Stuff kids say...

Teaching can be entertaining.  Here are some real quotes from the year so far, from all the kids in my class...

“When I was a baby, I was inside my mommy’s tummy.”  – David

“When I was a baby, I was ALSO inside my mommy’s tummy!” – Bradley

“Do you know Lady Gaga?  He is so ugly.  He has so many monies!” – Po Hann

“You know, if we put food in our desk we will get ANTS!” – Nelli

“Can you play the song ‘On the Floor?’  It’s my mom’s favourite song.” – Ethan

“Thao, what do you really love?” – Ms. Angela

(Thinking really hard).  “I love Barbie.” – Thao

“I love Khoi and Khoi love me!” – Van

(A few weeks later).  “I love Ethan.” – Van

“How did you make your project?” – Ms. Angela

“My mom made it.” – Sang Hyo

“Did you help her do anything?” – Ms. Angela

“No, I just play computer games.” – Sang Hyo

“Ms. Angela, I LOVE making connections!” – Casey

“I’m so happy I could cry!” – Van

(After watching a bee try to find its way out the window, but failing).  “Ms. Angela, that bee has perseverance.” – Casey

“Bush, you need to wait your turn.” – Ms. Angela

(Quoting a poem we read).  “But waiting is a pain.” – Bush

“Do you know why we should eat our vegetables?  Because if we don’t eat them, the vegetables will eat us!” – Bradley

(After looking at another student’s messy writing).  “That writing is SO messy.  Why don’t you erase and do it AGAIN?” – Ai Nhi

“ENGLISH PLEASE!!!!” (5 seconds later, he is speaking Vietnamese to his friends). – Minh

(After scraping his leg).  “Oh no, I don’t want to have to walk like Terry Fox!” – Bradley

“I love homework!” – Kitty

(Every time, even after the hundredth drawing).  “I give for you!” – Nghi

(Talking very seriously about intramural soccer at recess).  “At recess there is a BATTLE.” – Ethan

“What did you do on the weekend?” – Ms. Angela

“I saw you at the store.” – Khoi

“At recess we played and we didn’t even FIGHT!” – Ngan

“You don’t need to be scared of monsters, because monsters aren’t real.” – Ms. Angela

“But what about robbers?” – Delila

(After passing out ‘magic reindeer food’ aka sprinkles mixed with cornflakes).  “If you put this out, Santa’s reindeer will come to your house.” – Ms. Angela

“But is it real?” – Sang Hyo

(Nodding yes). – Ms. Angela

“YESSSSSS!!!!” – Sang Hyo

“What is your favourite thing to do?” – Ms. Angela

(After thinking long and hard).  “Colour.” – Thuy

“I think I’m ready for grade 2.” – Kitty

“We need to do the 3 Ss in line.” – Ms. Angela

“I’m 4 Ss… single, silent, straight, Sang Hyo!” – Sang Hyo

"Ms. Angela, I love school.  I never want to leave!  I hate recess because there is no work.  I LOVE WORK!" – Casey

“Did you know I’m on Youtube?  Just type in ‘fat boy from Vietnam.’” – Bradley

“When I grow up I’m gonna get married.” – David

Living strong in Dalat!

This past weekend a group of us went to Dalat, another city in Vietnam which is less than one hour away by plane.  It was Brittany's birthday and she wanted to celebrate by doing an exciting waterfall/rappelling excursion before she leaves Vietnam to go back to Canada in June, so the 8 of us set out after school on Friday for a fun-filled weekend!

Dalat is very different from HCMC because it has forests, waterfalls, mountains, and cooler weather.  It was a nice break from the blistering heat here.  The city is famous for pine trees and growing flowers.  Another major difference was the size... with around 206,000 people, Dalat felt very small compared to HCMC with over 9,000,000 people in the metropolitan area.

The waterfall excursion was booked through a company called Groovy Gecko Tours.  We were picked up after a delicious breakfast at our awesome hotel (Thien An), and then were driven into the mountains on winding roads among the trees.  After some practice, we started rappelling, aka abseiling.

