Friday, June 13, 2008
This Morning I'm A Man
10:12AM. Saw the rodent again in my kitchen. With the morning light I could tell it's a mouse. I didn't scream like a girl today and am about to walk to the store to buy some sticky pads. The question is, what do I do once the mouse is caught on the sticky pad. Do I need to buy a baseball bat too? And what if there are more?!
I Just Screamed Like A Girl
1:29AM. I just went downstairs to get water before going to bed. I flicked on the light and the hairiest, dirtiest rat/mouse thing I've ever seen scurried across the kitchen and ran behind the refrigerator. I believe I screamed, "Holy Shit-Jesus-what-the-hell." Second later Ryan came charging down the stairs in just his trousers (I say trousers now instead of pants since I've been teaching British English): and mumbled, "who's there?" I explained to him the situation and we both kicked water bottles behind the refrigerator to see if the thing would come running out. Tomorrow morning I'm buying traps (which I saw at the store the other day when buying cockroach spray and thought, "At least we don't have mice or rats.").
Ironically Brett Goldstein just emailed me about the post from yesterday and asked, "are there any other critters you're not telling us about." This is your fault, Brett.
Ironically Brett Goldstein just emailed me about the post from yesterday and asked, "are there any other critters you're not telling us about." This is your fault, Brett.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I Could Be A Rich Man In China
(One of my recovered pictures from my hard drive. I knew that $200 was worth it.)In Beijing many street vendors sold cockroaches on a stick. Um, delicious.
Well, I need to figure out how to start an export business because I've just struck gold--cockroach gold. Turns out that my house is situated above a cockroach colony. Okay, I'm being dramatic...all of Vietnam is situated above a cockroach colony. Check out this footage.
Two Things
1. I'm sick as a dog again. No, Mom, I don't have Dengue fever. I think my body is just reacting to being around so many teenagers every day who are used to living in a society where picking your nose and flinging it is not considered disgusting. I mean, come on people, this isn't my living room in New Jersey!
2. I just read Steve Song's blog and apparently he's coming back to Hanoi in October for a week or so. Song, you're not getting your camera back (which clearly I'm not using enough of since this is a picture free entry).
Going to bed...
2. I just read Steve Song's blog and apparently he's coming back to Hanoi in October for a week or so. Song, you're not getting your camera back (which clearly I'm not using enough of since this is a picture free entry).
Going to bed...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
My Vietnamese Mother
The other night as soon as my class ended I got a text message from Huyen: "I am waiting outside of your school. I would like to sleep at your house tonight if that is okay." As mentioned, Vietnamese girls don't sleep at boys' houses. As also mentioned, this was one of the first weeks in Huyen's life that she was sleeping alone at her house and was extremely lonely and sad. So naturally I said what any gentleman would say, "Of course!!!!!!!!!!."
I got my motorbike and pulled up to the front of the school and Huyen was waiting there as promised. We drove side by side back to my house. I opened the front gate and the two of us parked our bikes. I then went back to the gate to lock it when I the door to the front house opened and Ming, the man of the house exited. Ming asked me to read the power meter so I could pay the bill. Sure no problem. A second later, Binh, the woman of the house came rushing out. This is roughly the conversation that took place:
Ben: Hi, Binh.
Binh: I see the girl. Vietnamese girl can not sleep here.
Ben: What?
Binh: No Vietnamese girl can sleep her.
Ben: Why?
Binh: You do not know who girl is. I do not know girl. Many girls rob foreigners. Then they rob us.
Ben: She's my girlfriend (yeah I used that word).
Binh: Girlfriend?
Ben: Yes.
Binh: You do not know her. She might rob you. And we are central. Police see her here and we get in trouble.
Ben: Why would you get in trouble with the police?
Binh: They see license plate on motorbike and we get in trouble?
Ben: What? That doesn't make any sense.
Binh: Girl must go!
Ben: Binh, your daughter is studying abroad in England right now. I'll bet you she sleeps over many boys' houses.
Okay, I didn't say that last line. Instead I told Binh she should meet Huyen and I could even get her a copy of her Vietnamese ID card if it made her more comfortable. Binh muttered something else and then rushed back into her house. Conveniently their kitchen light stayed on until Huyen eventually left. That's right, no sleep over was had. I was c-blocked by my Vietnamese mother.
