The Gate

Let me give some proper background information before getting to the point of my story:
My apartment is located down an alley off of a main road. At night, a gate is closed and locked up to keep out any unwanted visitors. This gate is locked by midnight, every night. Since I come home later than that on many occasions, I must resort to scaling the gate and squeezing myself through the very narrow space at the top. In fact, it is quite a miraculous feat if I do say so myself. I have impressed many passerby (or scared them) when they see me climbing this 9 foot gate. The other night I had taken my sandals off and was ready to make the ascent, when some guy who lives in my apartment comes up behind me, and says, "Um, why don't you just use a key?" Naturally I was both shocked and embarrassed and nearly broke my ankle falling backwards. This guy had a KEY? I had stubbornly assumed that the gate climbing was to become a part of my daily life. The prospect of being able to unlock the gate and not dangle 9 feet above the ground in order to get to my apartment was truly life altering. So the next morning I ran into my landlord, and let him know that I was in desperate need of a key. He, of course, was completely shocked that I had not yet had a key and that I had been climbing the fence. He apologized profusely for not making sure I had key, and left right away to go make a copy for me. So, leaving my apartment with new key in hand to meet up with friends later that evening, I confidently walked out door, very excited at the new, and normal, way of getting back into my apartment. A friend of mine drove me home around 2 am, and I was going on and on about how my life would be different that I didn't have to climb that fence anymore, that I had a key, that I had power! So, as I'm chatting away about how great having this key was while jamming it into the lock, I barely noticed that it was too big. Apparently, the guy who made the copy of the key didn't do a very good job, and here I was again, facing the gate with my apartment on the other side. My Vietnamese friend started to get very worried when I prepared myself for the climb (slipping my bag under the gap in the bottom along with my shoes). By the time I cleared the top and made my way back to the ground, he was completely astonished at this feat (apparently Vietnamese women don't climb too many fences...) and just stood there gaping. I walked back to my apartment so dismayed that I had to climb the fence, yet again, when I was so sure my climbing days were over! Needless to say, I called my landlord today and let him know my key didn't work. After more heavy apologies, he said he would make a new key and try it out himself to be sure it worked. I have been waiting for him to deliver it for about 5 hours now....

I'm hoping it gets here soon, before I break a leg trying to get to my bed

Officially Hired!

I am so excited that I can barely sit still to write this- I got a job teaching a year 3 class (9 year olds) at Singapore International Primary School! I had my interview yesterday, and the school is absolutely amazing. It has great resources, great facilities, and the kids are adorable! They interviewed a couple people for the spot, and I was absolutely convinced I wouldn't get the job. I felt I didn't have enough experience, and walking around the school was definitely intimidating... but I got it!!! They pay incredibly well, and the school is actually 10 minutes down the street from me. Wow, it is so ideal I cannot believe it! I start Monday! Wow!!! Wowww!!!
I've been teaching an adult class at a pretty crappy English school for the past week, the classroom is so small that I have to sit cross-legged when I teach, and have to walk around on my knees when I'm writing on the white board; I've just noticed some bruises forming on my knees. I'm really looking forward to moving to a really nice school with a strict curriculum (lesson plans for the entire year are given to the teachers, so I just have to flex my creativity muscles to make the material interesting), and I will not only be teaching English, but also Social Sciences and Art classes. Wow, I'm still in shock that I got the job. The principal called me 5 minutes ago, and it took a lot of self-control not to shout over the phone. The job comes with health insurance benefits, paid vacation, and a whole new slew of people to meet! I'm really nervous to start, they hired me without even watching me do a practice lesson, so I'm really going to have to prove myself next week. It's going to be intense, but all the students are so much fun, I can't wait to work with them!
I always think about how much I want my family and friends to visit me so they can see what sort of life I've carved out for myself over here in Southeast Asia. A Conn Coll student in the SATA group just had her dad over for a visit, and I was so jealous I couldn't have my family here! Daily life is so interesting, I would just love to show people around and teach them about my new home. Gosh, and the school! If only my mother could see the school! As I was being given the tour, it reminded me so much of Franklin Elementary where she used to work, and I kept thinking how much she would love it, finding a place so similar on the other side of the world. Ugh, I really miss my family and friends, even more so now that I have a one year lease on an apartment and a one year teaching contract... it's made me realize just how long I am going to be away from home.
But now is not the time to dwell on that, I'm officially a teacher! Mission accomplished!

