I have a tape of cheesy American songs and yesterday I used "Grand Old Flag" with my new younger class. I took out a few words and used blanks and played the song a few times. I just wanted them to tell me the words in the blanks, but after two plays-- and I didn't ask them to-- the entire class was singing along (as best they could) loudly. It was a weird moment of "hey, wow, they're all singing..." and it got to the part about how every heart beats true, for the red, white, and blue, it started to feel wrong that they were singing that. I don't know, kind of weird. I was half-expecting some green clad men to interrupt class... So if nothing else, I'm brainwashing little kids over here with our music.--For the record, I am totally joking... I just need to make that very clear...
I always teach in skirts or a dress and Erica almost always teaches in pants. I don't have any pants that fit the dress code at our school. Sometimes I get comments like, "Don't you like pants?" or about how it would be better if I taught in pants (we are often told that certain things [ok everything] are "good for our health"). Which I don't understand because it's not like I'm doing cart-wheels in class. But tonight I had a small victory in the office as we walked in and one of the women looked at me and then turned to Erica and said, "Why don't you wear nice dresses like Carolyn?" Sweet.
Our landlady and two of her daughters just came to our apartment and told us to come with them. One speaks English pretty well. Another speaks moderately well. And one speaks almost no English. They're just like the family of bears (Golilocks reference). Anyway, we went with them to the apartment next door and they took us to an aprtment that is almost identical but on a higher floor and has a different couch, and said that if we like it, we can move in, and if we "don't like, then nevermind." They said whatever we liked, they would trade with our apartment and we could have. Then they brought us back here and said, "Ok you are thinking and you are calling me later, goodnight."
The picture below is not from tonight, but those are our apartments in the background. 
When Dawn was here, she and Erica and I took a bus to District 1. We got there no problem, but leaving from this station, we didn't think that we needed to wave for the bus, we thought it would just stop. I still think that's true though I have no proof. It was one of the hottest days I've experienced here yet. I have salty sweat patterns all over my black pants from that day.
Just a note: at the end of the video, Erica says that she is dehydrated. But I misunderstood and thought she said that she was getting hydrated. So that's why I say "good!" at the end. I'm not actually delighted in the weakened state of her health.
Per the recommendation of Steph (teaching in Bien Hoa), I read "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight," by Alexandra Fuller. It was excellent. The story of her childhood in Africa, her descriptions are incredible and she writes the honest truth-- or so she says, and I believe her. And now I am halfway through "The Book Thief, " by Markus Zusak, passed to me by my roommate. This takes place in WWII Germany. Also excellent, but for different reasons. I'm never picking out books on my own again, only relying on reliable sources.
And I realize those have nothing to do with Vietnam.
Sometimes that's precisely the point.
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