Steven bought his very first cell phone a few weeks ago and now accessible anytime, any where. I, on the otherhand, haven't figured out how to get in touch with T-Mobile to unlock my SIM card, yet, but plan to do it next week. Then we will actually be able to call each other on the go. Very exciting.
Steven's number is 01234451083, but we haven't quite figured out how you would call that from overseas. I found this on line:
Instructions for Calling to Cell Phones in Vietnam
For calls to Vietnamese cellular phones, a 2-digit code must be dialed in place of the area code. This 2-digit code always begins with 9, and the second digit depends upon the cellular provider. These cellular codes include the following:
• 91(Vinaphone)
• 90 (Mobiphone)
• 98 (Viettel)
• 95 (S-phone)
• 96 (EVN-Telecom)
If calling a Vietnamese Vinaphone cell phone from abroad, you would then dial 011-84-91-xxx-xxxx. If calling the same cell phone from within Vietnam, you would include the required 0 and dial 0-91-xxx-xxxx.
According to this, if you want to get in touch with us, it looks like you would dial - 011-84-91-445-2083, but of course I could be wrong.
We'd love to hear from you if you have the time and the money for a call. Remember we are 11 hours ahead.
Let me know if you try and it doesn't work. Talk to you soon!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Pitures of 147 Nguyen Tri Phuong
Our Dining Room
Our Living Room Sectional Sofa (not as comfy as it may appear)
Our Entertainment Center
(Gated doors to our balcony - making it seem like we live in a much shadier area then we do - with our burgandy drapes).
Our bed and head board (Go Gators!)
(Our Armoire)
Our Guest room waiting to house our many guests from the states...
Our "Thai-Style" bathroom
Our Kitchen
Our Storage/Workout/Laundry Drying Room
Clothes drying on the cage around the balcony off of the storage/workout/laundry drying room.
(Our washing machine)
Our first art purchase for our new home.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Ms. Sharon
The first day of school, I came in early to be sure I had everything ready. I gathered supplies to make name tags, I copied my class list so I would have everyone's name and I gave myself what would become my pep-talk for the day,
"Only three days. Only three days. They can't kill you in three days."
My students began to arrive at 8:00 a.m. and as I hadn't made a seating chart, they just put their books down on a desk and went out again until class began. My class consists of 13 students, 4 boys and 9 girls - a manageable number. Once they were all in class and seated, I introduced myself and asked how many of them were new to the school this year. Two students raised their hands. I then explained that we would be playing a game to try to get them to remember each others names, a game I had been taught by another third grade teacher.
The students gathered in a circle and I explained that they should say, "My name is" and state their name and then say, "And I like to..." and state their hobby. They would then make a movement that represented their hobby. Each consecutive student would then repeat what their neighbors had said before introducing themselves, leaving the last person in the circle with 12 people to remember.
The boys immediately began complaining. "We are at the end. We'll never remember all of that." The girls were so quiet, I could barely understand their names. We got halfway around the circle before I acquiesced and told them that they could just introduce themselves. We finally made it around the circle and everyone looked at me expectantly with unsmiling faces. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 0.
Next I had the kids go back to their seats and told them that we would be creating name tags for our desks. I asked them to get out their crayons and markers and showed them how to fold their paper in threes so that it would stand up on their desk. The happily got down to work. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 1.
After they made their name tags, I told them that we would be making up our classroom rules. I asked them if they knew what rules were and why we needed them and got some intelligent answers. I then asked them to give me some rules for our classroom and they all participated and called out rules while I wrote them on the board. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 2. I was getting the hang of it.
Then I had the kids fill out worksheets entitled “All About Me” which listed their names, hobbies, favorite things, etc. I thought that it would be fun for them to switch papers and introduce each other. But again, the girls read so low that you couldn’t hear them, even when I asked them to speak up. The kids got restless, so I cut it short. Kids 2. Ms. Sharon 2.
