Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pay Day


I still look forward to pay day as I did back in the corporate world but it is a bit different for me here in Hanoi. Instead of a deposit into my account I receive a big wad of cash. Every fortnight I receive my winnings in an envelope and happily stroll off to the nearest bank or bia hoi stand..........whatever comes first.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Ca phe sua da


I absolutely love this Vietnamese coffee. It is black Vietnamese coffee served with condensed milk topped with ice. Very simple, very strong and very very delicious. I can't handle more than one a day but it is always a treat when I do. The condensed milk makes it sweet and the ice dilutes the coffee making it for me the perfect drink.

You can also have the drink hot but the lack of water makes it to strong for my liking.

A must if you ever visit the country.

La nouvelle maison - the new house

Notre ruelle - our lane


Notre chambre - our bedroom



Notre salon en bas avec super tele - our downstairs living room with giant TV



Notre salon en haut avec petite tele - our upstairs living room with small tv :)



La cuisine - the kitchen


Une vue des 4 etages - A view of the 4 floors

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Vietnam Vodka


Vietnam Vodka, originally uploaded by Team Yeah.

Hanoi Vodka is a drink of choice among most men in Hanoi. You will see this little bottle being consumed in most restaurants throughout the city accompanied only by beer and the local rice wine xeo. Every restaurant and shop, street stand and supermarket have Hanoi vodka in stock and at no more than $2 Aussie for a 375ml bottle you can see why the locals love it. It is not as strong as regular vodka with an alcohol content of 29% but at the rate that the Vietnamese consume you are feeling the affects in no time.

One thing I have noticed since being in Vietnam and that I can say with some conviction; the Vietnamese (men) can drink.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Alors depuis début Mars, j’ai:

Déménagé : Comme vous le savez, ce n’était pas de tout repos. Mais ca valait le >
coup : ma nouvelle maison est ENORME, 4 étages, quatre chambres, trois salles de bains, deux salons (un des salons est en fait une chambre qu’on a transforme), il y aussi une sorte d’atelier à l’étage : parfait pour peindre, et une « salle de danse » au sous sol que l’on va probablement transformer en « gym » en achetant un velo d’appart d’occase et quelques altères. Donc bien sur on ne se servira jamais de cette pièce, mais on aura bonne conscience, au moins... La maison est jolie, bien decorée, on à un écran plat fixe au mur et un canapé en L, une grande cuisine et meme une buanderie. Le tout pour 500 euros par mois en tout, mais on partage la maison avec ma topine Lanette, prof comme moi dans la même école. On a les mêmes horaires, les mêmes copains, les mêmes gouts et la même taille de chaussures : tres important. Lanette ne se sert que d’une chambre et sa presence, en plus de nous plaire parce qu’elle est cool, nous allège de loyer de 150 euros. On a fait une petite pendaison de cremaillere Samedi dernier et pas mal de gens sont venus, c’etait sympa.



Travaillé : J’ai toujours des classes d’adultes tous les soirs de la semaine, et des enfants le Dimanche. Les adultes m’aiment bien, mais les enfants m’adorent ! Deux de
mes classes d’enfants se sont terminées le 7 Mars : deux mamans m’ont demandées comment s’y prendre pour que je reste l’instit de leur fille dans leur classe suivante, et on fait les démarches nécessaires aupres de l’ecole... ca fait plaisir. La deuxieme classe m’a organisé une fête dans la classe, avec musique à fond, énorme gateau, cadeaux etc... ils ont même organisé les jeux, je n’ai rien eu à faire ! Et le bouquet, c’est quand avant hier j’ai eu une reunion parents-prof avec les parents de mes Starters 1, les plus petits bouts de chou que l’on accepte à Language Link : 5-7 ans. Les réunions se passent avec une assistante qui traduit ce que je dis aux parents et à moi ce que les parents disent : une maman m’a expliqué que sa petite
fille écrit mon prénom partout sur ses cahiers à l’ecole, lol, et une autre que « je manque à sa fille avant qu’elle aille se coucher le soir », mdr. L’assistante était émerveillée ! Elle m’a dit que je ferais une bonne maman :D Tout ca ne veut pas forcément dire que je sois une très bonne prof, techniquement, mais j’adore mes petits et ils le sentent donc ils m’aiment.