Work tomorrow!?

Stopped in for a mini-interview for this recently created English "club", and was told that I will teach two adult classes tomorrow night, one intermediate and one beginner. The founder of the company called me at 9:30 tonight to let me know I was working tomorrow. I was a little surprised, but wasted no time getting to work on some tentative lesson plans. Luckily, I still have some materials saved from the TEF course, so I just whipped up a combination of things. I've been used to teaching younger children so a lot of my vocabulary games won't fly with adults, also, the space I'm working in tomorrow is actually the size of my bathroom. There are only six desks, and a white board, and no room for standing even. Apparently there is a bigger classroom but it is under construction so I have to teach in a room that is one-step up from a closet. Getting there in itself is tough too, it is down two back alleys and around a corner, my friend Flip walked me there this afternoon, but walking there in the dark by myself is a whole different story. I am leaving plenty early so I have a lot of time to get there, in case I take a wrong turn or something. I'm slightly nervous but it shouldn't be too bad. I will be observed by the founder of the company, but his English needs some serious practice as well, so I'm not worried about anyone correcting my grammar...
So it turns out my apartment comes with a cleaning lady, which was a really great surprise... every morning.... at 8:15am. Granted, this was Tet weekend, so I was staying out pretty late with the intention of sleeping in the next day. But alas, my doorbell rings at 8:30. First I ignored it because, well, people ring it all the time looking for my landlady. But no, the bell keeps ringing. So I lean out my window and it's the cleaning lady, motioning for me to come let her in. So I roll out of my now very warm bed and have to run down 5 flights to let her in. Then I get back to bed ready to sleep again, but she knocks around 9:00 asking to wash down all my floors and surfaces. I was actually really sick and had no voice so I used my limited Vietnamese (she doesn't speak a word of English) to communicate that I was sick and for her to come another day. No problem, she gets it. Next morning, 8:30 am she rings my bell again. At this point I am wondering why she doesn't ring someone's bell on the first floor, so she wouldn't have to wait for me to run down 5 flights, but I do it anyway. I let her in, get back into bed, and then stay awake, waiting for the knock on my door for her to come clean. It's 9:30 and no knock, so I'm getting pretty close to falling back asleep. But THEN, two cats on the roof next door are having some major battle, and there is very serious verbal streetcat dispute that ensues for the next 45 minutes, so sleep was not really an option. So I figure, ok, I will wake up, go to the market, get some supplies for dinner, read a book in a cafe, and by the time I'm back, she will be done in my room. I get back as she's in the middle of some heavy duty mopping. I felt bad enough hanging around watching her (she wouldn't let me help, although I did offer) so I found another reason to leave for a while, search the streets looking for a photocopy machine to make some copies of my TEFL Certificate and passport. Turns out there is photocopy place one block away, and I got back to my room when she was in my bathroom. This timing was incredibly awful because let's just say I had a desperate need to use my bathroom at that time. So at this point I laid on my bed counting the seconds until she was done, so I ran in there as she made her way out. I really need to figure out how to communicate a more appropriate schedule for the cleaning lady.
But, well, my apartment looks really clean! Although I dirtied up my kitchen a bit making some garlic, onion, mashed potatoes, which is definitely one of the more successful dishes I've attempted thus far. Who knew cooking could be enjoyable? Oh, and above is a rather limited view of my living room from my "kitchen", now with the rug it is a wonderful place to spread out all my materials and pick out the things I'll need for class tomorrow. The space is great, speaking of, I've sent some resumes to a couple architecture firms here looking for interns, moving on to interior design next...