After the 10 minute morning break, I divided the kids up into teams and told them that we were going to play another game, also taught to me by the other third grade teachers, called “Math Trashketball.” I divided the kids up into four groups and pulled up the questions on PowerPoint on the overhead (each classroom here is equipped with a projector mounted to the wall that automatically projects what is on your screen onto the board when you turn it on.) The kids knew all of the questions and it was soon apparent which students were better in math. They enjoyed the competition and trying to throw the ball into the trash basket and most importantly for me, the activity lasted a whole hour.
After Math, it was time for computers and I took the kids down and left them in the lab with their computer teacher. After computers, we had lunch so I was free from 11:00 to 12:50 p.m.
I spent my lunch hour preparing for the afternoon and walking across the street to a local restaurant for a tasty lunch of mushrooms, tofu and rice, which I ate with the other teachers in the teachers lounge.
Because the new third grade was put together at the last minute, the P.E. class schedule could not accommodate them all at the same time, so they are divided into P.E. A and P.E. B, which means, instead of another planning period, I have half of my class for an hour and the other half for an hour on different days. Wednesday, was P.E. for group B.
During my lunch hour, I had wandered down into the office to see if there was a list of students for each group, and was told that I could decide. Just send half of them today and half of them next time. Excited, I happily drew up a list of the rowdiest kids and sent them off to P.E.
While group B was in P.E. Group A was in my class and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I started off by playing Simon Says, which lasted all of 5 minutes and was then left with 40 minutes to try to fill. Half of the three wanted to play games, while the other half wanted to color and read. I decided on the latter. Kids 3. Ms. Sharon 2.
After P.E., I set about explaining a Social Studies game called “Oh Deer,” which teaches the kids about habitats and animals’ need for food, water and shelter. The teacher chooses two students to be the deer and the rest of the class lines up against the wall and decides whether they are food (hands on their stomachs), water (hands at the mouths holding a “glass”), or shelter (hands making a “roof” over their heads). The deer, with their backs to the group, also decide if they need food, water or shelter and make the accompanying gestures. They then turn around and grab the “item” (person) that they need and bring them back to their side, resulting to two more deer. The teacher then explains that the deer were able to reproduce because there was enough food, water and shelter to meet their needs. Then the process repeats until there are more deer than resources and the deer that can’t meet their needs, go back to the other side of the classroom and “die” and become resources again.
I loved the concept of the game when it was explained to me, and it went well at first, but when we got to the point where there were more deer than resources, it was chaos and no one would admit to being a dead deer. So it fell apart. I summed it up hoping that they would retain some of the lesson of the game and resorted to having them do what I had planned to give them as homework as class work, since the game, which I had planned to take all period, only lasted 15 minutes... Kids 4. Ms. Sharon 2.
The last period of every day for my class is Vietnamese, so happily at 2:40 p.m., I left them with their teachers and set about writing up the rules poster, making a “Classroom Super Star” poster to encourage good behavior and planning for the next day. “Only three days. Only three days…”
"Only three days. Only three days. They can't kill you in three days."
My students began to arrive at 8:00 a.m. and as I hadn't made a seating chart, they just put their books down on a desk and went out again until class began. My class consists of 13 students, 4 boys and 9 girls - a manageable number. Once they were all in class and seated, I introduced myself and asked how many of them were new to the school this year. Two students raised their hands. I then explained that we would be playing a game to try to get them to remember each others names, a game I had been taught by another third grade teacher.
The students gathered in a circle and I explained that they should say, "My name is" and state their name and then say, "And I like to..." and state their hobby. They would then make a movement that represented their hobby. Each consecutive student would then repeat what their neighbors had said before introducing themselves, leaving the last person in the circle with 12 people to remember.
The boys immediately began complaining. "We are at the end. We'll never remember all of that." The girls were so quiet, I could barely understand their names. We got halfway around the circle before I acquiesced and told them that they could just introduce themselves. We finally made it around the circle and everyone looked at me expectantly with unsmiling faces. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 0.
Next I had the kids go back to their seats and told them that we would be creating name tags for our desks. I asked them to get out their crayons and markers and showed them how to fold their paper in threes so that it would stand up on their desk. The happily got down to work. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 1.
