You know when you have those weird moments where all of a sudden you realize that what has just come out of your mouth is the most ridiculous, obnoxious thing ever, and you frantically try to backtrack but end up accidentally trying to give credit to your faux pas? I just got finished with a lengthy conversation with Lizzy Brouwer (about many things, most of which were not completely cringe-worthy) in which I attempted to explain my current 'maid situation'. That in and of itself is enough to make most of the people I know (minus friends in VN) roll their eyes and give you a look that makes you feel like an ass. I, however, went on to explain that since my roommate Damien was such a douche about our Maid bringing her daughter to our apartment while she worked and letting her roam free (apparently with pens, with which she decorated his walls), the maid retorted (all of this through our landlord, since the maid speaks maybe 3 words of English and our Vietnamese might just be worse) that since Damien is so filthy she didn't want to work for us anymore. Lauren and I were left in the middle, and we now have no more maid, and I hear it is just HELL to find good help these days.
What really pissed me off was the fact that Damien responded so rudely to that final email, showing a side that I tend to identify as both slightly racist and extremely class-ist, but also the fact that Damien, who moved in a few months ago, lost us our maid who came with the apartment , and now we either have to wash our own cups and take out our own trash, or we have to find a new maid. might as well just admit it: I have gotten used to having our maid not only do the aforementioned things, but also pay many of our bills; I have also come to depend on it. I even consider myself to be far less pampered than those other expats whose maids do their laundry and their grocery shopping. What has this country done to me?
After I sensed that Lizzy was slightly speechless and had no intention of consoling me, instead of expressing my disbelief in how far I could have fallen in one year, I found myself making excuses for why it was ok that we pay(ed) our maid less in one month (12 days) than my parents pay our once-weekly cleaning lady in one day: 'our apartment isn't that big, and she usually doesn't even stay for the whole allotted 2 hours'. Could I be any more of a tool? This is why bitter expats stay as long as they do: the lifestyle is just too damn easy to be able to leave it.
What's funny about being in the upper echelon in a developing country is that you do have to deal with some stuff most people would think to be absurd: after a routine rain in certain districts, the streets are so flooded that one must wade about in the 6 inches of water, with full traffic (read: motorbikes) to dodge. This happened the other day as we were leaving a partnership high school, so I walked 2 blocks alongside dozens of students for whom this water-logged trudge is just routine.
I'm not saying they cancel each other out, but it's just a strange place. We can't drink the water, yet someone will come cook for us if we so desire. The water drainage is laughable, but we can take a hefty holiday once every few months. It's just odd. Oh man. This whole thing is a kind of meditation on the question: have I changed, really? Would my former self be disgusted or disappointed? Am I still relatable to friends and family back home, or have I entered this strange world of expatriate snobbery where everyone else is far less worldly and I have gained insights unfathomable to my fellow Americans? Apparently, I have been talking shit about America lately. My mom told me I was becoming 'weird', though I admit that is a bit vague. I tend to feel that I've always had some misdirected anger (and also a lot of weirdness), and that anger is currently residing in a kind of 'America is so self centered' attitude, which if we are feeling psychoanalytical (and when are we NOT?) is possibly just a way for me to hash out my own self-centeredness; in distancing myself from my home country, perhaps I am trying to distance myself from some of my own less-than-wonderful qualities, or work out those issues as one might do with a mother or father-figure. If so, I can tell you right now that it isn't working, like, at all. Maybe I am just getting weird, who knows. But I might go with the former theory, if only to ensure that I can fall asleep easily tonight. I have a big day tomorrow full of teaching and also song recording.
Did I mention that I am doing the musical recordings for the new English language book that all the VN primary school kids will be using around the country? Trust me, like most things over here, it sounds way cooler than it is. I'll get to that later.
Also, my trip with my parents was a great success. Pictures and anecdotes to follow!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
October?!
Good lord, when did it become October? My 24th birthday is fast approaching, and all I have to say is thank god most of my friends are older than me and also have no real life shape or plan, because otherwise I would be in a true state of panic. Lucky for me, I live among a bunch of people either too jaded or downtrodden to sludge through life in their respective countries of origin, cobbling together a life for themselves here in good ol' Vietnam, so I really feel better by comparison. That said, I don't know how much longer I can take being a teacher. I really just don't think it's for me. I hear one is supposed to find joy and a sense of accomplishment when finish a class, but I just tend to feel a large wave of relief. I feel like that isn't a good sign for either myself or my students. I have a particularly hateful group of teenage students at my partnership high school, and to be honest I have to take deep, soothing breaths in order to push aside the vaguely homicidal rage they instill in me. It pisses me off, because since they don't deserve games or a break, they don't get them, but in effect that also punishes me, as I am forced to teach them and do boring exercises for the entire class time, which is just infuriating.
My parents are visiting in less than 3 weeks! We will have a glorious trip throughout the north and central regions of Vietnam, and I am just bursting at the seams to get the hell out of the city again. Were it not for the food and the cheap TV box sets readily available for my glutinous consumption, I might actually despair and spend 3 days lolling about in bed eating nothing but frozen vinamilk yogurt packs. As it is, I only do that about twice a week. Solid.
I'm not really that angry all the time, just in the middle of one of the 'I hate VN' throes that are common to every expat here, barring none or at least very few. General distaste for my job is also a large component, and I have been thinking lately that perhaps I should attempt to rectify the situation by looking for another job or supplementing my job with more likeable money making activities. I might try to look for some acting jobs or something, am considering working for a different company when I get back from my 2 month hiatus in the US and Laos, and am considering perhaps looking for a job in PR or commerce or some other vague area of work in a new country after next summer. I am by no means ready to move back to the US, but the idea of teaching until my life gels into something worthwhile makes me want to do very unhealthy things.
