Another Lazy Sunday

This morning began with coffee with one of my students and his brother, who spoke very good English. I wasn't feeling exceptionally well, but I wanted to venture out on my new scooter and grab some coffee. We had a lovely time with the exception of me knocking my first coffee out of the waiter's hands with my dramatic hand gestures when telling a story to my companions. Some things about me will never change as I will always feel the need to be on display, as my friend, Brian, once stated.

Andy stopped by around noon, and we set off to Coopmart and had lunch. I did a little shopping and found a TREASURE - Double Chocolate Milano cookies!! Sometimes in Vietnam, these small finds are priceless!

I came home and rested in my bed for the afternoon and managed to take a short nap. Upon waking up from my sleep, I felt terrible. My headache and weakness had returned. Mr. Duan then called to me to invite me to have rice soup that Tiem had cooked. Ti was there, and Mr. Phuong made an appearance at the table. The food, as always, was great, but I was ill so shortly thereafter returned to my bed.

Below are some pics from tonight's gathering around the table. Ti, the youngest son of Co Mai and Mr. Phuong, is in the white tank. Tiem, the niece and wonderful cook, takes care of the family and is throwing up the peace sign in the second pic. Duan, a friend of the family who also helps around the house, is in the white collared shirt, and the last pic is of Mr. Phuong, the man of the property. He's a funny guy who always makes me laugh. He, also, speaks pretty good English.

I mostly just lounged around until Mr. Mark came by later in the evening to bring me some Advil PM. It will alleviate the pain in my head as well as help me sleep tonight. I didn't sleep well last night due to my excessive coughing.

I will go to sleep soon after watching Southpark and hopefully enjoy a decent night's rest. Ciao.

New Motorbike

I almost put exclamation marks at the end of my title because I'm so estatic! I got a new bike today. It's big and new and reliable!! Maybe it's not so much a motorcycle as it is a scooter, but whatevz. It's actually a second hand bike but with only 2000 km on the odometer. So, practically, it's new. I traded in my clunker of a bike for 3 million VND (Vietnamese Dong) so I paid 16 million VND for my new bike. That's just under $1000. I don't get paid until Monday so Sophia's dad, who has now adopted me as his little brother, paid it in full and told me to pay him back later. Wow! These Vietnamese people are wonderful!! Below is a pic of me on my new bike. Yes, I'm sucking my gut in. Thanks.

After getting my new bike, I taught a class at KTV... the dreaded Cheese class with far too many students. From there, Sophia and I met up with Dao, Duc, and their friend at this circus that came in town for tonight only. Truly, it was just a zoo. Just a snake, some dogs, a bear, a monkey, a crocodile, and a rabbit that was used in a lame magic trick. Below are some pics I took of us because we were a bit too far away to get a decent shot of any of the spectacular animal tricks... blah.

Tomorrow, I am off, and I plan to stay in the bed all day, rejuvenate myself, and just relax! I'm still a little under the weather.

Time for bed. Good night.

Tiiiired

Didn't do too much today. Had breakfast with Lam, Dao, Mr. Mark, and Ms. Patsy, taught Duc for his private lesson, went home, rested, went motorcycle shopping with Sophia, went to KTV, taught two classes, ate ice cream with little Michael and Mr. Mark, and now I'm whipped and going to bed.

My pictures I submitted to google earth show up now so that's cool. There is a picture of Mr. Mark's house where I'm in the background that was approved. So now I'm forever captured there on google earth.

Good times. Good night.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling a bit better today. Even though I've mostly been in bed all day, it's been an emotionally draining one all the same. Little did I know when I woke up this morning that the day would follow with three meals being cooked for me, another voodoo hex on my body, and friends and repairmen paying me visits.

I awoke this morning to Co Mai and Mr. Phuong knocking on my window and front door. They wanted to show their piano that's being stored in my living room to their friend. I slept in until 8:15 and would have slept longer had it not been for that disturbance. Co Mai made up for it by cooking breakfast for me, so all was well.

Below, the second hand eliptical I bought yesterday:

Dao called me to tell me he was coming to pick me up so that we could get my bike because it was ready. His friend replaced the tire, the spokes, and did something with the engine for a total price of $4.85. Wow. I love Vietnam. I, also, picked up a new helmet that was about $17. When I came home, Co Mai had put a plate of bananas and apples out for me. I took a pic of the fruit tray, and my new and old helmet in the background.

Then, I retired to my bed for the rest of the morning. Mr. Phuong messaged me at lunch time and told me to go eat so I did. He and Co Mai have really been taking care of me so I'm enjoying being spoiled but definitely not enjoying being sick.

