Saigon Delights
It’s day 5 of our trip here in Ho Chi Minh City. I haven’t been able to sleep in past 5am since we’ve arrived, both because of our teaching days (we are usually out the door by 6:45am, earlier if we want to sit down for breakfast) and also because most of the time I am way too excited to keep my eyes closed for too long. There is SO much to see!
Upon arrival at Tân Sơn Nhất International, we were met by my associate teacher here (a Queen’s Education alumni) and took a cab (our main mode of travel) to our airbnb apartment in the Binh Thanh District. The traffic can only be described as being unreal. Thousands of motorbikes and scooters weave between green and white taxis underscored by the blaring of horns. The riders are businessmen, students, older folks, helmet-less children, and even a husky sitting on his owner’s lap. Crossing the street is a whole different beast. Imagine the hardest possible level of Frogger that could exist, and then take away the speed limit of vehicles. Oh, and you only have one try. The sooner we began observing and then copying the locals the more confident and aware we became of the unwritten road rules. Most cyclists will stop if they see you, (holding your arm out like your hand is a stop sign against the traffic has been our tactic) but it’s a risky game!
Ho Chi Minh is divided into 24 districts (yes, I thought of The Hunger Games, too), but most of the tourist sights (hotels, museums, restaurants) are located in Districts 1 and 3. Binh Thanh is quite local, and so we have had a bit of trouble finding things that we need (we went on a half hour hike looking for an ATM or bank to find out they had already closed, and usually just play a pointing and guessing game when it comes to ordering food), but our hosts have been so helpful. The weather is humid but bearable with lots and lots of water, and the nights are breezy. Melissa, Megan, and I spend most of the day in school (they are both teaching at The International School of Ho Chi Minh City), and so by the time we are out (around 4pm) we can walk around without sweating our faces off. The shift from blasting the AC to 36 degrees and sticky is something our bodies are still getting used to. I came down with a bit of a cold on our second day, and was directed to a makeshift pharmacy run by a local woman where I pointed to my throat and nose and was given a small plastic bag of various pink, orange, and green pills. And get this, 15 pills cost me 23 000 VND (~17 000 Dong = $1 Canadian). Should I have swallowed the pills from the random woman who probably wasn’t a pharmacist? Maybe not, (sorry mom!) but they did help!
After touring District 1 (the “downtown” area) with its ritzy signs, large tour groups, and marked-up prices, I am very happy that we are living further from the city center. This has allowed us to participate in a more local and traditional cultural experience of this city. Although we find ourselves lost, confused, using lots of gestures, and smiling and nodding a lot of the time, there really is no better way to learn than by getting creative with communication and developing our Saigon street smarts. For dinner we usually find ourselves sitting down on small plastic chairs by the road, tucking our feet in so the bikes can get by. Eating buttery and spicy snails, hot bowls of lemongrass-infused vermicelli soup, and the BEST ever banh mi for breakfast (finished off with fish sauce and an egg for the extra protein) with the locals has given me a new and humbling perspective of the generosity and pride of the Vietnamese. They are friendly, accommodating, positive, and love to share their culture. Over the next month I am looking forward to trying new many more new things. Although there are risks of being too experimental in a foreign country, (thanks OCASP) I want to experience (and eat) it all.
The students I am teaching at The American School (TAS) of Ho Chi Minh City are bundles of energy and talent. TAS students are mainly local Vietnamese children, and they have been the best tour guides in regards to providing recommendations for restaurants and places to visit. I am soaking up all opportunities to work on my teaching and planning here, especially as I begin planning my own curriculum for July when I begin my first full time teaching position at The American School of Bangkok. I have started teaching the grade 6 drama class, Intro to Drama (grade 9), Acting/Performance, and will take over the Playwriting/Directing class come Monday. The drama classroom at TAS is open, collaborative, and constructive in terms of the feedback the students provide each other. Each morning we answer a question of the day. This helps to break the ice and re-focus, but it most importantly helps me learn and remember names! The school itself is a homey cluster of 5 buildings that have been converted into classrooms and offices. There’s a pool, a dance studio, and thankfully most of it is air conditioned.
And today? It is 8:30am and we are getting ready to head to The War Museum and explore the Chi Chi Tunnels! Maybe we’ll grab a coffee en route — I don’t drink coffee, but I have made an exception for the sweet and dark mocha-like Vietnamese style iced coffee. A little sleepy and still a little sick, but DELIGHTED!
