Weather, gifts, food, bugs!

Oh my god, it's so rainy! But it's rainy season, surely you knew? I hear you cry. Yeah, yeah. I knew, alright. I just didn't know it would be so insane!

Last summer, I went to South Korea on holiday. It was rainy season then, and we got caught in a monsoon. I've never been so soaked in my life. I looked as if I'd jumped, fully clothed, into a swimming pool. But it didn't go on for that long.

But Vietnam. Boy, Vietnam's got some real rain. So intense, in fact, that my window started leaking yesterday:

It even left a little puddle on my floor, right by my bed:

Thankfully, I found the whole episode really quite hilarious, and happily got down on my hands and knees to soak up the flood that threatened to claim my electrical wires. Quick thinking saved the day, and sacrificed my bath towel.

Other than the crazy weather - and really, you think you know thunderstorms? You know nothing yet - this week has mostly been gearing up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival this weekend. WIKIPEDIA (a link if you want to know more).
This has been described to me as 'Tet for children', and I know that we will be lighting lanterns, and eating lots of mooncake. Which is great, because that stuff is full-on amazing. In fact, my friend bought me one today:

(for some reason, I just can't get this picture to go sideways. So the wrong way around, it shall remain!)

She also got me these, (which are already almost gone, because they're so delicious):

Have you noticed yet that I love food? =/

Another lovely gift I received this week - seriously, when will this wonderful generosity end?! - was this beautiful purse from Ben Thanh market, from the principal's wife:

I think I've been very spoiled this week!

But of course, something sour must always happen to outweigh the sweet. I found this guy lurking in my bathroom. He was huge, and ugly, and when he fell onto his back, I left him there to die. I know it seems callous, but these things give me the heebie jeebies!

Beware the cockroaches! You have been warned!

Quick picture update 2

Check out one of my lovely 10th Grade classes, 10A1!

Aren't they great? =D

Being ill, schedule mix-ups, language barrier.

I've been feeling quite ill for the past two days. Nothing really serious, just a temperature, body aches, and extreme lethargy. Queue everyone at the school absolutely freaking out about it! The Vietnamese are caring to the extreme. I had a string of different people come to my room to place a hand to my forehead, and fuss around me; I was given a fistful of pills, and told to take them after eating. The nurse had to mime what each one would do for me, "Yellow!" - she held her head, "White!" - she rubbed her neck, and back, "Green!" - she stroked her throat. I had a visit from the Chairman - who, if you remember, demanded we had better beds last week - who was very concerned about me. "You must eat." He said, "You tell me what you like, we'll make it."
One thing I haven't mentioned in detail in this blog so far, is the fact that I am pescetarian, meaning I don't eat any meat but fish (it's not a moral thing, or religious choice, my parents were just kinda hippy-ish in the 80s & 90s, and raised me this way). This has been an issue in Vietnam so far. Not a major one, but an issue all the same. The canteen at the school is small, and I am the only non-meat eater, which has confused the cooks terribly. I've visibly lost weight in the past 2 weeks (not unusual - other meat-loving interns have too) and I think it may be due to my diet of rice and vegetables, rice and vegetables.
Don't let this put you off, though! I've had plenty of food in Vietnam that's been incredibly delicious. Just think to yourself: were school dinners really the same as a meal at a restaurant? No. Definitely not in my case! So I make sure I treat myself to something extra tasty and vegetarian at the weekends.

This week, we've had a schedule mix-up, through no fault of our own! Our teacher-liaison isn't actually at the school as much as we'd hope, so trying to communicate with teachers who speak very little English is sometimes hard and often frustrating. We were originally told that our schedule for last week stayed the same for this week - 2 lessons on Thursday, 4 on Friday - but apparently, this is not the case. As I've been ill, my placement buddy has had to pull two lesson plans out of a hat, and teach two classes this afternoon.
I don't know if this kinda thing is common here. I suppose being prepared is the only way around it. Always have a few lesson ideas you can use at the last minute, especially in the first few weeks, while you settle into things.

Sorry for the lack of photos in this entry. What with being ill, and pretty much bedridden, there hasn't been much of an opportunity to take any. But I'll leave you with this guy, who was hidden behind a marble column at the Reunification Palace:

Accommodation and first lessons!

First thing's first: Be prepared for extremely thin mattresses. You have been warned!

Originally, I had the bunk-bed as my main bed, but the Chairman of the school decided we deserved double beds - I'm definitely not complaining! My room is nice and big, and situated on the 3rd floor of an accommodation block on the school's campus. My placement buddy, Rasmus, is on the floor above me, and the rest of the rooms are occupied by students and people who work at the school (cleaners, cooks, maids, etc). It can be a little noisy in the evenings, as the students are pretty excitable, but it's a great room.

As for lesson planning, I've had to get organised. There's a supermarket near the school, so I've been lucky enough to score some great supplies, like box files, trays, and loads of stationary, for cheap, cheap prices. I'd definitely recommend getting some trays to keep separate class' work in, and to separate grades too.

In my first lesson, I got the class to make name cards. I was prepared, and bought in pieces of card and felt-tips for them. They really enjoyed making them, and also found it hilarious when I tried to say their names (getting my mouth around the name Nguyen is still hard, but I'd better get used to it, because it's the most common name here!)

I was really nervous going into the class for the first time, but a solid lesson plan, a few deep breaths, and a big smile really helped. I managed to get a class of 30 15-16 year olds having a fun time learning English by the end of the lesson, so I think I did something right. There were a few hairy moments, where I had a lot of blank stares, but it was bound to happen - after all, this is my first time teaching, and this was their first time with a foreign teacher! This morning, I woke up at 5:15am (as usual, because breakfast is at 6am, and school starts at 7am) to see the sun rising over the rooftops of Saigon.

It reminded me how stupidly lucky I am to be in this fantastic country, with this wonderful opportunity. I think these 5 months will be some of the best of my life!

Lack of internet and rural placement makes Millie go gaga.

Hello readers! Just a quick post to apologise for the distinct lack of posts this past week. I got to my placement last Saturday, and can only access the internet in the school office, which means it's hard to get private time to write long, emotional, and beautifully descriptive blog entries... Or, you know, bog-standard ones like my previous posts! Haha. Anyways, they're setting up wi-fi in our accommodation this week some time, so look forward to some photos of my (basic) accommodation, the school, and a few videos of the mental traffic here in Saigon! Until next time, people. Millie xx

Cu Chi Tunnels, Placements and Western Food

So this morning, we went for a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, on the outskirts of HCMC. It was hot as hell, but really interesting. The tour guide, Tung, was amazing, and had actually fought in the American War as a young man, living in the tunnels.

I'd seen a video of someone's experience there, but it was unreal how tiny the entrances and tunnels were. A few of the interns were brave enough to get into this tiny opening in the ground.

We were shown some of the lethal, ingeniously made booby traps that the Viet Cong set up for American soldiers. Some were brutal.

There was also a tank.

I thoroughly recommend a visit to the tunnels, if not for the history and the demonstrations of what life was like for the people living and fighting there, then for the very odd introduction film, shot in the 60s, and the chance to shoot a variety of guns, at about 350000VND for 10 bullets.

Last, but not least, we found out where we'll be teaching today. I'm placed at a high school in HCMC, which I'm so happy about. I really like it here, and I think it will really feel like a home away from home. As well as that, a lot of my friends will be teaching in HCMC too, so we can spend weekends and free time together! This evening, in celebration (and because we all got a bit fed up of canteen food) we went to Lotteria. I had a shrimp burger. It was great!