So we did a bit of a density science experiment today. The kids had a blast, as did the teacher aide. Apparently, science experiments are not too common place in Vietnam; my students are in year 3 and it was the first time they set foot in the science lab since being at the school. Here's yet another thing that made me realize how lucky I am to be teaching at such a readily-equipped school. Every class room has its own computer, printer, and projector (still working on figuring that one out...). But enough about the school, I thought I'd take a moment to describe my street and immediate neighborhood, since it is where I spent a lot of my time. (Below, is a picture of my alley from my doorway)

First let me begin with the fact that all streets sell mainly one product; there are usually at least 10 identical stores in one area, and my street is no exception. To my right is a park with a giant statue of Lenin, underneath which is always an abundance of children breakdancing, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc. To my left are clothing shops that continue about 3 blocks down. Once you cross the train tracks, you hit all the shops selling strange lights. This street is always entertaining to walk down during the evenings, since there are thousands of odd things hanging and glowing within the stores. There are 3 major karaoke joints sharing one block, but they are seriously local and I haven't had enough courage to enter any yet. Take a left 2 blocks down the eccentric lighting street, and there is a market. The things that are sold range from tea-cups to puppies, and make a very handy place to pick up fresh produce (not referring to the dogs here). Trying to buy vegetables always makes me think about how much easier it would be if I just studied the Vietnamese terms for various vegetables. Try using the world "celery"... not very successful.
I bike up and down these streets every day, but they have yet to be familiar.
When I find some free time again I'll go into detail about the street(s) I commute on every day. Very intense, but a whole 'nother story...

International Women's Day

Along with it being International Women's Day, it was also my first day of official teaching. It was so much easier not to have to share the class with anyone, and I had a considerably easier time keeping all the kids in check. Tomorrow we are doing a little bit of a Science project, the kids are pretty excited about it. I'm pretty excited about it, I'm teaching Science? Okay!
A couple students gave me gifts for women's day, and they were all pretty hysterical. In addition to a very strange-shaped scarf that I cannot figure out how to wear, and a giant bouquet of lilies, I received two pair of underwear, and a leapord-print watch covered in pink "diamonds". So incredibly nice of the families, but, so far from what I expected upon opening.
I've been riding my bicycle to and from work. Today is the first day I made the trip in the rain, and tomorrow will be the second. Let's just say it's pretty terrible getting soaking wet on a bike, but when the weather is nice... so enjoyable! It is definitely incredibly dangerous, there are absolutely no rules governing traffic. Other than helmet cops (thank goodness they at least have those) people can pretty much just do whatever they want. Driving home in rush hour traffic has been incredibly intense at first, but I'm slowly getting used to it. My friend Flip bought a motorbike yesterday, and he claimed it was life-changing. At this point, I really have to work my way up to it, I figure I'll get comfortable on a bicycle, since I don't have to go too far to work; about 15 minutes on my bike and I'm there.
Well, speaking of an entirely pleasant morning commute to look forward to (NOT), I should really hit the hay.

Gettin' there...

Working at Singapore International has been absolutely wonderful so far. I have two classes of 9 year olds, about 23 students per class. The morning class is far better behaved and, not trying to toot my own horn here or anything, are completely obsessed with me. I warrant this reaction to the fact that their current teacher, Alex, is considered the head disciplinarian of the school. So I come in with this "good cop, bad cop" routine and the students are so incredibly eager to do whatever I say, while Alex has to scream and shout and punish the students who neglect to behave so nicely for him. I've found that positivity works a whole lot better than the other side of the spectrum... then again... doesn't it always? As for my afternoon class, they are quite the handful. With about 14 boys and very few girls, keeping the boys in line is probably my biggest hurdle of the workday. I've been doing my best to stay nice, but make it apparent that I'm no pushover (taking away friday free-play time works very well without having to resort to yelling).
I am also in charge of teaching Art to the students; the Vietnamese teacher aides usually help with this part by coming in with prepared ideas and materials, but of course our teacher aide was sick today. It is Women's Day on Monday (which is really a sight to see, streets are lined with men buying flowers and women walk around holding huge bouquets) so I thought it would be good to make cards for mothers, grandmothers, or any other special women in the students' lives. I added a twist by showing them how to make pop-up cards, something they have never seen, and were all very eager to try. I actually ended up receiving 4 cards from the girls in the class, which are all incredibly adorable. When I locate some tape I will hang them up in my apartment.

I know the week has been short (a whole 2 days...) but I am really looking forward to Friday. These kids wear me out! But I know that I'm doing a good job, and after having seen some other teachers in action, feel totally confident that I can do an incredible job teaching here. Woohoo! When Monday rolls around, I will be teaching actual classes without having to be second to one of the men that have been substituting for the class ever since the original teacher pretty much left "on holiday" and never came back. The school was in a bad place after the teacher completely ditched 50 students, and I definitely applied at the perfect time. Timing is everything!!!

Hittin' the streets (part 2)

I got a new bicycle today! It cost me a whopping 50 dollars for a mint condition road bike with a basket (alas, no bell). I drove home from the shop today happy as a clam, eliciting a good amount of stares from Hanoians, but no matter, because I was on the move! I had to go to Singapore International to fill out some paper work, so I decided to ride my bike to work, which is an incredibly easy route (pretty much one street the entire way). I left relatively early, thinking it would take me some time, but it actually took less than 15 minutes to get to the school, awesome!
I met one of my classes in the cafeteria as they were having snack. Apparently they have had a lot of teacher changes and have become quite "hairy" as the principal put it. I think this means I really have my work cut out for me. I'm starting tomorrow just observing until the end of the week, then start substituting next week, then am apparently full time by the week after. I got hold of some schedules and student information; memorizing names is going to be a real pain, since pretty much all Vietnamese names sound the same to me at the moment. I met with a couple teachers today who made me feel really comfortable, and all the children are so eager to meet new people that as they passed me in a line every single one waved or greeted me with a very enthusiastic "good afternoon!". My Vietnamese aids are absolutely adorable girls who are the same age as me, and are very excited to work with a "real American" (I am under the impression that there is only one other working at the school). The teacher that has been substituting for my future class told me that getting into the groove of things is the hard part, but it's all downhill once you get used to it. So, basically, my next couple weeks are destined to be rough, but I'll make it through.
I got a bit lost on my way home (the one way streets really threw me for a loop, pun intended) but I saw some landmarks and managed to get back to my apartment before rush hour traffic hit full force... thank god.
It gets insanely hot and sweaty riding that bike, I showed up at the school red-faced with hair sticking to my forehead, and arrived home in the same state. Good thing I left my aircon on, what a wonderful feeling walking into a cold room! Although, this was an accident; the batteries in the remote for the aircon are dead, so I have to take them out of my remote for the TV, turn it on/off, then return the batteries back to the other remote. Now, I'm sure you're thinking that I could just get batteries myself, but I haven't had time! But, that is on my to-do list for this evening.
So, I officially meet both classes tomorrow, I'm a ball of anxious excitement, not sure which feeling will reign supreme. Either way, it's going to be a big day!

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...