Yes thats right folks i went to the beach. It was just a day trip, which ment that we had to start our day at 4:30 in the morning. You probably arnt aware, but at the moment all i really do with my time is sleep. Sometimes i can sleep all day if i dont have any classes. But even when i have a full day, i have a class, come home and nap till my next one and repeat the process. Some how i still manage to sleep all through the night so somthing must be wrong! Anyway so ive been sleeping alot, and so a 4"30 wake up call was not high on my list of things to do. I should also explain that i was going to the beach with the Saoviet school i am teacing at in Thai Nugyen.. ($15 usd an hour and its absolutly worth it!) its basically teaching a class that want to be taught every single day! and they generally have good english.
So we were off, and sposed to have leaft Thai Nguyen by 5:30 at the lastet. There was some trouble however as school organised trips tend to be and after about 2 hours we were away again. So much for an early start! The whole 4 hours there was VN singing and games and boy was i going crazy. I could not sleep for the life of me, but finally i saw the ocean first! i will add that i was the only person playing that game, but i played and it was a relief to see the sea.
The beach was beautiful, though after some seriouse thought on the matter, bridget and i decided that it was like Geelong beach, only slightly prettier. There were lots of large sun umbrellas and deck chairs all laid out and in faided pretty colours. It had just been raining, and there was a port just around the corner, so the water was a little murky... but it didnt stop the kids (about 50 from all different Saoviet schools through Ha Noi, TN and Hai Phoung) from taking a dip, and dragging B and i in kicking and screaming. B was first and then they realised i was still dry so they all came a running! eventually they got me in, i dont know why i struggled, but i paid for it in spades. I now have cuts on my knees and i look like a 10 yr old wo fell out of a tree - it is rather embarassing!
Any way, once b and i were both wet, we got some energy and decided to do an Iron Girl comp. Now picture this if you will. The only two western girls for miles, fully clothed and absolutly drenched like two drowned cats, sprinting with all there might up the beach for no apparent reason and then hitting a wall and then running back again for equally no apparent reason and sprinting into the water and swimming off. WELL i can safely say that the VN crowd was very confused, but rather impressed that we girls could swim. We got a rousing round of applase which streached for ages half way around the bay!
There were some games played on the beach between Saoviet schools, again from all over, and TN managed to win a game of tug of war and won themselves some prize money. B and i once again got some energy and decided to join in. Unfortunatly we lost interest pretty quickly cause it was all in VN even though everybody there was learning English at the Saoviet school and so i think there should have been instructions in English. Apparently nobody eles agreed, and after trying to get an interpreter the games were for money so we didnt want to ruin TN chance of more money for the school.
One thing i would like to pay special mention to is the shower bathing situation at the beach. So there was a big open room with a GIANT vat of cold, clean water with a pile of clean buckets next to it. There were already two girls there and they filled us in on the etiquet. "Bath like nobody is watching" is probably the main point, but in the end we just ended up having a massive water fight with buckets FULL of water and just making a mess! It was good fun, and despite the water prob being absolutly freezing, it was surprisingly refreshing. We ended up in a tiny cubical after our shower/bath/water fight and then we were all nice and clean a dry and shuffled off to a Saoviet bus heading to Ha Noi.
3 Hours later - which doesnt actually make all that much sence but anyway - 3 hours later we were dropped off in a random street in the middle of the old district in Ha Noi and heading for the backpackers before heading for the kebab house - yes Kebabs in Vietnam which are surprisingly good, despite being on slightly sweet bread - and the Bia Hoi for some good cheap beer. 4 Beers later, in approximatly 20 minutes, we were off and racing. No not really, we had a quite night just hitting our local bars and meeting new people from across the world. The night ended like it usually does for us in Ha Noi, with the Police, but it was 3 in the morning and prob time i went to bed seeing as i had nearly been up for 24 hrs straight! Dad, we werent in trouble, The police cut all night life in Ha Noi after midnight. It is there rule, but most of the bars owners dont agree and try and keep you in there bar for as long as possible. It is all kinda leagal, but the VN started it, i guess its complicated, but i havnt been in any trouble! promise :D
And so that was my weekend. Rather uneventful i must say, but wat i needed nun the less. Teaching has been a bit tedious and unwanted and after spending last week in Viet Duc i need to see people who didnt need everything said really really slowly to them.
yep thats me.
