Ok.

It's been a hard week. I'm ready to go back here.




(And I didn't even photograph the phosphorescent plankton.
I did photograph other things, though. )

Robbery #2

While I was getting ready for work this morning, there was a knock on my door around 6:45 am. I opened up to find the house manager and another girl in my building who speaks excellent English. She's become the house translator, for the most part. "I have some bad news," she started to explain. The somber look on her face indicated that something serious had happened. My first thought was that someone had died or that Katherine had an accident while out on her morning run (she wasn't home yet). Ironically, then, I was somewhat relieved to hear that my bicycle had been stolen. Along with Katherine's and Bron's (the new Aussie girl who's staying in the building until she finds a house to rent). Not the best way to start my morning.

I ran upstairs to inform Bron, and told Katherine when she got back from her run. Of course, none of us were pleased. Katherine and Bron are on tighter budgets than I am, and replacing a bike is an expensive undertaking. Not that I'm thrilled about dropping another $100 on a new bike. Between this robbery and having my bag snatched in Saigon, I've lost well over $500 dollars in stolen cash and goods, and then replacing what I lost. And I loved my old bike!

When I finally made it to class this morning (I had to wait for the police, which took ages, and was probably all in vain since I know I'll never see that bike again), one of my students reminded me that today is Friday the 13th, and asked me what I thought about the day. I told her than in the past I didn't believe it was unlucky, but now I'm not so sure. All of the computers in the classroom (we were in the high-tech lab) were mysteriously not working, too. My boss, who I was co-teaching with, agreed that all of our misfortune could be contributed to this unlucky day.

My boss also informed me that clearly 2009 is an unlucky year for me. They're really into luck here. Despite my initial skepticism, I'm starting to wonder about it. Just hours into the new year I was robbed, losing a hell of a lot of cash, my phone, camera, and lots of sentimental things. And now, just over a month later, I lose my precious green bicycle.

On top of all this, I'm staring unemployment in the face. And cant seem to find my calling in life, other than opening up a bungalow-bar on the beach. Of course this is a much bigger problem than the loss of my bicycle, but one bit of bad luck seems to remind you of all the other obstacles you face...

Bye, bye bicycle! I hope your new owner loves you as much as I did.

FURTHERMORE, this is the second robbery in the building in the past week. A few days ago, some guys climbed up a tree in front of the building, hopped onto one of the balconies, and stole two laptops from a room. Apparently the two girls that lived in the room were there at the time--it was in the middle of the night, I think--and I heard that the guys had a knife or something. That part might not be true, though. I also heard recently that my father works at the US Embassy here, a laughable proposition since I dont actively have a father, and he'd never be able to work at the Embassy anyway. Knife or no knife, though, I'm beginning to doubt the security of the building. If I'm going to get locked out of my own building at 11pm, it might as well be for a damn good reason. Clearly, locking the front door isn't preventing theft (the bike theives came in through a window and climbed over a door), and I'm afraid to leave any valuables in my room when I go out.

I keep telling myself that a little bad luck can be good luck. Now I just have to wait for the bad luck to run out and the good luck to kick in. Vomit.

Books and Movies and a big "Oops"

Over my 2 month break, I found the time to indulge in some literature and film. Unfortunately not a whole lot of either, but enough to satiate me for the time being.


A billion years ago, back in Hanoi, I discovered a fantastic English-language bookshop called Bookworm. Offering new and used books, guidebooks, history and culture books, and even some movies, all under the ownership of a friendly young Vietnamese man, the shop is truly a gem. I spent hours there, despite the relatively small size of the shop. I quickly skipped over the western fictions, John Grisham and the like, and eventually settled into a corner of the store that housed books about Vietnam and novels by contemporary Vietnamese authors. It was such a jackpot, as I had already finished a couple of the books I brought with me. Finally I settled on a stack of books that included THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE, THE SORROW OF WAR, DUMB LUCK (a novel), and BEYOND ILLUSIONS, another novel. All of the books were photocopied, but the pricetag on each explained the breakdown of the cost and how much of the profit would go directly to the author or the cost of photocopying. As legit as it could be for not being legit at all. Having read THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE, which was enlightening to say the least, and DUMB LUCK, and fabulous and hilarious novel about 1950s Vietnam, I recently picked up BEYOND ILLUSIONS. I was drawn to this book because of its female author and the fact that, on the back cover, it explained how the book was banned in Vietnam. And there I was, buying it in Hanoi.

A book about corruption, expectations, love, lust, morals and independence, BEYOND ILLUSIONS quickly revealed not only why it is banned in Vietnam, but also the courageousness of its author, Duong Thu Huong. The female protagonist in the story, Linh, faces losing everything or, in her opinion, standing for nothing. Her nuanced character, human and flawed, leads a page-turning story with an ultimately unsuspected but satisfying ending. A remarkably written novel with an excellent translation to boot. And now my copy has Cambodia sand in its seams, which I just love.



I must thank Samuel for his unintended donation of two copies of LIFE OF PI to my library. Realizing at LAX airport that he left his copy in Nashville, he picked up another to read on the plane and while traveling here in Vietnam and Cambodia. Then, in Cambodia, he realized he left his new copy in Vietnam, and thus purchased a bootleg copy from a street vendor. Finally, meaning to leave one copy with me when he went back to America, he accidentally left both copies. At least I have one to trade at a book exchange now.

I've been hearing about this book for years and I was anxious to know what all the buzz was about. Sam seemed to have some trouble getting into it, and Katherine said the same was true for her when she tried to read the book. Not so for me. I picked it up one night before bed and read over half the book in that first sitting. I finished it the next night. In a literally fantastic tale, spirituality and survival become intertwined in a most bizarre of circumstances, hinted at by the image on the cover. I'm not a religious person, and the story didn't make me believe in God (as the tagline suggests), but the protagonist's earnest endeavor "just to love God", in all of "his" (urgh--there's one reason I'm not religious!) manifestations reminds us that maybe all this religious conflict in the world isn't inevitable. I can see this one becoming a modern and enduring classic.


One of my favorite movies in years, I've already watched my bootleg copy of VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA twice. I was predisposed to love it: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Barcelona, and Woody Allen (although I'm a little disgusted at him, having recently learned about his affair with and later marriage to his more-or-less adopted step-daughter of Mia Farrow, who he was involved with when the affair begain). Missing this movie was one thing I was super bummed about when I left the States for Vietnam. I was so looking forward to seeing and thought I'd have to wait until next summer. Not true, thanks to Vietnam's blatant lack of copyrights and intellectual property rights! For 12,000 dong, or 70 cents, a properly functioning copy of Allen's new flick was happily spinning around in my computer for my viewing pleasure. I mean, do I want my money going to his semi-incestuous ass? (In a day or two I'll be more capable of separating the man from his art. Just give me time.)

Title characters Vicky and Cristina are best friends who find themselves in Barcelona for the summer. The former is practical and rooted and engaged to be married, the latter is free-spirited and passionate and sexually explorative. The summer presents unexpected romantic situations for both women, who ultimately must (attempt to) decide what they're really looking for in life and in love. Coming from the brain of Woody Allen, the movie is of course quirky and subtly funny, but I nevertheless found much to identify with in both of the characters, especially Cristina, and the events of their summer. You know, minus the threesome with a Spanish painter and his homicidal/suicidal ex-wife.


At a coffee shop in Saigon, I was fortunate enough to see Sean Penn play Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Much more "out" than the controversial but sexually repressed BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, MILK is probably avoided by those with homophobic inclinations. This, in my opinon, is a great tragedy, as this movie is, at its heart, about a fight for equality and civil rights. Cheers to Gus Van Sant for illuminating the story, continuing Harvey Milk's fight and making one of my favorite movies of the year.