Parlé francais avec mon mari : Maintenant nous pouvons parler de plein de choses, le temps, ce qu’on a fait aujourd’hui, ce qu’on mange, les vacances, décrire le plan de notre maison ou comment aller d’un endroit à l’autre : son vocabulaire est très simple mais à partir de maintenant c’est exponentiel : plus on parle plus il apprends, parce qu’il a déjà une bonne base à déveloper. C’est rigolo il fait plein de fautes évidemment mais il s’en sort pas mal, surtout pour quelqu’un qui ne pouvait pas prononcer deux mots il y a six mois.

Découvert de nouveaux secrets cachés à Hanoi : une piscine exterieure qui donne sur le lac à côté de chez moi, plusieurs marchés couverts planques dans des dédales de petites rues, un nouveau pub qui vient d’ouvrir à 5 minutes de la maison, un restau

sur le lac avec un super menu et des canapés pour relaxer, une marchande de rue qui fait le meilleur Pho d’Hanoi, elle met des bouts de tofu grillé dedans et de la tomate mhh mhhh ! et plein d’autres choses à Hanoi il y à de nouvelles choses à découvrir tous les jours !
Officellement perdu tout les kilos pris à Noel, et un de plus pour la forme ! Suis canon...

Numbers of Hanoi

If you have been to Hanoi then you have seen the numbers. Printed on walls throughout the city, from the main streets to the smallest alley, are countless phone numbers in multiple colours. They are advertising; numbers for people's businesses I have been told. I don't know the success but they are everywhere. I have heard and read that the goverment wants to get rid of the numbers. I hope they don't. The numbers give character to the city and in a way makes Hanoi, Hanoi.







Thursday, March 18, 2010

Travelling Coins


I have a big bag of Australia coins sitting in my cupboard here in Hanoi. I was recently reminded of them because I just moved house and a big bag of coins are heavy. You may be wondering why I have a big bag of coins in Hanoi so I will let you in on the little story.

In Sydney I hated carrying coins anywhere so at any opportunity would throw the days collection into a bowl next to my bed. When I left Sydney I planned to give all my coins to my brother Chris who was meeting me at the airport to say goodbye. I had the coins in my hand luggage so as to easily pass them on and in the midst of the frantic airport experience I completely forgot. When through customs I wondered by the hell by bag was so heavy and remembered my horde of coins. I spent the best part of 20 minutes buying water and chips and chewing gum and chocolate with 20 cent coins but it seemed to only make a small reduction. I decided to take what was left on the trip with me to Bangkok.

Once in Bangkok my bags were lost and I headed off to my hostel with the clothes on my back, a book, a camera, a laptop and big bag of Australian coins. The coins have stayed with me ever since, being lugged to each new house (4 so far) at the expense of my back. They are now like a travelling companion; my version of the garden gnome which some people like to take on their travels. My coins have travelled many miles across many borders and now I just have to think where I should take them next.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Oops...

Je n’ai pas eu beaucoup d’inspiration ces derniers temps: La première moitié de Mars fut très éprouvante, avec un déménagement pas facile… mais un déménagement est-il jamais facile?
Nous habitons maintenant dans une grande maison que nous ne comptons pas lâcher de sitôt. Malheureusement, c’est une petite trotte de 10 minutes pour accéder aux commerces, ce qui à Hanoi est rarissime mais oui, on s’est demerdé pour trouver LA rue sans commerces ! :)
La maison elle même est fantastique : on a pas encore pris de photos parce que c’est un peu trop le bordel et puis il fait froid et pas beau et la lumiere ne rends rien.
En tout cas nous sommes désolés pour tout ce retard, si vous êtes l’une des trois personnes qui suit nos aventures !! :)

Mon prochain post : un petit récapitulatif de notre mois de Mars, du 1er au 15.

Books about Vietnam


While living in Vietnam I have been extremely interested to read whatever I can about the country and its history. There are many different perspectives so whatever I read I try to keep and open mind.