Sleep out yall!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Ducks
Hey guys,
so instead of starting with My weekend again, i want to tell you a bit about the trip to and from Ha Noi. So we catch the bus, and if we catch the right bus, we go past these pond like things on the side of the road. One large pont has little shacks were youi can fish from and onother pond has ducks in it. The pond is quite large, and one area is feced off with ducklings and another is fenced off for ducks. Its kinda kool.
Anyway, so my weekend. Started on friday night with a triop into Thai Ngyen teaching - i know some weekend - but it was a good class, lots of fun. Then we got up early and headed into Ha Noi. When we arrived we had breakfast and then i got an invite to go the the military museum. THere was only 5 of us - Glenn, Craig, Emily, Sibyl and i but Craig had a student who wanted to show us around, so that was nice. There was alot of kool stuff like helicopters and planes and guns and knives and well you get the picture. There was also alot of tactical information which the VN are very proud of becuase well it helped them to be so successful! So i saved my pennys
and did something cultural for the first time since i have been in VN. Then we booked ourselfes into one of the coolest hostels and went for happy hour at 5. Dinner was at a local VN place around the corner and then we set off for a Bia Hoi. now in Vietnam there is cheap beer - Bia Ha Noi which costs around 15.000 Dong (.90 cents) for a large bottle - but Bia Hoi is special. Its keg beer that cost around 3.000 Dong which is almost uncountable! Its really light and like drinking crap, but it is effective if you have enough. Bia Hoi is also special because the place we went to had three Bia Hoi's in one intersection made up of 4 corners. There isnt much of a footpath, so you end up in the gutter, or as the night continues sitting in the middle of the road playing a drinking game with 10 Americans you managed to grop into the game even though they were just innocently walking through the intersection. Good times... Because the Bia Hoi is pretty basic, we had to keep going to this really really kool place called Red Mask to use the loo. We started to feel bad, becuase thats all we were using it for so we ended up having a cocktail and then heading back for more cheap beer. It was a great circle :P
Finally, we headed off for Dragon Fly. Another really cool bar - which i will take you to Theo cuase i think you would like it :P and then back and for the Dragon Fly and red Mask untill the police came and stopped us. The night life here stops at about 12:30 - 1am. Bars stay open, but if the police come in some have to leave. you can always get into places, but if the police come back, the owners get into trouble - naturally - so after the police had there say we headed back to the hostel.
Sunday morning, and it was the first full day that i was going to spend in Ha Noi and all i wanted to do was sleep. Instead i went with Claire to the Museum of oh crap i cant remember! anyway it was a museum and it was kool, but we were boith rather tired so we ended up just going through the motions untill we found the gift shop and headed back into town. Three kebabs later, a packet of shampoo and conditioner and we were on our way back to the hostel for a nap and shower. Man it was glorious! Free beer was up on the roof of the hostel at 3, but i was too busy talking to my mummy and brother so i didnt go :P anyway, after the night before it was too early to drink! But then the best bit was still to come. Ok you sitting down. Take a breath. Ok so we managed to find out that regurgitator were in Ha Noi and having a concert that night. Dad, Regurgitator is an Australian bad who your daughter doesn't mind. Ok so for 30.000 dong we got to see regurgitator LIVE. Because we were in Vietnam, i am about a head taller than everybody eles, so i had the best seats in the house and i just so managed to find my way into the middle of the mosh, right at the front and it wsa going off!!!! I didnt realise how many of their songs i new and really like, so i was jumping and screaming and singing my head off, and becuase of my height, i stuck out like a saw thumb and i was in sooo many pictures. Glenn, on of the gappers who is really nice and was actually holding my wallet and shoes... :P started the croud surfing and it was on! The band was having a ball, they looked honestly suprised that there was such a big crowd and that they were having so much fun. By the end though i swear the bass guy was singing at/with me. I was singing and he was singing and then we were laughing and it was AWSOME. never been so close and in a mosh really...