The repairmen came after lunch to put a screen up on my bathroom window that leads to the jungle. This open window allowed a zoo to operate in my bathroom as I had constant visitation from mosquitos, lizards, frogs, spiders, moths, and every other insect in Vietnam. The repairmen were here for a little over an hour, and the total cost of labor and parts was $15. Wonderful! So no more zoo in my house!



Below are some of the reptiles that were unfortunately left behind in my bathroom AFTER the screen went up. Too bad for them. They are now trapped! Maybe they can all just eat each other.

After the repairmen left, Co Mai prepared for me what is called a "steam bath." She put a pile of some type of mint leaves into a pot, boiled them in water, and I put my face over the steam that arose out of this conconction with a big blanket over my body and the pot as to ensure my body's absorption of this traditional medicine. After fifteen minutes of being enveloped in my steam tent, I was instructed to take a shower and drink a hot tea of some sort.

Then, Co Tu, the maid, came to clean my bathroom and mop the floors in my house. I was very thankful to her for that so I gave her a little money.

Ti called me and invited me to lunch with the family, so I sat for the third time of the day at their table, and we all had a family dinner, just like last night. It's a nice time, and we all get to catch up. It was my Thanksgiving dinner as today is Thanksgiving Day back home. This is the first Thanksgiving without the organizer of all our family gatherings, Aunt Trish. I miss her.. a lot.

I then went back to my bed to rest, and Justin messaged me to see what I was doing. Word travels fast as he knew I was sick. He rushed over to my house and surprised me by bringing Lam. I wish I would have gotten a picture of them, but I'll take one next time. I was so tired of being in the house most of the day that we ventured next door to have coffee.

Upon arriving back on the grounds, we stumbled upon Mr. Mark and Ms. Patsy who were chatting with Co Mai and Mr. Phuong. We then all sat down for tea with Mr. Phuong and Co Mai, and they all came back to my house to check out my new helmet and screened in window.

And now I'm in my bed on my laptop writing this blog. I'm tired! I didn't teach at the high school this morning, and I don't think I would have made it had I tried to teach any classes. Next week, I'll go back.

Good night.

Sickly Wednesday

I'm too sick to type. I did nothing today but stay in bed mostly. I will not teach at my high school in the morning and will instead stay in bed and rest all day. We'll see how I feel tomorrow evening.

My bike still isn't fixed, not that I need it.

I wonder if this is all associated with that mosquito bite I got yesterday morning and then again this morning. I seem to have acquired a pet who likes to bite me between the hours of 5 and 6am. Dear God, please don't let me have malaria or Denge Fever. Amen.

Tumultuous Tuesday

The day started out strangely as I woke up at 5:45am after being bitten by a mosquito. I'm just a bite away from malaria at any given point in this country. Astonishingly, this is the first mosquito bite I've felt in the three months I've been here. Not bad, I'd say. So I couldn't go back to sleep. I opted instead to check email and catch up on youtube videos. My motorbike started... for once.. this morning, and off I went to Dao and Duc's house for our private lesson. It was a good morning, and we got a lot accomplished.

Dao is becoming a good friend to me as he has vowed to fix everything for me that breaks! Well, he got his wish sooner than expected because I was en route to have coffee with a student of mine who I was going to help prepare for his English job interview when my bike wouldn't start yet again, AND it had a flat tire! I have become so frustrated with this stupid bike. I think I got myself so frustrated that I gave myself a migraine as my vision became blurred like it predictably does when a migraine is around the corner. So, I asked the lovely Ms. Patsy to cover my classes tonight at KTV, which she did, as I could rest and deal with the explosion in my head.

Then.. it rained... and rained... and rained. It was like Katrina all over again.. but not. It was windy, and the rain came down in sheets. It was indeed a good evening to just relax. I took a couple of pics of the rain outside my bathroom window, although they don't quite do the wind justice.

As I was sleeping and when the rain ceased, Dao brought his friend, a mechanic, to my home to get my bike. This bike is problematic, and I am indeed ready for a newer model. They went off .. one on one bike and the other on mine. And, surprisingly, Dao paid me money for ten lessons... $300, which is the equivalent of 5.1 million Vietnamese Dong. I'm super happy about that. I have money - hooray, but no bike as I will get it in the morning. Dao's friend was wonderful and recognized the problem just from looking at and listening to my bike - water in the engine.

Co Mai and Ti knocked on my door shortly after the boys left to check on me because it is quite a rareity for me to be home at any time in the evening. They immediately noticed my lack of energy and invited me over to eat rice with pork and drink coffee with them, Mr Phuong, and Teim. They have been wonderful to me, and I am thankful to have been "adopted" by them. Sometimes, I'd like to have a bit more privacy, but it's a trade off, I suppose.

