My Ever-Changing Backyard

Co Mai and I ventured over to the other side of the neighborhood to get a peek at the land behind my house. An international school and villas are being built on the grounds. I'm gonna go back over there and get a shot of the back of my house next week. Until then, here are some pics of the progression of the new project. A wall has been contructed. Can't wait to see what else is to come.. but.. I really do miss the stillness of the jungle.

Soooo Frustrating!

Got all my papers in order, drove all the way to Saigon.. AGAIN.. arrived and met Tanh Ban... ONLY to the harsh realization that the US Embassy CLOSES EVERY FRIDAY!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Document Day

This morning was a morning of running around getting documentation of my lost/stolen passport. I had to get a criminal report and go to a lawyer's office to have them translate it into English.. then back to the police station to get it notarized. Now, all my papers are in order (I only hope) and I'll drive back to Saigon tomorrow to apply... AGAIN.. for my passport. I really hope it all goes smoothly.

Other than that, not an especially demanding day. I taught two classes at KTV tonight and am now in bed. I'll post some more photos from last weekend's retreat on the beach. Good night.

Another passport day

This morning, I met Tanh Ban in Saigon as we went to the US Consolate to apply for my new passport. I got some paperwork there, have to file a criminal report tomorrow, and go back on Friday. Below are some pics of Ban and I from this past weekend.

After I came back from Saigon, I took about a three hour nap. I was beat. I taught two classes at KTV tonight, came home and ate rice with Ti, and here I am typing in my blog. Oh, two wonderful compliments in two days: Yesterday, Mai told me I've lost weight and tonight Thim told me I've lost weight. YAYE!!! Those compliments keep me motivated to continue to be healthy and lose weight.

As promised, here are more pics from the retreat over the weekend. Good night.

Beach Pics

Over the next few days, I will be posting some pics from my weekend retreat. The first installment will be some narcissistic photos. I've lost quite a bit of weight since I've been in Vietnam for the past six months. Here are a few to show off my new body. Granted, I've still got a lot more weight to lose, but this is a start!

Still tumbling

A video compliation of me tumbling over the weekend. And, yes, I DID tumble in Buddhist monk attire!! Enjoy! :)

New Bike Parts and Gone for the Weekend

Wooo... so today I got a new tire for my bike - hoorah! And, also, while I was getting a checkup, I found out that my motor had a burned part so I had that replaced. Now, my bike is running a lot smoother (more smooth/smoother/more smooth.. hmmmm).

I had a good nap and am getting ready for work now and packing for my weekend retreat to the beach. There is a Buddhist meditation retreat this weekend on the beach so I'll be gone until Monday. See you when I get back! byeeee

Problems

Sorry for not posting an entry yesterday. I went to Saigon, ended up having a flat tire.. twice.. on the same tire that I JUST bought. When I finally arrived back home, the same tire was low again. It's probably flat now. I will just buy a new one tomorrow. There's no way I can go to Vung Tau tomorrow on that tire.

I'm too blah to even type.

Oh, I snapped the pic below of my ever-changing back yard. Now, there are trees planted. Hoorah! Maybe that means the school will not be built directly behind my place. I like that idea. See you tomorrow.

My backyard is gone!

So, there was a jungle behind my house when I first moved in four or so months ago. Before I left for Ba Ria on Sunday, some workers had started clearing it out. I figured it's something they do once a year to control the mosquito population or the vegetation. So, to my astonishment, when I came back from the temple yesterday, everything was gone (with the exception of a tree or two). It's all dirt!! Apparently, there is a school being built. My quiet jungle of a backyard is going to become a noisy bombardment of children! Grrr..! Below are some before and after shots. So sad. Be sure to click on the picture so it will enlarge. It's difficult to get a grasp of the dire situation from viewing only the thumbnails.

Good Times

Another great visit to the temple. This visit wasn't as relaxing as the last ones as I taught three classes - three enjoyable classes, I might add. However, I had a wonderful time and got to see all my great friends. Tien and I got to hang out and spend some time together so that in itself is worth the visit.