By the end my shoes were completly unfixable and i was hobbling around and no were near drunk enough to not care. actually i wasnt drinking so i cared alot! I still had to get back to the Hostel and then back home early in the morning to Song Cong, so its not like i could by them in the morning. Somehow, i ended up going to ha Nois night arket with Liana - another gapper who is in halong City - becuase she has never been to the night market. Eventually, i managed to find some shoes and all was good with the world.
So that was my weekend. It included alot of drinking, and some kick ass aussie live music. Oh some down sides, i got hit by a car and i burnt my foot on the exhaust of a motor bike. Lucky for me, i didnt bruise from the car - so no one beleives i got hit - and my reflexses are shit hot, so i didnt really burn on my foot. All i do know is that it hurt like hell when i did it, but after all the jumping from the band, it was hard to tell which foot hurt more - the burnt one or the non burnt one?! I would like to add - for my fathers peice of mind - that both of these above mentioned events happened while i was sober! go figure. One girl did sprain her ancle though, and she was so drunk that she continued to walk around on it and she is going to be in so much pain for the next couple of weeks that its not funny, but hey it wasnt me!
So that is quite an entry, but i had quite a weekend. It had alot of culture in it actually... helped me save some money. Anyway i should go and teach or something, so have fun guys and i'lll report back soon!
Eat out
so instead of starting with My weekend again, i want to tell you a bit about the trip to and from Ha Noi. So we catch the bus, and if we catch the right bus, we go past these pond like things on the side of the road. One large pont has little shacks were youi can fish from and onother pond has ducks in it. The pond is quite large, and one area is feced off with ducklings and another is fenced off for ducks. Its kinda kool.
Anyway, so my weekend. Started on friday night with a triop into Thai Ngyen teaching - i know some weekend - but it was a good class, lots of fun. Then we got up early and headed into Ha Noi. When we arrived we had breakfast and then i got an invite to go the the military museum. THere was only 5 of us - Glenn, Craig, Emily, Sibyl and i but Craig had a student who wanted to show us around, so that was nice. There was alot of kool stuff like helicopters and planes and guns and knives and well you get the picture. There was also alot of tactical information which the VN are very proud of becuase well it helped them to be so successful! So i saved my pennys
and did something cultural for the first time since i have been in VN. Then we booked ourselfes into one of the coolest hostels and went for happy hour at 5. Dinner was at a local VN place around the corner and then we set off for a Bia Hoi. now in Vietnam there is cheap beer - Bia Ha Noi which costs around 15.000 Dong (.90 cents) for a large bottle - but Bia Hoi is special. Its keg beer that cost around 3.000 Dong which is almost uncountable! Its really light and like drinking crap, but it is effective if you have enough. Bia Hoi is also special because the place we went to had three Bia Hoi's in one intersection made up of 4 corners. There isnt much of a footpath, so you end up in the gutter, or as the night continues sitting in the middle of the road playing a drinking game with 10 Americans you managed to grop into the game even though they were just innocently walking through the intersection. Good times... Because the Bia Hoi is pretty basic, we had to keep going to this really really kool place called Red Mask to use the loo. We started to feel bad, becuase thats all we were using it for so we ended up having a cocktail and then heading back for more cheap beer. It was a great circle :P
Finally, we headed off for Dragon Fly. Another really cool bar - which i will take you to Theo cuase i think you would like it :P and then back and for the Dragon Fly and red Mask untill the police came and stopped us. The night life here stops at about 12:30 - 1am. Bars stay open, but if the police come in some have to leave. you can always get into places, but if the police come back, the owners get into trouble - naturally - so after the police had there say we headed back to the hostel.