I also caught, either in Saigon or on dvd, CHE, DOUBT, W, and DAN IN REAL LIFE. CHE--I only got to see the first half, unfortunately--blew my mind and increased my lust for Benicio del Toro. DOUBT was really good, W was disappointing (though not as mucha s the man himself), and DAN IN REAL LIFE was a light, refreshing romantic comedy. All worth seeing, but some more than others.

Also on the subject of film, next week is the first of what I hope will be many movie nights for students, starting with the third year English majors. I'm glad to have this project off the ground.

In totally unrelated news, I made a serious fuck up today. My class for this afternoon was moved to the morning, which I was told in passing on Monday morning while I was in the middle of chaotic meeting of which I unexpectedly found myself in charge. I jotted down the change in a notebook without thinking about it, and the news just went in one ear and out the other. I was all ready to go to class this afternoon until my co-teacher called and asked if I'd forgotten about class today. "No," I told her. "I'm still coming this afternoon." Even when she explained that she'd told me on Monday about the rescheduling, I still didn't remember. I was so busy when she told me on Monday that it didn't even register. The worst of it was that I was responsible for bringing the pre-test for the students. I'm mortified by my irresponsiblity and lack of professionalism, even though the teacher was perfectly friendly about it and even apologized for not reminding me. This is my most serious infraction since I've been working here, and although there will be no formal reprecussion, I feel terrible. It's absolutely unacceptable. Yikes. I'm definitely more motivated to be especially on-the-ball after this mess up.

Loved Ones

My precious little sister was passing through Nashville to watch a friend's older brother play hockey. Sam stopped by to see her and to take her some bubble tea (I've gotten her hooked too!). They sent me this photo.


Two of my very favorite people in the entire world. When Sam told me was going to get to see her, I unexpectedly broke down crying. I miss her so much. And from her emails and messages, I can tell that she is growing up and maturing a lot. It's sad for me to be missing her grow up, but I hope in some way I'm at least setting a good example by venturing out into the world. In any case, I'm really looking forward to having her come stay with Sam and me this summer.

Update Part One: Christmas and New Year

I'm finally back after two months travel, during which time I clearly abandoned my blog. Yikes. In the past two months I've been to Danang, Hoi An, Dong Hoi, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville (the latter three in Cambodia). Eight cities and two countries might not sound like a lot in two months, but I prefer slow travel. And I did some backtracking. And I took two short breaks at home in Nha Trang. But, now that I'm back in Nha Trang for good, I should get back to regularly updating this thing. So, without further ado, here's the first installment of an update of my past month and half.

Christmas in Da Lat
Key Words: Da Lat wine, Christmas miracles, and Ms Dung

Most of the other Fulbrighters and I met in Dalat to celebrate. We stayed at Dreams Hotel, which continues to hold the title of my favorite hotel in Vietnam (and now Cambodia). At $20 dollars a night for a double room and breakfast, the price is higher than average, but definitely worth the indulgence. The two locations of the hotel, located on the same street, are owned by the lovely and sweet Ms. Dung, who treats all of her guests like family. Breakfast is even served family-style in the kitchen. And breakfast is something you do not want to miss--eggs to order, fresh baguettes, butter, cheese, peanut butter, Da Lat strawberry jam, vegemite and marmite (yuck), piles and piles of fresh fruit, delicious coffee and homemade passionfruit juice, plus cold cuts for the carnivorously inclined. It's a true feast! On top of this, the rooms are lovely, the beds are comfortable, there's a sauna and steam room, and the showers are divine, with a million jet settings and even jets that come out of the wall. The second location of hotel has...wait for it...jacuzzi tubs.

We opted for the first location, though, so that we could stay at the hotel that Ms Dung herself staffs. She's one of the hotel's best features. On Christmas Eve, she held a big party for all of the guests, offering heaps of food and numerous bottles of wine. Perhaps out of a little homesickness, I offered to help prepare for the party; I wanted to feel like party of the family, getting everything ready for a big Christmas dinner. I ended up rolling a gillion spring rolls (that included pork. yuck!) down in the kitchen while Ms Dung's family and staff prepared the kebabs that would be grilled later. I didn't understand nearly any of the conversation but it felt so comforting to be in a kitchen, helping to prepare a meal.

The party was a huge success, and Ms Dung even ordered in special vegetarian food for me and the two other vegetarians in our group. By the end of the evening, my friends and I were all stuffed and significantly buzzed/slightly drunk. Attendant pictures are up on Picasa . We all retired to one of our hotel rooms, piled onto the beds, and played "Never Have I Ever." It was the most enlightening and bizarre Christmas Eve of my life. Definitely a far cry from my usual gnocchi-and-movie tradition with my mother!

On Christmas morning we all lingered at breakfast for a couple hours before going out into the city. Feeling like I needed some time to myself, I branched off from the group, found some taro bubble tea and wandered around alone for a couple hours. Maybe I needed a little reflection. To be honest, the week before Christmas was harder for me than any time since I've been here. I missed my family and friends, I missed Sam, I missed the cold weather and Christmas music and fires in the fire place and lights on houses. I missed all the little Christmas traditions that I had taken for granted. I'm not as rootless as I thought.

We all went out for a really nice Christmas dinner at Cafe de la Poste, a French restaurant associated with a five-star hotel in the city. A bit of a splurge, it was one of the best meals I've had here. And it was Christmas, so the splurge was excused.

My first Christmas away from home was thus as home-y as it could have been, with my friends and the gestures of Ms Dung at Dreams hotel. I was glad to have the holiday behind me, though, and get on with the festivities for New Year.


New Year/The Craziness That Went Down in HCMC
Key words: Beverages, balcony, dancing, beverages, robbery, dancing, Estonians, up-til-dawn, dancing

My time in HCMC was absolute madness in so many ways. After separating for a few days, most of the group met up again in HCMC for New Year. We started the party a little early, though. December 30th was Jahmila's birthday, which involved sushi, an Irish Pub, Go2 Bar, and further festivities on the balcony of our hotel. We met some Estonian guys who were staying across the hall from us, a new friendship that would turn out be be central to our New Year's experience in the big city.

Depsite our long night on Jahmila's birthday (some of us, myself included, were still up when the sun rose--this would be a common occurrence), we hit it hard again on New Year's Eve, of course. Our group and the Estonians gathered on the balcony, shared lots of toasts, and a little after 11 we transferred the party to a nearby park where there was a huge concert and celebration. Completely oblivious to the events on the stage, my new and old friends and I danced like crazy. Alone, with each other, with both the willing and reluctant Vietnamese spectators who were now watching us more than the concert. Danced danced danced. Karl, one of our new friends, spun me around like a pro while a circle of onlookers circled around us. Tom, another new friend, danced in a puddle. Apparently there was a video of this on my camera but...well....more on the camera later.

At midnight, Tom and Tom (there were two Estonians by the same name) opened bottles of champagne and sprayed them everywhere while I danced around the impromptu fountain and made sure to kiss all my new and old friends firmly on the lips. I get kissy after a couple drinks.

Getting us all to a club after the party on the park turned out to be nearly as difficult as creating peace in the Middle East. As soon as half of us would gather, the other half would disappear into the crowd again. Among other things, Jahmila realized she'd lost an earring and seemed willing to give her life to find it again. It took some harsh talking to to get her abandon the earring, as the girl gets, well, let's say determined when she drinks. Two taxis, a xe om, and probably an hour later, we all somehow managed to get to the club where, once again, I danced danced danced danced.