I drove back today about 12:30 and got home about 1:30 or so. I'm a speedster on the road when I have my mp3 plugged into my ears. My moped/scooter contraption for sure kicks butt on the highway.

Tonight, I taught two classes at KTV. Both were fantastic! After finishing, Tanh Ban and Chi Da stopped by my house. They are in town for a funeral and are staying the night. I'm gonna eat breakfast with them in the morning. Here they are chillen on my bed as they were so tired from the day's events.



Time to go to sleep. Gotta get up early to meet the boys in the morning. Good night.

See Ya Tomorrow

I'll resume looking for my passport tomorrow because today I'm going to the temple after I finish teaching at KTV this morning.

My house is halfway torn apart now. Nothing I can do today anyway.

See you when I get back tomorrow.

Too Tired to Type

So, I've taught five shifts today since 7:30 this morning. It's 9:30pm now, and I'm just getting home. I did have a little lunch and dinner break so I really shouldn't be so tired, but I was up until after 2am looking for my passport that I still haven't located. Grr...

Before work, I met Giao for Valentines' Day pho.. Then we both went to work where I presented her with a rose. I think she was embarrassed because I gave it to her in front of all the other teachers. Sorry, Giao. :D

Ti dropped my photos off at the photo shop, and I got them back this afternoon. If I go to the temple tomorrow, I will take them to the monks and nuns. I think they will enjoy them.

Ban is making me feel better by telling me it's not that difficult to get a new passport since I'm a white American - ha.

My house is halfway wrecked and sorted through due to looking for this dang passport.

Now, I'm going to bed. Gotta teach a shift in the morning. Good night.

I can't find my passport!

My passport is AWOL! This is troublesome at best. I am looking all over my house for it. I am taking a break now to write in my blog.

Today, I had coffee and a late breakfast with Lam, and his friend, Hiep. I did an hour of cardio and looked around a bit for my passport. No sign of it!!

Tonight, I taught two classes at KTV. Below is a pic of Bob and Tyler in my New World Class.



Back to looking for my passport. Good night.

Lazy lazy day

Here's what I did today: stayed in bed all day! Well, not ALL day. I did manage to get my bike washed and my oil changed. Uy went with me, and I bought us lunch afterward.

I came home, got back in bed, took a nap, got up and listened to the rain on the roof, shaved my head, took a shower, went to KTV to teach a class, came home, ate rice with Ti and Co Mai, and will watch American Idol before going to sleep.

Boring entry, I know, but it was a boring day.

I didn't teach at the high school this morning. Ms. Kahn told me it was fine and that I should just take some time off. I said, "OKAY!" So that made my day just swell.

See ya tomorrow.

11 February

Today started early as I woke up around 6am. I met Mark for pho and just goofed off all day, really. I ventured out to Coopmart to get some Milano cookies and milk. This was, of course, after I exercised. I rewarded myself - heh!

I taught 1 1/2 classes tonight at KTV. Ms. Yen was supposed to observe my class, but she ended up not coming. Maybe another time.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to teach at Tran Dai Nghia in the morning because I haven't heard anything. It's really becoming such a hassle to work there. Not much money for the preparation I have to do, and I still haven't got paid from January. Mr. Thom told me to not go back until they got their act together so that is what I'm going to do. I'm just... not happy working there, I guess. It's just too much.

I'm gonna head to bed now. I guess I'll know when I wake up if I'm working in the morning. Who knows what's going on? Grrr! G'nite.

Am I a Good Teacher?

This is what sometimes happens in my classes: Dance offs with six year olds!!!

Monkey Videos from the Jungle

A Temple, The Jungle, and Monkeys!

I always have the most amazing experiences when I visit Phat Quang Temple in Ba Ria. I have made some very good friends there, and it was a pleasure seeing them.