Tonight, the "new" episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives come on so I will retire for the evening and enjoy my stories before drifting off to sleep.

Blah Monday

This morning started with an early private lesson with Dao and Duc. They only want to study for an hour and a half now instead of two hours, and that's fine with me. Two hours tends to drag out a bit. Today we talked about their upcoming life changes due to their moving to Australia and Saigon, respectively. They will pay me every ten days, which doesn't help me now, but it will in nine more days :D I get paid next week from KTV so I will have a fantastic next week of money coming in. Hooray! Besides, I am gonna need some money because my damn bike keeps acting up. My want for a new bike is transitioning into a NEED for a new bike. So I hope to get one soon. Below is a pic of me as Osama for Halloween on my bike.

Tonight, I taught two classes at KTV. They were very good. Time flew by very fast because I really enjoy the classes there. I really enjoy teaching high school students and adults.

Anyway, I gotta wake up early for my private lesson with the boys again in the morning. Good night.

Early Sunday

This morning I woke up at 6:30 or so because I had to be at KTV to teach all morning. I split my time between six classes so it was Musical Classrooms on this Sunday morning.

After I finished, I just came home and relaxed all day in my bed. I caught up on youtube videos and just everything on the internet that I've been deprived of for the past ten days or so.

I took a nice pic today of the view outside my bathroom window. Random, I know, but I thought it was picturesque.



My Windows Vista seems to be a bootleg copy and can't get any updates. I also can't use my msn messenger because of the lack of certificate, and many web sites won't load unless I hand-pick each site to allow its certificate. Anyway, I'll once again take this laptop back to the damn computer store and ask them to install a legitimate Windows Vista system. Dammit, Vietnam! Seriously!

I'm going to call it an early night tonight because Dao is coming to get me at 8am. I will spend two hours talking with him and his brother and earn approximately 650,000 VND before heading off to KTV in the evening. I only teach two classes a day (90 minutes each), and for the month of November, I will only have had one day off, which was Teachers' Day on Thursday. I am going to have a MEGA paycheck, and that's not to mention the private lesson money I have coming my way. Life is super great right now! Good night.

My "New" Laptop

My laptop has been returned... with a brand spanking new hard drive!!! So far, it's working as it should. So I'm pleased with that. It seems faster than it was running at the time of the multiple crashes. Now, I must go back and update all my blog entries with pictures from the past week.

Today was a busy day for me. I woke up before 8am and shortly thereafter headed to KTV to do some preparing for my lessons. I had two lessons on my schedule, but one of the teachers asked me if I could take his afternoon class so I did! I need the money for all these things I'm continually having to repair.

Speaking of which, I got a new cable for the spark plug on my bike, but I'm not sure that it solved the problem as my bike, again, wouldn't start just a few minutes ago upon leaving KTV. So, I wiggled the wire around, and off I went. I'll figure it out, I guess. I just called Little Michael, and he said the mechanic just replaced the wire, not the spark plug so tomorrow we will get that replaced. But I want/need a new bike anyway. A big, manly one.. so that's next on my agenda. Below is a pic of Big Michael and Little Michael.

Tomorrow, I am teaching the entire morning, starting a little after 7:30am so as soon as I finish installing all these programs, I'm off to bed. Ciao.

Mo' Money

Today, two brothers wanted me to give them private lessons before they shoved off to study abroad in two months. It will be an extra $200 a week, and that's damn near a small fortune here, so I'm very excited about that! I can send more money home and eventually buy furniture and a new motorbike - hooray! I will start on Monday and will tutor them for two hours every morning, five days a week.

Today has been a boring but relaxing day so far. This morning, I had breakfast with Dao, one of the brothers I'll be tutoring. Afterward, I took a nap, and then one of my students took me out to eat for lunch for Teachers' Day. Yes, it was yesterday, but I plan to keep this tradition alive for as long as possible.

Now, I'm at KTV and am soaked from my elbows down as it is raining cats and dogs. The raincoat I wear doesn't quite cover my arms. I should invest in a bigger one.

Oh, I forgot to mention in my blog yesterday.. at least I think I forgot to mention it, maybe I did, maybe I didn't... anyway.. I will be buying an eliptical machine from my landlord. I will put it in my bedroom and work it OUT while watching tv. I'm very excited about this because now I can get back into some kind of decent shape and better my health possibly. Life is good.

That's it for now. I need to plan my lessons and get to work.

