...Because if you're not in Asia, you're in yesterday


Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Let's review November. Can't believe it's over

There's still lots of traffic. Always. There's still lots of pollution. It seems more evident though now because I believe we've entered the dry season, so there's less rain to clear the air and keep away the dust. It is SMOGGY. Well, actually this picture was just taken at dusk... Erica and I took motorbike taxis to a soccer game, got lost, and missed the game completely. We did go to the after-parties though, and we learned some more about the cultural responses to being toasted. Though I still have questions.
Phuong, a friend who has been my TA a couple of times, invited us to the soccer game. We might not be friends anymore though because I've been telling her for a week that I would bring these pictures to her and I still haven't done it.


Jannene and Janell, friends from fellowship, came out to district six to hang out with us before Jannene headed out to America. Then to Australia, or South Africa, or wherever the wind blows.


I don't have a good caption for this picture. It's not even a very good picture.



We took them for fruit juice at our fruit juice place. I finally learned how to order the drink that I ordered on accident one time and was never able to duplicate. It's delicious.




They sell all kinds of snacks at the bus station. This one is supposed to be sweet, though it's not as tasty as it looks. Makes for a pretty picture though.


I think the Vietnamese actually have a word for sitting on the street talking and drinking. I don't know what the word is. Sometimes they yell hello and this time, I took a picture of them while we were walking by. They liked it.

Early in November, the Christmas decorations went up. They are ridiculous. I thought it was going to be hard to find them and now I feel silly for packing dollar store candy cane socks and barely making weight at the airport. I could have bought an entire Santa outfit here!


There is nothing that can't be carried on a motorbike. I have seen miraculous things being stacked and carried: eggs, glass bottles, large glass windows, huge bags of rice, buckets of slop, hundereds of plastic chairs, and in this case, a dozen metal stools.


We had a Thanksgiving meal at Fellowship last week. It was....soooo... gooood....

There a lot of families there. I really want my family to be like some of theirs. A lot of them have adopted children, work with orphanages and schools, and just seem to live exciting lives.


I discovered the black and white button on Erica's camera by accident.


Our friend Andrea Hamilton is in HCMC singing at the Park Hyatt in District One. I had no idea that it was so nice (and so expensive)! It was fun listening to her sing, and I felt so cool when she talked to us after (and during) singing.
November 20th is Teachers' Day in Vietnam. That night there was a celebration, which we didn't udnerstnad because it was all in Vietnamese. There was singing and awards, I think. Our school VATC broke some record having to do with a large greeting card. Here it is, decorated with thousands of tiny paper lotus flowers, and I even helped make a bunch!

No one really explained what it was to us, so we had no idea that there would be hundreds of teachers there. Fortunately we arrived in time and I made the decision not to wear jeans, and we were pinned with a lotus flower and ushered to nice seats. It also cost me 2,000vnd to use the bathroom. The things they assume we know...



This woman was cutting up the meat in a shop next to our apartment. She has a huge cleaver that I covet. They thought it was funny that I wanted to take their picture.

This man is sometimes at the shop where we have coffee. We think he is the great grandfather of that boy. The boy will play games with me from a distance, but when I hold out my arms, he shrinks away. Doesn't want to come to me.



Erica and I borrowed a card to the local Metro (The Sam's club of Vietnam). We then purchased a lot of toilet paper and some soap. We couldn't take out bags into the little shop in the way home, so Erica held everything when I went inside to buy milk.


In the last week or so, they've been cleaning out the sewer system, or at least that's what I observed. They actually sent a man down there to fill up buckets and send them up. He came up later and he was just wearing a pair of shorts. Nasty.


They sell a lot of balloons, especially in the really touristy areas of District one. And I don't know why because I never see foreigners carrying balloons.


This is just a picture of corn. I thought it was a cool picture. Cool picture? Yes. Good corn? Nooo.

Well that was kind of a low note to end on. So I would like to announce the start of my December. Tonight I used a public toilet for the first time! I walked up and started to go in and the man stopped me, motioning for me to take my shoes off. Then I went. And it was only 1,000vnd, which is NOTHING. However, I feel like they should take your money before you go, because after you've gone, it's done. But I guess they know what they're doing. Either way, it was a very pleasant experience, and I would do it again.

6 comments:

Andrea said...

What? The conference on the beach did not make the list of November events but the man cleaning the sewer did? Should my feelings be hurt? ;)

Unknown said...

I found the sewer photo quite fascinating

momma c said...

I am feeling a bit repulsed by the thought of taking off your shoes to go in the public restroom. You made no further comment, but some of the public restrooms in foreign countries that I've been in, I had a hard time even walking into, let alone walking in barefoot. HCMC has somewhat decent sanitary standards or did you have to block it from your mind? I guess you didn't have to do what the man in shorts did, so in comparison, your situation was very sanitary. Funny all 3 comments have focused on the sewer.
We sure missed you this weekend! Good food, good fellowship, good times- I am glad you are experiencing those blessing there, too. It'll be interesting hear how fellowship works there. Wish I knew more needs and requests for raying- but know that we are.
OH! I found the Christmas present I would love to get you if it didn't cost so much. I was browsing the Brookstone catalog and found a small 007-esque video camera for those incognito clips I want you to get! You could clip it to your lapel(do you have one??) and tape away. It doesn't have a view finder, so I really don't know how you would know if what you wanted was actually in the frame, though.
Keep the clips coming- here and on FB- love hearing your voice tell stories and experiences.

Carolyn said...

yeah, it's weird, they're big into the taking off of the shoes. And the bathrooms are tile everywhere and after someone goes, they spray the whole thing down. Which makes everything wet. Which I find a little annoying, but better than the alternative.

O man a spy camera! that is EXACTLY what I need. Although I do enjoy peoples' reactions to when I take their pictures soemtimes. Some day I'm going to make someone mad though.

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Carolyn said...

Oh no. What am I wrong about? Probably a lot. Tell me. Though the corn is definitely overcooked.