I am also learning to drive a motorbike, and although I am fully aware that this could possibly send my mother to an early grave with worry, xe om drivers are just too expensive and irritating to make them a smart mode of transportation. I actually quite like driving a motorbike, especially semi-automatics, which despite the gear situation are quite easy to maneuver. I haven't yet taken the plunge and gotten my own, but Hannah has been letting me practice on her bike in the sleepy and ill-fitting (by which I mean looking like some Western country's wealthy suburb) District 2. Traffic in the city is a white-knuckle experience, but considering the heinous driving of some xe om drivers, I am not sure how much safer I am riding side-saddle on the back of one.
I'm having a birthday party the Sunday after my actual birthday. The theme is 'Which wigs?', which is a reference to a scene in The Birdcage between Hank Azaria and Nathan Lane, but since most people are not quite as familiar with the film as others, I am just calling it a wigs party, and hoping people will go out and buy some. I don't know about anyone else, but I find that a wig really does make any situation more bearable, and thankfully it has been cooler lately due to insane, monsoon-like rains, so it wont be one of those sweat-running-down-the-underside-of-your-wig situations, which always tend to ruin the experience for me. I am convinced that Westerners sweat more than the average Vietnamese, and though I do acknowledge that I sweat more than the average westerner, it is way worse next to people who are relatively dry (not to mention wearing painted-on dresses and five inch spike heels) when I am so sweaty people think I just came in out of the rain. I was definitely not built for the tropics.
Oh man, I feel like this was one long complaining rant, so my apologies on that front. I intend to make yet another attempt at putting up pics, so lets all hope for the best. While we are hoping for the best, we can also hope that I write another (and slightly less whiney) post in the near future. No promises.
Yar. I have been super into pirates these past few days for some reason.
My parents are visiting in less than 3 weeks! We will have a glorious trip throughout the north and central regions of Vietnam, and I am just bursting at the seams to get the hell out of the city again. Were it not for the food and the cheap TV box sets readily available for my glutinous consumption, I might actually despair and spend 3 days lolling about in bed eating nothing but frozen vinamilk yogurt packs. As it is, I only do that about twice a week. Solid.
I'm not really that angry all the time, just in the middle of one of the 'I hate VN' throes that are common to every expat here, barring none or at least very few. General distaste for my job is also a large component, and I have been thinking lately that perhaps I should attempt to rectify the situation by looking for another job or supplementing my job with more likeable money making activities. I might try to look for some acting jobs or something, am considering working for a different company when I get back from my 2 month hiatus in the US and Laos, and am considering perhaps looking for a job in PR or commerce or some other vague area of work in a new country after next summer. I am by no means ready to move back to the US, but the idea of teaching until my life gels into something worthwhile makes me want to do very unhealthy things.
I am also learning to drive a motorbike, and although I am fully aware that this could possibly send my mother to an early grave with worry, xe om drivers are just too expensive and irritating to make them a smart mode of transportation. I actually quite like driving a motorbike, especially semi-automatics, which despite the gear situation are quite easy to maneuver. I haven't yet taken the plunge and gotten my own, but Hannah has been letting me practice on her bike in the sleepy and ill-fitting (by which I mean looking like some Western country's wealthy suburb) District 2. Traffic in the city is a white-knuckle experience, but considering the heinous driving of some xe om drivers, I am not sure how much safer I am riding side-saddle on the back of one.
I'm having a birthday party the Sunday after my actual birthday. The theme is 'Which wigs?', which is a reference to a scene in The Birdcage between Hank Azaria and Nathan Lane, but since most people are not quite as familiar with the film as others, I am just calling it a wigs party, and hoping people will go out and buy some. I don't know about anyone else, but I find that a wig really does make any situation more bearable, and thankfully it has been cooler lately due to insane, monsoon-like rains, so it wont be one of those sweat-running-down-the-underside-of-your-wig situations, which always tend to ruin the experience for me. I am convinced that Westerners sweat more than the average Vietnamese, and though I do acknowledge that I sweat more than the average westerner, it is way worse next to people who are relatively dry (not to mention wearing painted-on dresses and five inch spike heels) when I am so sweaty people think I just came in out of the rain. I was definitely not built for the tropics.
Oh man, I feel like this was one long complaining rant, so my apologies on that front. I intend to make yet another attempt at putting up pics, so lets all hope for the best. While we are hoping for the best, we can also hope that I write another (and slightly less whiney) post in the near future. No promises.
Yar. I have been super into pirates these past few days for some reason.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Da Lat!!!!!!!
After promising to do better with my updates on my last post, I seem to have failed miserably. While I do blame my laziness most of all, I also must say that I've been going through a bit of a period of disillusionment with both my job and the city. Luckily, I've just come back from a glorious week off, having gone to Da Lat with my friend Rhona from work.
The trip was exactly what I needed to clear my head and get me back on my feet, excited about living in Vietnam. A mountain resort town established about a century ago by the occupying French who found Saigon to be INSUFFERABLE during the summer months, they all packed up and headed to lovely Da Lat, a beautiful little city surrounded by picturesque mountains and greenery,and much populated by hilltribe minorities, most notably the Montagnard (I'm assuming the French gave them that name). While most of VN farms rice, Da Lat is the fruit capital of the country, and the markets abound with delectable farm-grown fruits, as well as gorgeous flowers that are farmed and shipped to HCMC and other places during the night.
One bizarre legacy of the French in Da Lat is the copious pine trees one finds across the scenery. Not kidding. They transplanted this Western foliage over to tropical Vietnam, and the result is the feeling that one is walking around North America or somewhere (not so much in the city, since it is populated with Vietnamese). Throughout our trip, Rhona (from England) and I kept declaring our confusion at being in Vietnam, yet feeling as though we were in our respective countries. It was weird, but kind of nice.