Keep in mind, Huyen was feet away with our motorbikes. After she was very upset saying, "It makes me sad that people think very badly about Vietnamese girls." This is actually a great social study. We're talking about the old mentality of Binh vs. the new mentality of Huyen who is much more Western thinking. For example she has said to me before, "When a girl marries in Vietnam she is a slave to the man. I don't like this." Granted Huyen and I disagree on that last opinion since obviously women should be slaves to men. But anyway, the old line rings true here: "When In Rome, Do As The Roman Do." No sleepovers are in line for anytime soon....until Binh and Ming go to visit their daughter in England.
I got my motorbike and pulled up to the front of the school and Huyen was waiting there as promised. We drove side by side back to my house. I opened the front gate and the two of us parked our bikes. I then went back to the gate to lock it when I the door to the front house opened and Ming, the man of the house exited. Ming asked me to read the power meter so I could pay the bill. Sure no problem. A second later, Binh, the woman of the house came rushing out. This is roughly the conversation that took place:
Ben: Hi, Binh.
Binh: I see the girl. Vietnamese girl can not sleep here.
Ben: What?
Binh: No Vietnamese girl can sleep her.
Ben: Why?
Binh: You do not know who girl is. I do not know girl. Many girls rob foreigners. Then they rob us.
Ben: She's my girlfriend (yeah I used that word).
Binh: Girlfriend?
Ben: Yes.
Binh: You do not know her. She might rob you. And we are central. Police see her here and we get in trouble.
Ben: Why would you get in trouble with the police?
Binh: They see license plate on motorbike and we get in trouble?
Ben: What? That doesn't make any sense.
Binh: Girl must go!
Ben: Binh, your daughter is studying abroad in England right now. I'll bet you she sleeps over many boys' houses.
Okay, I didn't say that last line. Instead I told Binh she should meet Huyen and I could even get her a copy of her Vietnamese ID card if it made her more comfortable. Binh muttered something else and then rushed back into her house. Conveniently their kitchen light stayed on until Huyen eventually left. That's right, no sleep over was had. I was c-blocked by my Vietnamese mother.
Keep in mind, Huyen was feet away with our motorbikes. After she was very upset saying, "It makes me sad that people think very badly about Vietnamese girls." This is actually a great social study. We're talking about the old mentality of Binh vs. the new mentality of Huyen who is much more Western thinking. For example she has said to me before, "When a girl marries in Vietnam she is a slave to the man. I don't like this." Granted Huyen and I disagree on that last opinion since obviously women should be slaves to men. But anyway, the old line rings true here: "When In Rome, Do As The Roman Do." No sleepovers are in line for anytime soon....until Binh and Ming go to visit their daughter in England.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Hanoi Weather
Check out today's weather from now till when I have to go to school. Keep in mind, this is basically the same forecast for every day this week...and probably month. According to weather.com there will be scattered t-storms every hour here.
Wed, June 11
Wed, June 11
| Time | Condition | Feels Like | Chance Precip | Dew Point | Humid. | Wind |
| Morning Commute | Interstate Forecast |
| 9am |
| 93°F | 50% | 76°F | 77% | From E 5 mph |
| 10am |
| 97°F | 50% | 77°F | 74% | From E 5 mph |
| 11am |
| 100°F | 50% | 77°F | 70% | From ESE 5 mph |
| 12pm |
| 101°F | 50% | 77°F | 68% | From SE 6 mph |
| 1pm |
| 103°F | 50% | 77°F | 65% | From SE 6 mph |
| 2pm |
| 103°F | 50% | 77°F | 65% | From SE 6 mph |
| 3pm |
| 101°F | 50% | 77°F | 68% | From SE 7 mph |
Monday, June 9, 2008
It's Official: Vietnam Has It All
Three days ago I was talking about different foods to Huyen. Huyen, like many Vietnamese people, thinks that Vietnamese food is not only the only healthy food in the world, but also the only good food in the world. For example this is a typical conversation:
Ben: Huyen have you ever had a hamburger?
Huyen: Yes. I don't like. It's very fatty.
Ben: Huyen have you ever had pizza?
Huyen: I don't like. It's fatty.
Ben: Do you want to get Indian food?
Huyen: I don't like.
Ben: Have you ever had it?
Huyen: No but it's unhealthy.
The other day I made Huyen a bet that if she could get an A on a listening section of the midterm test I gave my upper Elementary level teenagers I would buy her sushi (basically I played a tape twice and she had to answer twenty questions about it). However, if she scored a C or lower she would have to buy me sushi. Well, she got a C which means I'm owed sushi. However, Huyen told me that instead of going to the restaurant she would look up the recipe for sushi and, "cook it" for me.
With her love of only eating/knowing Vietnamese food she reminds me of my sister in fourth grade who would only eat hamburgers for breakfast, lunch in dinner. I can only hope that Huyen will one day have the same reaction Hannah had after maxing out on one meal: she'll never want to eat it again. Okay, that's not completely true since I still love Vietnamese food.
