This is a record – it has been well over a week since I last posted. I believe it is the longest period of time between posts since I began blogging two year ago. I suppose I could tell you why, but most likely, you don’t care.
So I’ll skip the excuses (er, reasons.)
The last weekend was “interesting.” As you know, we live on the top floor of a dormitory, and there are other dorm buildings built in such a way that we share a central courtyard. A concrete courtyard and concrete buildings make the acoustics loud indeed. This weekend as it was the Laotian lunar new year – commonly called the Water Festival.
So what? We’re in Viet Nam, right?
The bottom floor of the dorm opposite us has Laotian students. Though Laos is one of the very poorest countries in the world, these students seem quite well off. Many have computers in their room, and most have expensive imported bicycles, or motorbikes. Last weekend, they celebrated their new year by soaking any unwary passerby, and by setting up a set of humungous speakers for their party music. I don’t know if you have ever heard Lao rap music before, but at two gazillion decibels, it was hard to do much worker. The music got louder as the beer consumption increased, and the party continued for three nights. We’ll be prepared next year with ear plugs and rain suits.
You have heard us marvel at the support we get from the agency we work with. We marvel some more. Last week we had a visit from our Ha Noi based supervisor. He observed our teaching, offered solid practical advice, talked to the powers-that-be at the university, and shared some quiet time with us as well. Thanks, Peter.
Peter brought little gifts from Ha Noi. Cindy and our fellow teacher asked him to bring chocolate chips. Yummers! The Toll House cookies Cindy baked were great! The cookies topped off a dinner of “tacos” (made with home made tortillas) and some tongue-burning salsa. It was great fun asking our Vietnamese students how to spell “tortilla.” Nasty trick, eh?
I had a “bad teaching day” last week. Mean ole me – I had assigned a five page essay (unheard of for third year students, I was told later), with two weeks to write the paper. But – the fateful day arrived, and only about half of the class showed up. Yikes! Did I scare them all away? After the first period (we have three periods in a row, one day a week in each course), I noticed some students sneak into the classroom – and put their papers on the stack. Then more did so during the second break. By the beginning of the third period, all the students were in class – and all the papers on my desk.
Life has been interesting. The air conditioning unit in our room is broken, so we have had to sleep in the common room, then come back over to our own room for lesson preparation, taking showers, eating breakfast, and the like. It has been a hassle. I know I used to sleep without air conditioning in this country a long time ago, but my body has betrayed me. Try as I might, I will never be in the kind of shape I was in 35 years ago, and I simply must have it cool to sleep. But getting the air conditioner repaired has prompted a bit of struggle. The powers that be don’t want to spend the money because we are supposed to move into new quarters in the fall.
I am writing this in the hot room. Cindy went next door to sit in the cool and work.
The lights decided to quit working in that room.
Life is interesting in Viet Nam.