End of Semester and other activities

Let me say first that I just noticed a little lizard on my mosquito net. I tried to catch him with a cup--I'm running my own lizard relocation program over here--but I just scared him into my bed and now I can't find him. Hopefully he'll relocate himself from my bed, but either way, the little guy is probably doomed: Every lizard that has come into my room (at least that I know about) I've later found dead. One in my doorway, one in my bathroom, I even found one in my fridge once (frozen to death), and all the way in Da Lat there was another dead lizard in my hotel room. Maybe lizards are to this journey what ants were to my time in Europe.

Not that I don't have my fair share of ants, too. I've been finding a surprising number of ants on my computer lately. I'm starting to wonder if they're living inside of it.

Soon, though, I wont care about ants and lizards in my room, as I'm leaving at 5:45 Monday morning for Conference in Danang, followed by several weeks of travel. I'll go up to Dong Hoi with Becca for a few days, then we'll work our way back down to Da Lat for christmas with the group. We had plans to all meet in HCMC for New Year, but I just got an email from my boss informing me that oral examinations will be held from 31 December to 4 January. Blah. I didn't even know about these oral exams. I told her I had made plans to travel and already had a hotel room (which is true)--since I was told when I arrived in Nha Trang that I would be free during that time--but I have a feeling I'll just have to come back for the exams. It's my job. And even though my boss excused me from the responsibility since I'd already made travel plans, I'm not sure I can really justify skirting this responsibility. It's why I'm here, after all. And I want to be useful here. I'm just a little disappointed that I wont be able to spend New Year with friends. New Year is a big holiday for me and Sam, and it would be easier to be away if I were celebrating in HCM with the Fulbright gang.

Even though exams aren't for several more weeks, my last class of the semester was yesterday. Classes here don't all run on the same schedule, which takes a bit of getting used to. In any case, the term FLEW by!

The week has been pretty busy, though. Last classes, giving exams, marking exams, preparing a report and presentation for conference, getting ready to leave for a month or so (or less if I come back for exams). Aaaand...I learned to drive a MOTORBIKE! One of my students took me on Thursday to talk to the private English schools here, and then to show me how fish sauce is made (let me tell you--very smelly process). As we were driving she asked if I wanted to learn to drive. I said yes, of course, expecting that after I came back from traveling she'd take me to an empty parking lot one day and walk alongside the motorbike as I wobbled along. You know, something between learning to ride a bike and learning to drive a car. Oh, no no. As usual, my expectations were wrong. She stopped right on the street, got off the bike, explained the gas, the breaks, how to shift gears (it wasn't automatic)...and then she hopped back on the bike, behind me. And off we went! I was shocked by how easy it is to drive a motorbike. It really feels just like riding a bicycle. I drove the rest of the way out to the port and to the fish sauce "factory"-- a shed behind someone's home--and then all the way home. I wish I'd learned sooner how to drive a bike. And in a surprising turn of events, one of the english teachers that I'm closest to has offered to let me use her husband's motorbike while he's doing his post-doc in France for the next year. It looks like I'll have a moto to use when I want to!

Of course, I'll still keep my trusty bicycle. It's perfect for nights like Thursday, when the weather is gorgeous and I've had too much to drink. Katherine and I befriended the American who owns the Texas restaurant in the city (he's actually from Buffalo and lived in CA, not TX). On Thursday I stopped in to Texas to say hello (Katherine was sick), and Charles opened up a bottle of wine, which we finished with ease. We then migrated down the street to the Sailing Club, a bar/beach joint, where I had a few (weak) vodka tonics and enjoyed the music and watched tourists dance. Suddenly it was 2am and I decided to go home. But the weather was sooo nice....so I biked around the city a bit before heading back towards the university. At one point I passed this backpacker bar and heard one of my favorite albums, Oracular Spectacular by MGMT, blasting. I immediately turned my bike around with the intention to go into this bar. Luckily I realized that walking alone into a bar at 2am just screams "Take me home with you!", and decided that I could just listen to the album at home. Plus, it had started raining.

As I started to make my way home, a guy on a motorbike pulled up beside my bike. I think he was a xe om driver, but clearly I didn't need a ride--I was on my own bike! We started chatting, though; I was shaking his hand while we were both driving along (the joys of Vietnam's traffic!). He was super friendly, 25 years old, and seemed well-intentioned. Suddenly, though, I felt my body accelerate, compelled forward at an unnatural speed. "Am I drunk enough to be imagining this?" I thought at first. No, no, I hadn't had that much to drink. I maintained the sudden increase in velocity for a few moments before I realized the source of the magic. My new friend had put his foot on my bike rack and was pushing me home! There I was, a little drunk, biking home in the rain (sounds familiar), in the middle of the night, being pushed along by a mysterious and benevolent xe om driver. I was overjoyed, having really one of the most incredible and unexpected experiences of my life. The warm night air, the light rain, the crash of waves, the speed....I wanted to throw my arms out and yell "I'm king of the world!", but alas I had to hold on to the handle bars. So I just laughed the whole way home, instead. No, I squealed the whole way home, as the xe om driver alternatively gave me a boost and then let me pedal. He escorted me all the way back to the donkey path, where he bid me goodnight and drove off into the darkness. The next morning I half wondered if he was an angel or something--I dont even believe in angels, but he came out of no where, disappeared back into nowhere, and gave me one of the most thrilling experiences I've had in the country.

Back at my building though, found myself locked out. Damn the 11pm curfew. I still hold that they should just give everyone a key to the building. Wouldn't that make more sense? And then I wouldn't have to wake up someone to let me in. This time it wasn't the house manager, but some other unfortunate soul who heard me rattling the door and graciously pulled himself out of bed.

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I wrote the previous information this evening before my students took me out to karaoke, to celebrate the end of the semester and to say goodbye to me (for a few weeks at least). I drove Chau's motorbike to pick up some food, and then on to the karaoke place. I even....gulp...I even SANG! Katherine and I suffered through a few songs together--YMCA, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, something else I cant remember. And then I drove Carrot's bike home, with her on the back of course.....And I wrecked it. I had my first motorbike accident. It really was just a tiny little accident, but I kind of hit a garbage man, and the bike fell over with me under it (and kind of in a pile of trash)....poor Carrot and the garbage man lifted it off me. Luckily everyone is 100% fine. The garbage man is fine, Carrot is fine, I'm fine apart from some minor scratches on my hands and stomach. The bike is fine. After we made sure everyone was ok, we just laughed about it, but it was a bit frightening! I had slowed down to change gears, but had come to a near stop as we were on a hill and my foot was slow in finding the gear pedal. I put the bike back into second, which is a bit stronger than third, and gave it some gas but I lost control--it was raining, and we were on a hill, and the bike was heavier than the one I learned to drive on....Ah, I'm just thankful everyone is OK. Especially Carrot and that poor man (I really barely hit him and I was going very slow). I can just hear it now..."How did that one Fulbright lose her grant?" "Well, she wrecked a student's motorbike and injured the student and a garbage man." Eek. Jesus, I can't believe I had an accident while driving my STUDENT! At least we were wearing helmets. I almost didn't wear a helmet because they students were short one, but I'm very glad now that I insisted we find a helmet for me. Otherwise this story could have ended quite differently. Phew. Maybe this motorbike business isn't as easy as I thought.

It's funny--This afternoon I went to the pharmacy to get a de-worming tablet--as a precautionary measure, and because I've been having some strange stomach pain lately. Clearly I should have gone to buy a helmet instead!!