The area reminds me a bit of a Colorado mountain town (not that I have too much experience with towns in Colorado, but just let it happen), in that there are countless outdoorsy and adventure-toursy things to do if you have the mind. Our first day there we climbed one of the mountains (most people cheat and drive up in Jeeps to take pictures at the summit. We were very smug in our feat of exercise). When we reached the top, there was what appeared to be a kitschy-ish little park of some sort, with statues and people selling things. We had been told that Da Lat is a very kitschy town, so were prepared. It wasn't that bad, and to be honest, I kind of enjoyed it, and proceeded to swing on the swings and watch the horses (oh yes, there were horses. In fact, we spotted several horses that had been painted to look like zebras, and a few that were done up like cows. No reasons given, I think they just found it amusing to pretend that there are zebras in mountainous regions of Vietnam). At any rate, we had a great time hiking up the mountain, and though the rain began as we were in the midst of our descent, it was an overall good activity. The rain didn't let up all day, so being cold and wet we proceeded to eat and play scrabble at one of the bars for the rest of the day.
In addition to selling fruit at their markets, there was an abundance of hats, scarves, and coats for sale on the streets. I managed to get a real NorthFace for $25 (I have a feeling they overcharged, but what the hell, it was way cheaper than the US), and Rhona and I bought matching Christmas stocking caps for a dollar. Mine has reindeer, hers has penguins. Both have pompoms.
The next day we took an 'easy rider' tour of the area with two Vietnamese men on their motorbikes. It was a beautiful and very educational tour-besides being surrounded by lovely scenery, we saw 2 pagodas, farmland, flower farms, coffee farms, a silk factory, a rice wine factory, and the Elephant waterfall, which Rhona and I hiked down to see. We didn't know we'd be hiking over wet and slippery rocks, and had both worn flipflops. Not only were we ill-equipped for our trek, I am positive the path itself would have been illegal due to its being just very unsafe. I had a few scares, but we both came up in one piece. After our tour, we were dropped at Emperor Bao Dai's summer palace, where we took a tour of the art-deco building and had a blast dressing up in the traditional Vietnamese royal clothing and having our pictures taken. I, being unmistakably non-Asian, looked a complete fool, though the group of Buddhist nuns who were also dressing up thought it was hilarious and proceeded to take pictures with me. Rhona, coming from a Chinese background, looked great. I proceeded to lament the fact that Asian women can wear Western clothes and look good, but western women just look foolish in eastern clothing. I still had fun; any chance to dress up and you will find me with a big grin. Probably a large reason I love performing.
Our last full day in Da Lat was the craziest, as we went canyoning. I didn't know what it was either. I learned that it consists of abseiling (what?) down waterfalls. Abseiling is kind of like the opposite of rock climbing; you start at the top and go down. It was an amazing experience, especially because I was petrified at the beginning and ended up having a blast. We went with a friend of Rhona's from her CELTA program who was visiting with his friend. The four of us had 2 guides, and we proceeded to abseil down 3 cliffs, make use of natural water slides, jump from a 10 meter cliff, and abseil down 2 waterfalls. We also did a ton of hiking and trekking, and I found myself fearing for my life only during these times. The paths were narrow, wet and rocky, and I find it difficult to believe that there have been no casualties during the years of adventure sports tours. At any rate, I came out in one piece, and was quite proud of myself for not flipping out whilst walking horizontally and backwards down a slippery waterfall constantly spraying on my face and body. It was a good day.
We ate nice hearty meals the likes of chicken schnitzel (a bit dry, but it was SCHNITZEL in VN) and pumpkin soup. It was so nice to be cool and wear a sweater and crave something nice and hot to warm the cockels of my soul. I'd forgotten I had cockels to warm. It was amazing walking weather, which was an amazing change from the hot, gritty, dirty, crowded streets of Saigon, where it is virtually impossible to walk anywhere. We walked around the lovely lake in the middle of the town, around the night foodstalls, and through the markets. It was glorious.
Our leaving day was started with a trip to the Crazy House. A famous structure which opened in the early 90's, the Crazy House is a bizarre construction that resembles Alice's Wonderland. The architect, a woman now in her 70's, is the daughter of Ho Chi Minh's 2nd in command. Being a good communist, he sent his daughter away to Moscow to study architecture (people may be starving from the effects of the new regime, but dammit, his daughter was going to become one hell of a communist architect), and following her return she settled in Da Lat and proceeded to create this strange house that doubles as a hotel as well as her living quarters. At $1.50 American, you can explore the craziness. We tromped around the copious stairwells leading nowhere and everywhere, and viewed most of the 20 hotel rooms, each with a different animal theme. I took the opportunity to take irritating pictures starring myself, and the whole thing was strange and fun and very different from most of my experiences thus far in Vietnam. My horizons are ever-broadening.
We spent the last 2 days in Mui Ne, making my trips to the chilled out beach resort town now totaling 3, while I have yet to see the rest of the country (this will be remedied with the arrival of my parents, and our trek through northern and central VN. OH MAN am I excited). Though the bus ride from Da Lat to Mui Ne was small and cramped due to our driver stopping along the way to pick up hop-ons along the side of the road (this happens frequently with the cheaper buses, as the driver can pocket the money), it was a great way to end the trip, and I spent all of Sunday sitting by the beach and just reading. We stayed at a really nice place that was also cheap, beating out our Da Lat hotel, which refused to give us a discount after there was a drip in the ceiling that left my pillow with a large wet spot. We were not pleased. I also had bought a bunch of Da Lat treats for my students (they gave a performance last week at a meeting of headmasters and mistresses for the VN Board of Education, I'll tell about that next time), but forgot them on the bus and didn't realize until the next day. Ah well.
Home yesterday, feeling a bit better about my situation here and looking forward to my next trip in 2 months time, this time with the fam.
Did I mention that I drank snake wine? It was pretty good.
Pictures to follow (I still need to post my pics from Cambodia), and more info about the shelter kids, etc. I have made a resolution to manage the upkeep of this blog, and dammit I will do so.
