Okay – let’s start another category. We’ll call this one “This and That.” It will be the category used for “stuff” – those things that don’t necessarily fit into a nice neat category.
Some comments on the comments. (I sometimes post my own comments in the Comments area, but I know some of you may not always read them, so I will comment on some comments in this main section.) Marty – you don’t have air conditioning? Yuck! But then again, you have broadband. My Internet access is dial-up – and a 28.8 connection is hot! Doc – some things come around. There is a picture on the Comanche site showing shirts hanging on tress in an attempt to dry them out. We didn’t have a dryer back then!
Now, on with the story.
C and I are working folks again. True enough, we’re not actually teaching our own classes, but we are observing classes. C visited a first year English speaking class yesterday, while I sat in on a third year writing class. Our first visit together was to a writing class, and this morning we visited a first year reading class. We should know our teaching schedules by this weekend, and actually start teaching Monday. By the way – the first class of the day begins at 7 AM. That’s right – 7 AM! I can remember my inability to make a eight o’clock class when I was in college.
We are beginning to find out way around the local eateries. I love pho (say "fuh"), the beef noodle soup that may be Viet Nam’s most famous dish. And – we found a great place for it. When we need something more familiar, Little Italy has respectable pizzas. Phuong Nam has good food, its cheap – and a great view of backpacking European tourists walking by. Good food is very cheap in Hue.
But – to make life a little easier, we have gone together with the three other foreign teachers and hired a cook. That’s right – every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we eat lunch at 11:30, then save the leftovers for dinner. That will cost us a whole $1.15 for both meals. Ladies – lest you think we have gone soft, the “kitchen” is a 5 gallon jug of clean water, a two-burner cooking surface, and some assorted pots and pans. More on the cooking later.
Oh, our aching legs! They’re not used to bikes. Our butts aren’t either, but the legs are weary after riding the 15 minutes back from class – only to be faced with walking up four flights of stairs. I’ll soon post more about riding bikes in Hue. If you wish to see where we go, there is a link to a map of Hue on the upper left side of this blog. Yes, we pedal over to the other side of the Perfume River.
Here’s a little example of our rapid introduction to the Vietnamese culture. In class, the topic of proper address came up. As you know, female students at a university in America are referred to as women. Not here. The students here were asked if they preferred to be addressed as men and women, or boys and girls. The chorus was resounding. They are boys and girls. One doesn’t not achieve the status of an adult until one is married.
Students are encouraged to visit us in our rooms – something that is just not done by the Vietnamese professors. We hope to develop relationships with them, and this is the best way to do that. A couple of days ago, one of the other teachers took some first year students to a local hot springs. The next night, they came over to see the digital pictures on the computer. 
The sandals outside the door are another cultural phenomenon – one does not wear your shoes into someone’s home. You are either barefoot or put on slippers – but no street shoes inside. Here they are clustered around the computer, giggling like the young girls they are. (Be sure to click on the photos to see a larger version.) 
Life is good in Hue – our hometown!