My Life in Vietnam: November 2009

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

So, there's this one teenager class I teach that is just a HANDFUL most days. They continually complain about the amount of online homework they have to complete, yet never do it. So tonight, I had had it! Instead of class, we went into the school's computer lab for the entirety of the class - ninety minutes - and ONLY did homework on the website. So tonight, I came home to check homework, and I have FIFTY new homework assignments to grade for that class! Well.. I got what I asked for. It's gonna be a LONNGGG night of grading! Photo below of what I came home to - heh!

Click to enlarge.

I'll be posting a follow-up blog entry to this one and compare the time each student spend on homework before and after tonight's homework session! Stay tuned...

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Attention: Students

Does anyone have an installation cd for a Samsung mp3 player? I can't find mine, and I need to borrow an installation cd for 5 minutes. A photo of my mp3 is below. If you have one, please let me know. Thanks!

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Teachers' Day Photos

So, Teachers' Day (November 20) here in Vietnam is a big deal - parties, presents, trips, extravaganzas.. you name it! They loooovvveee their teachers here, and I loooovveee that they do! I enjoyed a couple of parties-slash-bbq's, and the managers from VietCom Bank even took Sophia and me to the beach and bought us fancy shmancy presents! Unfortunately, my camera broke so I didn't get my usual 200 snapshots. These below are borrowed from Sophia's iphone. Enjoy!

Sophia and I enjoying some bbq beef kebabs and corn on the cob!

What would a party with me in attendance be without back flips?

The whole neighborhood showed up! Fiestaaa!!

Unfortunately, there aren't many photos of us at the beach, but it was a very good day. We swam in the ocean and ate a fabulous lunch. The managers at the bank we teach presented us with flowers and bought me two Pierre Cardin shirts.. and a very nice Pierre Cardin wallet for Sophia.

Sophia and I hanging out after swimming in the ocean.

Me and "Milky Way.." Yes, that's the English nickname she chose for herself. Behind us is a rare sight: A very big boss at the bank who is usually very reserved and conservative really let her hair down at the beach! Love this picture! It's a rareity!

After we got back from the day at the beach, the managers invited us for coffee where they lavished us with gifts.

I'm anxiously awaiting Teachers' Day 2010!

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Playing Catch-up

1. The new teachers are in!! Their names are Martin and Kate, and they are from England. They have a great energy, and it's super great to get the negative energy that was here for five months out of the house. I'm super excited about them being here.

2. We had a big party last night for them - the neighborhood and Mystery class turned up... It was a great time had by all. Beer, bbq, wine, and games! Lovely, lovely time.

3. Vuong's mom got into a bad motorcycle accident yesterday. She's in the hospital in Saigon, and details are sketchy now, but she's not well. We went to church this afternoon to pray. It's the first time I've been to church in a long, long time. It felt good to talk to God again. I'm at a crossroads with my spirituality right now. I've been studying Buddhism for a while now, but I felt something today when I was praying. Time to reassess my beliefs, maybe. Unsure.

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First Talkshow Fail

HAHA aww her first talkshow didn't go so well..

Loneliness..

Overall, I'm super happy with my career choice. My job is so satisfying, and I truly feel I have the best job in the world!! I have a job that allows me to do whatever I want all day since I don't work until 6pm every day, and I finish at 9:15pm. My salary is thirteen times that of a factory worker here in Vietnam, so I live a wonderful lifestyle here as the cost of living is beyond cheap.

However, there is one drawback of being an ESL teacher in a foreign country. I discovered this while living and teaching in Korea. It's a very transient job, with teachers coming and going. Nothing is quite stable, and that saddens me. I yearn for stability in my life, and I need it to feel safe, secure, and at peace. It's difficult getting attached to people, becoming part of their lives, and then watching them go.

On the upside, I've seen three teachers I worked with in Korea here in Vietnam when they came down for vacation: Tom, Colin, and Brandon (and his lovely wife, Emily). Ying and yang, right, so the positive of all this is staying in touch with those I've parted ways with to feel the bliss of seeing them again after a long period of time :)

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Ms. Patsy's back!!!

It's late so I'm gonna make this short. Met up with Ms. Patsy, Mark, and Nick earlier tonight for coffee and tea. Was sooo happy to see her again after almost a year! She'll be here for another three months, and I'm super happy that she's here again! Good night.

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One Year Later..

I was perusing through my blog and was just wondering what I was up to this time last year. I came across a photo that Ms. Patsy took of me on her bike. Coincidentally, she just arrived back in Vietnam yesterday. Anyway, you can't tell much, but at least you can see some major changes in the face, right?

November 2008 and November 2009

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After Work

Camera happy today. Snapped a photo of me after work tonight after a long day!

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Facebook Update

So.. I just got a reply to my blog entry from my Vietnamese friend. He assured me that the facebook ban was a hoax and not put out by the Vietnamese government because their website has information stating it is false. And I'm a happy camper once again! Hoorah!!

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Facebook to be Blocked in Vietnam

Okay so this is disturbing to me, at best. Facebook is THE key avenue in my communicating with friends and family back in the states (and Ireland, too, Scottie-dude), and it will soon be blocked here in Vietnam. Click HERE for an interesting article I just stumbled across as it explains everything. Today is a sad day. I will, however, be keeping up with my blog here and on twitter so if you don't see me around on facebook, please stay in touch with me through those sites.

My Blog: http://www.gymnastmike.blogspot.com
My Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeInVietnam

Thanks, everyone, and hope to see you around!! - Michael

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Clothes' Inventory

I've accumulated quite a bit of attire since living here in Vietnam. There are two reasons for this: 1. clothes here are cheap cheap cheap! and 2. I've lost a lot of weight so I've had to buy smaller sizes. A few nights ago, I went though only shirts and ties, decided what I wear and don't wear, and gave a couple of ties to Mr. Thuan at work. Photos below :)

I bought this circluar clothes hanger contraption that saves a lot of space. Around the circle we go..

Starting off with the t-shirts

Next, short-sleeved collared work shirts (of which I rarely wear)

Long-sleeved blue work shirts

Reds, Pinks, and Purples.. some blacks.. and a random blue long-sleeved work shirts

On the other side of the room folded neatly are the short-sleeved non-work collared shirts in an assortment of colors.

And a look at where I keep work slacks, jeans, shorts, etc. etc.

And here is my collection of far too many ties. And, yes, I'm lazy so I keep them tied :)

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Hey, Blue Eyes!

Click to enlarge.

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Ms. Giao's Wedding Party

Well... my KTV girlfriend 'done run off and got married. Kidding. Kind of. No, really, Hung and Giao make a lovely couple. He's a great guy, and I know he will take excellent care of her. In Vietnamese culture, when married, the new bride leaves her house and moves in with the family of the groom. And by "family of the groom," I'm talking adult brothers and sisters who have yet to marry, parents, grandparents.. it's crowded!

Moving on to today's event.. You've never quite partied until you've been to a traditional Vietnamese wedding party. There's live entertainment, traditional Vietnamese dancers, random family members singing karaoke.. everything! And food food food.. and LOTS of beer! And lots of intoxicated individuals geared up on that liquid courage on the mic belting out a melody - karaoke style! Truly a delightful experience every time I've been so lucky to be invited to one. Below are some photos of the lovely event.

Four of us: Jimmy, Sophia, Lam, and I taxied it over to Binh Dung- the neighboring province - to attend the festivities.