Sunday morning, and it was the first full day that i was going to spend in Ha Noi and all i wanted to do was sleep. Instead i went with Claire to the Museum of oh crap i cant remember! anyway it was a museum and it was kool, but we were boith rather tired so we ended up just going through the motions untill we found the gift shop and headed back into town. Three kebabs later, a packet of shampoo and conditioner and we were on our way back to the hostel for a nap and shower. Man it was glorious! Free beer was up on the roof of the hostel at 3, but i was too busy talking to my mummy and brother so i didnt go :P anyway, after the night before it was too early to drink! But then the best bit was still to come. Ok you sitting down. Take a breath. Ok so we managed to find out that regurgitator were in Ha Noi and having a concert that night. Dad, Regurgitator is an Australian bad who your daughter doesn't mind. Ok so for 30.000 dong we got to see regurgitator LIVE. Because we were in Vietnam, i am about a head taller than everybody eles, so i had the best seats in the house and i just so managed to find my way into the middle of the mosh, right at the front and it wsa going off!!!! I didnt realise how many of their songs i new and really like, so i was jumping and screaming and singing my head off, and becuase of my height, i stuck out like a saw thumb and i was in sooo many pictures. Glenn, on of the gappers who is really nice and was actually holding my wallet and shoes... :P started the croud surfing and it was on! The band was having a ball, they looked honestly suprised that there was such a big crowd and that they were having so much fun. By the end though i swear the bass guy was singing at/with me. I was singing and he was singing and then we were laughing and it was AWSOME. never been so close and in a mosh really...
By the end my shoes were completly unfixable and i was hobbling around and no were near drunk enough to not care. actually i wasnt drinking so i cared alot! I still had to get back to the Hostel and then back home early in the morning to Song Cong, so its not like i could by them in the morning. Somehow, i ended up going to ha Nois night arket with Liana - another gapper who is in halong City - becuase she has never been to the night market. Eventually, i managed to find some shoes and all was good with the world.
So that was my weekend. It included alot of drinking, and some kick ass aussie live music. Oh some down sides, i got hit by a car and i burnt my foot on the exhaust of a motor bike. Lucky for me, i didnt bruise from the car - so no one beleives i got hit - and my reflexses are shit hot, so i didnt really burn on my foot. All i do know is that it hurt like hell when i did it, but after all the jumping from the band, it was hard to tell which foot hurt more - the burnt one or the non burnt one?! I would like to add - for my fathers peice of mind - that both of these above mentioned events happened while i was sober! go figure. One girl did sprain her ancle though, and she was so drunk that she continued to walk around on it and she is going to be in so much pain for the next couple of weeks that its not funny, but hey it wasnt me!
So that is quite an entry, but i had quite a weekend. It had alot of culture in it actually... helped me save some money. Anyway i should go and teach or something, so have fun guys and i'lll report back soon!
Eat out
Monday, October 6, 2008
Yet another weekend
Hey guys.
So if you havnt already noticed, everything happens on a weekend arund here. I teach during the week, speaking of which i havnt really told you about teaching have i? Ok so i teach in a few places. So their is Viet Duc College - which is the place im staying at and should really be doing more classes at. Then their is private Tuition and then thier is teaching at a place in Song Cong town about 15 mins by motorbike away. I enjoy teaching in the school becuase even though they are really boring and basically straight from the book, i feel more structured and less like a fish out of water. I dont really have to plan a class or really pay that much attention to what i am doing really, becuase alot of the students i teach are almost identical to brick walls. Honestly you put my students agains the wall and they dissapear! let me explain a little. Their english is gewnerally very basic. And becuase they are not used to hearing "real" english, they cant pick up what i am saying. I end up saying one thing 5 times and then they catch on after the teacher realises the misscommunication and utters one word under thier breath and then we are all fine and dandy. "Repeat" seems to be a word that they dont understand, even though i might say it 7 or 8 times in one lesson, but hey, what did i understand of my Italian teacher when she spoke in Italian to the class? ... ... .... absolutly NOTHIN! in that respect these kids are doing pretty well to just repeat thewords listed in thier books after me. This kinda teaching isnt too bad. Its a bit tiring and i now have new found respect for my mother who has been teaching for years, but this is not as tiring as private tutering. So Ms Yen - remember her - i tute 10 kinds at her house once a week. 10 kids around the age of 12 and below. I am generally on my own and they just eat me alive. I just cant handle them at all! they blatently talk while im talking, but its always in VN so i dont know what they are saying. They could be helping another kid with simple translation of what im saying! In that case, i dont want to tell them off. But at the same time they could be talking about a possible game im going to play with them if they keep anoying me untill i fold and play the game they want to play. i just cant seem t win a trick with them...