I have recently finished Catfish and Mandala, a cracker of a book, where the author takes you on a bicycle journey throughout Vietnam as he searches for his identity through long ago memories of his birth country. Andrew left Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and moved to America with his family at the age of ten. This part memoir part travelogue is brilliantly written and gives the reader a great insight into the Vietnamese culture and how American-Vietnamese are accepted in today's society. Above all it shows how today, many decades after the war, that families on both sides are still coming to terms and trying to repair the harm caused.

After Catfish and Mandala I read, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien; a work of fiction inspired by his time fighting in Vietnam. It is extremely well written and his descriptive style captures the feeling and more often than not the shocking events that took place. He contrasts life in the field to that many decades on at home in America. I read this book in two sittings.

Paradise of the Blind, is written by a Vietnamese woman, now in exile because of her anti-government views. It was the first Vietnamese book to be published in English and is banned in Vietnam. I was able to pick up a translated copy. For a detailed synopsis have a look at the below link;




I have also read the Pulitzer Winning book, Fire in the Lake. Find my post regarding this book below.



Any other suggestions on good books on anything Vietnam would be warmly welcomed.

Learning French in Hanoi


Today I completed my final oral french exam and, pending results, I will be able to move up to level 2 - very exciting! I had my final written exam on Monday and will collect my results on Friday. I have now been studying at L'Espace, a French language school, for 6 months and have really enjoyed it. The learning style is very academic and quite serious but I am not that bothered. I have learnt a lot in 6 months and feel I have a good handle on what Celine calls, the basics. With the so called basics sorted my learning can hopefully grow exponentially (studying permitted), especially if I moved to France.

L'Espace is a great way to learn French in Hanoi. The facilities are great with big classrooms and a library. The centre has ongoing events and best of all the prices are extremely reasonable. I pay about $75 US for a 3 month course. There are three 1 and half hour lessons a week or what equates to a couple of bucks a lesson. I mean seriously, how good is that! In Oz or the UK or anywhere for that matter learning a language can be costly so I am very thankful for this opportunity while in Hanoi.

Many of the people I know, English teachers as well as students are now going to L'Espace to learn French. I am still the only foreigner in my class which is good because a lot of questions are thrown my way. The issue is when the questions are related to my nationality for I have been living a lie for 6 months now. In my first class, 6 months ago, when asked my nationality I thought for some stupid reason he meant what language. I responded English and didn't understand my mistake until a few lessons later whereby everyone thought I was English. A little embarrassed to admit my mistake I thought it a much easier solution to pretend I was English, and so I did. As the only foreigner the teacher loved to compare Vietnamese culture to mine so I was often subjected to his tough line of questioning; What is the weather like in England?, what food do you eat? what is the eating culture? what sport do you watch?. All these questions I was on top of but when quizzed about university and what time of the year they start and finish I could only think of how and when it happens in Australia, which I can assure you is very different in the UK. The teacher and the class were surprised that the main university holidays were over January/February and not around July as in France. I assured them I was correct.

I was hoping my second course, starting 3 months ago, would allow me to start a fresh as an Aussie through and through but to my dismay, no, as I had the same teachers. Shit! So on with the facade I went learning French in Vietnam by pretending to be English. It was fun and when asked to present myself today in my final exam I had a little smile as I recounted my practiced speech; I am English, I live in London, I like football and fish and chips. I almost believed it myself.

I may take a break from the lessons for a while. I think 3 more months of being an Englishman would drive me crazy :).

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The joys of teaching

I have been slack on our blog for the past week as a result of a very busy schedule. It all started on the weekend with some heavy days of teaching. On Saturday I did 8 hours which was demanding but doable. On Sunday I backed up with an 11 hour marathon which sucked me dry of every functional fibre of my being. I started at 8am with a 3 hour session. I had an hour break for an early lunch before a 2 hour class. I finished that class and had 30 minutes to ride to another school before I started 6 straight hours of classes. The structure was 30 minutes to an hour per class; 10 classes in total. That was 10 hellos and goodbyes; 10 smiles as I enter the room; 10, how are you today?. The classes were kids from 7 years old to teenagers at 16. I rotated between three different classrooms over two floors. The first couple of hours were OK and I was into a good rhythm, bouncing between classes with enthusiasm and generally matching the kids energy.