After they made their name tags, I told them that we would be making up our classroom rules. I asked them if they knew what rules were and why we needed them and got some intelligent answers. I then asked them to give me some rules for our classroom and they all participated and called out rules while I wrote them on the board. Kids 1. Ms. Sharon 2. I was getting the hang of it.
Then I had the kids fill out worksheets entitled “All About Me” which listed their names, hobbies, favorite things, etc. I thought that it would be fun for them to switch papers and introduce each other. But again, the girls read so low that you couldn’t hear them, even when I asked them to speak up. The kids got restless, so I cut it short. Kids 2. Ms. Sharon 2.
After the 10 minute morning break, I divided the kids up into teams and told them that we were going to play another game, also taught to me by the other third grade teachers, called “Math Trashketball.” I divided the kids up into four groups and pulled up the questions on PowerPoint on the overhead (each classroom here is equipped with a projector mounted to the wall that automatically projects what is on your screen onto the board when you turn it on.) The kids knew all of the questions and it was soon apparent which students were better in math. They enjoyed the competition and trying to throw the ball into the trash basket and most importantly for me, the activity lasted a whole hour.
After Math, it was time for computers and I took the kids down and left them in the lab with their computer teacher. After computers, we had lunch so I was free from 11:00 to 12:50 p.m.
I spent my lunch hour preparing for the afternoon and walking across the street to a local restaurant for a tasty lunch of mushrooms, tofu and rice, which I ate with the other teachers in the teachers lounge.
Because the new third grade was put together at the last minute, the P.E. class schedule could not accommodate them all at the same time, so they are divided into P.E. A and P.E. B, which means, instead of another planning period, I have half of my class for an hour and the other half for an hour on different days. Wednesday, was P.E. for group B.
During my lunch hour, I had wandered down into the office to see if there was a list of students for each group, and was told that I could decide. Just send half of them today and half of them next time. Excited, I happily drew up a list of the rowdiest kids and sent them off to P.E.
While group B was in P.E. Group A was in my class and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I started off by playing Simon Says, which lasted all of 5 minutes and was then left with 40 minutes to try to fill. Half of the three wanted to play games, while the other half wanted to color and read. I decided on the latter. Kids 3. Ms. Sharon 2.
After P.E., I set about explaining a Social Studies game called “Oh Deer,” which teaches the kids about habitats and animals’ need for food, water and shelter. The teacher chooses two students to be the deer and the rest of the class lines up against the wall and decides whether they are food (hands on their stomachs), water (hands at the mouths holding a “glass”), or shelter (hands making a “roof” over their heads). The deer, with their backs to the group, also decide if they need food, water or shelter and make the accompanying gestures. They then turn around and grab the “item” (person) that they need and bring them back to their side, resulting to two more deer. The teacher then explains that the deer were able to reproduce because there was enough food, water and shelter to meet their needs. Then the process repeats until there are more deer than resources and the deer that can’t meet their needs, go back to the other side of the classroom and “die” and become resources again.
I loved the concept of the game when it was explained to me, and it went well at first, but when we got to the point where there were more deer than resources, it was chaos and no one would admit to being a dead deer. So it fell apart. I summed it up hoping that they would retain some of the lesson of the game and resorted to having them do what I had planned to give them as homework as class work, since the game, which I had planned to take all period, only lasted 15 minutes... Kids 4. Ms. Sharon 2.
The last period of every day for my class is Vietnamese, so happily at 2:40 p.m., I left them with their teachers and set about writing up the rules poster, making a “Classroom Super Star” poster to encourage good behavior and planning for the next day. “Only three days. Only three days…”
"My" Classroom
On Monday, I went to the elementary school to meet with the Assistant Principal. He explained to me that they had created a 3rd Third Grade at the last minute because they realized that the other two classes were over the school limit of 20 students per class and they had offered to job to a teacher, but she would not be able to begin until Monday of the following week. He then took me up to meet with the two other third grade teachers, both of whom I already knew from our hotel and our night at the pool hall. I spent some time with them going over the plans for the week, having them order supplies for my classroom, and then left to do some planning on my own.