After work yesterday morning, I drove to Ba Ria, a city about an hour and a half away. I had taught kids earlier so my voice was not up to its full potential. Also, there were many guests at the temple so we canceled the 3:00 class. The master arrived back from out of town with laptops in tow. Nhi was estatic that he bought her one. I was happy for her, too. She'll go back to America in a few months with a new laptop. Good for her.

The monks were all shaving their heads so they asked me if I'd like to have my head shaved. Of course I affirmitavely answered, and off we went. The second picture is of Tien and me showing off our bald heads.

We all ate dinner and had a lesson at 7pm. I taught them about adjectives when answering the famous question, "How are you?," how to greet people, and a paragraph about the temple with some information about location, number of monks and nuns cultivating there, etc. Below are some pics of me teaching. In the third picture, I was explaining the adjective, "full."

After class, I meditated for about twenty or so minutes. I can't quite get my chubby, short, stumps of legs into the correct position, but it's definitely something I'm determined to work toward.

When we all finished meditating, Tien came back to Ban's room and made himself some noodles. He left, shortly after, and the monkhouse went to sleep.

This morning after eating breakfast with everyone, I was invited to hike up the mountain into the jungle to see monkeys. How exciting! There were lots of monkeys, and they even ate out of my hand. They love chocolate, as do I. Below are some photos of our hiking expedition this morning.

The hike up the mountain:

Random power lines in the middle of the jungle:

We found monkeys!!

Hanging around:

Breaktime on the way back to the temple:

Hiking back, I found some bamboo. You don't see this every day in America, so I surely did take a "senior pic" in it.

Now, I'm home and have to teach a class tonight at KTV - back to reality! Tomorrow, I'm off so I'm going to take advantage of that by resting.

Easy Day

This morning, as usual, I had pho with Mr. Mark. I was a little late meeting him.. oops! But we had an enjoyable meal. The bike ride there is always interesting as sometimes people get in our way. His loud horn on his big chopper scares people, and that makes me chuckle.

After breakfast, I went to KTV to prepare for my lessons tomorrow that I'm teaching at the temple. We are doing introductions and simple present tense - yaye! I am excited to see them learn!

This afternoon, I did laundry and cleaned around my house a little. I did thirty-five minutes of cardio while watching American Idol. I've gotten into this habit of only doing cardio if there is something interesting on tv to watch. It makes the time go by faster.

I was supposed to teach a class tonight at KTV, but Mark filled in for me because Sophia, Joe, and I made plans for dinner. It was nice to visit with them, and I hadn't seen Joe in a long time. He came bearing gifts from Korea. He brought me some Korean noodles, and I'm sooo excited to get them because (sorry, all my Viet friends but..) Vietnamese noodles are terrible!!

We had a little Korean wine (no beer as I am sticking to my New Year's resolution) and some pork spring rolls.

Now, I'm packing and getting things in order for my visit to the temple tomorrow. I will stay overnight and return on Monday morning or afternoon sometime. See you on Monday! Cheers!

Care Package Secured

Finally.. my care package from New Orleans complete with Louisiana spices, sauces, jambalaya and gumbo mixes has arrived ... a month and a half after it was sent. My great friend, Toan (who is Vietnamese) sent it to me from back home. I was so happy to finally get it. I took a photo of all the wonderful items he put in there for me. Thanks, em trai!!!
Before I went to pick up my package, Mr. Mark and I ate pho for breakfast. Big surprise, right? But after I picked up my package, Highland, my good buddy I met while playing volleyball in Long Thanh called me to tell me he was in town. I met him at Amata, and we went for coffee. Afterward, we came back and chilled for a while before grabbing lunch. We dozed off, and he left to go back to Long Thanh. He's a nice guy, and I am looking forward to our future friendship. Check out that double chin below.

Tonight, I realllly didn't feel like teaching, but I have tomorrow off so I was looking forward to that. Man, I'm just so lazy now that Chinese New Year is over. I just want to sleep!!

Oh, I didn't exercise today, but I didn't eat a lot either. I needed to give my body a break today.

Anyway, I'm gonna get to bed now. Good night.