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....

As quickly as they arrived, they are gone again! Came back home to an apartment with a good deal less clutter. Was almost thinking I was robbed until I saw the note from Anneliese. They left a bunch of their bags, so that means they will inevitably return, but I have the house back to myself for a while. Her and Carlo are off to tour northern Viet Nam (most notably Ha Long Bay) while I am here, teaching.... but I can't complain. Having a motorbike has made things a heck of a lot easier. I've made it almost an entire week with not even a hint of a possible accident (which was almost daily on my bicycle), so becoming motorbike mobile has been quite the improvement; I no longer have to wear a "biking outfit" to school (since my work clothes would be drenched with sweat upon arrival). And I figure that if I can ride a motorbike in rush hour traffic twice a day, I can do anything... meaning architecture grad school should be no problem. =)
Don't have too much else to report... just started rehearsing with my classes for the year-end concert. My morning class is doing Michael Jackson's "Black or White" and my afternoon class decided on ABBA's "Money Money Money". I think the song choices speak for themselves and the show will prove to be... hmm... quite interesting. Teaching a class of twenty 3rd graders to dance is no easy task, especially when they are on the cusp of worrying what other students will think of them. I've been teaching the shimmy, which has been a real hit, but most of my other dance moves haven't gone over quite so well. Could really use some dancing friends to help me out here, but all the dancers I know are in NYC... which is a bit too far of a commute to teach Vietnamese school children. My classes were all very taken with the SIS talent show hip hop performance, and I think my students were under the impression that they could, as a whole, whip out some hip hop moves with no trouble. Well, the breakdancing was a failure (had a boy crying by the end of that attempt), the popping and locking was non-existent, and basically any sort of rhythmic stepping is just out of the question. We're at the point where they just shake around and shout, and I'm satisfied. I will have to buy a new camera before the show, because it's going to be too ridiculous to miss.

Best friends and motorbikes

My best friend from home, Anneliese, arrived in Hanoi this past weekend. She was living and teaching in China for six months, until her and her boyfriend decided to pack up all their things and head over my way. So far I am doing my best to be the best tour guide possible, taking them to all my favorite street food spots, bars, parks, etc. Since I finally decided to invest in a scooter (riding a bicycle in 90 degree weather just wasn't cutting it...) Son, Carlo, Anneleise and myself took a motorbike day trip to Ba Vi National Park, a bit less than a 2 hour drive from Hanoi. Her boyfriend did a very good job in Hanoi traffic, considering they had been living in a rural community in China. After a couple pit stops involving cold drinks, guitar playing, and Italian folk music (Carlo managed to draw some considerable crowds on the side of the road) we made it to Ba Vi. Anneliese and I ended up with some pretty intense sunburn stripes on our legs after the drive, but we hiked up to the top of the mountain despite the burn, and were very pleased with the result. We made it up about 400 stone stairs to a pagoda on the top of a mountain. The views were, of course, breath-taking... and the cooler air was a very welcome change from driving through what felt like an oven for the past hour. After snapping a couple photos and nabbing some hammocks in an effort to rest our bones, we all mounted the bikes and headed back down the mountain pass. With every curve, the heat started to rise, and by the time we reached to bottom, we were back in the Vietnam sun. We managed to make it back to Hanoi around 7pm... putting Carlo in rush hour traffic on a Saturday night, which made me incredibly nervous for him and Anneliese. I kept turning around to check on their progress while Son, driving our bike, kept telling me to sit still and focus on the road. When we got back to my apartment I was very relieved that we all made it back in one piece... since rush hour is not a pretty thing after recently arriving from the countryside. We ended our weekend with a Sunday morning trip to the market to buy (surprise, surprise) spring roll supplies. I decided it would be a good idea to pass along my spring roll making skills to Anneliese, who is always eager to learn something new to cook. After enjoying our "snack", we walked down the block to the local Bia Hoi (Carlo's guitar in tow) and proceeded to meet some very interesting people... per usual. We ended up meeting an old Vietnamese Opera singer, who, after a couple beers, started belting out Pavarotti tunes... much to our enjoyment. Carlo responded with a couple folk tunes of his own, then handed his guitar off to a very old man that began singing Vietnamese folk tunes (with a voice that sounded like it had been cut with a chainsaw). When the locals started getting a bit too drunk, we decided to pack up and head to my favorite street food, Bit Tet. Bit Tet comes served on an iron platter, sizzling with an egg, a beef steak, pate, and some fried potatoes... all for 28,000 dong (or about 2 USD). Since I had work the next day, I had to wave goodbye to my friends and drive my scooter back home, while they went out to enjoy some Hanoian night life. It's definitely hard sitting in my classroom right now while Carlo and Anneliese are out exploring, but I'm so happy to know they are enjoying Hanoi that it makes my day that much better. Right now, I'm working on convincing the two of them to stay here after they travel around Vietnam a bit (or until their money runs out!). Students are returning to class in a minute, so I have to start looking like I am doing something important... maybe grading homework books with a giant red marker... that always gets them going.