The trip was exactly what I needed to clear my head and get me back on my feet, excited about living in Vietnam. A mountain resort town established about a century ago by the occupying French who found Saigon to be INSUFFERABLE during the summer months, they all packed up and headed to lovely Da Lat, a beautiful little city surrounded by picturesque mountains and greenery,and much populated by hilltribe minorities, most notably the Montagnard (I'm assuming the French gave them that name). While most of VN farms rice, Da Lat is the fruit capital of the country, and the markets abound with delectable farm-grown fruits, as well as gorgeous flowers that are farmed and shipped to HCMC and other places during the night.
One bizarre legacy of the French in Da Lat is the copious pine trees one finds across the scenery. Not kidding. They transplanted this Western foliage over to tropical Vietnam, and the result is the feeling that one is walking around North America or somewhere (not so much in the city, since it is populated with Vietnamese). Throughout our trip, Rhona (from England) and I kept declaring our confusion at being in Vietnam, yet feeling as though we were in our respective countries. It was weird, but kind of nice.
The area reminds me a bit of a Colorado mountain town (not that I have too much experience with towns in Colorado, but just let it happen), in that there are countless outdoorsy and adventure-toursy things to do if you have the mind. Our first day there we climbed one of the mountains (most people cheat and drive up in Jeeps to take pictures at the summit. We were very smug in our feat of exercise). When we reached the top, there was what appeared to be a kitschy-ish little park of some sort, with statues and people selling things. We had been told that Da Lat is a very kitschy town, so were prepared. It wasn't that bad, and to be honest, I kind of enjoyed it, and proceeded to swing on the swings and watch the horses (oh yes, there were horses. In fact, we spotted several horses that had been painted to look like zebras, and a few that were done up like cows. No reasons given, I think they just found it amusing to pretend that there are zebras in mountainous regions of Vietnam). At any rate, we had a great time hiking up the mountain, and though the rain began as we were in the midst of our descent, it was an overall good activity. The rain didn't let up all day, so being cold and wet we proceeded to eat and play scrabble at one of the bars for the rest of the day.
In addition to selling fruit at their markets, there was an abundance of hats, scarves, and coats for sale on the streets. I managed to get a real NorthFace for $25 (I have a feeling they overcharged, but what the hell, it was way cheaper than the US), and Rhona and I bought matching Christmas stocking caps for a dollar. Mine has reindeer, hers has penguins. Both have pompoms.
The next day we took an 'easy rider' tour of the area with two Vietnamese men on their motorbikes. It was a beautiful and very educational tour-besides being surrounded by lovely scenery, we saw 2 pagodas, farmland, flower farms, coffee farms, a silk factory, a rice wine factory, and the Elephant waterfall, which Rhona and I hiked down to see. We didn't know we'd be hiking over wet and slippery rocks, and had both worn flipflops. Not only were we ill-equipped for our trek, I am positive the path itself would have been illegal due to its being just very unsafe. I had a few scares, but we both came up in one piece. After our tour, we were dropped at Emperor Bao Dai's summer palace, where we took a tour of the art-deco building and had a blast dressing up in the traditional Vietnamese royal clothing and having our pictures taken. I, being unmistakably non-Asian, looked a complete fool, though the group of Buddhist nuns who were also dressing up thought it was hilarious and proceeded to take pictures with me. Rhona, coming from a Chinese background, looked great. I proceeded to lament the fact that Asian women can wear Western clothes and look good, but western women just look foolish in eastern clothing. I still had fun; any chance to dress up and you will find me with a big grin. Probably a large reason I love performing.
Our last full day in Da Lat was the craziest, as we went canyoning. I didn't know what it was either. I learned that it consists of abseiling (what?) down waterfalls. Abseiling is kind of like the opposite of rock climbing; you start at the top and go down. It was an amazing experience, especially because I was petrified at the beginning and ended up having a blast. We went with a friend of Rhona's from her CELTA program who was visiting with his friend. The four of us had 2 guides, and we proceeded to abseil down 3 cliffs, make use of natural water slides, jump from a 10 meter cliff, and abseil down 2 waterfalls. We also did a ton of hiking and trekking, and I found myself fearing for my life only during these times. The paths were narrow, wet and rocky, and I find it difficult to believe that there have been no casualties during the years of adventure sports tours. At any rate, I came out in one piece, and was quite proud of myself for not flipping out whilst walking horizontally and backwards down a slippery waterfall constantly spraying on my face and body. It was a good day.
We ate nice hearty meals the likes of chicken schnitzel (a bit dry, but it was SCHNITZEL in VN) and pumpkin soup. It was so nice to be cool and wear a sweater and crave something nice and hot to warm the cockels of my soul. I'd forgotten I had cockels to warm. It was amazing walking weather, which was an amazing change from the hot, gritty, dirty, crowded streets of Saigon, where it is virtually impossible to walk anywhere. We walked around the lovely lake in the middle of the town, around the night foodstalls, and through the markets. It was glorious.
Our leaving day was started with a trip to the Crazy House. A famous structure which opened in the early 90's, the Crazy House is a bizarre construction that resembles Alice's Wonderland. The architect, a woman now in her 70's, is the daughter of Ho Chi Minh's 2nd in command. Being a good communist, he sent his daughter away to Moscow to study architecture (people may be starving from the effects of the new regime, but dammit, his daughter was going to become one hell of a communist architect), and following her return she settled in Da Lat and proceeded to create this strange house that doubles as a hotel as well as her living quarters. At $1.50 American, you can explore the craziness. We tromped around the copious stairwells leading nowhere and everywhere, and viewed most of the 20 hotel rooms, each with a different animal theme. I took the opportunity to take irritating pictures starring myself, and the whole thing was strange and fun and very different from most of my experiences thus far in Vietnam. My horizons are ever-broadening.
