Motorbike Survival

Considering my recent brush with danger, I think it is appropriate to comment on the absurdity of motorbike survival. First, let me begin with the affect of the growing number of automobiles frequenting Viet Nam's roads. With the newfound protection of steel and twice as much rubber, automobiles have taken up the sick sport of herding motorbike drivers into the most dangerous parts of the road possible. Since a motorbike is obviously no match for a car, truck, or bus, the automobiles have the power of literally pushing motorbikes to wherever they want. Almost all drivers seem to derive an alarming amount of pleasure when forcing a motorbike into a very large pothole. For those of you who drive anything with two wheels, then you are sure to understand just how dangerous it is to drive into a pothole at a high speed. Even worse (and more personal since this happened to me on Saturday), automobiles very much enjoy edging motorbikes precariously close to the side of the road. Since a majority of roads here are lined by ditches littered with rocks and other unrecognizable large things, being pushed into one of these valleys is extremely hazardous. Plus, the "gutters" are just big enough to make you lose all balance and veer into something even more dangerous. Being white, I am even more of a target, so my driving skills have had to improve a lot... and quickly. When my friends and I are driving to or from somewhere, almost every time there is some jerk in a Lexus that tries to drive us off the road. My own experience happened when an SUV literally forced me into a ditch on the side of the road. Luckily, I was able to avoid a brick and gun my engine to get myself back onto the road (and to deliver some far-from-friendly words towards the driver). After narrowly avoiding disaster, the same SUV tried to force me off the road YET AGAIN barely two minutes later. Now, thanks to my Vespa training from home, I can usually dodge such aggressive maneuvers, but I was simply in an unfortunate position. I'm not sure what makes people driving automobiles so intent on injuring others, but it is a problem that affects almost all drivers throughout the country. The writer Peter Moore can attest to this trend (please note page 10). Copy and paste the link below...
http://www.petermoore.net/books/ssbd/ssbd-ebook.pdf
Equally as absurd is the fact that most people remove their side mirrors since they tend to get hit in heavy traffic. I haven't had the nerve to make such a move just yet, although my mirrors have been knocked around a little bit. Also, expecting anyone to use turn signals when they are turning... way too much to ask.
The city has been making strides by installing traffic lights. These are really great and all, until the power is cut.... which tends to happen quite frequently... during rush hour. Just this afternoon heading home from work one of the busiest intersections had no traffic lights; the streets were in complete chaos. It was like some sort of jig-saw puzzle with interlocking cars and motorbikes. Luckily, some policemen drove up next to me on a very dated Vespa sporting a side car, and after noticing I was white (and a young woman), quickly started pushing people aside to let me through. Without pulling the white card, I would have been stuck there for at least another 20 minutes. The only way to make it through a jam like this is to literally nudge your way between vehicles. Many a toe get run over during these intersection power cuts...
Well, I don't mean to worry anyone reading this from home. Considering the amount of times I'm driving my motorbike on the road, I've had very few instances of actual, imminent danger. It's all rather exciting, and I just take it as enjoying part of the Vietnamese culture. I think that convincing my mother to get on the back of my bike once she arrives will be much harder than navigating rush hour traffic.

Trip to the park

I managed to get out and about on Saturday afternoon, despite the heat. There is an adorable park around the corner from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which, in turn, is right around the corner from me. I finally decided to check it out with Son, and thought it was really lovely, despite the very somber-looking monkeys in cages. They also have pigeons in a giant cage, and Son was a bit shocked when I explained that pigeons are quite annoying and numerous back home. In the center of a lake they built these very elaborate bird houses... for pigeons! Apparently they are quite the thing of beauty here, although they are in a lot better condition than the pigeons roaming the streets of New York.
After the park, we headed over to the Trung Nguyen Cafe across the street from the mausoleum. After a very chilling avocado milk shake, I was off to the pool to meet some friends for night swimming. Since the USA soccer game was on at 1:30 in the morning, we had some time to kill. The pool is a happenin' spot at night, since most Vietnamese people are afraid of the sun and don't like to be out in the middle of the day. Mid-swim I ran into my student Dieu Lam, and it's always a bit funny to see my kids out of class. I've bumped into three of them now, and they always get really embarrassed to see me in normal clothes hanging with friends. I figure they think I am a teacher 24 hours a day, so it's always a little jarring to have that perception broken (at least I felt that way when seeing my teachers outside of school).
I had an interview at an architecture firm, and it was really interesting to see a bunch of the housing projects they were working on in Ha Noi. I was offered a bit of an internship for the summer, but I had to turn it down. There was no wage and they expected me to do a lot of computer work in a program that I'm not too familiar with. I also would have had to give up my month-long summer vacation. My mother is arriving the 21st, and we are heading down to the island of Phu Quoc in the very south of Viet Nam for a spa week. After she leaves to return to America, I plan on spending the next week traveling, which sounds a lot better than being stuck in an office in front of a computer...
Since I have the SIS Year End Concert coming up, I invested in a new camera (hence the influx of pictures today).