Getting comfortable

Tet has finally come to an end, and I feel so relieved that stores have opened and I can outfit my apartment with comfortable things (i.e. a carpet, a blanket, and FOOD). It was a little unsettling to open my cabinets only to find a bag of salt and some noodle packets. Now that the markets are back in action as well as the grocery stores, I've been able to start cooking, which is very rewarding after having to ignore my stove for almost 2 weeks.
Now that my apartment looks a little more lived in, I decided to have the Connecticut College SATA group over (along with some other Vietnamese friends) for some cocktails. It was wonderful having actual people in my apartment, made the city seem a lot smaller.
I spent a majority of the afternoon polishing up my resumes; I now need one for teaching and one for architecture because a Vietnamese friend of mine convinced me to apply to some Architecture firms. Granted, I would make a lot more money teaching English, but the experience of working in Architecture in Vietnam would be great when applying to graduate school (which is inevitable), so yes, I am doing my best not to forget my future academic goals. I have met a lot of people who started teaching English in Vietnam with the intention of returning to school, but the lifestyle sucks you in quite quickly, and months turn into years which turn into, well, never going back to school. It's very fortunate that I met some people who went down that path, as it has motivated me to not lose focus on my overall Architectural goals.
On a very non-academic tangent, I've been having a great time going out at night and dancing to some very outdated music. I feel I have been effectively getting my fill of the nightlife, since my free time will be seriously depleted once I start teaching, which should be later this week. I believe I am starting work for an Adult English Club in a couple days, meaning I get paid to sit around and speak English with some very eager learners, not too bad eh?
Before I sat down to think seriously about life and work on resumes, I had a little less serious of a morning trying (rather unsuccessfully) to buy myself a hammer and some nails. This effort consisted of a lot of pantomiming and sound effects, and I ended up with a extremely large hammer that could be used in self-defense if necessary. As for the nails, that was even more difficult, because the locals seemed to understand the concept of a hammer a lot better than that of a nail. Some very old lady finally figured it out after my tenth try, and I wound up with 30 nails for something like 25 cents, so I went quickly to work with decorating my walls.
Now I am going to prepare some very Western pasta with garlic and olive marinara sauce (nothing better than fresh garlic from the market around the corner), always feels great to eat some comfort food... and since I'm pretty sick today (the pollution here has given me a very chronic cough) the comforts of home are exactly what I need.

Tet is coming to an end and the streets are finally coming back to life. I strolled around the Old Quarter today and was able to do a little bit of shopping, although the only stores open were the tourist shops. I have to wait a couple more days until I can get a rug or a blanket, but knowing that it will be any day now makes me feel a little bit warmer. I walked through a market today, which was slower than usual, but enjoyable nonetheless. I'm actually going to keep it pretty short, because I'm walking out the door in a minute to meet up with the Conn College kids. So until anything more interesting happens...

Tet Survival

I'm sitting here wearing two pairs of socks, two sweatshirts, and some heavy duty sweatpants. It. Is. Freezing. And since it is the New Year, all stores are closed for a couple days, so I don't even have a blanket. I have a thin sheet on my bed, which really is nowhere near warm enough. Gosh, all I want is my super fluffy blanket from my bed at home! I am really mad at myself for not having bought a blanket the first day I moved in, before everything started shutting down for Tet, and now I'm cold.
I only have some eggs, some rice, and some noodles for the next couple days, so I guess you could say that I am truly in survival mode right now. Oh, the joys of the Lunar New Year.
Speaking of joys, last night was the actual Tet festival, and it was definitely a good time. I met up with my friend Flip who lived in Vietnam with me two years ago; it was so wonderful hanging out with someone I knew very well. We ended up at a Bia Hoi where we met the current Connecticut College SATA abroad group, who are all really nice kids. It was so weird being with CC students in Hanoi, and not being an actual part of the group. The students have been here for about a month, and I clearly remember what it felt like at that stage. They are all loving it, and I'm sure some will come back after the semester is done. Around 11:30 pm the CC reunion made our way to Hoan Kiem Lake to watch the fireworks, which were in a really sad state due to the rain and mist that had been going on since 5pm. Although, being squished in a gigantic crowd of Vietnamese people was fun in itself. Trying to get home afterwards was a major challenge, the streets were packed with families, foreigners, and motorbikes (I had my toe run over once or twice, but it was so cold I didn't feel much).
For now, I am just holding out until families return to their businesses and I can buy the biggest, warmest blanket I can find!

My new apartment!

