together and wine tasting nite
• My Echo ladies - there's too much and too many to start;)  but I miss our Sundays to put it way too briefly!
• Floss and Scott - our dinners together
• My Soph:(
• and last but not least good red wine!

4/7 Culture Shivers

Since today was relatively uneventful, I thought 'd share a little about my experience with culture shock.  In my case, its more like the shivers:).

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia.  My experience is in brackets:

Culture Shock:
The process of cultural adjustment, which is also known as the U-shaped curve of cultural adjustment, encompasses five distinct stages:

• Stage 1: The feeling of excitement and eagerness. This stage occurs before leaving to go to the new culture. [just ask my friends/family.  Thanks for your patience by the way;)]
• Stage 2: The feeling that everything in the new culture is great. This stage occurs upon arrival to the new culture. [yes.  EVERYTHING was incredible.  I was in a constant state of awe]
• Stage 3: The feeling of everything in the new culture is terrible. [In the case of Saigon, everything is just "not as good as India"]
• Stage 4: The feeling of adjustment. The stage where the visitor begins to feel comfortable and takes steps to become more familiar with the culture. {I'm waiting for this stage ... hope it happens soon...]
• Stage 5: The feeling that everything is fine. The stage where the visitor has adapted to the culture and in some ways is embracing it as their own. [see above]

There are many symptoms of transition shock, some which include:

• feelings of helplessness and withdrawal [;( just a little]
• irritability [oh yeah, many apologies to my fellow classmates]
• glazed stare [definitely]
• desire for home and old friends [see below]
• physiological stress reactions [oh yeah]
• homesickness [more like friend/familysickness]
• boredom [yep]
• getting "stuck" on one thing  [and then when I was in India ....another apology to my fellow classmates;)]
• compulsive eating/drinking/weight gain [well we did go out a few times BEFORE the course began;)]
• stereotyping host nationals [no comment]

^{And for my friends and family, beware;)}

• Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. Re-entry Shock, or own culture shock^[7]) may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture.^[8] The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock.

4/6 Nervous

Just one word ... nerves.  Wow.  Very nervous.  But the students are great of course.  They are pretty fearless and open.  Our tutor, Ian, is a sardonic and very succinct Brit - helps to lighten the mood and relieve some of the pressure and stress.  Since the school is 70% young learners we all teach in classrooms painted with Mickey Mouse, Mini, Donald Duck.  Crafty smiley suns, moons and little animals made out of straw hang from the ceiling.  Kind of strange setting as we are technically teaching adults.  The afternoons are spent in workshops and planning for subsequent lessons.  Stayed late planning. Went for dinner with some other students at a pub.  It's run by an Ex-Pat whose best story was about a recent trip back home to Baltimore where he just instinctively walked out into traffic.  Keep in mind here in Saigon, you have to just go for it - crosswalks and lights don't really matter.  The motorbikes and cars (for the most part) respect your confidence and just gently smoothly weave around you.  You can successfully cross a four lane road packed with bikes just by inching your way across the street.  But he completely forgot and attempted to cross a very busy street with all of those massive SUV's that I miss so much ... at rush hour.  Stopped himself midstep saying, "@$%^ This is definitely not Saigon." I will have to tell my family as soon as I go home in Dec ... "Please don't let me walk into rush hour traffic;)"

4/5 First day of class

First day of class was good - demanding, rigorous, entertaining.  Looks like it's going to be a fast furious and full four weeks:)  We start teaching tomorrow and even though I usually have no problem speaking in front of people, I was very nervous.  This will fade, but right now it's a little distracting;). We have a range of experience, age and background in class and everyone seems to be very supportive and collaborative.  So far so good.  Can't wait to see how I feel in four weeks:). 

4/4 Chillin

We all decided to just chill today as the course starts tomorrow and all free time, or any time for that matter, will be gone.  I hung out in the Vietnamese Starbucks reflecting on the last month of crazy wonderful travel.  Still amazed at all the things I saw, experienced, ate, did.  At all the people I met. At all the rickshaws, autorickshaws, cylerickshaws, motorbikes, trains, tiny taxis, buses and camels I used to get around. At all the palaces, dunes, spice jungles, backwaters, forts, rooftops and temples I had visited. At all the rice, daal, chana masala, palak, fish tikka, and cornflakes;) I had eaten.  At all the masala chai that I had drank.  At all the festivals, dances, sacred moments and generosity I had experienced.  Just amazed ... and so grateful;).