When I entered what was to be my classroom, I was horrified to see the stark difference between the other classrooms' cheery designs, walls of words and numbers, inspirational posters, shelves of books and this room's bare walls and front facing rows of desks. Not thinking it was right for the kids in the new third grade to feel different or have less than their 1st and 2nd Third Grade counterparts, I set about transforming the classroom.
I asked for bookshelves and a World Map for the wall. I put the desks in groups of four. I checked lots of books out of the library. I recruited student helpers to help me stick alphabet letters to the wall, I borrowed posters, I scavenged foam paper letters to spell out "Welcome to Third Grade, the days of the week and "Birthdays" for a "Birthday Wall." It took me 6 hours, but when I was finished, I was quite pleased with my work and I felt that at least it wouldn't be immediately apparent to the kids that I wasn't a teacher.. at least not until I opened my mouth...
When I entered what was to be my classroom, I was horrified to see the stark difference between the other classrooms' cheery designs, walls of words and numbers, inspirational posters, shelves of books and this room's bare walls and front facing rows of desks. Not thinking it was right for the kids in the new third grade to feel different or have less than their 1st and 2nd Third Grade counterparts, I set about transforming the classroom.
I asked for bookshelves and a World Map for the wall. I put the desks in groups of four. I checked lots of books out of the library. I recruited student helpers to help me stick alphabet letters to the wall, I borrowed posters, I scavenged foam paper letters to spell out "Welcome to Third Grade, the days of the week and "Birthdays" for a "Birthday Wall." It took me 6 hours, but when I was finished, I was quite pleased with my work and I felt that at least it wouldn't be immediately apparent to the kids that I wasn't a teacher.. at least not until I opened my mouth...
Put One Foot in Front of the Other...
We spent a good part of our first week in Vietnam walking. We walked to the market, we walked to the bar, we walked to dinner, we walked to the park, we walked to the sights. I walked to the real estate offices, I walked to lunch, I walked to the market, I walked in circles, I walked past cyclo drivers, ready to give me a ride; I walked past moto-taxi drivers, pleading to give me a ride, I walked up stairs, down stairs, in heels, in flats, in sandals. I walked a whole bunch. Then I woke up one day and couldn't walk.
Upon further investigation, I formed the theory I had Achilles Tendonitis, a condition that occurs from repeated walking when one is not accustomed to so much walking.
So for the past week and a half, I have been hobbling around Saigon, trying to keep weight off my foot, taking taxis down the block and hoping that this condition will go away in the very near future. I have a city to explore!
Upon further investigation, I formed the theory I had Achilles Tendonitis, a condition that occurs from repeated walking when one is not accustomed to so much walking.
So for the past week and a half, I have been hobbling around Saigon, trying to keep weight off my foot, taking taxis down the block and hoping that this condition will go away in the very near future. I have a city to explore!
Edem Cheese and Generic Ritz Crackers
One of the many things I love about being in a new place is finding new favorite things to eat. Leaving behind life in the US where, with the right amount of money, almost anything you crave is within easy reach, makes one experience a little more small scall deprivation. In Atlanta, when I was in the mood for cheese and queso, we went out for cheese and queso. When I craved something sweet, I could drive down the road to Kroger for some Breyers Ice Cream or E.L.Fudges. When I craved a salad and didn't feel like making one, we'd go to Grant Central for pizza and a salad. We take for granted that we have almost unlimited options. But once you are out of that environment, the item you crave is no longer at your finger tips, so you have to make due with what is. In my case, that would be Edem cheese and generic Ritz crackers. Mmm mmm mmm!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
A Two Income Family...temporarily
Late last week, while still at the hotel, I received a call from Nhung at the school, asking me if I would be interested in subbing for a third grade class for three days. While a voice inside my screamed, “No way in…”, I heard a voice outside my head say, “Sure…but what will I do with them?” To which Nhung replied, “Just play with them.” Knowing full well that neither my idea of a good time or a good job involved playing with kids, I reluctantly agreed, hoping that my willingness to help out in a pinch, might translate to an offer to help, for pay, in areas in which I am more qualified.