Teachers' Day

Teachers' Day makes me happy! Last night, one of the classes, The Black Dragons, took me out after class to sing karaoke and drink beer. It was a fun time had by all. I really enjoyed it. My new friend, Minh, was there so we sang like fools. And... the students paid! Hooray for Teachers' Day!

This morning, I met up with Minh (his English name is Beckham) for coffee at a coffee shop on the river. His sister and a teacher at KTV, Anh, also joined us along with a few of her friends. Afterward, Minh and I took a short drive to see a local university and just ran the roads around town before going to Anh's home. Her family owns a clothing store, and they live in the back of the establishment. From there, we (minus Minh) went off to a milk tea (tra sua) place and had some nice drinks. It has been a good day so far.

Now, I am at Mr. Mark's and Ms. Patsy's home. We are having a party tonight for the teachers so I am really looking forward to that. Free food and beer! TRUE!!

I LOVE Teachers' Day! Everyone pays for me!

Hello, Wednesday!

Last night, one of the classes held a small "party/ceremony" for the teachers for Teachers' Day. We were presented with kind words, flowers, and some snacks. It was very nice and endearing.

Today has been a lazy day so far. I didn't get to sleep last night until well after 3:30am. I don't know why - just couldn't sleep. I woke up at 8:30 this morning and did laundry. Today, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives came on (the new episodes here... but from last year, really). Like I said, I was in Korea last time at this year so I couldn't watch either. So, to me, it's all new. I did manage to get some laundry done so I was a bit productive.

Having no money means no excessive eating. Today, out of curiosity, I tried on some pants that were too tight on me last year when I was in Korea. Amazingly, they fit now! Hello, size 36 waist!! I'm happy about that. Maybe this lack of money thing isn't so bad afterall!!

Tonight at KTV, I am teaching two classes. One class, I haven't taught before, and the other class is my absolute favorite class here. I will be sure to take some pictures tonight. I can't wait until I get my laptop so I can come back and edit these entries, adding pics in for visual stimulation.

I need to check email now. Lots of catching up to do. Three more days, and my laptop will be "fixed." Hoorah!!

The Saga Continues..

So... my laptop wasn't properly repaired by my student's colleague so I took it back to the computer store (Thegioididiong) this morning with the help from Little Michael and Cena, a student who works with computers. The technician finally made the decision to send it to the HP store in Saigon and replace the hard disk. I thought that was the conclusion reached from my last visit there but apparently not. The Vietnamese have this "rule" with not returning things. To that, I say a clear and defiant, "EFF THAT!!" I will get all loud and Louisiana up in that store. Don't have me do it!! Supposedly, I will have a new hard disk, and my laptop will be returned to me on Saturday. I'm skeptical, for obvious reasons, so let's just see.

By the way, I'm totally out of money. I have money in my bank account back home, and a Visa/Debit card here with me, but I've no clue how to use it here since there seem to be a lack of ATMs here and the fact that NOWHERE in this place takes credit cards. I need gas in my motorcycle, and I'm hungry! Yes, living here is cheap as anything, but I've been getting myself situated these past couple of months with the moving expenses, motorcycle purchase, etc.

Speaking of my motorcycle, it wouldn't start this morning or this afternoon when departing for KTV, where I am writing this blog. Apparently there was/is water in the starter part of the engine deal or whatever. Mr. Duan helped me out both times by doing something along the lines of wiggling the cable... and off I went.

Teachers' Day is in two days. It's a big deal here in Vietnam where the students visit all their old teachers. Since I'm new here, I have no old students. So my academy had plans for the teachers to go to a waterfall, but that fell through. As of present, I think we're going to a restaurant, but no one knows of that. Besides, everyone has already made other arrangements since there has been no communication on this issue so I say just GIVE US MONEY.... and Happy Teachers' Day to us!! :D

P.S. Why does everything in Vietnam continuously break down!??

Laptop Update

So, yesterday I gave my laptop to one of my students. His supervisor is an IT specialist. This morning, Tony (my student), messaged me to tell me that it was a hardware problem (DUHHH!!!). That's what I had been telling the workers at Thegioididong (the place where I bought my laptop) all along. So Tony said that his supervisor could fix the problem but that I should take my laptop where I bought it since it was still under warranty. I told him thanks but no thanks because the store couldn't locate much less fix the problem. So I will have his supervisor fix it then figure out how to get the money to pay for it. If worse comes to worse, I'll just wait until the first of the month until I get paid. But I'd like it before then. At any rate, I just want it fixed, and I feel that Thegioididong is incapable of handling the situation.

Now, I am at Mr. Mark's and Ms. Patsy's. I just shaved my head and am here writing as they are in the kitchen eating a fine meal of things I am allergic to. Outcast, I am!