Now, let me start off with saying that it is truly a depressing fact that I am 23 years old and this is the first apartment I have ever claimed as my own. At Connecticut College, 90% of the students lived in dormitories, and if I wasn't there, I was living at home with my family (don't get me wrong Mom, I miss you dearly). But oh! The feeling of a being an actual adult, with a lease in my name, washing my own dishes, cleaning my floors, scrubbing the toilet, such sweet freedom! Ha.
I actually didn't realize what a key area my apartment is located in until I took some time to walk around the streets searching for pillows (successful, thank goodness). To my right is Lenin Park, which is absolutely beautiful, with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum right down the block. To the left a few blocks down is Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, and the general tourist/backpacker area. When I told my Hanoian friend where my apartment was, he didn't believe me, he was under the impression that no places were for sale in this area. Guess I hit the jackpot! Well, it's on the fifth floor, with no elevator, but the stairs are small, I have high ceilings, recessed lighting, an actual mattress, and maybe the climb can act as a worthy substitute for actual exercise. Most importantly, I have a "western" shower, which was definitely the selling point for me. Most showers here consist of a shower head between the toilet and sink, meaning anything kept in the bathroom gets soaking wet every time you shower. But here, I have (gasp) a glass wall between the shower and the rest of the bathroom. I was in the shower and felt like I could splash around with no reservations for the first time ever in Vietnam.
As soon as the contract was signed and I had the place officially to myself, I set to work making it my own. I can't exactly afford any sort of decorations right now, but I have six oversized scarves that are completely useless to me due to the absurdly hot winter Hanoi is experiencing. I did some draping over the couch, over the bed, over my dresser, and boom! This place actually looks decent.
Since I just moved in, my doorbell still has its old label, which belongs to the landlady, Mrs. Cha (definitely spelt that wrong). I already had two guys ringing my bell like madmen looking for this lady and, since there is no intercom system, I have to stick my head out the window and yell down. Since my Vietnamese is not good enough to tell them that I just moved in and the bell is mislabeled, I have to run down 5 flights, try to explain again, then show them up 6 flights to the apartment above where the landlady and the cleaning lady (who actually do speak Vietnamese) usually hang. I really have to work on getting that bell changed...
On the rooftop balcony, there is a washer AND dryer (this is a very big deal...), a hammock, and wonderful views of a pagoda on one side of me, and old French Architecture Government buildings on the other. Better yet, the BEST pizza place in Hanoi (the only one with a "brick oven") is just around the corner. Granted, it's a little expensive in Vietnamese terms, but knowing I can get some serious comfort food when needed is very, well, comforting.
All that's left to do is get gas to power my stove, and then I can really start cookin'!

Hanoi!

Woke up at 4:30 this morning to meet my two friends waiting outside with motorbikes. Although I managed to fit my entire life into 2 backpacks and one very large, rolling suitcase, I was a little apprehensive about packing everything I own on the back of a motorbike. We drove through the streets early this morning which was very relaxing considering it was the first time I had been on the streets of Saigon without traffic. I was on the back of my friends bike with one backpack, and the other bike had my huge suitcase and other bag strapped down. I tried to tell them I would take a cab and could make it all by myself, but then Oanh made the argument that people in the countryside carry 10 bags of rice weighing hundreds of pounds on one motorbike, which was the main convincing argument to load my stuff on her bike. It felt so strange driving down a road with my entire life split between two motorbikes.
The airport was wild, since it is less than a week from the Lunar Year and everyone is traveling home to see their families. I was the only white person in both the airport and the plane. I got pushed around a lot, especially by older women. I had a taxi waiting for me at the Hanoi airport, and the trip into the city was realllllly nice. To get into HCMC from the airport, you drive through the outskirts of the city which is basically run-down businesses and houses. Getting into the city from the Hanoi airport, on the other hand, is a trip through farmland. A lot of people were out tilling the rice paddies with water buffalo or knee-deep in muddy water planting rice stalks. I started to recognize buildings as I got deeper into the city, and I instantly remembered why I loved this city. It is so beautiful, so much greenery, and better yet, people can understand my accent here! Since I learned how to speak Vietnamese in Hanoi, I learned it with a northern dialect, so speaking Hanoian slang in HCMC always got me strange looks.
My guest house is really nice, I am in the only room on the top floor, which is 5 flights up and incredibly hot, but has amazing views. Met up with my friend Thuan (who I haven't seen in two years) for lunch at a place we used to go to together. I was starting to get the feeling that I hadn't even left. The traffic here is actually worse than HCMC, because a lot of people come up north for Tet. I got hit by the handlebars of another motorbike sitting in traffic, I will definitely have a bruise on my elbow tomorrow. I am going to check out an apartment in Ba Dinh district overlooking the West Lake at 8pm tonight. I hope it looks alright, because I want to move in and settle down as soon as possible. I am currently staying in an area that I'm not too familiar with, so I'm going to hit the streets and see if I can find somewhere nice for dinner. I could technically walk about 5 blocks in one direction and hit the backpacker district that I still remember pretty well, but I have to be back and showered in time to go to the apartment. I guess I'll just ask the nice girls who work here if they know of anywhere nice nearby. So far, so good!