World Cup Chaos

The World Cup has arrived, and in a country that ACTUALLY cares about soccer, it's a pretty big deal (almost makes the Superbowl look like a joke). Traffic is twice as bad, the Bia Hois are twice as crowded, and people, in general, are going football crazy. The Cup is so big here that people take off from work (I have not yet had the luxury of this perk)! It's been really fun getting together with friends (and strangers alike) and cheering on the teams. America is actually doing okay, and all us Americans here have a grand ole' time supporting our country, much to the naysayers dislike. My friend Flip has taken to sporting an American flag on his motorbike, but my ridiculous Statue of Liberty over the wheel of my bike is enough USA flair for me.
Other than World Cup chaos, everything has been progressing per usual. Temperature keeps rising, which makes my recess duty rather unbearable; I've started using an umberella for shade, which, if I do say so myself, is rather Vietnamese of me. Next step, covering my body from head to toe in some absurd printed zip-up (I don't think this will happen any time soon...). Since our water is stored on the top of the roof, getting cold water in my apartment is pretty much impossible. The water sits in a metal container getting hotter by the hour, so I'm sure you can imagine the water temperature by the time I get home from school around 5:30 pm. After walking about in the sun and desperately wanting a cold shower.... no dice. In fact, my shower water is ridiculously hot and uncomfortable, and I only feel better once I've gotten out. Perhaps I should start making mass quantities of ice and using that instead?

SIS, Viet Nam

Today I experienced some not so subtle reminders that I am indeed working at a school in Viet Nam. It all started this morning with a gigantic spider hanging out on the wall above the stairwell. This thing was HUGE, and while I was trembling being in the same vicinity as this hairy monster, the students were walking by it and didn't seem to care. I am positive that if this creature made its way into an American primary school, the entire place would be in an uproar. I returned an hour later and all that was left was some spider juice and a long, hairy leg. Apparently the janitor took care of it. As if this brush with tropical insect life wasn't enough, I had yet another encounter with a large Vietnamese bug on the way to swimming lessons this morning. I boarded our SIS van with the boys from my class, and shortly afterward the maniacal screaming began. Turns out there were not one, but two rather large cockroaches crawling around on the seats. The fact that there were cockroaches in the bus was rather alarming to me, but even more so that we couldn't escape and my students started squishing them with their hands. Ech. So if all this couldn't get any more intense, the power goes out during lunch, and remains off for the entire afternoon. If this were January in Ha Noi, it would not be a serious issue. But it just so happens to be July, it was over 95 degrees, with the sun shining directly into my classroom... and no air-con. Spending 5 hours in a hot room is bad enough, but add 20 kids, and it's miserable. So, sorry for all the complaining, but it is hot as heck and a cold shower is the only thing that will help.

Motorbike photos

Now that I have my official motorbike, I decided to upload some photos for ya'll at home to enjoy. When the bike was delivered, I noticed some little design over the tire. As I got closer, it turns out that the decal is a very intense-looking Statue of Liberty, featuring the words "No Fear". Since this is so hysterical (and over the top American) it will remain on my bike. While I'm at it, here is a picture of my alley way (looking out my bedroom window). Enjoy!

Soft Opening

Yesterday night I went to my friend Linh's "soft opening" of her new restaurant "Annie's Corner" (she changed her name to Annie specifically for this purpose...). To be completely honest, I was expecting a very low-end place, with tiny stools, chipped formica tables, and high-impact florescent lights. I arrived to a very pleasant surprise; it was a renovated French building, decked out in maroon and white, with original artwork (painted by my friend Lien's mother), built-in oak wine racks, and a very handsome bar.
Being the interior design buff that I am, I was very impressed with the place. Linh invited about 20 friends to the unofficial opening, where she proceeded to serve us a variety of small portions from the tentative menu. The food was amazing, and the constant supply of wine didn't hurt either... (it has been a while since I enjoyed some nice wine, as it is rather hard to come by over here). Linh was insistent that her friends receive free meals for the first month of business, so I shall definitely be returning when it officially opens in 2 weeks (although the place is so snazzy that there is no way I can go in there without paying, might have to slip some money under a napkin so it will be discovered after my departure).
The opening was definitely the highlight of my week so far (since rehearsing dances with 3rd graders and administering final exams is not the most exciting thing to be doing all week). Anneliese and Carlo are leaving to explore Southern Viet Nam tomorrow, so tonight we are going out for a bit of a farewell dinner (rather, a farewell Bit Tet on the street). As for my motorbike, haven't crashed yet, so rest easy.

Storm Season

Anneliese and Carlo appeared in my house yesterday. Well, I came home to find bags, and a note to meet them down the street at a Bia Hoi. Either way, I was excited to have my visitors back. The power was cut in my area of the city for a couple hours last night, so being in the dark with friends is a lot better than being in the dark alone! Since it is storm season right now, Hanoi experiences monster thunderstorms just about every evening (although sometimes they take place at 4am and they are absolutely impossible to sleep through...). Last night Anneliese, Carlo and myself went up on to my roof to watch a storm roll in. It was amazing feeling the hot air blown by us as we were hit with cool gusts as the storm got nearer. The lightening was fantastic, and it was an excellent experience watching the fast-approaching storm spread over the city... rather than listen to it from inside my apartment. It's also quite the blessing to get heavy rains, as it cools down the weather and drops the humidity factor a bit. My motorbike ride to work this morning was a welcome cool breeze the entire way (compared to driving through what feels like exhaust from a drying machine).
My students took their first year-end exam today (a self-written Science/Sose test), but the real heavy-duty English testing begins Monday. The timing is rather unfortunate, since I have heaps of work and two friends visiting, and a third friend arriving tomorrow. Definitely have been exerting a lot of self-control when it comes to staying in and going to bed early. Even better, a high fever is spreading like wildfire through my Year 3 classes; I've already had 3 kids leave early and 3 more not show up for 2+ days. Since I'm starting to feel like I'm getting something myself, Anneliese and Carlo are making the wise choice to go stay at my friend Flip's house for a couple days. Traveling on a bus down the coast of Vietnam with a high fever.... not the greatest experience. I'm sure the two of them will enjoy having a room to themselves, rather than crashing on a mattress pad on my living room floor every night.
Well, I have to grade 40 papers and prepare even more exams, so I should get going....