The teaching in Song Cong is better though. It is still teaching kids, but they are in a class room and they are paying - well actually every lesson even private i get paid for - but i feel like they actually want to learn and not just play games. I do alot of talking, which i have been told of for actually. Appaently im "greedy teacher". Thank you Ms Yen. Hear i am trying to get them used to the language and what it sounds like, but hey, i do understand that the kids also have to talk to get their own pronounciation right... so ill let that slide. so iguess that is teaching. Alot of walls, but alot of listeners too. Oh i almost forgot the best teaching of all. So our VN friend got us ajob at her school teaching obviously, but it pays $15 USD a lesson, which is damn good. The more classes we do, the more the pay increases too. SCORE! it is a little school like the Shane centre we learned how to teach in in HCMC, so it reminds me of that time alot. It is once again 5 stories and small, but the students are great. They all want to be there. like really want to be there. Their english ranges from good to really good and not so good, but i had the best class the other day. They had a "No VNs rule" which ment that they couldnt speak a word of VN without paying me - the teacher - money. like a swear jar. i myself said some VN and so did they so they kinda cancelled themselves out a little... unfortuantly. And now that is all the teaching i am doing.
Oh no, this is going to be a long post, becuase i still have to tell you about my weekend...
i'll make it brief. Friday night i was teachin in Thai Nguyen - where i had the best class to date - and i set off the next morning direct to Hanoi. 2 1/2 hours later - when it should only really take 1 1/2 even factoring the exra distances from TN to Viet Duc - i arrived in Hanoi by myself - B was already there - and i went for a wander. Hanoi is amazing. I know feel really at home there and it is fanastic. i basically orientate my way from this lake called Hoan Kiem lake - good luck with the prounciation i cant even say it! - and then i work my way to the DVD store, the best Atm in the middle of nowhere, Silk Street, sunglasses street and bag street. I picked myself up some sunnies, a zippo lighter for when the power goes out and some really cool wall hangings with Tin Tin on them. Beleive it or not, Tin Tin is the bee's knees around here. Call me stupid, but i dont really know why he is so big. Wasnt the writer German or something??? anyway picked me up some of those and bargend like a fiend. I think i even got complimented on my barganing skills! "you bargan hard! you will do really well after 5 month" anyway after my money spending i met up with others gappers for lunch and p-roceeded to Laura's - let me introduce you. She is from the UK, she is at a placement on her own and she is 21, just out of uni and looking for a fresh start. Love her, she is so much fun. - dummped my stuff off at her house for the night and headed out for happy hour fishbowls at an awsome hostel. After fishbolws came dinner. Then came Le Pub, a fantastic Aussie run Western Favourite and then another place and then Solice. Fantasic dance club. Really finding some awsome places if anybody is interested...
Must dash to hand in my passport to police... its the thing they do... anyway happy times
Peace Out!
