Friday, October 22, 2010
Got a job
Got a job on Thursday! Yesterday was my first day. It's an awesome job. I have my own desk, a brand new computer, a bus that takes me to work, and very.. very good pay! Not to mention they buy everyone lunch every day. And I have (sort of) a secretary. I'm going to call him a secretary just because it sounds cool, but what he really does is makes sure that I have all the materials to plan my classes for any given week, brings me to class, and sits in class in case any Vietnamese-English translating is needed. Oh, and not only am I an English teacher, but now I'm also a math teacher!! Poor kids...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Change of plans... again
Again, sorry for the delayed post. It's been a very busy week! Long story short- now I'm back in Saigon... I started working in Hue at an international school called Cilios. The school and the students were fantastic, and I was put in charge of an advanced speaking class that was a pleasure to teach. All of the kids (and some adults) were eager to learn and participate and were very friendly. One class actually took Ben and I out for coffee after school... so much fun!
UNFORTUNATELY, Cilios is a Vietnamese run school, has very little funding, and could only afford to pay us 13,000,000 Dong/ month (about $650 USD). That is just not enough... And since Ben and I were tired of looking for jobs and moving around from city to city, we decided to make it easy on ourselves by moving back to Saigon where you'll find a new job offering on every block. So, we arrived in the city last night (Monday night) after a really, really fun 28 hour bus trip from Hue. Actually it sucked. We went from Hue to Hoi An, stopped for dinner, Hoi An to Nha Trang, stopped for breakfast, Nha Trang to Mui Ne, stopped for lunch, and finally to Saigon.
I've applied to a bunch of jobs, have an interview tomorrow morning for a job I really want to get, and will apply to more tomorrow afternoon. I got an awesome deal on a motor bike today, fifty bucks/ month for a brand new, never been ridden Honda Wave. It get's stares, either that or people are just staring at me cause I'm white.. or both. I also got a new helmet, this time one that wraps around my ears as well, a bit more comfortable and much safer.
Anyway, I realized today that my 3 month visa is almost up. I can't believe I've been here for almost 90 days. It feels like much less. I do feel that Vietnamese life is becoming more normal to me now, though. The insane motor bike traffic no longer phases me as much, I have almost mastered the art of ordering a meal in a restaurant, and I've come to accept that nothing in this country is ever definite or guaranteed. You've really gotta learn to expect the unexpected.
That's all for now... keep commenting, and SOMEBODY please visit me!!!
UNFORTUNATELY, Cilios is a Vietnamese run school, has very little funding, and could only afford to pay us 13,000,000 Dong/ month (about $650 USD). That is just not enough... And since Ben and I were tired of looking for jobs and moving around from city to city, we decided to make it easy on ourselves by moving back to Saigon where you'll find a new job offering on every block. So, we arrived in the city last night (Monday night) after a really, really fun 28 hour bus trip from Hue. Actually it sucked. We went from Hue to Hoi An, stopped for dinner, Hoi An to Nha Trang, stopped for breakfast, Nha Trang to Mui Ne, stopped for lunch, and finally to Saigon.
I've applied to a bunch of jobs, have an interview tomorrow morning for a job I really want to get, and will apply to more tomorrow afternoon. I got an awesome deal on a motor bike today, fifty bucks/ month for a brand new, never been ridden Honda Wave. It get's stares, either that or people are just staring at me cause I'm white.. or both. I also got a new helmet, this time one that wraps around my ears as well, a bit more comfortable and much safer.
Anyway, I realized today that my 3 month visa is almost up. I can't believe I've been here for almost 90 days. It feels like much less. I do feel that Vietnamese life is becoming more normal to me now, though. The insane motor bike traffic no longer phases me as much, I have almost mastered the art of ordering a meal in a restaurant, and I've come to accept that nothing in this country is ever definite or guaranteed. You've really gotta learn to expect the unexpected.
That's all for now... keep commenting, and SOMEBODY please visit me!!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Hue, Employment and Pictures
Sorry for not writing sooner. I've been in Hue now for about three days, and I have to say it's amazing- definitely my favorite place in 'Nam so far. It's a pretty small city/ big town, and feels a lot like a college town- Vietnamese style. Actually, I shouldn't say that. Hue has such a heavy French influence that it almost feels like a combining of the two cultures. Although I've never been anywhere in France, the layout of the whole town is much different from anything I've experienced in Vietnam so far- it looks and feels much like how I'd imagine an old French town.
But where you really notice the French influence is the food! Hue has many specialty foods that are seldom found elsewhere in the country, including crepes, special French-Vietnamese pastries, and best of all, Banh Khoai. Banh Khoai is a "pancake" pastry filled with bean sprouts, shrimp, pork, sometimes cheese, and usually a bunch of other delicious goodies. It is also served with homemade peanut sauce. MMMMMMMM.
Anyway, the job situation is looking pretty good. I've started working for a semi-boarding language school across the river called Cilios. It's a really great place to work. All of the teachers, along with the director, have been extremely helpful and friendly. Unfortunately, they are not allowed to provide us with accommodation until our work permits are official, but they are helping us find a cheap house to rent in the mean time, and they have been preparing us with a bounty of helpful links and resources for ESL teaching. I've also been told that Vietnam's "Teacher's Day" is just around the corner- November 22nd- wooo!
Alrighty, so, like the last entry, I figured I would put up a bunch of pictures for the remainder of the post. (Good news- I figured out that I can upload pictures from my camera without the USB chord simply by putting my SD-card into Ben's camera and uploading them from his.) Enjoy, and comment!
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A small bay in Da Nang where we swam and snorkeled
Restaurant/ bar built over a river in Hoi An
View of Da Nang while riding up Monkey Mountain
Da Nang from the very top of the mountain
Monkey Mountain
Doing a little thinking on the very top of Monkey Mt.... very, very high up!
One of over 300 Pagoda's in Hue
The first Christian Church we've seen in Vietnam (Hue)
A nice garden leading up to the previous Church
French Influence in Hue?
More to come!
But where you really notice the French influence is the food! Hue has many specialty foods that are seldom found elsewhere in the country, including crepes, special French-Vietnamese pastries, and best of all, Banh Khoai. Banh Khoai is a "pancake" pastry filled with bean sprouts, shrimp, pork, sometimes cheese, and usually a bunch of other delicious goodies. It is also served with homemade peanut sauce. MMMMMMMM.
Anyway, the job situation is looking pretty good. I've started working for a semi-boarding language school across the river called Cilios. It's a really great place to work. All of the teachers, along with the director, have been extremely helpful and friendly. Unfortunately, they are not allowed to provide us with accommodation until our work permits are official, but they are helping us find a cheap house to rent in the mean time, and they have been preparing us with a bounty of helpful links and resources for ESL teaching. I've also been told that Vietnam's "Teacher's Day" is just around the corner- November 22nd- wooo!
Alrighty, so, like the last entry, I figured I would put up a bunch of pictures for the remainder of the post. (Good news- I figured out that I can upload pictures from my camera without the USB chord simply by putting my SD-card into Ben's camera and uploading them from his.) Enjoy, and comment!
--------------------------------
A small bay in Da Nang where we swam and snorkeled
Restaurant/ bar built over a river in Hoi An
View of Da Nang while riding up Monkey Mountain
Da Nang from the very top of the mountain
Monkey Mountain
Doing a little thinking on the very top of Monkey Mt.... very, very high up!
One of over 300 Pagoda's in Hue
The first Christian Church we've seen in Vietnam (Hue)
A nice garden leading up to the previous Church
French Influence in Hue?
More to come!
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