Walking home, though, I experienced a quite unfortunate event. I was robbed. A guy on a motorbike whizzed by and ripped my purse off my arm. Karl, my new dancing partner who was walking me home, tried to run after the guy but it was pointless. The thief was on a motorbike! At first, maybe from the shock, I adopted a rather Zen attitude about incident, yelling to Karl while he ran after the thief that it didn't matter, the bag was gone and there was nothing to do about it. My acceptance of the event yielded almost immediately, though, to a deep sense of loss. Perhaps this was once I realized exactly what I'd just lost: over $250 dollars in cash, my debit card, my camera (and all of the faaaabulous pictures from New Year's and Jahmila's birthday), my phone, the little ice cream cone cell phone charm that my sister gave me, my favorite wallet that I bought at the dollar store, all of the sentimental mementos I kept in my wallet, and the purse itself, which was new (but only $5). I thus sat down on the sidewalk and cried like a baby, while Karl put his arm around me and tried to shoo away the crowd of Vietnamese people who had gathered around to stare. (To be fair, some of them donated some napkins for me to blow my nose.)

Luckily I had stuffed a 50,000 dong note in my bra in case of an emergency (not to add to my cleavage). Some part of me seemed to know that I was going to be robbed. After he somehow managed to stop my crying, Karl hailed a cab and we returned to the hotel. I tried to pay for the cab with the last 50,000 dong to my name, but Karl, gentleman that he is, insisted on paying for the cab. He even let me use his mobile phone to call Sam in America, to ask him to cancel my bank cards. These kind gestures were in addition to the fact that his sandals broke while running after the thief. Yikes. Now shoe-less Karl wasn't the only great friend around. Becca loaned me 3 million dong so that I could, you know, eat. And get back to Nha Trang where I had a credit card that I could draw money on.

I stayed a few more days in HCMC and indulged in a few more nights out, including another night out at the whore-iffic Apocalypse Now Club (where we went for New Years). Becca, Jahmila and I had our own private dance party in the middle of the club, apparently. David said at one point he looked at us from across the room and we were just in the middle of the dance floor, our hands all up in the air dancing together with the biggest smiles on our faces. The Estonians left the following morning, and I woke (at 1 pm) to find flowers from Karl, who hoped to revive my spirits after the robbery. Mission accomplished.

I myself left soon, as well. After all the craziness, alcohol, poor eating and very little sleep, (not to mention loss of money), I needed a brief respite in Nha Trang before Sam would arrive in less than a week....

Coming Soon
Update Part Two: Sam's Visit and the Kingdom of Wonder

Dong Hoi

I'm writing from a comfy chair, in my room at a four-star beach resort, overlooking the sea, on an island off the coast of Dong Hoi. And, through a strange twist of events, I'm staying here for free. Jahmila and I are in Dong Hoi, visiting Becca and helping her pack all of her stuff since she's being relocated to Hue University. Last night we went to a small, basic hotel in the city, since Becca's room is too small for the three of us, and is furthermore so mold invested that I'm actually a little sick now. After dropping off our stuff at the hotel, we went to a little cafe down the street. There, we met "Alex" (aka Hoang Anh), a young man who studied in the US and whose family owns the Sun Spa Resort. He invited us for a complimentary stay at the resort, and after some hesitation, we accepted the offer. We piled into his BMW, picked up our stuff from the other hotel, and drove across the bridge to the island and its Sun Spa Resort. We have two great rooms that overlook the sea, yummy breakfast, access to the gym and suana.... How is this my life?


This resort is the first of its kind in Dong Hoi, a quaint coastal town that, for the most part, remains in its natural state. In other words, it has yet to become an overexploited, unsustainable tourist destination. The beach is pristine, unscarred my tacky hotels and water sport kiosks. In ten years, though, this place will be another Nha Trang, for better or worse.

Becca, however, has had quite a challenging time at her uni here, and Fulbright is thus relocating her. She's spending the weekend packing, tying up loose ends, spending time with students. Yesterday some of her students took the three of us to the Outdoor War Museum, which is run by the aunt and uncle of one of her students. The musuem is several kilometers outside of the city, and is actually a well-preserved system of undergound houses, schools, tunnels, and even a "hospital" and nursery that were used by the Vietnamese during the war. The land is pocked with bomb craters, some evolved into ponds, others morphed into small valleys, overgrown with shrubs and wildflowers. While the grounds are well-kept by the aunt and uncle of the student, nothing is marked in Vietnamese or English, so having the students with us to explain everything made the experience especially memorable. Other students have cooked meals for us, taken us to the beach....They've all been so hospitable, which isn't surprising.

I'll be in Dong Hoi for another day or so. We might go to Phong Nha Caves, near Dong Hoi tomorrow. When I leave Dong Hoi, the first stop will be the DMZ in Dong Ha. We're having a good time in Dong Hoi, though, especially now that we're vegging at this luxuuuurious hotel. I'm anxious to travel more, but a little relaxation can't hurt....

Hue

I'm currently in Hue, Vietnam, the city that was most destroyed during the Tet Offensive. Apart from that trivia, this town also houses the ancient capital city, which I visited today. It was eerie. The citadel, the old city, and the "forbidden city" (the ancient imperial city) were heavily destroyed during the war and Tet Offensive. Although it was named a World Heritage Site fifteen years ago, the ancient city is still largely in ruins. Some of the buildings have been well restored, but other remain mere heaps of crumbled stone and rotting wood, overtaken by foliage. And on a misty, overcast day like today, when no one seemed to be around, wandering around the old imperial capital felt like discovering an ancient civilization for the first time, or wandering into a Asian "secret garden". I kept getting lost, and I even got a bit scared at times, walking alone in ancient temples or wandering among the bombed out remains of once royal edifices. Occasionally I'd catch a glimpse of another human being, maybe a lone tourist or a guard or repair man, but for the most part it was just me in the labrynth of the citadel. I saw most of the landmark, but after a few hours I had to get out of there. Just too eerie. And it had started raining.

With my poncho draped over me, I wandered down to the market, haggled for some mandarin oranges, which are my new favorite food. Not the canned kind, of course. The real, fresh kind. Mmmh! And today I got them down to 15,000 vnd/kilo. That's about 80 cents for 2 lbs. I'm finally getting better about this bargaining business.

I also found a great little restaurant, where I had the best roll-you-own spring rolls I've had in Vietnam. And they were only 15,000. At the restaurant I met a British man who's traveling in Asia. He has two daughters about my age and, as it turned out, is actually staying in my hotel. It was nice to have some conversation. The best and worst part of traveling alone is the silence that it often entails.

Tonight I'm having dinner with Toni, an American woman I met at the Fulbright Seminars who's working at Hue University as an English Language Fellow. She's taking me to a veg place she knows. Tomorrow I'm hoping to hire a motorbike and driver to take me to some of the imperial tombs around the city.

Hue is lovely but it's hard to beat Hoi An, which has become my favorite city in Vietnam. If I stay another year, I'd really like to live there, but there seem to be even fewer work opportunities there than in Nha Trang. I'm actually thinking about going back to Hoi An in a couple days, since plans to visit Becca in Dong Hoi might be canceled due to some probs with her uni.

Becoming a tourist in this country is a bit of adjustment for me, as I've started to consider myself a resident of Nha Trang. People's attitudes change, though, as soon as they learn that I live in Nha Trang and work there. They stop heckling me, they smile more, they lower the price.

Being a tourist does have its funny moments, though. Like this one from Hoi An. Becca, Jahmila, Keith and I shared one room with two big beds. Keith and I shared. One night, I woke up to find him propped up on one elbow, staring at me. I took out my earplugs--it was a noisy hotel--and had the following exchange:

Me: Are you trying to say something to me?
Keith: No, but I think the ghost of christmas past is outside.

I heard chains rattling indeed, and laughed at Keith's nocturnal wit before passing out again. At least that's how I remember it. Apparently, though, I woke Keith up because I was making a lot of noise. I think I was having a nightmare. Oops! The next morning, though, "the ghost of christmas past" comment seemed even funnier, especially when I realized my memory of the night's events were a bit skewed. I apologized for waking him, but assured him it could have been worse. It could have been one of those nightmares from which I wake up screaming and in tears. After hearing that, I'm surprised he didn't ask for his own room.