So if you havnt already noticed, everything happens on a weekend arund here. I teach during the week, speaking of which i havnt really told you about teaching have i? Ok so i teach in a few places. So their is Viet Duc College - which is the place im staying at and should really be doing more classes at. Then their is private Tuition and then thier is teaching at a place in Song Cong town about 15 mins by motorbike away. I enjoy teaching in the school becuase even though they are really boring and basically straight from the book, i feel more structured and less like a fish out of water. I dont really have to plan a class or really pay that much attention to what i am doing really, becuase alot of the students i teach are almost identical to brick walls. Honestly you put my students agains the wall and they dissapear! let me explain a little. Their english is gewnerally very basic. And becuase they are not used to hearing "real" english, they cant pick up what i am saying. I end up saying one thing 5 times and then they catch on after the teacher realises the misscommunication and utters one word under thier breath and then we are all fine and dandy. "Repeat" seems to be a word that they dont understand, even though i might say it 7 or 8 times in one lesson, but hey, what did i understand of my Italian teacher when she spoke in Italian to the class? ... ... .... absolutly NOTHIN! in that respect these kids are doing pretty well to just repeat thewords listed in thier books after me. This kinda teaching isnt too bad. Its a bit tiring and i now have new found respect for my mother who has been teaching for years, but this is not as tiring as private tutering. So Ms Yen - remember her - i tute 10 kinds at her house once a week. 10 kids around the age of 12 and below. I am generally on my own and they just eat me alive. I just cant handle them at all! they blatently talk while im talking, but its always in VN so i dont know what they are saying. They could be helping another kid with simple translation of what im saying! In that case, i dont want to tell them off. But at the same time they could be talking about a possible game im going to play with them if they keep anoying me untill i fold and play the game they want to play. i just cant seem t win a trick with them...
The teaching in Song Cong is better though. It is still teaching kids, but they are in a class room and they are paying - well actually every lesson even private i get paid for - but i feel like they actually want to learn and not just play games. I do alot of talking, which i have been told of for actually. Appaently im "greedy teacher". Thank you Ms Yen. Hear i am trying to get them used to the language and what it sounds like, but hey, i do understand that the kids also have to talk to get their own pronounciation right... so ill let that slide. so iguess that is teaching. Alot of walls, but alot of listeners too. Oh i almost forgot the best teaching of all. So our VN friend got us ajob at her school teaching obviously, but it pays $15 USD a lesson, which is damn good. The more classes we do, the more the pay increases too. SCORE! it is a little school like the Shane centre we learned how to teach in in HCMC, so it reminds me of that time alot. It is once again 5 stories and small, but the students are great. They all want to be there. like really want to be there. Their english ranges from good to really good and not so good, but i had the best class the other day. They had a "No VNs rule" which ment that they couldnt speak a word of VN without paying me - the teacher - money. like a swear jar. i myself said some VN and so did they so they kinda cancelled themselves out a little... unfortuantly. And now that is all the teaching i am doing.
Oh no, this is going to be a long post, becuase i still have to tell you about my weekend...
i'll make it brief. Friday night i was teachin in Thai Nguyen - where i had the best class to date - and i set off the next morning direct to Hanoi. 2 1/2 hours later - when it should only really take 1 1/2 even factoring the exra distances from TN to Viet Duc - i arrived in Hanoi by myself - B was already there - and i went for a wander. Hanoi is amazing. I know feel really at home there and it is fanastic. i basically orientate my way from this lake called Hoan Kiem lake - good luck with the prounciation i cant even say it! - and then i work my way to the DVD store, the best Atm in the middle of nowhere, Silk Street, sunglasses street and bag street. I picked myself up some sunnies, a zippo lighter for when the power goes out and some really cool wall hangings with Tin Tin on them. Beleive it or not, Tin Tin is the bee's knees around here. Call me stupid, but i dont really know why he is so big. Wasnt the writer German or something??? anyway picked me up some of those and bargend like a fiend. I think i even got complimented on my barganing skills! "you bargan hard! you will do really well after 5 month" anyway after my money spending i met up with others gappers for lunch and p-roceeded to Laura's - let me introduce you. She is from the UK, she is at a placement on her own and she is 21, just out of uni and looking for a fresh start. Love her, she is so much fun. - dummped my stuff off at her house for the night and headed out for happy hour fishbowls at an awsome hostel. After fishbolws came dinner. Then came Le Pub, a fantastic Aussie run Western Favourite and then another place and then Solice. Fantasic dance club. Really finding some awsome places if anybody is interested...
Must dash to hand in my passport to police... its the thing they do... anyway happy times
Peace Out!
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