We spent the last 2 days in Mui Ne, making my trips to the chilled out beach resort town now totaling 3, while I have yet to see the rest of the country (this will be remedied with the arrival of my parents, and our trek through northern and central VN. OH MAN am I excited). Though the bus ride from Da Lat to Mui Ne was small and cramped due to our driver stopping along the way to pick up hop-ons along the side of the road (this happens frequently with the cheaper buses, as the driver can pocket the money), it was a great way to end the trip, and I spent all of Sunday sitting by the beach and just reading. We stayed at a really nice place that was also cheap, beating out our Da Lat hotel, which refused to give us a discount after there was a drip in the ceiling that left my pillow with a large wet spot. We were not pleased. I also had bought a bunch of Da Lat treats for my students (they gave a performance last week at a meeting of headmasters and mistresses for the VN Board of Education, I'll tell about that next time), but forgot them on the bus and didn't realize until the next day. Ah well.
Home yesterday, feeling a bit better about my situation here and looking forward to my next trip in 2 months time, this time with the fam.
Did I mention that I drank snake wine? It was pretty good.
Pictures to follow (I still need to post my pics from Cambodia), and more info about the shelter kids, etc. I have made a resolution to manage the upkeep of this blog, and dammit I will do so.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hiatus!
All I have to say is, who is NOT surprised I fell off the bloggin' wagon? I realize it has been a month and a half since I posted anything, and my only excuse is that I can be pretty damn lazy. Really just impressed at how long I was posting regularly. I always say, set the bar low and you wont be disappointed. Words to live by.
A lot has happened since the end of May. I went on a really incredible yet short trip to Cambodia in June, which was beautiful and eye-opening and super educational. I went alone, and found out that I enjoy traveling on my own. I can't even begin to explain Angkor Wat, it is huge and amazing and insanely cool. I can't believe I never learned about it, this amazing civilization during the European 'dark ages'. We are really euro-centric in our education. Along those lines, going to the killing fields and the genocide museum was one of the more depressing things I've done in a while. I hadn't known anything about the Khmer Rouge until a few years ago when I watched The Killing Fields (aptly named) on TCM. Actually going to the prison and seeing the mass graves was really intense, especially because the guides are all survivors, and most of their families perished during the reign of Pol Pot. They are so emotional and determined to have their stories heard. It's almost like having a holocaust survivor show you around a concentration camp, its just eerie. But, I also saw some amazing things, palaces and incredible art, and ate some delightful food. My friend Amy lives in Phnom Penh, and we met up for some delicious food (including Taro fries, AMAzing) and went to a modern art exhibition, which was nice to see, as art is very censored over here in 'Nam. All in all, it was a great trip. I will put up pics asap.
I am working hard and often, but am making time for VN lessons, voice-over for CNBC, Wednesday night dodgeball club, and I just started volunteering at a children's HIV shelter. My friend Rhona and I are taking a week off at the end of August and going to Dalat, a city in the mountains, where the French used to holiday during their occupation. It sounds beautiful and outdoors-y.
I am coming home for the holidays! Working until mid-December, then coming to the US for 3 or 4 weeks, then back to VN and on to a few weeks in Laos with my friend Hannah before coming back for another 6 months working at Apollo. I've made a list of places I am considering moving to after I leave here, and Turkey is still on the list, along with Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Brazil, Bosnia, Romania, Morocco, Russia, and Portugal. Open to other places, but these are places that I'd love to explore. South America is tough, because I don't speak Spanish and so many EFL teachers probably do. I was thinking Egypt for a time, but I think I'll steer clear for a few years. It's funny, I really thought I'd spend a year abroad to figure things out, and then head back. However, things are not very figured out as of yet, so I might as well keep on keepin' on with living abroad. Considering applying for a fulbright or peace corps (if I don't have a plan in the next few years, PC seems like a smart option, as that way at least I'm preparing to fund my grad school), and even thinking about looking into foreign service with the government, although I don't know if I'd get a security clearance. Apparently they like super straight-laced people to have those. Can't imagine why. At any rate, I'm happy just knowing my plans for the next year (will be back in the good ol' USA in time to be a maid in Lizzy Brouwer's wedding in August before moving to my next destination), and with 2 trips back home to see everyone in the next year, it really sounds like a good 'un to me. So many places to go. So little time.
This month is a poor one for me, since I'm trying to save money like CRAZY. Life is hard. Also, I would just like to say that it sucks to live outside the US when HP7(2) is out there but not over here. Really stings.
Also, you don't need a prescription for any drugs here. You just go in and tell them what you want. It's crazy. If we did that in the States, it would be drugged-out pandemonium. Ah, developing countries.
that's all for now, but I will REALLY try to not be a lazy ass anymore. we'll see...
A lot has happened since the end of May. I went on a really incredible yet short trip to Cambodia in June, which was beautiful and eye-opening and super educational. I went alone, and found out that I enjoy traveling on my own. I can't even begin to explain Angkor Wat, it is huge and amazing and insanely cool. I can't believe I never learned about it, this amazing civilization during the European 'dark ages'. We are really euro-centric in our education. Along those lines, going to the killing fields and the genocide museum was one of the more depressing things I've done in a while. I hadn't known anything about the Khmer Rouge until a few years ago when I watched The Killing Fields (aptly named) on TCM. Actually going to the prison and seeing the mass graves was really intense, especially because the guides are all survivors, and most of their families perished during the reign of Pol Pot. They are so emotional and determined to have their stories heard. It's almost like having a holocaust survivor show you around a concentration camp, its just eerie. But, I also saw some amazing things, palaces and incredible art, and ate some delightful food. My friend Amy lives in Phnom Penh, and we met up for some delicious food (including Taro fries, AMAzing) and went to a modern art exhibition, which was nice to see, as art is very censored over here in 'Nam. All in all, it was a great trip. I will put up pics asap.
I am working hard and often, but am making time for VN lessons, voice-over for CNBC, Wednesday night dodgeball club, and I just started volunteering at a children's HIV shelter. My friend Rhona and I are taking a week off at the end of August and going to Dalat, a city in the mountains, where the French used to holiday during their occupation. It sounds beautiful and outdoors-y.
