Just Ask Bup

Notre Dame, Saigon

Post Office, est. 1886

Uncle Ho

Entry #6.  March 11, 2012, 12:44 pm.  Café Nguyen, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  The coffee in Vietnam is just spectacular.  Strong but sweet, caffeinated but tasty, iced but not watery, and refreshing on such a hot day.  I am sitting in a café that overlooks an old French colonial mansion, which houses the archbishop of the Catholic Church of Vietnam.  Pink and yellow bricks meet dark wrought iron to form an ornate fence that surrounds an impressive and elaborate manor house, which boasts three levels of porches, large and ordered windows, many arches, porticos, and finials that give it a prosperous yet inviting display.  The architecture complements the tall trees above and the harlequin gardens below.  The exotic flora and palms take me away from France and place me in mysterious old Saigon.  I can only imagine the stories of both French and Vietnamese dignitaries who have been entertained with sophisticated dinners in its halls over the many years.  I’m shocked LanguageCorps didn’t decide to house me here. 

Good news to all- I am a TESOL graduate as of this past Friday.  I am officially certified to teach English to non-native speakers, and the certification is accredited both at home and abroad.  I had my last class with the LC students on Friday as well, and it was a little sad to say goodbye.  Many of the students gave me gifts, some of which are quite funny.  A few gave me sweets, candy, and baked goods; others gave more elaborate gifts.  My favorite is a wood carving about the size of a notebook.  The top is a painted bumblebee with a very surprised look on its face and its hands popping over its head, and right below the bee it says “I am Jon”.  Jealous?  Another girl made me a leather bracelet that is quite nice, although the students took a picture of her putting it on me and the evidence is causing quite the gossipy scandal on Facebook.  Even though the website is banned, every young person is just as addicted to it as they are in the States.  I was tagged in this ceremonial bracelet picture, and there are about 20 comments on it already, all in Vietnamese, and I can only speculate what they are talking about.  Too many exclamation marks and emoticons for my liking.  However, all the students rated me with great marks and I think they both learned and enjoyed my classes.  My most cherished memory from teaching the young adults is the time when one of the more timid girls was running late to class.  I could hear her rushing up the stairs, which was followed by a loud, thumping crash-- she ran smack into the glass door that led into the classroom!  She quickly opened the door, clutching her nose and glasses, and sat down while trying her best to ignore the scene she had just caused.  Of course I lost it, barely keeping myself from rolling on the floor.  Eventually she started laughing too, but I will never forget that startled and pained look on her face when she realized a thick, unseen sheet of glass separated her from the classroom.  I had written about how the Asian student doesn't want to 'lose face'; this girl did, literally- her faceprint is probably still there.

Now that I am finished with my LanguageCorps training, I have absolutely nothing to do this coming week except to find a job and an apartment.  No big deal, right?  Supposedly it isn’t difficult for a native English speaker to find a job; it just becomes a matter of waiting to hear back and subsequently attending interviews.  For an apartment, I already looked at one and it seems to be a great fit.  Most importantly I will have my own wet bathroom, which I will of course pimp out with waterproof neon lights, shower radios, and perhaps a fog machine.  I will name it ‘The Thunderdome’.  There are three bedrooms and three baths, and the current flat-mate (yikes, it’s happening) is a really cool guy from Boston who is around my age.  Rent is affordable and includes a maid service three times a week.  Not to mention the maid cooks, cleans, does laundry, and makes the beds.  It looks like my laziness will be perpetuated for another few years.  Future wife, please don’t let me down, but I’ll just have high standards.

Today marks my second week in the Ho and I have still only scratched the surface of the city.  I am keen to have free time this week to just do whatever it is I feel.  Maybe I’ll go to the pool, go rock-climbing at the free gyms, practice driving a Motorbike in traffic with my Vietnamese friend, lurk at the bars, get a haircut/get my Asian on, travel, eat, or my personal favorite, drunkenly practice my Vietnamese with the taxi drivers.  Let me tell you, a slurred Western version of an Asian language is an angelic, unsullied version of music to your ears.  Just ask Bup, my latest taxi driver….unless he quit after he dropped me off.

A special note to my friends and family who are serious about visiting: It really is just a matter of finding a decent plane ticket and time off from your regular schedules.  Everything else is incredibly inexpensive yet reputable, and there are fantastic hotels, restaurants, and sites that will surprise you with their modernized amenities and unique traditions.  I can’t stress how worthwhile it would be, or how much is to be gained from experiencing such an inimitable and charming culture. 

The Young Learners and our Pic of the Week

The Young Adults

The Photo