I'm still trying to think of a way to set up camp in Hoi An for a while. If anyone would like to finance the opening of a bar or restaurant or hostel, please contact me . :)

Hoi An

After a few days in Danang with the Fulbright gang, I came to Hoi An with Keith, Becca and Jahmila. I've been here for two and a half days, and I'm feeling like I could stay forever. This town is magical, with clear Chinese, Japanese and French influences. A river runs through the city, and old men and women in conical hats attempt to hawk boat rides to passing tourists. At night, the water is dotted with the glow of romantic street lights. The "Old Town" area is mainly pedestrian, offering a welcomed break from motorcycles and their attendant honking. Somehow, Hoi An has struck a balance between preservation and tourism, the latter of which has no doubt funded some of the preservation. The town is a UN World Heritage Site. Old villas along the river house patisseries, restaurants, quaint bars and modern ones. The outlying beach has yet to be overcome with resorts. But they're on their way. In a few years, this city will most likely be another sprawling tourist metropolis. I guess that means I should move here before that happens? :)

Our three days here have been some of my best in this country. Wandering around the Old Town, eating delicious food (western and vietnamese), and yesterday renting bikes and riding a few miles out the beach, exploring the countryside, hopping over to an island off the coast....

I think I can get here from Nha Trang on an overnight bus for just a few dollars, so I'm already planning my next visit.

In the mean time, I'm heading back to Danang with everyone. Keith is catching a flight to HCMC, Jahmila lives in Danang, and Becca and I will take a train northbound. I'll hop off at Hue, and she'll go home to Dong Hoi, where I'll meet her in a few days.

So far my trip has been better than expected, and judging by the rest of of my time here, I bet that trend will continue.

Another update from the next city.


Currently listening: the sounds of Hoi An at 6am.

Furama Resort, Danang

I'm currently sitting at a candle-lit table in a cozy cafe at the five-star Furama resort, beside a lovely christmas tree, listening to a jazz piano player and sipping a decaf cappuccino. How is this my life?

The sea is treacherous but beautiful here. The weather is nearly cold. The hotel is incredible, and tactfully decorated for the holidays. So cozy! And all the Christmas trimmings are making me so happy.....Seeing the Fulbrighters has been so much fun. The conference is going spendidly as well.

I'll be here at the hotel for two more nights, and then I'm not sure what my plan is...and I like it that way.

More soon....

Leaving

I've finished grading all the students' tests, I've cleaned my room, packed my bag, checked and rechecked my to-do list. In the morning my taxi will arrive at 5:45 am to drive me to the airport, and I won't be back to Nha Trang until the end of December at the earliest. Leaving this place, even for a few weeks, feels strange.

I'm prepared, though, in part because I'm a chronic overpacker. I dont pack obviously extraneous stuff, but I just like to be overly prepared. And it often comes in handy. I overpacked for my and Sam's tirp to Da Lat, which turned out to be a good thing as ended up taking a 3 day trek through the mountains.

I've also stocked up on some new music, from a place called "Groove Shack" in the tourist area. You can buy digital versions of albums for 20,000 dong, a little over 1 dollar, and they'll put the music on your iPod or flash drive. I opted for the former, so that I could the actual files on my computer. Here's what I bought:

• Thomas Dybdal, "One Day You'll Dance for Me New York City"
• The Ting Tings, "We Started Nothing:
• The Radio Dept, "Pet Grief"
• Stars, "In Our Bedroom After the War"
• Sigur Ros, "Agaetis Byrjun"
• Portishead, "Third"
• Patsy Cline, "20 Golden Hits"
• Chet Baker, "Let's Get Lost--The Best Of" (which, due to a misprint in the shop's listings, I didn't realize I already had. Huge bummer.)
• Chet Baker, "A Jazz Hour with Chet Baker"
• Ane Brun, "A Temporary Dive"

I'm disappointed about only ending up with one new Chet Baker album--he's almost all I'm listening to these days. Oh well. I'll have to drop another 20 Grand for a replacement...And I was happy to see that they had the full catalog of Ben Folds, including this last album that came out a few months ago.

Today I also...got my hair cut again! I wasn't totally satisfied with the last cut--it was awkwardly long in the back. They have this thing against cutting off too my length here. So I texted Lien today to see if she wanted to go to the nail shop with me, which turned into me and Katherine going over to her house for lunch with family and then going to the nailshop. I was a bit stressed about time--I had a lot to do today--but it ended up being fabulous. Both the company and the food.

Finally at the nail shop, I enjoyed a relaxing hair wash/massage before getting my haircut. The girl that cut my hair last time wasn't there. Instead, a young man (I've never seen a guy working there before) had overtaken her role. Lien informed me that he was a "famous" hair dresser in Nha Trang, which was a comforting fact. At least before I noticed his terrible mullet and too-short bangs. It was worse than Spanish mullets. "He might be a great hair dresser, but he's clearly not doing his own hair," I thought.

He started cutting my hair, finished, and proceeded to dry it....straight. In a fifty-year-old-woman stye. It looked awful. And it was still too long in the back. I hated to have him do it again, but I did. In fact, it took about 4 tries to get it close to being right. He seemed good-natured about it. In any case, now I have certifiably short hair. I'm missing my long hair--apparently I look older with short hair. In fact, someone thought I was 28 the other day. A fine number in itself, but I dont want to already look six years older than I am! But I'll enjoy the short hair while it lasts....



I also got little snowflakes painted on my toes. 'Tis the season!!!

I'm feeling more sore today from the accident last night but still just relieved that no one was seriously hurt....Unfortunately, though, my student (who was with me) had another accident on her way home. She was hit by a drunk driver. She's more or less fine but pretty banged up. I feel terrible for causing one of her two accidents in one evening. Again, though, just happy everyone is alive.

Alright, I have to be up in less than five hours. Yikes. The off to Danang, then who knows what until Christmas in Dalat! And I'm sooo excited to see all the Fulbrighters!!!!!!!!!!! Blogs will be few and far between I'm afraid but I'll try to at least update about my whereabouts.

Just for fun, a pic from last night, before the accident and second haircut, but after I bought my crazy new Che Guevara shirt!




Currently listening: "In Our Bedroom After the War," by Stars.

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.

------
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!!

Another reason to eat less meat.

True, when I stopped eating meat about 11 years ago, I wasn't thinking about the environment. I was thinking that meat was pretty gross. Who wants to eat dead animal? Ew. Furthermore, I didn't want to think about animal slaughtering. Blegh.

Now, though, environmental concerns constitute the heart of my vegetarianism. It seems that as years pass I've become a bit more militant about my vegetarianism, as well, and as soon as I can ween myself off cheese I'll become a vegan. In the mean time, it's increasingly clear that one of the biggest ways that individuals can reduce their carbon footprint is to eat less meat (and in my case, less dairy). Meat production generates 18% of greenhouse gasses--more than cars, buses and airplanes.

The head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has suggested that people eat less meat in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This is a call, then, to skip that hamburger, steak, pork chop or chicken salad a couple times a week. I promise--it's easy!

Read more here. I could go on and on about this but I'll let the New York Times do it for me. :)


Currently listening: Chet Baker

Stop that thief!

Katherine and I spent several hours biking around the city today, stopping intermittently to browse in a store, get bubble tea, buy a bootleg Mariah Carey Christmas Cd. We stopped in a dress shop at one point, having noticed some cute items in the window, but left when we realized that the prices were quite high. We had parked our bikes outside of the shop, locked together, and wandered across the street to another shop. Finding nothing in the second shop, either, we started to leave, at which point Katherine started screaming "HEY! HEY! STOP!" I looked across the street to see a man lifting both our bikes. She and I did our best to sprint across the street--one of the bigger ones in the city--but it was damn game of Frogger, with all the the motorbikes. And we were both, by now, yelling at the man (who clearly didn't speak English) to STOP!. Finally, and still screaming, we made it to the other side of the street, where I was confused to find a shop attendant calmly watching the man struggle to lift both our bikes. And that's when we realized it. The man was not a thief. He was the security guard of the shop. And he was just trying to move our bikes so that he could sit in his chair, which our bikes were blocking.