I am coming home for the holidays! Working until mid-December, then coming to the US for 3 or 4 weeks, then back to VN and on to a few weeks in Laos with my friend Hannah before coming back for another 6 months working at Apollo. I've made a list of places I am considering moving to after I leave here, and Turkey is still on the list, along with Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Brazil, Bosnia, Romania, Morocco, Russia, and Portugal. Open to other places, but these are places that I'd love to explore. South America is tough, because I don't speak Spanish and so many EFL teachers probably do. I was thinking Egypt for a time, but I think I'll steer clear for a few years. It's funny, I really thought I'd spend a year abroad to figure things out, and then head back. However, things are not very figured out as of yet, so I might as well keep on keepin' on with living abroad. Considering applying for a fulbright or peace corps (if I don't have a plan in the next few years, PC seems like a smart option, as that way at least I'm preparing to fund my grad school), and even thinking about looking into foreign service with the government, although I don't know if I'd get a security clearance. Apparently they like super straight-laced people to have those. Can't imagine why. At any rate, I'm happy just knowing my plans for the next year (will be back in the good ol' USA in time to be a maid in Lizzy Brouwer's wedding in August before moving to my next destination), and with 2 trips back home to see everyone in the next year, it really sounds like a good 'un to me. So many places to go. So little time.
This month is a poor one for me, since I'm trying to save money like CRAZY. Life is hard. Also, I would just like to say that it sucks to live outside the US when HP7(2) is out there but not over here. Really stings.
Also, you don't need a prescription for any drugs here. You just go in and tell them what you want. It's crazy. If we did that in the States, it would be drugged-out pandemonium. Ah, developing countries.
that's all for now, but I will REALLY try to not be a lazy ass anymore. we'll see...
Monday, May 30, 2011
June?!
I've spent the past week completely re evaluating my time spent here. Sometimes it's really the best thing, you suddenly realize you are living in VIETNAM and you have yet to really explore what it has to offer. I've not been to the museums, the temples, the chinese market, the reunificaiton palace, etc. and have been here for half a year. There really is no excuse for that. There aren't even that many good TV channels. Making plans to do all of these things soon, and also to just get out more.
On Wednesday night I went to a performance at the Opera House. A French pianist played one concert of Lizst's works of literary inspiration, and it was quite well done. The weird thing is, in a city of almost 9 million, the house was not nearly full. The Opera House has performances around 3-4 times a month (don't get me started on the waste), and they are horribly publicized. The result is a very limp cultural scene. I went to a performance of the International Choir and Orchestra on Saturday (quite good for non-professionals), and they played some great Mozart and Vivaldi, as well as some great pieces involving a classical guitarist. I was hoping to meet some people there, but apparently most of the classical music scene is the dull, silent auction type. So, I ended up sitting throughout the intermissions reading my book, which apparently is weirder than walking around amongst a bunch of strangers. No idea how that's supposed to be social if you don't talk to anyone. I gotta find some friends with whom to attend my events. There was also a 50's-60's dance party on Saturday, but not a single person I called was interested. Now THAT is sad to me. Who doesn't like motown? I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't trust people who don't like motown. Must have a rotten soul and no sense of rhythm, and I don't know which is worse.
I went to the Dam Sen water park with some friends on Friday. Since it was the last day of school for most kids, it was packed, and I even ran into one of my students. The park was really great, and had a zipline into the water. Best idea ever. I can say with complete certainty that I was the only non-Asian at the park (I'd come with 4 coworkers who are all ethnically Asian, and two TAs who are Vietnamese), and when I stood on the ladder about to zip down into the pool, all of a sudden there was a huge cheering section that involved basically the entire population of people in the adjacent pool. It was funny and also irritating to know that I stuck out to that degree. You'd think at 20 feet high, the blonde hair wouldn't be as visible. Maybe it was the bathing suit. The lazy river was anything but lazy, and involved dozens of children in mobs splashing everyone in sight. The slides were A-mazing, with names like kamikaze and boomerang. Had never seen anything like the boomerang, which more resembled a skating half pipe than a water slide. All in all, a good time was had.
Currently in the middle of figuring out what I want to do after November; considering staying for an extra 6 months, or moving somewhere else (Turkey is really looking interesting). Have realized how over the Saigon club scene I am, and am furiously trying to cobble together a more interesting and diverse social scene. Trips to plan, things to see, and hopefully a few interesting people to meet.
I have my medical check on Wednesday for my work Visa. Have heard absolute horror stories about the hospital, so that will be an interesting experience, and hopefully an eye-opening one. I wonder if they will let me bring in a camera. Apparently, multiple other doctors come in to observe the check, just to see a white person in the hospital. A friend told me to ignore everything they tell me, as they don't know what they're talking about. It sounded a bit harsh, but she went on to say that they told her she had cataracts on her eyes, so I guess I'll wait to form my own opinion. Apparently, they only care if you have TB or are HIV positive, which got me thinking. How much would it suck to find out you have HIV at a creepy Vietnamese hospital? How would that affect your time abroad? Would you go to another country for a second opinion? Could you afford that? Not that I'm especially worried, but it does make you wonder. Apparently it happened to someone at our Hanoi branch. Since he'd been here for a long time and had a lot of VN female friends, it apparently wasn't much of a shock, but still. I haven't come across too many western therapists (or eastern ones, for that matter), and I feel like that's just unhealthy. But what an awful way to come back to the US. 'SO, how was your time in VN?', 'Well, I got a mad case of HIV, but escaped the syphilis altogether. AND, I learned how to use chopsticks.' Talk about a buzzkill. It's not even exotic sounding, like Malaria or Dengue Fever.
I'm in a reading frenzy and there are shockingly few English books in this city. I can handle the clothes thing, but no books? Really?
I'll write about my hospital experience asap!