TEFL course is over!

What a relief, the one month of intense work has finally come to a close, and I ended up with a certificate that can get me a teaching job anywhere in the world (pretty good deal). Our class went out to a celebratory lunch at this absurd buffet. It was in a giant warehouse with fake waterfalls and trees, and since the new year is coming up and school is being closed, the place was swamped with highschoolers celebrating as well. It took quite an effort to get anywhere near the food; usually people seem to step aside if a white person comes through, but my ethnicity was of no help in the buffet area. It was every man for himself, and I had to battle with some very tiny women to even get myself some clams. Despite the rush, it was still really enjoyable to talk with my classmates (who are all really incredible people).
Afterwards, I went to the Vietnam Airlines office to check if my plane ticket was real. I was rather worried due to an article that was run today concerning a huge amount of fake airline tickets and people losing a lot of money. So, it is real, and with my fears abolished, I headed to a Lebanese restaurant to meet some friends for dinner and wine. The food was absolutely amazing, and was actually the most expensive meal I've had here yet. Let's see, it was 20 dollars for wine, champagne, and about 15 different entrees, no complaints here. After dinner we went to a bar/club where a local band, the Rice Throwers, were playing. They are absolutely amazing, and the lead singer is an adorable little Hmong girl (from a hill tribe).
Overall, it was a wonderful way to end the TEFL course, and I definitely feel like I'm really going to miss the people I've met in HCMC thus far. I'm excited to pack everything back up and start a new life, yet again, but I know it is going to be a big change. Hanoi is a lot less liberal than Saigon, and I hope I haven't become too spoiled by living in such a "westernized" city. I move on Tuesday, and pretty much have a mandatory vacation for the next two weeks because all schools are closed until after the new year. I am really looking forward to taking it easy for a bit and not having to wake up at 5:30am due to an obnoxious rooster downstairs.

3 more days... and yet another strange bird encounter

Just about done with the TEFL course. It has been really intense and once Friday hits, pheeeewwwwwww. We have practice teaching every day until then, but I am happy to say that I finally got a tape player to work. Life changing, really.

So I've been going to the park at night to play a Vietnamese game called cau da tuyen. It is basically like a shuttle cock that is flat on the bottom, and people kick it around in a variety of impressive ways. I am incredibly bad and the hundreds of Vietnamese people in the park have a grand old time laughing at me, but oh well, I'm learning. My friend gave me one so I could practice on my own, but I'm not even good enough to kick it around by myself. Luckily, my neighbor is equally as awful as me, so we attempt to kick it around in our free time. Although it is less kicking and more running to various places to pick it up.

As I was walking back to my guesthouse from class today, I noticed that my neighbor had her gate open. And instead of some sort of prized Japanese chicken in a cage, she had a baby eagle in a cage. Obviously I had to go over and check it out, and the most I could communicate with this very ancient woman was that it was beautiful and small. There was another baby eagle placed in a box next to it that was splayed out and twitching. With my limited Vietnamese I was able to ask if it was dead, but she said "oh no, just tired." I have never seen a tired animal look so dead before, but hey, what do I know. Eagles, Japanese chickens, finches, crows, I never know what sort of pet bird I will see next. I've already semi-adopted a very sorry looking chicken who lives down the street. It is always tied up to this grubby little tree, and from all the pollution and dirt, the chicken is almost black. I always want to free it or something, but I'm not sure where it will go. Late at night I saw it running free recently, and I was very excited that it finally had made it's getaway. But, surely enough, the next morning it was tethered to its same dirty tree on the corner of the street. I think I like this chicken because it doesn't make noise and wake me up in the morning. Who knows, maybe I will own some exotic foul in my own house when I get to Hanoi. Although I'm thinking a cat is a little bit more reasonable...