After about three to four hours the fatigue started setting in. I was having to stop at the door before entering the new class, take a deep breath, rub my face and compose myself before opening the door and putting on a strained smile. The last hour and a half was painful. I was exhausted. I had lost all sense of direction; I couldn't remember which class I had to go to, standing in the hallway looking in each direction with the confusion of an animal blinded by headlights. I couldn't and still can't remember what I was teaching and was really in a sorry state. I was dysfunctional and verging on delusional.

Before the last class, only 30 minutes to go, I went into the bathroom, stared at myself and opened my eyes as wide as I could, possibly trying to find anywhere there. I pressed my nose to the mirror watching it bend on the glass. I moved my head from left to right until something triggered in my foggy and beat up brain........"What the fuck are you doing"?. The brain had a very valid point. I took my face off the glass, smiled at the stupidity of the moment and slapped my face a few times. I gave myself a little pep talk while looking into the mirror...."Come on Ding (yes I was speaking in the third person), you can do it, 30 minutes to go, COME ON!"

I knocked on the door and entered the last class, simple introductions a battle. My pep talked failed miserably. I was struggling big time, my head a drugged up mess. I attempted to play a game where the kids had to unscramble some words I wrote on the board. 3 of the words were missing or I wrote incorrect letters so the kids obviously couldn't find the correct ones. I was actually feeling dizzy and it seemed as if the room was moving. I had to sit down and did so at one point teaching from the chair. I was spent and at my wits end. Every minute was dragging as if time was enjoying my suffering. My head was about to explode. The last 5 minutes somehow merged into me asking questions about speaking Vietnamese, the kids teaching me. As 8.30pm ticked over on the clock above the door I glared at it, grunted something to the class and hauled myself outside. It was not elation or joy as I had no energy to show or feel any emotion. It was a nothing.

I got myself home thinking I can not do this again.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Our beautiful Vietnamese teacher - notre jolie prof de Vietnamien


Voici Ngoc (prononcez "gn" comme dans monta"gn"e + op)
Notre copine-prof qui engueule Dan parce qu'il n'arrive pas a prononcer, dit "fuck" au lieu de "fork" (fourchette) et est completement mortifiee quand on luie xplique pourquoi du coup on est morts de rire et ne pense qu'a une chose dans la vie, c'est a etre "stylish". Malgre sa franche inclination a ne s'interesser qu'a l'apparence, le style et les choses materielles, je l'aime. Elle me fait rire et c'est toujours un bonheur de la voir.

Dinner with Nam


Last night we met for dinner with our friend Nam at the Rainbow restaurant in the Old Quarter. Nam was Celine's student at Language Link. We have kept in touch since and it is always great to catch up with him. He is a funny guy. He is an importer/exporter of tea. He is always offering to help and was the person piling boxes and bags onto his motorbike when we last moved. He has invited us to climb Mount Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina, on New Years Eve and visit Lang Son, a famous and beautiful waterfall close to the Chinese border. We unfortunately couldn't make those trips but now have them highly placed on the "must do's" while in Vietnam.
Celine was always laughing in her classes with Nam which makes teaching much easier.
He is one of the good friends we have made here.


Hier soir nous avons diné avec Nam, un des mes anciens étudiants, un de nos meilleurs amis au Vietnam (pendant ce diner j'ai bloqué sur deux petites nanas a la table d'en face qui me disaient quelque chose, du coup je suis allée leur demander si elles étaient d'anciennes Schmidtardes et oui, c'était le cas) (Florent Schmidt c'était mon lycée dans la banlieue Parisienne, il a changé de nom depuis, il s'appelle Henri Matisse je crois).
Nam est plein d'humour et toujours prêt a nous aider: même quand on ne lui demande pas. Cette fois il s'est mis en tête de nous aider a déménager la semaine prochaine, ce qui est hors de question: il nous a déja aide la derniere fois. Nam est Zuzu sont les deux étudiants avec qui j'ai garde le plus de contacts.