On Wednesday night I went to a performance at the Opera House. A French pianist played one concert of Lizst's works of literary inspiration, and it was quite well done. The weird thing is, in a city of almost 9 million, the house was not nearly full. The Opera House has performances around 3-4 times a month (don't get me started on the waste), and they are horribly publicized. The result is a very limp cultural scene. I went to a performance of the International Choir and Orchestra on Saturday (quite good for non-professionals), and they played some great Mozart and Vivaldi, as well as some great pieces involving a classical guitarist. I was hoping to meet some people there, but apparently most of the classical music scene is the dull, silent auction type. So, I ended up sitting throughout the intermissions reading my book, which apparently is weirder than walking around amongst a bunch of strangers. No idea how that's supposed to be social if you don't talk to anyone. I gotta find some friends with whom to attend my events. There was also a 50's-60's dance party on Saturday, but not a single person I called was interested. Now THAT is sad to me. Who doesn't like motown? I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't trust people who don't like motown. Must have a rotten soul and no sense of rhythm, and I don't know which is worse.
I went to the Dam Sen water park with some friends on Friday. Since it was the last day of school for most kids, it was packed, and I even ran into one of my students. The park was really great, and had a zipline into the water. Best idea ever. I can say with complete certainty that I was the only non-Asian at the park (I'd come with 4 coworkers who are all ethnically Asian, and two TAs who are Vietnamese), and when I stood on the ladder about to zip down into the pool, all of a sudden there was a huge cheering section that involved basically the entire population of people in the adjacent pool. It was funny and also irritating to know that I stuck out to that degree. You'd think at 20 feet high, the blonde hair wouldn't be as visible. Maybe it was the bathing suit. The lazy river was anything but lazy, and involved dozens of children in mobs splashing everyone in sight. The slides were A-mazing, with names like kamikaze and boomerang. Had never seen anything like the boomerang, which more resembled a skating half pipe than a water slide. All in all, a good time was had.
Currently in the middle of figuring out what I want to do after November; considering staying for an extra 6 months, or moving somewhere else (Turkey is really looking interesting). Have realized how over the Saigon club scene I am, and am furiously trying to cobble together a more interesting and diverse social scene. Trips to plan, things to see, and hopefully a few interesting people to meet.
I have my medical check on Wednesday for my work Visa. Have heard absolute horror stories about the hospital, so that will be an interesting experience, and hopefully an eye-opening one. I wonder if they will let me bring in a camera. Apparently, multiple other doctors come in to observe the check, just to see a white person in the hospital. A friend told me to ignore everything they tell me, as they don't know what they're talking about. It sounded a bit harsh, but she went on to say that they told her she had cataracts on her eyes, so I guess I'll wait to form my own opinion. Apparently, they only care if you have TB or are HIV positive, which got me thinking. How much would it suck to find out you have HIV at a creepy Vietnamese hospital? How would that affect your time abroad? Would you go to another country for a second opinion? Could you afford that? Not that I'm especially worried, but it does make you wonder. Apparently it happened to someone at our Hanoi branch. Since he'd been here for a long time and had a lot of VN female friends, it apparently wasn't much of a shock, but still. I haven't come across too many western therapists (or eastern ones, for that matter), and I feel like that's just unhealthy. But what an awful way to come back to the US. 'SO, how was your time in VN?', 'Well, I got a mad case of HIV, but escaped the syphilis altogether. AND, I learned how to use chopsticks.' Talk about a buzzkill. It's not even exotic sounding, like Malaria or Dengue Fever.
I'm in a reading frenzy and there are shockingly few English books in this city. I can handle the clothes thing, but no books? Really?
I'll write about my hospital experience asap!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Halfway to a Vietnamese passport!
At some point, after making a large life change (moving to a new country), normal life eventually sinks back in. You suddenly realize that the novelty of a $1 lunch has completely worn off, and in its place is complete irritation when any meal costs more than $2. You get used to being the equivalent of a sideshow freak walking down the streets (a lovely silver lining), and become accustomed to getting a ride to travel 2 blocks. I am still very much uncertain about the fast-approaching rainy season, so not everything is under my belt yet. My point is, after a while an exciting new life just ends up being everyday life. It sounds cynical (my parents are positive I've become more cynical since coming here. I disagree, and believe their only reasoning is my unwillingness to go crazy over the royal wedding-something I just can't get into).
I still like riding around the city, I still enjoy the food. I still get irritated by the bureaucracy that turns most errands into all-day affairs, and the incredible inequality of this country. I finally feel like I have friends to call in most situations, which is great. I'm making some good developments with work, and meeting new challenges (read: teens classes. Apparently, it isn't common sense over here to not answer your phone in the middle of class. Color me LIVID). I guess, I'm just looking to regain that sense of wonder and adventure I felt when I first moved here. My roommate Tracey was offered an amazing new job managing factories all over the world (damn engineers really can get jobs anywhere), and it got me thinking. I never thought I wanted to teach for the rest of my life. I totally admire people who have that passion, but unfortunately I just don't. I like many aspects of teaching, but to be honest it is usually just not very intellectually stimulating for me. Half the time I leave a class wondering whether the students have really learned anything. Who knows, really.
I have come to the decision that the States are not a destination for me until I've made a legit plan for the future, presumably involving some sort of grad school. I came here thinking this would just be an in-between year type of deal, but to be honest, I have no clue what I would do were I to move back soon. Better to be working things out and doing interesting things than waitressing in Ann Arbor.
Today was my day off, which I spent (as per usual) laying on the couch. After an intense weekend, its just something I like to do. Our maid comes on Mondays, and so when she got here Tracey and I were just sitting on the couch, and ended up basically watching her do our dishes and sweep our floor. It just seemed so terrible to me, even though I grew up with a cleaning woman (Rosa, who doesn't clean above her four foot high line of sight, but is the best)coming to our house once a week. It doesn't make sense, but I for some reason feel guilty about our maid. I mean, I still sat on my ass and continued to watch Dexter on DVD. Laziness often overrides most other feelings.