We rappelled down a few rock walls which was fun and not as difficult as I thought.  After a picnic lunch, we attempted the big one... rappelling down a waterfall.  This made me really nervous and I almost chickened out, but I'm happy that I summoned the courage to do it.  It was definitely a challenge to say the least, so I'm happy that I made it through uninjured and alive.

With John, Greg, Janice, Brittany, Adam, Tanya, Bec

There was also another smaller waterfall nicknamed "the washing machine" where you rappell down a rock face, and when the wall ends you lower yourself down by rope.  When the rope ends, you fall into the waterfall which whisks you down.  If you don't lower yourself down the rope fast enough, the water falling down will spin you around on the rope like a washing machine!

The waterfall rappelling experience will definitely go down as one of the most adventurous things I've done (up there with the shark dive maybe).  I was happy I did it, but relieved to be done!

On our second day in Dalat, we rented motorbikes from our hotel for $6.  We drove to a place called the "Crazy House" which is an interesting place designed by a Vietnamese architect inspired by Gaudi (think Barcelona, but crazier).  The Crazy House has many animal-themed rooms which you can explore.  We spent a lot of time there taking photos.

Our visit to Dalat was not complete without a ride on a swan boat (which looked like a chicken) on the lake.  We realized there was a restaurant on the lake and decided to take the opportunity to paddle up to it and order some drinks.  Fun times!

We had a great time driving around the city and its outskirts, seeing the farmlands and enjoying the nice weather.  It was a fantastic weekend with fantastic people!

How to eat a dragon fruit...

This is a dragon fruit!

It's a popular fruit in Vietnam that grows in desert-like areas.  It's fairly cheap here, but expensive back in Canada.  The fruit is soft, and the taste is similar to a mild kiwi.  The seeds are edible.  Here's how you can eat one, in 6 easy steps.

Step 1:

Cut the dragon fruit lengthwise.

Step 2:

Separate the 2 halves of the fruit.

Step 3:

Run a spoon around the inside of the fruit to separate it from the peel.

Step 4:

Spoon the fruit out.  You can save the peels to present the fruit in later.

Step 5: 

Slice the fruit into small parts.

Step 6:

Put the fruit back in the peel to serve, and eat!

 Enjoy!!!

Ordering in!

Like in Korea, it is very easy to order food to your apartment.  There is a great website called "Vietnammm" that allows you to select where in HCMC you live, and then see a list of restaurants that deliver to that area (for free).  You click on the restaurant name and then can see the whole menu.  Ordering is simple, and the delivery usually takes around 1 hour (if the restaurant is in District 1, which most of the good ones are!) ...

Aside from Vietnammm, lots of other restaurants have websites and do free delivery.  In Sky Garden, you can even get something as simple as a bubble tea or smoothie delivered (from a place called "Bubbly")!  It would take me about 5 minutes to get downstairs and walk there, so I've never ordered bubble tea to my apartment before, but sometimes it's nice to have the option in case you're sick and can't leave the apartment!

Restaurants are not the only ones who do free delivery.  So do grocery stores!  If you can't carry all those bags, don't worry because someone else can... for free!

A little while ago I just placed an order online.  Dominos Pizza has a 2 for 1 deal on Tuesdays, where you buy 1 large pizza and drink, and receive another large pizza for free.  You go on their website, select your order, put in your info, and wait.  It's really easy (as long as the delivery guy doesn't get confused).  Since Dominos is not far from here, the pizza should take half an hour to arrive.  Even though delivery is free, we usually give them a tip which they seem to really appreciate.

Dinner should be here soon... 2 large pizzas and a drink delivered to the apartment door for $8.84!

Hospital visit

So I ended up going to the FV Hospital (http://www.fvhospital.com/).  Since it was Sunday, the desk for regular appointments was closed and only emergency was open (?) ... so I walked over to emergency and waited around one hour to see a doctor.  Going to the hospital in another country wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.  I avoided going in Korea after hearing crazy stories of people getting random and painful shots in the bum and whatnot.  This hospital was much more "western" than the ones in Korea.  There were no communication issues.  A nurse took my temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate.  The doctor looked at my throat, said I had an infection, and sent me off with a prescription.  Drugs (3 different kinds) for one week came out to around $20.  Hopefully these things work... I'm sick of being sick.