I was mortified. I apologized over and over in Vietnamese, making little bows, holding my hands up in guilt. This, of course, was in between bouts of gut-wrenching laughter and burying my embarrassed face in my hands. The poor man, who we'd nearly attacked, seemed unaffected by the whole debacle, sat down in his newly liberated chair and lit a cigarette.

First of December

It doesn't feel like December. In absolutely no way does it feel like December. It's warm. I'm wearing t-shirts. I make sure I have a poncho, not mittens, when I leave the house. And didn't I just leave the States, like, last week? Actually, it was July when I left America. July. I remember very clearly watching my mom and Sam disappear as I went up the escalator at the airport...and then falling apart and crying while waiting at the gate. Yes, I remember that clearly, but in a way it seems like another lifetime altogether. I've been here for over fourth months now, which I can barely believe.

The installment of Christmas decorations around town helps to remind me that this is the last month of 2008. Maximark is donning tinsel and wreathes. The Yasaka, in its ever tackiness, is glitzed out with flashing lights and giant santas. Next door, the posh Sunrise Resort displays more sophistication in its use of lights and garlands, which are hung tastefully in the arched doorways behind a classic christmas tree. And "Asianized" Christmas carols provide a musical backdrop in many stores already. 'Tis the season, even in Vietnam.

I'm really loving all the Christmas stuff, though. I used to hate Christmas, but in the past few years I come to love the holiday season. And even though I'm bummed about being away for Christmas, and even though Christmas in Vietnam will never be the same, I'm finding comfort and excitement in all the lights and tinsel and jingle bells.

I'm also excited about finding THREE new vegetarian places this week! One was decent, and not exactly new, as we had stumbled upon it in my first week here but had never been able to find it again. The second place was incredible--maybe the best "plate of rice and stuff" I've had! And by far the cheapest, at 7000 dong (about 41 cents). The place was full of locals, which is always a good sign. Katherine found a third place today that we'll hopefully try sometime this week.

Our favorite, more up-scale veg place is also offering new appeal, as it's moved from it's tiny, 8-table location to a three-room joint further down the same street. Hopefully it's upgrade won't bring a jump in prices!

In other news, last night Katherine and I ventured into a "fair" we'd heard about in the city. It was a bit outside of town, towards the airport, but it was a lovely night for a long bike ride. We paid 8000 dong to get in and thus witness what, exactly, constitutes a Vietnamese "fair". Apparently it's a two dinky kid rides, a handfull of "games", free samples of wine and tea, clothes vendors and lots of mops for sale. Yes, mops. A disproportionate number of mops. It was all a bit strange and underwhelming, apart for the earsplitting volume of the music blasting through the place. Some guy gave us free bottles of tea, which we decided compensated for the 8000 we paid for ticekts, and we shelled over a few thousand for real ice cream cones. We were, after all, at a fair, and it was the only "fair'' food that appealed to me. (No funnel cakes in sight. Only fried meat on sticks. Ew.

This morning I got another sweet treat. I finally managed to get some office hours set up, since I was sick last week and re-scheduled them. One student, one of the girls who had come to visit me while I was sick, showed up. She took a few years off before starting uni so she's actually only a year younger than me, and she speaks great English. I helped her with a few sounds she was having trouble with, and then we just chatted for nearly an hour. Before we left she handed me a plastic bag with a metal container inside--she had brought me home-made che!!! Her mother had made it--creamy tapioca with stewed plantain bananas. One of my favorites!

And if that gesture weren't enough, she offered to take me on Thursday to check out the private English school in the city. And then to take me to see how fish sauce is made. I'm kind of dreading the olfactory experience involved, but I'm sure it will be interesting!

Due to a killer headache I took a long nap today. I feel great otherwise, no stomach pain, but I'm still just so tired.

I also got my first piece of unopened mail today! Granted, it took nearly a month to get here, but I can't complain about that when the mail had clearly maintainted its integrity through the Vietnamese postal system. A true feat! It was a mailer from Judi, Sam's mother, decorate with autumn leaves on the outside. On the inside I found 9 cartoonish illustrations of some of my experiences here--getting my jade bracelet, singing and biking in the rain, performing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" for my students (really one of my brightest moments in life...), watching Obama win the presidency with Sam, from a cozy bed in Asia Paradise Hotel. It was really just so "Judi", the whole concept and aesthetic, which I miss. The package made my day, and luckily I have another mailer to look forward to as I hear she sent a Christmas one too!

I have only a week left in Nha Trang before I head to Da Nang for conference, where we will be staying at a five-star beach resort. American tax dollars hard at work, I tell ya! I'll travel for at least a month, I think, before coming back to Nha Trang. I'm feeling a bit sad about being gone that long. For being such a nomad I sure get attached to places quickly. It's a bad quality for a wandering soul to have! At any rate, I'm looking forward to it, though, and luckily I found a (knock off) North Face backpacking pack at Maximark for $24 dollars.

In the mean time I still have a splitting headache (vomit). Time for bed. :) I've been having crazy dreams lately--last night I met George Clooney on a bench here in Vietnam--so I'm looking forward to some unconscious, nocturnal adventures....

Bye, bye hair.

I didn't wait for votes about the hair. After I posted the blog, Lien called and asked if I wanted to run some errands with her and go to the nail shop. I interpreted this as the universe telling me to go ahead and cut my hair since I'd already be at the salon to have my nails done. Actually, I tried to ignore the "sign" to cut my hair, and told the girl to just to take off a little....but she ended up cutting it really short. And I love it! In fact I think might want it a little shorter. Not a problem since it costs about $1.65 to get a haircut around here. I swear, the thought of paying western prices for things just makes my stomach hurt lately. Anyway, here's the outcome. I haven't had short hair in about ten years, and this time last year my hair was past my boobs! (They won't tell you but most girls measure their hair in relation to their breasts. :)

Wellness, Thanksgiving, New Friends...

Firstly, I'm feeling much better and I'm absolutely thrilled about it. I'm hoping the problem doesn't recur.

Unfortunately I wasn't back to normal by Thanksgiving. Maryanne, a British volunteer at another college, and at whose house we were holding Thanksgiving dinner, was also a bit unwell, so our menu was modified a bit. We skipped the caramelized tofu, bought some green beans from a restaurant nearby, and only made pumpkin soup, mashed potatoes and some sauteed veggies. The soup was delicious--kudos to Chef Katherine--and really hit the spot. Katherine thus continued to supply nearly my entire diet. She's brought me soup, noodles, drinks, breakfast, all found hanging on my doorknob when I wake up. Being sick without her would be much more miserable!

It was a quiet meal among four friends--Steve, Maryanne, Katherine and myself--and didn't feel a damn thing like Thanksgiving. That's probably for the best, though. The fact that nothing here feels like the "holiday season"--even with the installment of christmas decorations at hotels and playing of christmas music in stores--makes being away much easier for me. My annual trip to my grandfather's home for Thanksgiving is one of my favorite things in life, and I was sad to miss it.

By Friday I felt much better, though, and went to class (pronunciation for first years) on Friday afternoon. Several students for this class had come to visit me while I was sick, and had called, texted and emailed all the time to check on me, offer to bring me food, take me to the doctor. Needless to say I'm getting quite attached to this class. :) And the session on Friday went especially well and felt especially rewarding. I like teaching pronunciation.