Did absolutely nothing all day, save the lovely cooking that went on. Roasted vegetables in banh mi, pork chops in soy-lime-ginger sauce, and the restoration of our soup attempts from last night. Thank god for the kitchen, or I would have actually spent all day on the couch. It's been fun for me, because we have no measuring devices or recipes, so I can just throw things together as I see fit. My mom gets nervous when I do that at her house. I have been meaning to take VN cooking lessons-will really have to look into that.
I'm helping to plan the summer day-camps that we do, and if anyone has any ideas (especially for games you can use as English-teaching tools), let me know. I'm also learning how to do placement testing. Apparently it looks good on your CV. Apparently, my ESL CV is going to look quite nice when I leave Apollo. Too bad it's not the career path for me. I'm holding on to the pipe dream that my voice over job will turn into a TV news job. Not at all likely, but one can dream.
I'll post some pics of the mentoring sisters all making pancakes sometime soon!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Beach Vacay!
I officially suck at keeping a blog. The whole point is to keep people updated with your life, but that requires people to update. In my defense, it has been a busy few weeks, including my trip home to Ann Arbor for a long weekend which was a blast! In truth, I was a little worried about the whole reverse-culture shock thing (especially in that I would officially consider myself to be super pretentious), but it was fine. In America, I experienced very little jet lag. It was also a steady stream of seeing people after a long time, eating food I can't get over in the Indochine, and parties. Aside from the fact that I had a minor melt down in H&M due to the insanely high prices (it's actually quite reasonable) compared to Vietnam's fresh-from-the-factory prices, it was a wonderful time and had not a hitch. I still feel super guilty about being away for the holidays, but it was nice to have time with the whole family even in April. An amazingly fun wedding which involved a large amount of Randolph-family dance floor time rounded out my 3-day extravaganza.
I had two really quite nice flights involving empty rows of seats and my own tv; the only glitch came on my way back, when the airline flipped out about my visa expiring on the day I got back to Vietnam. I had gotten my HR people to get me a new visa, but their confirmation email was late, and I didn't have it yet. In the end, they let me board, and I printed out necessary documents in Hong Kong during my layover. Not a problem at all unless you include the fact that once in the visa line at the HCM airport, it took a good hour to get things in order. Don't get me started on their placement of atm. Unlike my USA trip, I was attacked by horrible jet lag once home, resulting in far too much napping which sadly has yet to go away.
I finally have some non-children classes to teach, and I think I might just be able to handle teaching for a while. Unlike the children's classes which are more discipline than anything else, I actually get to teach and at times have smart conversations with adult students. SOO nice. Most of my partnership classes are ending as swell, which is good because I don't think I can handle much more of that. I've now done General English, Confident Teens, and Corporate (my favorite). Starting next week, I get my own pronunciation class and I am quite pleased.
This past weekend it was Victory Day, so we got the weekend off. I went to Mui Ne with some friends, and we had a delightful time. Despite the fact that in Mui Ne (a little beach resort town about 5 hours from Saigon) it was even hotter than in Saigon, it was super fun. And by the way, the heat is insane. like, face-melting-I-feel-like-the-subject-of-a-Dali-painting hot. Shared a room with my friend Hannah, and just to make us really sweat, the air conditioning was broken. Nonetheless, we had a lovely time swimming in the sea and eating amazing food. Its funny how on vacation, all we want to eat is western food. And there was some amazing western food. Since we eat VN food every day here, a legitimate burger is exactly what you want on holiday. Though there was supposed to be a big party on the sand dunes, it was cancelled, so our big party night was slightly less cool than it should have been. But we made do at one of the clubs on the beach, so it was still a lovely time. It's still crazy to me that I live but a bus ride away from a touristy, beach party town. A strange town that is comprised of about 3 miles of one seaside-road. On the upside, you are always next to the ocean.
Can't think of anything else to say. More details later.
I had two really quite nice flights involving empty rows of seats and my own tv; the only glitch came on my way back, when the airline flipped out about my visa expiring on the day I got back to Vietnam. I had gotten my HR people to get me a new visa, but their confirmation email was late, and I didn't have it yet. In the end, they let me board, and I printed out necessary documents in Hong Kong during my layover. Not a problem at all unless you include the fact that once in the visa line at the HCM airport, it took a good hour to get things in order. Don't get me started on their placement of atm. Unlike my USA trip, I was attacked by horrible jet lag once home, resulting in far too much napping which sadly has yet to go away.
I finally have some non-children classes to teach, and I think I might just be able to handle teaching for a while. Unlike the children's classes which are more discipline than anything else, I actually get to teach and at times have smart conversations with adult students. SOO nice. Most of my partnership classes are ending as swell, which is good because I don't think I can handle much more of that. I've now done General English, Confident Teens, and Corporate (my favorite). Starting next week, I get my own pronunciation class and I am quite pleased.
This past weekend it was Victory Day, so we got the weekend off. I went to Mui Ne with some friends, and we had a delightful time. Despite the fact that in Mui Ne (a little beach resort town about 5 hours from Saigon) it was even hotter than in Saigon, it was super fun. And by the way, the heat is insane. like, face-melting-I-feel-like-the-subject-of-a-Dali-painting hot. Shared a room with my friend Hannah, and just to make us really sweat, the air conditioning was broken. Nonetheless, we had a lovely time swimming in the sea and eating amazing food. Its funny how on vacation, all we want to eat is western food. And there was some amazing western food. Since we eat VN food every day here, a legitimate burger is exactly what you want on holiday. Though there was supposed to be a big party on the sand dunes, it was cancelled, so our big party night was slightly less cool than it should have been. But we made do at one of the clubs on the beach, so it was still a lovely time. It's still crazy to me that I live but a bus ride away from a touristy, beach party town. A strange town that is comprised of about 3 miles of one seaside-road. On the upside, you are always next to the ocean.
Can't think of anything else to say. More details later.
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