I only have one class tonight. This week is a super easy week so I am really looking forward to a quiet and relaxing week. What choice do I have, really, since I have no money for the next two weeks!? This once a month paycheck takes some getting used to, but after this month, I will be all caught up on my debts and will thereafter be able to start saving.

Cheers!

Good Morning, Vietnam!

I made a promise to myself, and my buddy, Scott, that I would write in my blog every day... come rain or shine or broken laptop. I am at KTV now and just finished teaching a preschool class. There was lots of singing and coloring for all! Good times! Oh, to be a kid again!

Now, I have a short break so I ordered an omelet and coffee from the cafeteria. While waiting on that, I am writing in my blog.

I am teaching a Phonics class in about 25 minutes. Lots of repetition. Listen and .. REPEAT! Listen and.. REPEAT!

Tonight, I am giving my laptop to one of my students who works with computers. He told me to not take it to a shop and let him look at it because I shouldn't trust any computer shops in Vietnam. And SOLD!! To the highest bidder. So we're going to have beer tonight as well.

I am hungry. Off to the cafeteria... or "canteen" as the Vietnamese say.

Decent Saturday

My laptop remains broken. I will give it to a student of mine tomorrow and let him check it out. I refuse to take it back to the computer place I bought it from. They are incompetent and obviously can't complete a simple task.

This morning, I woke up at 10:30am after swallowing two advil PMs last night. I just wanted to sleep. No laptop = boredom.

I went to Sophia's house for lunch and then to a Teachers' Day performance at her college. I was offered a job. Nice. Pictures to come later.

Now, I am teaching a class at KTV and will do some karaok-ing afterward with some of my students.

Cheers!

Broken Friday

I am going to make this short as I don't know how much time I have before my laptop crashes. It's been crashing all day. And my motorcycle had an engine problem today so I had to fix that. I will get my laptop looked at maybe this weekend.

Anyway, that was my day. Breakfast with Mark, Coopmart with Long, my bike broke, my laptop crashed, took eight hours to fix, taught one class at KTV, Long didn't show up for ice cream tonight like he promised so that is strike three.

Good night.

Productive Thursday

For some odd reason, I can never sleep on Wednesday nights. I don't know exactly what it is, but it may be the anticipation of having to get up so early on Thursday mornings and the distinct possibility of my oversleeping. I think I just "self-helped" myself. Kudos to me. I finally fell asleep about 3:30am and woke up at 5am. I taught four wonderful classes at my high school this morning and arrived back at my apartment about 11am. Next Thursday is Teachers' Day in Vietnam, so I have the entire day off!! I don't have to go back to my high school for another two weeks. Usually, when I get home from teaching there, I take a power nap for a good three hours, at least. But the internet man had not visited my place as of that time and was expected to begin his work on rerouting my internet from the main house to my place at 2pm. So I lay down for maybe thirty minutes and dozed off watching Ellen, only to wake up from a stupid dream of snow in Vietnam and me videoing it and uploading it to youtube in hopes of being featured on the main page. Who dreams that? Anyway, the internet man parlayed his way to my place about 3pm, at which time I went to KTV and did some super preparing for lessons of the two classes I taught tonight.

I'm happy to say that my internet is working now, my laptop has not crashed in two days, and my bill will be cheaper since I'm sharing with the main house. Life is good.

Mary and Sunny asked me to post their picture on my blog so you can see them below. They are two of my students who also work in the cafeteria at the school. They force me to buy chip chips (Gummy bears, basically) every day! I'm tired now. Good night.

A Good Day

Today.. was a very good day. I woke up feeling great! I was en route to have breakfast when the internet man showed up at 8:25 this morning. So I let him come in and do his work, and then I immediately exited to meet my favorite two people for breakfast. After that, my internet was in and out at home, so I asked Co Mai to call the internet company. Mr. Duan went over to the office, and someone came over shortly thereafter. Apparently, the problem was the old modem that Co Mai gave me. So they installed a new one. And they said something about cancelling my internet service and just running an extra cable from their home to my apartment back here behind their house. I guess they'll do that tomorrow. At any rate, it's working now so I'm okay with that.

Ms. Patsy stopped by earlier today with her new bike. I took it for a spin. The poor bike... and my poor... well.. anyway. Picture is below of me inflicting pain on her new ride and the lovely, Ms. Patsy.