I was feeling so well after class that I decided to bike into town with Katherine for dinner at a veg place. We remembered that Charles, the owner of Texas restaurant, had planned to serve pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and after dinner we decided to swing by to see if had any left. (My own plan to make "bakeless pumpkin pie" was abandoned due to illness.) To my joy, he still had some pie! After offering to heat the pie and serve it with icecream (yes to both, please!), Charles introduced Katherine and me to two young men who were also dining. The boy--twins, actually--have lived here in Nha Trang for three years and own a furniture exporting company here. We accepted their invitation to eat with them. It turns out they're American-Philipino, went to Berkeley and Columbia for undergrad, and dont fit the normal "expat" stereotype, which was quite a relief. Katherine and I enjoyed out desserts, they enjoyed their dinners, we chatted, Charles sat down with us to talk every now and then....It felt a bit strange to be talking with all Americans, in a very Western style restaurant...but the pumpkin pie was sublime. That's all I really wanted out of Thanksgiving, and somehow, in Nha Trang, Vietnam, half way around the world, I got it.

After dinner we went for a drink at Guava bar, a chill little place in the tourist district run by a Canadian guy. Had some wine, met some other expats (all men of course), talked, went home. Really a nice evening--just talking and a glass of wine. Lately I've wanted to find a place to just go have a drink and relax. Not a club, not a disco. It seems that I've found it! And I'm hoping I've found some new friends, as well. It would be quite nice to have some more young American friends.

I couldn't get to sleep Friday night--I was up til nearly 3am--but I woke up early on Saturday nonetheless and decided to join Katherine for breakfast with the manager of the Asia Paradise hotel. She'd talked about him a lot and I had been looking forward to meeting him. He's an older gentleman with a kind smile and obvious wisdom. He and a friend drank tea and talked to us about Vietnam while Katherine and I enjoyed breakfast. He also offered to look into NGOs in Nha Trang, since both Katherine and I would ideally like to stay in Nha Trang but we'd like to find some other work to get involved in, as well.

After breakfast we stopped in at Maximark. I've been wanting to have some dresses made, so I decided to look at the upstairs (clothes) section to get some ideas for what kind of dresses I'd like. I ended up buying 3 shirts (including a cool Che Guevara one and a left-over Banana Republic one) and a dress. Oops :) It was just so cheap, and in my sickness I haven't been spending any money lately, and I'm living so far under my budget anyway....Ok, I'm trying to justify, I know. I'm especially fond of the dress--a short brown eyelit smock to be worn with black tights. Lately I've REALLY been missing wearing winter dresses with tights and boots--my favorite fashion invention ever. Summer dresses and smocks with tights and flats will have to suffice until I relocate to colder climates. (Sam is in London now and said all the English girls--maybe even Anna Peacock? jeje :) -- are running around in dresses, tights, boots, and coats....sigh.)

While trying on clothes at Maximark--let me assure you that their dressing rooms are nicer than their WC--a Vietnamese lady kept opening Katherine's curtain. And then, while Katherine and I were outside of our little curtains, looking in the mirror and contemplating our prospective purchases, the woman stole Katherine's clothes that she was trying on and took them into her own curtain. Clearly there's some Vietnamese dressing room etiquette that I'm missing.

On our way home we spent a good hour on New Bridge watching a movie or something be filmed on the shore of the fishing village. We nearly had to run from the police, who came to clear out all the motorbikes that were parked along the street, but luckily another onlooker communicated to us that we, only bicycles, were fine. Phew! After watching nothing happen on the set for a while, we became more invested in the little children who were pulling around a crab that they'd tied to a string. Who needs Tonka when you have twine and crustaceans? We eventually came to the conclusion that the views from the top of New Bridge are some of the best in the city. We lingered for quite a while, watching, looking, absorbing all the activity and enjoying the strikingly pleasant weather....

The weather has been quite lovely lately--relatively dry, cool, breezy. Perfect temperature during the day and even a bit crisp at night if you're just in short sleeves. My students, however, all bundle up in furry jackets and scarves. Everything's relative, I guess.

One last hooray for feeling better! :)

And, finally, I'm heavily considering chopping most of my hair off. I can't make a decision about next year, so I'm making this decision instead. Maybe. I'm taking votes, so cast yours! :)



Currently listening: Words and Music, by Aqualung

Still sick.

I'm doing a lot better than yesterday but still nowhere near 100%. But today wasn't without its positive moments. A group of students came to check on me twice today. I had told my students that I would hold office hours (a pretty foreign concept here) this week, in case they needed extra help for upcoming exams. I arranged to be in the office at 9am, but since I was sick yesterday, I set my alarm for 7am this morning to see how I was feeling. Still shitty, it turned out. I thus called my boss to ask her to let my students know I would re-schedule. I didn't even know if anyone would show up since it was my first morning of self-arranged "office hours". For some reason, though, my students who did show up didn't get the message that needed to reschedule. They did find out, though, through the grapevine, that I was sick, and thus came banging on my door around 9:30 to make sure I was ok. I was slow to get up and answer the door as I was sleeping, and when I answered the door, I found three students who looks like they'd just seen ghosts. When I hadn't answered the door at first they assumed I had collapsed in my room. I assured them it wasn't that serious, thanked them for visiting, and they sent me back to bed with their own gambit of medical advice.

Their knocking on my door, though, lead me to find that Katherine had brought me from the market two of my favorite things: vegetarian soup from xoi bap (corn sticky rice) woman, who sells this delicious soup only on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month; and vegetarian noodles and tofu from "vegetarian lady" who's only at the market on those two lunar events, as well. I took my charcoal pills and ate what I could of the soup for brunch, and it totally hit the spot. The noodles were good for dinner, as well, and I nibbled on some bread in between.... I'm trying to eat even though I dont have an appetite, because last time this happened I didn't really eat for a few days and I think that made everything worse. Today, then, I owe my entire nurtrional intake to Katherine, who brought me such tasty food without my even asking! I dont know what I'd do without her.

Lien also stopped by and kept me company for a while. I was supposed to go to lunch with her and her boyfriend yesterday, but obviously those plans were canceled.

Around six pm I found four more students at my door, including two--Carrot and Mia, from my class of first year students--who had also come this morning. Between her two visits Carrot had texted me saying that she'd heard that yesterday I had continued teaching even though I was "seriously ill". Again, I'm really not as bad off as the rumor mill would have it. She had brought back two more of her classmates, Rachel and John (these are the English names they chose). These kids are really outstanding students in the classroom, and, as it turns out, outside of the classroom as well! They stayed with me for a couple of hours, chatting, telling stories, looking at pictures of my friends and family. It was nice to have some company! After they left, Rachel (whose real name is Chau) emailed me, wishing me well and suggesting that I go to the doctor/hospital tomorrow.

It seems that some students already think I'm already there, as I student friend of ours asked Katherine today about how I was doing in the hospital. Everyone must think I'm worse off than I am!

And, best of all, I unexpectedly got to talk to my mom and my sister tonight! Mom called my mobile and we talked for quite a while. I haven't talked to her in weeks. Then I caught my sister on gchat, and I haven't talked to her really in so long...I miss her so, so much. In the past couple of years she's gone from just my "kid sister" to a dear friend, and I'm increasingly sad that I'm missing her first, and maybe her second, year of high school. And I feel almost a parental connection to her, given our family's past. We dont' get to talk much these days but I'm finding myself thinking about her all the time.

I'm a bit sad about missing Thanksgiving with my family--my mom, my sister this year (sometimes she's at her dad's house), my grandfather and his wife, usually Sam--at my grandfather's home in Ohio. It's one of my favorite events of the year, to be surrounded by some of my favorite people in the world. And I always see my lovely cousin Molly on the day after Thanksgiving--we go to this shopping area in Columbus called Easton, walk around for hours, catch up, and inevitably leave without buying a single damn thing. Being away for the holidays is a bit harder than I thought it would be. I think it would be even harder if the seasons here corresponded to what I associate with "holiday season" at home...

But, if I wake up feeling ok tomorrow, we're going to do our best to recreate thanksgiving here in Vietnam: caramelized tofu, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, pumpkin soup, salad. If I wake up with even the slightest bit of pain, I'm going to the doctor. Here's hoping to the former!!

Rain + Stomach Ache + Internet =....