Los Aguilas!

If you have not heard, John recently joined a softball team called the Aguilas (that means "eagles" in Spanish)!  The team is part of the Saigon International Softball League.  Teams play every Sunday at the Taipei International School nearby.  There are a few Canadian teachers we know on the team, but it is mostly made up of Cuban pilots who work for Vietnam Airlines... no joke!  The captain is named Jose and he is a real airplane captain, too! 

The league is kind of serious and even has a website where they track stats...just google "Saigon Softball."  Anyway, some friends and I went to watch a game last weekend but I forgot my camera.  Here is a pic of John today after playing in a game this morning...

Maybe we should start calling him "Juan" now.

Sick :(

Being sick on St. Patty's Day is no fun!  There was a BBQ party at some friends' apartment in District 1 but unfortunately due to an annoying sore throat I'm not going anywhere.  This whole weekend I've been hanging out in the apartment, napping, drinking tea, and doing pretty much nothing else.

When people get sick in Asia, they don't usually go to the clinic (because not many exist).  You go straight to the hospital!  I haven't gone yet but if this thing doesn't disappear by Monday, I'll have to get it checked out.  Luckily, there is a nice new French hospital near where I live, so it's only a short taxi ride away.  Hopefully I won't have to make a visit though.

Anyway... updates:

Mar. 23 - 25:  Going to Dalat for our friend Brittany's birthday to see mountains and waterfalls.
Mar. 26:  Possibly get to see my friend Sophie from New Zealand who is passing through Vietnam on her travels after finishing up teaching in Korea.
Mar. 30 - Apr. 2:  Visiting Singapore again for the holiday weekend.
Apr. 6 - 8:  Going to Chau Doc (border town near Cambodia) for our friends Julia and Andy's Vietnamese wedding.
Apr. 28 - May 6:  Going to Thailand/Laos again for spring break with a group of friends.

Lots to look forward to!!  If this sore throat would just go away...

Crazy hat/hair day

Last week was crazy hat/hair day.  Don't mess with sharks...

Got my hurr did

So I decided to get the "Volume Magic" hair treatment, after dealing with frizzy hair in humid weather for too long.  This treatment originated in Korea and does not use harsh chemicals like other hair treatments do.  The "Volume Magic" gives you permanently straight hair, with a bit of volume so it isn't stick-straight and plastered to your head.  The ends of the hair are left a bit wavy.  The results last until the hair grows out.

I visited a new salon in the neighbourhood called "La Jolie," and was greeted by the hair dresser, Sun.  He proceeded to go through a crazy number of steps to treat my hair.  I wish I could remember them all, but the process involved a hair trim, product applied to my hair several times, 3 shampoos to clean/rinse out product at various stages of the appointment, being hooked up to some funky hair roller machine, wearing curlers, having hair dried and meticulously flat ironed several times throughout the evening, etc.... it is hopeless for me to remember the exact steps/order since it was so complicated!  At the halfway point, I thought I was done.  My hair felt straighter and smoother... then Sun told me that I was only 60% of the way finished.  Several hours later, I walked out with smooth, soft, non-frizzy hair!

The best thing about Volume Magic is that you don't have to spend lots of time doing your hair.  It should pretty much dry straight.  There should be no need to use a straightener or lots of product.

Total time spent in the salon:  3 hours and 40 minutes!!!
Total cost:  675,000 VND + tip (discounted from 900,000 due to a salon-opening promotion)... so that is about $33 +  ... back home something like this would cost hundreds of dollars!!!

I will post a pic some time soon.

Dr. Seuss Day!

This post comes a bit late, but on March 2nd it was Dr. Seuss' birthday.  We celebrated this day by reading Dr. Seuss books and doing special activities in the library.  It was also pyjama day so that's why some kids are dressed up in their pjs!

Happy International Women's Day!

Today (March 8th) we celebrated International Women's Day.  The first time I ever heard of this day was when I was travelling in Vietnam a few years ago.  It is kind of a big thing here!

Along with other female teachers, I received some gifts from students... flowers, body wash, and a handmade bouquet of lolli pops!  All the female staff also received a gift certificate and rose from the Board of Directors.

Happy Women's Day!!!