Tonight, I recorded a voice announcement of a new housing development project in Saigon for a radio station. So I'm on a radio commercial! My voice! My terrible, Southern Louisiana acquired accent all over a Vietnamese radio station that I nor anyone I know listens to! They wanted a breakdown of all the costs broadcast in English... and I got paid a whopping $10!!! That, by the way, goes a LOONNNGGGG way in Vietnam. To give you an idea of how far that goes, I probably pay about $3 in gas every week (that's $12 in gas every month). It's super cheap here. I love Vietnam!

My classes were wonderful tonight as I taught two of them.

And... I FINALLY killed this stupid big ass roach that has been living in my bathroom ceiling since I moved here. It comes down occasionally to eat and drink and to scare the shit out of me. I can deal with spiders, ants, moths,.. but I have ALWAYS been scared of roaches.. especially the big, flying ones here. So I killed that bitch this morning - FINALLY! All in all, it has been a WONDERFUL Wednesday.

And to be Debbie Downer now, I have to teach at my high school tomorrow so I must be up at 5:30am! But the semester will end in a few weeks, and I will have a month or so off from there. It can't come soon enough!! Good night.

Turbulent Tuesday

I am not happy with things at my school. Earlier, I posted this big, dramatic blog about things, but it was too detailed so I deleted it as it may come back to haunt me :) Let's just say I'm not happy with a few things, and neither are my colleagues. And my final thought on that: To make a thorough observation of a teacher and to understand the dynamics of the complete lesson being taught, one must stay in that classroom for its entirety and not just make a snap judgment based on a four-minute glance through a window. That's all.

My internet at my apartment is down again. A worker will come repair it tomorrow. I'm bumming someone's wifi. It does the job, but I must go into my living room to access it. There is no furniture in my living room, yet, but when there is, I will cancel my internet as I won't need it, will I? I'm answering sentences with questions. By Golly, Ms. Patsy and Mr. Mark have me speaking British English!

Here in Vietnam, Desperate Housewives comes on weekly, but it's a season behind. However, last year at this time I was in Korea so I am catching up right where I should be. Tonight was the tornado episode. Scary stuff!

I will go to bed now. I will have pho in the morning with Mr. Mark, as I did this morning. Good times, and good night.

Magnificent Monday

Not much to write about today. It was a super easy day. I only taught one class tonight. I thought I was teaching two classes, but I got the wrong schedule. I was a bum all day. I downloaded a ton of updates for Windows on my laptop so hopefully it will stop crashing every day now. I watched Grey's Anatomy, Ellen, Desperate Housewives, and the Discovery Channel. I thought I looked a little handsome tonight so I took a picture. Seriously, I LOVE this easy life in Vietnam. I feel that all my hard work in college and me supporting myself all the way through those long years was completely worth the life that I live now. This is what I worked so hard for! I love my life! Cheers!

Trip to Cambodia

Today was an extra special day, and I am TIRED!!! I didn't fall asleep last night/ this morning until somewhere between 4 and 5am. I taught two classes this morning at KTV so I had to be there for 8:30am. Blah. However, they were great classes, and here are a couple of pics I took at KTV this morning.

After work, Andy's family and I had lunch together. His mom is an excellent cook and has sort of taken me in under her wing. They are a great family and have been very helpful to me. We then got into our rented taxi and set off for the hour and a half long journey to Cambodia. Let me just say that the adventure was all in getting there. Motorcycle accidents are quite common in Vietnam, of course, but we came upon a bad one. Two motorcycles in pieces, and two bloody drivers laid out on the street. I don't know if they were dead, but they sure weren't moving. So, like any compassionate American tourist, I got out my camera and took pictures!!

Cambodia was cool. It was rainy, though, so we mostly stayed confined to the casinos. I won a whopping two dollars and called it a day! We attempted to go duty free shopping, but the shops were closed by the time we were heading back to Vietnam so we just darted on home.

All in all, it wasn't a bad trip. I can now say that I have visited Cambodia. Surprisingly, I haven't fallen asleep at my laptop while writing this entry so I will get in my bed now.

Busy Saturday

Today and tonight at KTV, I taught three forty-five minute classes. They were good for the most part, except for this incredibly rude teenager who has a horrible attitude. I told Ms. Yen I would not allow her in my class again. I, also, asked her to call the girl's parents and explain to them the issue with their daughter. And she's ugly. Anyway... More work = more money. I'm happy about that.

Funny. As I was writing this blog, one of the students in that class just messaged me on Yahoo. Here's what she had to say:

Tramot: U DON'T SAD ABOUT JESSIE
Tramot: SHE'S A BABY
Tramot: anyway all people in my class verry verry like u
Tramot: Tramot: we like u teach my class
Tramot: it's doesn't matter
Tramot: u're a good teacher
Tramot: that's true
Tramot: i don't tell lie to make u happy

Happy to know that I have the support and love from my students :) They like me, most of them anyway.