Getting Antsy

I am lucky enough to live on the fifth floor of my building, meaning that cockroaches and rats never seem to make it up this far. At first climbing so many flights of stairs was an incredible hassle (especially when carrying groceries, books, or furniture). But upon hearing cockroach and rat horror stories from friends living in Ha Noi (here I will do you the favor of not going in to detail...) I realized that my apartment's relative height is actually a blessing. But the one creature that can get into any place at any height in any condition, are ants. Tiny little ants ranging from black, to white, to red, come in droves when the smallest hint of food is present. I tend to be a very clean person in general, but I have amped up my cleaning routines in response to Vietnam's ant situation. I thought I had been doing a pretty good job wiping down my countertop and making sure all my food is tightly closed and put away, but, sure enough, every morning I would wake to find ants all over my sink and counter, marching in a tightly-packed line towards or away from some invisible food source. My biggest problem was keeping my sugar safe. Even after purchasing a tightly lidded sugar jar, I would find at least 50 ants in sugar-induced comas moving lethargically within my sugar jar. After a couple months of unsuccessfully combating my ant issues (and pouring a heck of a lot of sugar down the drain), I decided to enlist some local help. My friend Son told me to put my sugar jar in a bowl of water. It seemed a bit silly, but sure enough, after filling a bowl of water and placing the jar in the middle, my sugar has gone untouched for over a week now. Now that I had the sugar under control, I wanted to deal with ant entry; the place where my countertop meets the wall has a couple cracks in it, and I have seen ant lines disappear into these cracks on far too many occasions. This time, I was told to use crushed-up chalk wherever ant lines were present. I felt that something so simple couldn't possibly solve my endless ant problem, but figured I would at least give it a try. After swiping a couple pieces of chalk from my classroom, I came home, crushed them up, and sprinkled the dust along the problem spots on my countertop. Four days later, no sign of ants! I couldn't believe it! (I was so excited I even chose to include a photo of my chalked-up countertop and floating sugar jar)
Moral of the story.... listen to the locals!











And as promised, I have posted a video that shows the view from the rooftop balcony of my apartment. Pretty cool, eh?

CAMA Music Festival

My last post seems to have been a foresight into what had happened to me on Thursday. Yes, I got in my first motorbike "accident". Nothing too serious, I was sitting sideways on the back of a bike and a guy came by with a giant wooden dresser lashed to his motorbike. Needless to say, the dresser got a bit too close and clocked me on both my knees! It wouldn't have been that bad if I got hit anywhere else, but since I was hit directly on my kneecaps, any bending of my legs resulted in some pain. I didn't go to school the next day with the intention of giving my knees a rest; I wanted the bruising to go down as soon as possible so I would be all set and ready for CAMA on Saturday night! Along with Saturday being the biggest music festival in Hanoi, it was the last night that the Connecticut College SATA group was in Vietnam. The weather was perfect (if not a little too hot...) so we spent the afternoon at a pool at Thang Loi Hotel, which is one of the first luxury hotels opened in Hanoi. It is overlooking West Lake and is absolutely beautiful. After leaving the pool sans-sunburn (this was quite the feat) we all got ready to go to the music festival. After having some seafood noodles down the street from my house, a couple girls and myself arrived at CAMA around 7. The first band was a Japanese rock band featuring a very impressive lead female vocalist who also played guitar. The group did a great job, but the real show-stopper of the evening was Dengue Fever. Based in LA but featuring a Cambodian woman as their singer, the music could best be described as "groovy ethnic". Despite the 90 degree weather, I still danced like crazy, and by the time the set was over, everyone looked like they had just gotten out of a shower, fully clothed. After Dengue Fever finished their set, we ran into the drummer and bassist on the patio, and chatted with them a bit about their music style, dance moves, etc. Their music has been featured on the 'Weeds' soundtrack, so any fans of the show would recognize their stuff. If anyone is interested, "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula" is their most famous song, go check it out if you have some free time! The festival was absolutely amazing, with a separate tent dedicated solely to DJs, so the dancing went on well into the night. I've taken it pretty easy on Sunday, recuperating from the CAMA extravaganza, and preparing myself for teaching swimming tomorrow morning at 8am. Apparently along with the PE teacher, and teacher aide, the expat teacher is required to swim with the students. I'm a little wary about showing up in a bikini around twenty 9 yr olds so I'm just going to wear a t-shirt in the water in a last ditch effort to maintain a modest appearance. I'll be letting you know how that goes....