It equals "stuck inside with minimal connection to the outside world." The stomach problems that I had last week (and while Sam was here, and once before Sam was here) returned this morning with a vengeance. I woke up around 7:40, feeling ok and ready for my 8:40 class....but while I was walking to class I began to feel terrible. And by the time I got to class, I could hardly stand up. My torso felt like it was being shredded from the indside. My boss, who I was co-teaching with, could tell something was wrong but I tried to push through it. Which absolutely backfired. A few minutes later I was puking in a trashcan (which I'm pretty sure had algae growing in it) outside of the classroom, in full view of most of my students and definitely my boss. I did my best to be dainty about it--holding back my own hair and cream-colored, lace scarf--but let's be honest. It's gross.

Of course, my boss sent me home, assuring me that it was "serious" and that she'd bring me some medicine later. I'd already descibed my symptoms to her, before I vomited for everyone's entertainment. Walking home, though, I thought I was going to pass out. And I'm not the type of person that passes out. Thankfully I made it back to room, rushed to the toilet, and then just absolutely collapsed. I was shaking, freezing but covered in sweat, could barely stand, and, worst of all, doubled over in pain. I wanted to sleep but the pain kept me wide awake, so for several hours I just dozed in between waves of pain.

As promised, my boss, Ms. Hong, hand delivered a batch of meds to my door. She had told me earlier that she had a "great chemist" that always fixed her stomach problems. After a couple hours in the fetal position, I had texted my boss to skip the chemist and just take me to a doctor (after all, this is the fourth--and worst--time this has happened in a little over a month), but she'd left her mobile at home. When she arrived, I agreed to take the medicine for two days and see if the situation improved. She kept saying that the pills would help my "destiny", while rubbing her stomach. I'm assuming "destiny" in this case means "digestion", but if they help my destiny, I'm ok with that too.

One goodbad thing about Vietnam is that I can walk up to a counter and get medicine here that, in the states, I could only get with a prescription or a gun to someone's head. For example, I easily and cheaply bought some antivirals here that are expensive and hard to get in the states. Another difference is that, here, you dont buy a whole package of medicine, but you just buy the number of pills you need. The pharmacist just cuts up the blister pack and gives you x number of pills for x number of days' treatment. Great, right? Well, kinda. It's great when you know what kind of medicine you need and how much of it to take, like with those antivirals that I've been taking since the first time I got shingles when I was 12 years old. But when your boss is buying your drugs, and the drugs aren't sold in the packages but just in the little blister packs, without the information pamphlet, medicinal consumption becomes a bit more scary. I didn't know what exactly I was taking or how it would react with any other medicine I take. I tried to google the names on the backs of the blister packs, but that plan met only partial success since on of the blister packs didn't have the full name on it (it had been cut off).

I learned, to my relief, that 2 of the 3 drugs Ms. Hong brought me were of French manufacture--always a good sign with medicine here. One was just activated charcoal, and I was told to take two of those pills before I ate. The second turned out to be a French variety of a drug called Metronidazole, which is used to treat, among many other things, protozoal and anarobic bacterial infections, including those from heliobacter pylori (which, thanks to my senior year bio class, I know causes ulcers). Two of those pills after I ate. The third pill, one of which to be taken after eating, has yet to be idenitified, but the first two seem legit so I'm not too worried.

(Edit: Since writing this blog, further investigation has revealed that the mysterious "third pill" is most likely Pancrecarb, a medication that contains digestive enzymes to help break down and digest fats, starch, and proteins in food. Seems harmless enough)

The bottom line is that I'm starting to feel better. Some of the pain has subsided and the frequency of bathroom trips has been reduced. Since the last time these stomach problems occured, they lasted for days, I'm willing to give some of the credit to the drugs. Last time I just self medicated with hot water and mashed up ginger. I hate taking a lot of medicine though, especially without knowing the cause of the problem, and 10 pills a day is really not my thing. Hopefully this round of meds will permanently get rid of whatever is causing my problems.

In addition to the fact that I hate being relegated to my room and curled up in the fetal position for days at a time, the stomach problems are getting in the way of my work. I missed a couple classes last week, and today I left my morning class early and canceled my evening class. The semester is nearly over--in fact, today was the last day of my morning class before the exam--and it's not an optimal time to play hookie.

My dear students are so sweet, though. Three of them brought me my umbrella, which I'd forgotten as I stumbled out of class this morning, and sent me back to bed with their own gambit of medical advice.

Aaaand, one of those three students just got an interview for a scholarship I told her about. I'm SO excited for her! If she gets it, she'll be able to study in the states for 6 months, which, for many students here, is a dream that will probably never become a reality.

Another student, Carrot, the girl whose English name I so defended, has changed her name to Holly. All my efforts were for naught. Yesterday I received an urgent-sounding text message, followed by an even more frantic email, from her, saying the following:

This afternoon I heard you saying something like, "I'll leave on the 8th"..... You aren't going to leave us, are you? Please answer me as soon as possible ( T___T )

Carrot

She seems to be continuing with 'carrot' as her pen name, at least. I assured her that I was only going to Danang on the 8th and that I would be back, much to her joy ("ohhhhhhhh....... thanks !!!! I was in a very bad mood since the afternoon. I didn't want to know that you will leave us that SOON :):):) thanks a lot, Miss :):):)" ). She continued to ask me if I was "really a vegetarian", and when I explained that i was, she said she was surprised since most vegetarians are pale and weak but I always have so much energy in her class. She added that I needed more sleep, though, since I yawn sometimes. :) It turns out that Carrot was also the artiste who made the hand-made teacher's day card that I received from her class. You know, the one that had 'We love you so much!" written on it about a billion times, in addition to "Please stay with us as long as possible!" beside a sad face. I bet this girl is a master of peer pressure.

Even with the care of my boss, Katherine, my students, a mysterious person who just texted me to ask about my health since she "saw [my] face turn pale today"--I swear, the walls here have eyes--being sick on the other side of the world isn't my favorite thing. And the chronic nature of this problem is just frustrating. I'm vagina-crossing my fingers that a little charcoal, metronidazole and mystery drug clear it all up before rainy season ends and beach season starts again. :)

Around town.

With no obligations today (other than an English Club rehearsal that we found out about after the fact), Katherine and I spent a lovely day biking around the city. We've been so busy lately that we haven't really been into the city in over a week. And we've become quite accustomed to our normal "path" in the city: Dinner at one of our favorite veg places, followed by bubble tea or smoothies. Normally we're on a bit of at time crunch, as well, since normally one of us teaches until 5:15 pm, which means that we can't leave the uni until 5:30 or so, and we'd like to get home at a reasonable hour. But today, we biked around with little or no objective, and it was lovely. We discovered new streets and areas of town, explored an appliance store (I saw the first ovens and vacuum cleaners I've seen since coming to Vietnam four months ago!), tried to get my necklace chain repaired, looked for a backpacking pack for me. The latter two goals were not achieved but I wasn't particularly invested in either.

While biking through the tourist area (in hopes of finding a backpack) we passed the Texas restaurant. Yes, there's a Texas restaurant here. We decided to see if they had macaroni and cheese--I've been craving it lately. As we approached the menu that was sitting on the podium outside the restaurant, and middle-aged man in the restaurant said, "If you like American food, you'll love this place. We import everything." He was clearly American himself, and I informed him that we were, too. We chatted for a few minutes--him on the stoop of the restaurant, Katherine and I on the sidewalk with our bikes. Turns out he's from California, not Texas. After a couple moments it started to rain, so he invited Katherine and me in for drinks on the house.