Tomorrow morning, I will teach two classes at KTV (Yes, on Sunday), have lunch with Andy and his family, then we will all go to Cambodia for the rest of the day! I need lots of sleep for tomorrow! Good night. Below is a pic of where I spend my evenings. My home away from home.

Happy Friday

Friday doesn't mean much to me since I work on the weekends... but Happy Friday to everyone who is free the next two days.

Today, I got a package from my pops. I had ordered some spray paint accessories for Ti, the son of the family I rent from. My dad, also, put some Advil PM (Why?? No idea.) and extension cords in the box. My dad is awesome and will do anything for me. I'm so lucky, truly, to have been blessed with him as my father. Not just because of the box he sent me, of course, but I'm just speaking generally and in remembrance of things over these last crazy thirty-four years that he's done for me.

I had breakfast with Mr. Mark and Ms. Patsy, which is always fun. I'm, also, blessed to have them here with me. After that, I went home, screwed around with my internet that isn't working yet. Now, I'm stealing some cafe's wifi. Shh! Don't tell the government.

I taught two classes tonight. Both were wonderful. Ms. Patsy helped me with one. I love it when she joins my classes. She's always a bundle of joy.

Tomorrow will be a semi-busy day of teaching three classes, but I need the dough so I welcome work. Until next time..

Forgotten Tidbits

Some things I wanted to write down and forgot to mention in the midst of my broken laptop fiasco.

Someone stole Andy's dog... his sickly dog that couldn't even stand on its own. Someone stole it.. only to sell it for dog meat in the market.

A police officer slash crossing guard (I'm still not sure what he was) got angry today when he was trying to stop me to let children cross. I didn't see him. Oops.

I'm going to Cambodia on Sunday - super excited about that!

My high school didn't have classes today because they were testing so I got to sleep in. It was wonderful!

I'm working every day this week... blah

Long and I had a falling out today after he messaged me and told him I only needed him when no one else was around. Apparently he was upset that I got Ms. Khanh to go to the computer place with me instead of him. I don't understand his train of thought, but I'll keep my distance from him for a little while and let him figure out what he wants. I messaged him and told him I have been nothing but nice to him and his statement was not true. Jealousy, perhaps? I don't know.

Issues Resolved

I didn't get a chance to write a blog yesterday because my laptop was still in the damn shop. So today, I went and raised hell like any good American would do... and I now have a brand new laptop with new hardware and software. Hooray!!

I'm thorougly excited about the outcome of the election. OBAMA!!!!!!! America needs this change. Let's all wait and see how much further damage Dubya can do before he leaves office. What a joke of a president he has been!

I am teaching two classes tonight at KTV so I will prepare for those now. I just wanted to write a quick entry to keep up to date.

Good Day

Today, was a good day. I slept until 9:30, which was wonderful! Long and I went to Big C and bought a few things. There is now a Pizza Hut there so we ate some pizza. It's not nearly as good as it is back home, but it'll do. Then I took a long nap, woke up, drank coffee with Long, and went to KTV to teach two classes. Now. I am at Ms. Patsy's and Mr. Mark's. I will do some online banking now, and hopefully my laptop will be fixed tomorrow.

Mishap Monday

This will be a brief entry as I am writing this entry from Ms. Patsy's laptop. Mine has crashed... again. It is currently in the repair shop for the fourth time in six weeks where I've given the ultimatum of "for real" fixing it this time or replacing the whole damn thing.

Also, today marks the day that I had my first accident. I ran head on into this old ass woman who was driving the wrong way down the shoulder. Whatever, no harm done really. Just a little alignment problem that I got repaired today along with my gas gauge, signal light, and an oil change.

I'll write more when I get my laptop back... and then I will write about how I became a loud ass embarrassing American up in the computer store arguing with the Vietnamese manager about how I knew more about laptops than he did. Hey, I made a scene to get things moving with the repair situation.. and it seems to have worked.

Good night.

Amazing Characatures

This morning started off with a Phonics class at 9am that I didn't know I was teaching until last night when I went into work. It was fine. I just pushed my plans back an hour. After the class, I had coffee with Ms. Patsy, Mr. Mark, and some of his students. It was pleasant, and the music wasn't as noisy this time. Of course, we had coffee at Ngoc Phat Garden, the place that Mr. Mark swore off two nights earlier. ha! Andy and his family invited me over for lunch, and afterward he and I went for coffee and then ice cream at Coopmart. Castaway was showing at the Movie Club at KTV this afternoon. I have to say, it was interesting. I had a forty-five minute lesson with Ti, and Tiem cooked rice soup. It was delicious, and now here I am in my apartment writing this blog. It has been raining so I am not sure if Beer Night is canceled. We shall see if Duong, Tri, Ba, and Thu show up. Time will tell.