I died and went to.... Co-Op Mart
Now while I do plan to do more shopping in the markets, especially for fresh vegetables and fish (it is actually still alive when you buy it), I have to say that I have fallen in love with Co-Op Mart.
Co-Op Mart is an oasis of neat, clean isles stocked with familiar things like cheese and bread and cereal. They have isles of beauty products, household items, pastas, snacks, etc., all things you would find in a typical western supermarket, but made all the more luxurious by their location in the middle of Vietnam. You can buy vegetables and fruit without having to barter for the price. You simply hand the fruit to the woman who weighs the fruits and vegetables and she slaps on the price. You can load up on cheese and yogurt and other things you can't find in the market. You can even buy clothes! And you can do all this while still feeling like a part of Veitnamese culture. In my three trips to different Co-Op marts, I have only seen one other non-Vietnamese.
Co-Op Mart is an oasis of neat, clean isles stocked with familiar things like cheese and bread and cereal. They have isles of beauty products, household items, pastas, snacks, etc., all things you would find in a typical western supermarket, but made all the more luxurious by their location in the middle of Vietnam. You can buy vegetables and fruit without having to barter for the price. You simply hand the fruit to the woman who weighs the fruits and vegetables and she slaps on the price. You can load up on cheese and yogurt and other things you can't find in the market. You can even buy clothes! And you can do all this while still feeling like a part of Veitnamese culture. In my three trips to different Co-Op marts, I have only seen one other non-Vietnamese.
147 Nguyen Tri Phuong
On Monday, Steven and I met with Phuong, our real estate agent, and the landlords for our new apartment, Viet and Nhung, a married couple in their 50s. Phuong had a lease written up that was clear, fair and to the point, which both Steven and I appreciated and Viet and Phuong went out of their way to be sure that we would have everything we needed - offering to buy pots and a new mattress - as well as making sure that we checked to see that everything worked and that we checked the readings on both the gas and the water meters to be sure we were only charged from the day we moved in. Steven and I were impressed with their hospitality and thoroughness. We paid our deposit and rent for September and left with a promise to return on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. to move in and get our keys.
On Tuesday morning, we packed up our hotel room and had our last buffet breakfast, before loading all of our things in two cabs and heading to what would be our home for the next 10 months.
When we arrived, Viet and Nhung were hard at working making sure all of our new appliances were working and that the apartment was clean. They had bought a new fridge, washing marching, stove-top, microwave, and mattress as well as a set of pots to join the already stocked kitchen. Wanting to thank them for their kindness and generosity, I left Steven in the apartment, hoping to find a flower shop nearby. I wasn't able to find a flower shop, but I did find a "flower pot and vase" shop and bought a simple, pretty flower pot as a gift for our new landlords.
After I returned and we presented our gift to our new landlords, we shut the door behind them and set about exploring our new place. I was all set to unpack and settle in, but Steven had his heart set on seeing a movie and the only one in the theater we were remotely interested in began at 1:00 p.m., so we set off for the movie theater.
The only problem was that we didn't know exactly where the movie theater was. We knew it was called Hung Vuong Plaza and we live two blocks from Hung Vuong Street, but we didn't know where on the street it was. We asked a taxi driver, but he didn't understand us, so Steven called a friend, but she didn't answer. The movie was a 1:00 p.m. and at 7 to 1:00 we decided to just keep walking in the direction we were headed, hoping to see something familiar. The street we were on is called, An Dong street, and is a beautiful, wide, tree-lined street with a seemingly endless park in the median between two directions of traffic. Before we even reached the end of the park, Steven looked up, to our delight, found that the park led straight to Hung Vuong Plaza where Hung Vuong meets An Dong. Steven was thrilled and we made it into the movie at 12:59 p.m.
After the movie, we returned to our apartment and set about unpacking our bags and settling in. I love organizing new apartments and putting up decorations. It was a great feeling to be in our new place and settled, at least for the next 10 months…
On Tuesday morning, we packed up our hotel room and had our last buffet breakfast, before loading all of our things in two cabs and heading to what would be our home for the next 10 months.