Anyway, the point is, we were talking about food and I mentioned bagels. Of course Huyen had never heard of bagels (and had a hard time pronouncing it). Well as soon as I mentioned bagels I couldn't get them out of my mind. I was like Bubba in Forest Gump: "Huyen there are so many types of bagels. There's poppy bagels. Sesame bagels. Raisin bagels. Pumpernickel bagels. Onion bagels. Garlic bages. Everything bagels. Salt bagels. Even chocolate chip bagels!" For the next four eight hours I kept thinking about hot bagels smothered with white fish salad or cream cheese and lox. I kept thinking that if I was home in Jersey I could expect to wake up with a fresh bagel waiting for me on the kitchen table care of Mother August taking an early morning drive for her son to the bagel store.
Well, on Saturday afternoon while I was taking a breather on the ultimate frisbee sidelines, I happened to blurt out: "I would kill for a bagel." The fact that it was on my mind in the middle of a frisbee match shows exactly how obsessed I've been. Luckily my friend Laura who has been in town for a while overheard me and said, "Go to Puku. They have bagels." Turns out there is a New Zealand breakfast spot that is extremely well known with the expats. The next morning I met Laura there for brunch and ate this:
Sure, it's no New Jersey bagel but damn it was good. The bagel itself was sort of just thick bread with a whole in the middle but the cream cheese and the lox were amazing. Oh yeah, see that plate of food in the background? That was my second breakfast. All in all, this was one of my most expensive meals I've eaten in Vietnam (two breakfast plates and a fresh squeezed pineapple juice for exactly $10) but it was well worth it.
Ironically later in the day I told Huyen how I found a bagel and she said: "You found a bagel and didn't take me? You're so selfish!"
Ben: Huyen have you ever had a hamburger?
Huyen: Yes. I don't like. It's very fatty.
Ben: Huyen have you ever had pizza?
Huyen: I don't like. It's fatty.
Ben: Do you want to get Indian food?
Huyen: I don't like.
Ben: Have you ever had it?
Huyen: No but it's unhealthy.
The other day I made Huyen a bet that if she could get an A on a listening section of the midterm test I gave my upper Elementary level teenagers I would buy her sushi (basically I played a tape twice and she had to answer twenty questions about it). However, if she scored a C or lower she would have to buy me sushi. Well, she got a C which means I'm owed sushi. However, Huyen told me that instead of going to the restaurant she would look up the recipe for sushi and, "cook it" for me.
With her love of only eating/knowing Vietnamese food she reminds me of my sister in fourth grade who would only eat hamburgers for breakfast, lunch in dinner. I can only hope that Huyen will one day have the same reaction Hannah had after maxing out on one meal: she'll never want to eat it again. Okay, that's not completely true since I still love Vietnamese food.
Anyway, the point is, we were talking about food and I mentioned bagels. Of course Huyen had never heard of bagels (and had a hard time pronouncing it). Well as soon as I mentioned bagels I couldn't get them out of my mind. I was like Bubba in Forest Gump: "Huyen there are so many types of bagels. There's poppy bagels. Sesame bagels. Raisin bagels. Pumpernickel bagels. Onion bagels. Garlic bages. Everything bagels. Salt bagels. Even chocolate chip bagels!" For the next four eight hours I kept thinking about hot bagels smothered with white fish salad or cream cheese and lox. I kept thinking that if I was home in Jersey I could expect to wake up with a fresh bagel waiting for me on the kitchen table care of Mother August taking an early morning drive for her son to the bagel store.
Well, on Saturday afternoon while I was taking a breather on the ultimate frisbee sidelines, I happened to blurt out: "I would kill for a bagel." The fact that it was on my mind in the middle of a frisbee match shows exactly how obsessed I've been. Luckily my friend Laura who has been in town for a while overheard me and said, "Go to Puku. They have bagels." Turns out there is a New Zealand breakfast spot that is extremely well known with the expats. The next morning I met Laura there for brunch and ate this:
Sure, it's no New Jersey bagel but damn it was good. The bagel itself was sort of just thick bread with a whole in the middle but the cream cheese and the lox were amazing. Oh yeah, see that plate of food in the background? That was my second breakfast. All in all, this was one of my most expensive meals I've eaten in Vietnam (two breakfast plates and a fresh squeezed pineapple juice for exactly $10) but it was well worth it.
Ironically later in the day I told Huyen how I found a bagel and she said: "You found a bagel and didn't take me? You're so selfish!"
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