Christmas in Vietnam. part 3/3

I have asked why Vietnam celebrates Christmas. Multiple times. The answers that I receive don't make sense to me, but by observation, I think that Vietnam celebrates because people like to decorate, and because they like to sell things.

I also discovered that most people (ok 'most' might be pushing it. A LOT of people) even go to a church on Christmas Eve. I was given directions to a church from my Buddhist friend and she said she was going to go too. I ended up not going, so I can't report on that experience. Sorry.

I have a level 3 class. I don't really know how to describe what level three really means. Our last lesson was on countable and uncountable breakfast foods (which they don't eat for breakfast here). So, "two eggs," "one banana," "a biscuit," and "a glass of milk," and "a cup of tea." It's very exciting.

Anyway, this class invited me out for Christmas. They actually were supposed to be in their class with the Vietnamese teacher, but they skipped it, shhh. We piled on motorbikes and went to District One. It was hoppin'.

People and lights everywhere. It took us over an hour and a half to get there and park, and most of the time was spent in stand-still motorbike traffic, where it was hard to breathe and you could FEEL the heat from the exhaust pipes rising. It was pretty awesome. There was a Santa on a motorbike handing out candy and I got some. Here is my student Fiona. She's really sweet. She's the lowest in my class and I don't understand her very well at all.

Erica took a picture of some kid wearing light-up devil horns. Minutes later, my students presented her with horns of her very own. I laughed, and they asked me if I liked them. I said, "NO!" leaving no room for error.

Then they bought some for me.

The decorations were really magnificent. We've been watching the progress weekly in the daytime, on Sundays when we come, but this was our first time at night. People were everywhere. Which means that people selling things are everywhere. And there are no trashcans, so the ground is covered in trash. Don't worry though. The Govn't has people to clean that up. And they will. Quickly. I'm not being sarcastic.

We went for coffee and Erica and I taught them the Signs game. Which was harder than you might imagine because of the language barrier. But it was a big hit. Some classes ruin good games. This class makes even the stupidest game fun. I love them.

They were also selling cans of- what smelled like shaving cream. They blasted it in the air and it looked like snow. And it evaporated from your clothing in a matter of minutes. Also people threw confetti everywhere. I turned around one time when someone was throwing confetti, and he let me have a handful to throw.

These- above and below-- are my two favorite pictures. I was taking them of people in front of the tree. But the camera wouldn't take. I didn't understand. I think it was trying to tell me that I didn't have enough light. Either way, it went off twice on a delay, just as Fiona was coming over to help me, and some guys came over to spray fake snow.

I am so thankful that they asked us to hang out. We had no plans otherwise. I really wanted to go to an orphanage or something like that. But we were informed that when foreigners get involved with charity work of any kind, the govern't will get suspicious. So we were turned down by people who were desperate for help. Ouch.

This is a video that I took trying to get through the traffic. We only had three guys with us, but they were great at herding us all, and keeping us together through the traffic.

Please notice that I say, "congo line."