When we arrived, Viet and Nhung were hard at working making sure all of our new appliances were working and that the apartment was clean. They had bought a new fridge, washing marching, stove-top, microwave, and mattress as well as a set of pots to join the already stocked kitchen. Wanting to thank them for their kindness and generosity, I left Steven in the apartment, hoping to find a flower shop nearby. I wasn't able to find a flower shop, but I did find a "flower pot and vase" shop and bought a simple, pretty flower pot as a gift for our new landlords.
After I returned and we presented our gift to our new landlords, we shut the door behind them and set about exploring our new place. I was all set to unpack and settle in, but Steven had his heart set on seeing a movie and the only one in the theater we were remotely interested in began at 1:00 p.m., so we set off for the movie theater.
The only problem was that we didn't know exactly where the movie theater was. We knew it was called Hung Vuong Plaza and we live two blocks from Hung Vuong Street, but we didn't know where on the street it was. We asked a taxi driver, but he didn't understand us, so Steven called a friend, but she didn't answer. The movie was a 1:00 p.m. and at 7 to 1:00 we decided to just keep walking in the direction we were headed, hoping to see something familiar. The street we were on is called, An Dong street, and is a beautiful, wide, tree-lined street with a seemingly endless park in the median between two directions of traffic. Before we even reached the end of the park, Steven looked up, to our delight, found that the park led straight to Hung Vuong Plaza where Hung Vuong meets An Dong. Steven was thrilled and we made it into the movie at 12:59 p.m.
After the movie, we returned to our apartment and set about unpacking our bags and settling in. I love organizing new apartments and putting up decorations. It was a great feeling to be in our new place and settled, at least for the next 10 months…
Off the Beaten Path
The day before we made our last visit to the Orange Apartment, we made our way out that evening to check out the area at night to see if it felt safe. Sure that we knew where the building was on the map, but without an actual street address, we headed out in a cab. When we crossed over the bridge linking District 1 to Benh Thanh, we thought we saw the apartment building in the distance and directed our driver to the right. Nearing the neighborhood, the driver realized that there were no cars allowed, so he dropped us off on the sidewalk.
We walked in the direction of the building for about 10 minutes, only to discover that it was not the correct building. Steven was tired and ready to head back, but I was determined, so he agreed to walk with me passed where we had been dropped off, across a highway, and into another neighborhood, along the river and to yet another mistaken building.
When we realized that we had again gone wrong, we noticed that we had wandered into a Vietnamese neighborhood unlike any we had seen before. The neighborhood consisted of narrow streets barely wide enough for two people to pass without touching, lined with Vietnamese homes, their store front living rooms completely open to the sidewalk, inviting passersby to peer in to their family life as they walked by. Deep in the neighborhood, we came across another bridge, this one across a canal, filled with trash and lined with structures cobbled together with corrugated tin - the inner slums of Ho Chi Minh City.
We decided then that we should give up and head back and flagged a cab down on the main street to our hotel in District One. We were disappointed in not having seen the area around the apartment, but happy to have stumbled upon a slice of life in the city that we would not have seen otherwise.
We walked in the direction of the building for about 10 minutes, only to discover that it was not the correct building. Steven was tired and ready to head back, but I was determined, so he agreed to walk with me passed where we had been dropped off, across a highway, and into another neighborhood, along the river and to yet another mistaken building.
When we realized that we had again gone wrong, we noticed that we had wandered into a Vietnamese neighborhood unlike any we had seen before. The neighborhood consisted of narrow streets barely wide enough for two people to pass without touching, lined with Vietnamese homes, their store front living rooms completely open to the sidewalk, inviting passersby to peer in to their family life as they walked by. Deep in the neighborhood, we came across another bridge, this one across a canal, filled with trash and lined with structures cobbled together with corrugated tin - the inner slums of Ho Chi Minh City.
We decided then that we should give up and head back and flagged a cab down on the main street to our hotel in District One. We were disappointed in not having seen the area around the apartment, but happy to have stumbled upon a slice of life in the city that we would not have seen otherwise.
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