I wanted to share two characatures that a Vietnamese boy drew of me. I think they are just amazing and look exactly like me.. only my hairline is not that high :D The boy and his graffiti club plan to paint the pictures on buildings and walls across the city. I'm not one to encourage illegal graffiti, but, I mean.. it's all about me so I say, "Have at it, boys!" Enjoy!

Vietnamese vs. Koreans

Before I start this blog, I want to preface it with the fact that my intentions are not to disrespect any group of people. These are simply my observations, comparisons and contrasts, about two different cultures. Last year I lived in South Korea from June 2007 to June 2008. Things here in Vietnam are so different. The people and the culture here definitely suit me better than they did in South Korea.

The Korean people are exceptionally intelligent and well-educated. The children go to school all day every day, and they study hard. The Korean people, as a nation, have the world's highest IQ on average. However, they have NO common sense. Their social skills are severly lacking, due to the fact that they work so diligently from 6am to midnight every day and have very little social interaction, if any, outside of studying. The Vietnamese people are much friendlier and more interested in helping a foreigner rather than just being selfish and using you to practice their English skills. Not to say that all people are as such because I met some wonderful people in Korea. The Vietnamese are just more laid back and open minded as a society, in my opinion.

Also, the Koreans have no clue how to walk in a straight line. Seriously. We used to walk in zig zag patterns to imitate their walking behavior. Clueless. And oh so frustrating to get behind someone. Not to mention that if they are with a group of friends, they all walk shoulder to shoulder which makes for a fun game of Red Rover if approaching from the opposite direction, especially if you're my size.

Should I mention the driving skills? I will keep this matter tame and leave you with the following question: If the Korean people can't even walk in a straight line, can you attempt a guess at what their driving is like? In contrast, most Vietnamese people drive motorcycles. One false move, and there is a serious accident so they have to be aware of their surroundings. Self-awareness. I haven't seen it in a while so I welcome it with open arms.

The Koreans rush out of the subway, bus, train, .. any enclosed transportation vehicle or coming out of a building, but they walk slow as all hell when they get off or out of the vessel. They push you out of the way and are abhorrently impolite... only to walk frustratingly tortoise-like (in a zig zag pattern, of course) after exiting. The rush to nowhere, I called it. Again, a lack of common sense and unawareness of personal space.

... Which leads me to my next point. I thought it was just our culture in America until I moved here to Vietnam that taught us to respect each others' personal space. In Korea, they push all up on you in the checkout line at the supermarket, bank line, and just walking, even. Again, they are in a rush to do nothing, really. They don't mean to be rude. It's just their culture. They don't have an awareness of people around them. Hence, the rushing out of places only to walk slowly and hold everyone up, the constant bumping into people without acknowleding it with an apology, the walking aimlessly looking everywhere except in the direction in which they are going, and the need to put their faces one inch from yours to try to grasp on to one little English word they learned forty-five years ago in elementary school that they can decifer out of the conversation you're having with your friend.

Koreans' work ethic is a lot more driven than here in Vietnam. In Vietnam, overall, the people seem to be content with mediocrity, which is totally okay. Money just isn't important to them. Hence, there is no recession here. The Korean people want the best education and material things for their children so they work very hard. I worked seven days a week one month in October and March. Those people are some hard workers - white collar. These Vietnamese people work their behind's off with construction jobs, farming, and trading in the many local street markets, and they love their siestas.. and so do I!

Korea is about one hundred times safer than here in Vietnam. I've already had my laptop, money, and motorcycle helmet stolen here. In Korea, I didn't have to even lock my doors. Here, I locked my door at the hotel I stayed in for six weeks and still had my laptop and money stolen. Luckily, now I live on a property that is gated and locked so I don't worry about looters and such as there is always someone here securing the grounds.

And finally, Vietnam is CHEAP!!!!!!!! I can get two appetizers, two entrees, two drinks, and two desserts for $7. I'm not even kidding. Life is here is very economical... that is, if you are an English teacher and make a lot of money :)

I didn't mean for this blog to turn into a "Why I hate Korea" rant because many aspects of living there were wonderful. I met some wonderful people, friends who will indeed be my friends for the entirety of my life, and had many great experiences. However, I love living here in Vietnam, really do hope that I can stay here for a long, long time, and am looking forward to this next chapter in my life and what this country has to offer.