Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Happy New Year!

This year we had class and I played Happy New Year (by ABBA) (someone really should write a new new year song please) in my classes and had the more advanced class write new years resolutions. I bought some sparkling strawberry juice and then forgot about it in the fridge.

Around 11: 15 Phuong came and told me we were leaving. She said goodbye to Francois for me and called him Frank because it was easier.

Then we started off to District 1 to meet Jenni, who was with another Vietnamese teacher (who Phuong and I think totally probably has a crush on her), "Richard," and his student, Phi (Phi thinks that Americans all receive braces for free just for being citizens).

Jenni and Richard

Richard's shoes After Phuong and I almost ran out of gas, because we were driving her husband's motorbike, we met up with them just in time to all go to see the fireworks. Phuong is an aggressive and amazing driver in a ll the traffic and we lost them, because Richard and Phi could not keep up. When we got up to the round about in front of Ben Thanh Market, it was PACKED (capital packed). Maybe more motorbikes than I've ever seen out there, but I couldn't tell because most of them were parked.

We parked in the middle of the street and turned to look for them. In a matter of minutes, the whole street was bloacked from other motorbikes just parking the middle of the street and we took off our helmets and relaxed. All of a sudden, the fireworks started and they were low and behind a building. As if in unison, all of the Vietnamese people near me uttered a 'trời ơi' (an exclamation, oh no! good grief, are you kidding me, that's what I imagine them saying).

We put our helmets back on and started the engine, as did everyone else. We raced in the traffic to get to the fireworks, each street leading to yet another traffic jam. "Oh my god, oh my god..." Phuong would mutter as she drove, occasionally yelling to other drivers asking if it was clear ahead. I just laughed and occasionally remarked on what an incredible driver she is. We were filled with this sense of panic, racing against time. Those fireworks were going to be OVER SOON!

Well Phuong did her best, and I did my best as the back seat encourager, but we didn't make it. We didn't see a single firework, but we laughed a lot and yelled hello at a lot of foreigners. Phuong said that it was an experience together that we won't forget, and we talked about doing it again someday. Someday I'll have to come back and celebrate New Years here again.

Here we are cheersing to the New Year with our sugar cane juice. Phuong and I met up with the others after we got out of the traffic. They were already long gone because they weren't as deep in it as we were.

It's 2011 now!