He didn't have macaroni and cheese, but he did offer a couple hours of conversation. Katherine and I sipped our tea and talked with our new friend Charles, comparing experiences here, etc. He's been in Vietnam on and off since 2006, was in HCMC for the past year and just moved to Nha Trang three months ago. And he plans to die here, apparently. He seems like a really nice guy, and he treats his staff really well, which I appreciate. It seems like that isn't the case with some foreigners in this town, who are condescending and rude to their employees. After a while, another middle-aged man joined us. I think his name was Larry but I'm not sure. An American as well, he's been on holiday here for 3 weeks but is planning to move here. We learned that he's a member of the screen actors' guild and used to be on The Bold and the Beautiful. Between our actor friend and Charles, whose wife (19 years his junior) divorced him a coulp years ago, Katherine and I made some interesting new acquaintances today. I was pretty dismissive of the expat community here, but these men seem genuine, generous, and not exclusively here to find women. Charles demanded that we "don't be strangers" and offered to take us out sometime. And between the vegetarian dishes he's promised to work up, and the pancakes with maple syrup he has on his menu, I'm sure I'll be back!

After leaving Texas and grabbing dinner, Katherine and I tried the second of two new bubble tea places we've discovered. Our drinks weren't phenomenal but I did manage to have a legitimate conversation in Vietnamese: How old I am, where I'm from, what I do, how long I've been here and how long I'll stay. Unfortunately that's about the extent of my vietnamese, apart from "No meat", "I'm a vegetarian", "One sticky rice and 2 soy milks, one without ice and one with," and "2 che, one with taro ice cream." and "What are you doing?" I'm embarrassed by how little work I've done learning Vietnamese....

While I had a lovely day biking in the city and making new friends, the highlight of my day occured back on this side of the bridge. Recently Katherine and I noticed that, in the building in front of which Monsieur Banana sits and sells his bananas, a new microbrewery has been erected. Yep, a full-on microbrewery with huge copper vats and pipes and such. And tonight, when we stopped for our nightly bananas, Monsier was sitting with a few other men and several huge cups of beer. He picked up his glass and offered it to me, saying "C'est superior!" And I thus shared a glass of beer with Monsieur Banana. I don't even like beer, but it sure made my day.

Our last English Club of the semester is tomorrow, and I can't say I'm sad about it. 7am on a Sunday morning just isn't an optimal time for me to be singing and dancing around. And I know that no one who participates really enjoys it--the students think it's boring and the teachers are sad to lose their one day off a week. I tried to talk to some students about how to improve the age-old tradition, but they unenthusiastically explained that there just aren't enough resources or money. I'm going to try to think of somethings, though, to improve on next semester, when apparently I will have more autonomy in planning it.

Before that happens, though, I'm looking forward to some traveling adventures. On 8 December the Embassy is flying me (and the other Fulbrighters) to Da Nang to do some seminars and such. I'm so excited to see the gang again! After Da Nang I'm heading up to Dong Hoi with Becca. I'll spend a few days there with her while she finishes up teaching, and then she and I will leisurely work our way back down the coast to Da Lat, where we'll meet up with everyone again for Christmas. Dong Hoi should be quiet and very "authentic", but there are some caves and other things to see. And the best part is that Becca and I are going to rent a motorbike and go exploring!!

Becca, it turns out, is also thinking about staying another year here, which excites me. "You, me, and some wine need to sit down and talk about this," she said. I couldn't agree more. Just another reason to look forward to conference in Danang.


Currently listening: Lost Songs, by David Gray

Adult Decisions

As the semester draws to a close, and I realize that soon I'll have only six months left as a Fulbrighter, I'm feeling pressured to figure out what I'll do after my grant ends next summer. I'm pretty sure--but not decided--that I would like to stay abroad for a second year. I'm leaning towards a developing country but I'm really open to any that isn't currently war-torn. Much deliberation has reduced my options to the four following ones. (I'm thinking that maybe writing all this down will help me sort it out.)

1. Stay in Nha Trang teaching at the university, but without sponsorship from the Fulbright Program, whose grants are only one year.
Pros:

• I'm already settled here, with a network of friends, reliable vendors at the market, favorite restaurants, etc. It's taken me three months to really get a hold here, and I'm not sure I want to take another three months to set-up again in another city.
• I love the city, looooove the beach. I'm so happy here. And I have a theory that to really even start to know a place, you need to live there two years. The first year as a "practise run"--figuing things out--the second year with everything under your belt. I'm a nomad, it's true, but I like having a good understanding of a place where I've lived.
• THE BEACH. Did I mention the beach? Did you know that there's a gorgeous beach about five minutes from where I live? Did I mention the calming effect that the ocean has on me?
  

Cons:

• I'd be making basically no money, and would actually be losing money by staying here. The university I think would pay me about $63 dollars a month, an amount that would have to be supplemented by me, of course.
• Teaching EFL, as it turns out, is not my passion. I love what I'm doing but I don't want to do it forever. Maybe I should move on to something more career-oriented.
• There aren't many, if any, other work options for me in Nha Tang other than teaching English.
• A second year of teaching here would be a lot more work for, and a lot less money. I'm not sure that's an equation I want when I'm not heart-and-soul invested in what I'm doing.
  

2. Stay in Vietnam, but move to another city where I could find a more "career related" job, or at least a teaching job that pays.
Pros:

• I'd love to stay in Vietnam. See above "two year" theory. Plus, I like this place, and I'd like to have a second year to learn the language. (Since it's going so slowly this year!)
• I could possibly find a more career related job.
• I could possibly find another job that actually pays me.
  

Cons:

• Finding another job that is both career related and pays a living wage could be challenging, if not impossible. And I'm not sure I want to teach another year.
• I would have to relocate to another city just when I'm finally getting the hang of this one.
  

3. Go to another country to find a more "career related" job.
Pros:

• I'd get to live in another country for a year--chalk one up to life experiences!
• Theoretically I'd have a job I like.
  

Cons:

• I'd have to move to another country and totally readjust. I'm just getting adjusted here!
• Finding a job in another country would be much more difficult than finding another job here, where I have a network and where I can be on-the-ground for interviews, etc.
• I'd have to say goodbye to any chance of proficiency in Vietnamese.
  

4. Go back to the US and find a job.
Pros:

• I could see family and friends and eat at those restaurants I've been missing.
• I'm saving quite a bit of money here. Maybe I should get out while I'm ahead.
  

Cons:

• The economy, if you haven't noticed, sucks. I'm not optimistic about finding a decent job, since I only have a Bachelors degree, very little experience, and no tangible skill to offer.
• In addition to not having a job I don't really have a place to live, although that could be worked out.
• I also dont have a great idea of what I want to do, anyway.
• If I want to do any kind of international work, especially development work, I need at least a couple years' experience abroad.
  

Ideally I could find a job in Nha Trang, but I just dont know if that's a realistic possibility. If I came back to the US for the summer to work, or got a job at a language school in Vietnam that paid me, I could support myself for a second year. Plus I'm saving a lot of money right now to live on in case I decide to stay.

I think it boils down to this: I want to stay in Nha Trang, but I'm not sure if I want to continue this job making about 6% of what I'm making right now.

Two other factors to consider are that I need to do the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage in Spain, before I'm too old or too bogged down in the real world; and that I would like some semblance of financial security, including, perhaps, owning property, in the next 5-8 years.

I would also like to add that while this decision feels a bit intimidating at times, I'm approaching it calmly and logically. I'm not panicking about it like I would have a year or so ago. Maybe I just need to go sit on the shore, be quiet for a while, reflect, and let the answers work themselves out instead of trying to force them. The way I see it, I'm ultimately choosing between 4 pretty good options, and I feel like there are so many possibilities. And, most importantly, I am thankful for the luxury of choice. More and more, I understand what a luxury it really is. More on that later.

In the meantime, dear readers, I would love some advice. What do you think?

(Edit: Since posting this I received a card from my students, in honor of Teachers' Day, which was yesterday, asking me to stay here with them as long as possible. Beside that request was sad face, even with tears! Talk about emotional exploitation! )


Currently listening: Don't Let the Stars Keep Us Tangled Up, by Cortney Tidwell